Xàtiva, the city of the Borgias beneath its castle.

Xàtiva is the easiest Sunday outing from Valencia: three quarters of an hour by car or on the Cercanías, and a city you can see whole in a day. Up above, a castle that fills the entire ridge of the sierra; down below, an old town of churches, palaces and fountains where the two Borgia popes and the painter Ribera were born. And a history the city has not forgotten: Philip V had it burned in 1707, and in its museum the king's portrait hangs upside down. For lunch, oven-baked rice, the city's dish.

How do I get there from Valencia?

By car, along the A-7 towards Alicante: about 48 minutes. By train, Cercanías line C-2 leaves València Nord with a train roughly every 20 minutes and takes between 50 minutes and 1 h 10, depending on the service; the station is about a ten-minute walk from the old town. On Sundays there are fewer trains: check the Renfe timetable before leaving. From Alicante and Albacete you arrive along the A-7 and the A-35 or the A-31; allow a good hour and a half.

How do you get up to the castle?

On foot, along the Castell road from the old town, passing the hermitage of Sant Feliu and the Bellveret viewpoint. It is a long, steep climb with almost no shade. On Sundays and public holidays from October to May there is a shuttle bus from the Plaza de l'Espanyoleto for €1.15, and in summer a tourist train. The castle is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00; it closes at 18:00 in winter and at 21:00 in summer. The ticket, €6, includes the municipal museums, such as the Almodí; buying it online is recommended.

What to see in a day?

In the morning, the old town: the Seu, whose museum and bell tower are open on Sundays only from 11:30 to 13:00, and the Fine Arts Museum, with the upside-down Philip V, Ribera and Goya's Caprichos, open until 14:30. Between the two, the Borgia route: the birthplace of Alexander VI, the Gothic fountain of La Trinitat and the church of Sant Pere. Have lunch in the Plaza del Mercat and climb to the castle in the afternoon, which in winter stays open until 18:00. If you arrive early, reverse the order: castle at 10:00 and old town afterwards.

And with one more day?

Leave the city. The Cova Negra trail follows an irrigation channel, flat, from the fountain of the 25 spouts to the bend of the Albaida where Neanderthals lived: an hour and a half to two hours each way. If you prefer a guide, Love Xàtiva Tours runs the castle visit on Saturdays for €10 and, as private tours midweek, the Cova Negra and the walls and the Bellveret. In summer, 22 minutes by car away, the Gorgo de la Escalera at Anna is a pool at the foot of 136 steps. And at weekends, in Moixent, Celler del Roure opens its winery with a tasting of three wines for €15.

When to go?

October to May is best: the climb to the castle is done without the heat and the shuttle runs on Sundays. In summer, go up first thing, leave the museums for midday and look for water in the afternoon at Anna. Bear in mind that almost everything closes on Mondays: the castle, the Seu and the museums.

Where to eat and sleep?

El Cullerot, in the Plaza del Mercat opposite the Seu, makes Xàtiva-style oven-baked rice and opens on Sundays from 12:00 to 17:00. The restaurant of the Hotel Mont-Sant, at the foot of the castle, opens every day. To sleep, Mont-Sant itself, on an estate with gardens and a pool below the wall; La Maga Rooms, designer rooms at the top of the old town where dogs are admitted; or Casa Rosetta Boutique, five adults-only rooms near the station.