El Cullerot
What to order: the Xàtiva baked rice, with the house esgarraet or the croquetón to start, and arnadí or moixavena for dessert.
Plaça del Mercat 10 · closed Monday to Wednesday · Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00
geocalia
Day itinerary · 38.99° N · 0.52° W
Xàtiva in summer: the Cova Negra in the cool and the afternoon in the water.
A flat walk to the Cova Negra before the heat, oven-baked rice facing the Seu and an afternoon swim at the Gorgo de la Escalera in Anna, at the foot of 136 steps.
Leaving from
Part of Xàtiva
Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car45 min each way
From Valencia50 min by car
WalkingFlat · there and back on the PRV-78
DifficultyEasy
Cost€25–40 pp
Best timeJune – September
With childrenIf they walk well
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
-
Leave Valencia 45 min by car
via the A-7 from Valencia, about 48 minutes
-
1
Walk from Xàtiva to the Cova Negra on the PRV-78
PRV-78 from the fountain of the 25 spouts · return, 3 h 30 · free
+34 601 367 515
- 15 min on foot
-
2
El Cullerot
El Cullerot · Xàtiva-style baked rice · €€ · booking; on Saturday open 13:00 to 18:00
Plaça del Mercat, 10, 46800 Xàtiva · +34 624 429 984
Restaurant €€Book - 15 min by car18 km
-
3
Swimming at the Gorgo de la Escalera in Anna
136 steps · €2 from age 4 · no lifeguard
-
Back home
From Anna via the A-7
Approximate cost
About €170–180 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Walk from Xàtiva to the Cova Negra on the PRV-78
In summer, Xàtiva is lived the opposite way to winter: the castle, with no shade, is left for another day, and the plan looks for cool in the morning and water in the afternoon. The Cova Negra is a flat walk from the old town, beside the River Albaida, and the Gorgo de la Escalera in Anna is 22 minutes by car.
The day, hour by hour
7:45 · Set off. From Valencia, the A-7 towards Alicante, about 48 minutes. The route starts at the fountain of the 25 spouts, beside the Portal de Cocentaina, east of the old town.
8:45 · Walk to the Cova Negra. The PRV-78 leaves from the fountain of the 25 spouts and follows the irrigation channel, flat and waymarked, to the bend in the Albaida where Neanderthals lived. An hour and a half or two each way and the same back. Bring water for the whole morning.
13:15 · El Cullerot. In the Plaza del Mercat, facing the Seu: Xàtiva-style oven-baked rice. On Saturdays it opens from 13:00 to 18:00; book ahead.
15:45 · Gorgo de la Escalera. In Anna, 18 km. You go down 136 steps to the pool, at the foot of a waterfall of about 20 metres. Entry €2 from age 4, bought online or at the entrance; capacity of 350 people and no lifeguard.
19:00 · Head home. From Anna, back to the A-7 towards Valencia.
If you go with children
The route is flat, but it is three and a half hours of walking: with children who will not manage that much, drive to the Alboi poplar grove and do only the last stretch. At the gorge, under-4s do not pay; watch them closely in the water, because there is no lifeguard.
Time1 h 45
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Hotel Mont-Sant Restaurant
What to order: the €45 Montsant menu if you are all at the table with time to spare, or from the menu the croquetón, the oxtail ravioli and a baked rice ordered beforehand
Subida al Castillo, s/n · every day from 13:30 to 15:00 and from 20:30 to 22:00; the kitchen closes at 15:15 and 22:15
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Xàtiva
From June to September, when the castle is hard going and water is appealing. Set out early: the route is done in the cool. In summer the gorge may have entry control.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Water shoes and a towel
To get into the water from the rocks at the gorge.
- 2Buy the gorge ticket online
On an August Saturday the capacity of 350 can fill up.
- 3Save your strength for the stairs
The 136 steps are noticeable on the way back, after the morning's walk.
We'd skip it
The castle at midday in July or August: the road up has no shade.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Xàtiva to the Gorgo de la Escalera?
About 22 minutes by car, 18 km.
Is the Cova Negra route hard?
No, it is flat and waymarked, though long: between three and four hours there and back.
Where can you eat in Xàtiva on Saturday?
At El Cullerot, facing the Seu, from 13:00 to 18:00, with a reservation.
Do you have to pay for the gorge?
In summer, €2 from age 4, with a capacity of 350 people.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/xativa/itineraries/cova-negra-and-gorgo-de-anna
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.