# Sunday in Xàtiva: the Seu, the Castle and Baked Rice A morning in the old town with the Seu and the upside-down Philip V museum, baked rice on Plaça del Mercat and the castle in the afternoon, with a shuttle in season. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/xativa/itineraries/xativa-seu-castle-and-baked-rice · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 09:30 · Salida: 45 min by car (via the A-7 from Valencia, about 48 minutes) - 10:30 · Fine Arts Museum (Casa de l'Ensenyança) (The upside-down Philip V, Ribera and Goya · 1 h) - 7 min on foot - 11:40 · Collegiate Church of Santa María (La Seu) (Museum and bell tower of the Seu, 11:30 to 13:00 only · €3) - 4 min on foot - 12:40 · Borgia Route Through the Old Town (Birthplace of Alexander VI and fountains · 40 min) - 1 min on foot - 13:45 · El Cullerot (El Cullerot · Xàtiva-style baked rice · €€ · booking required) · El Cullerot, €€ - 11 min on foot - 15:45 · Xàtiva Castle (Xàtiva Castle · 2 h · €6 with the museums · shuttle in season) - 18:00 · Vuelta (You reach Valencia around 19:00) Xàtiva is the Valencia Sunday trip you can do without a car. In three quarters of an hour you are in a city with a castle that fills a whole mountain range, a collegiate church begun in 1568 that was never finished and a museum where the portrait of Philip V has hung upside down since the king ordered it burned. And baked rice, which here is the house speciality. ## The Day, Hour by Hour 9:30 · Departure. Along the A-7 towards Alicante, about 48 minutes. Leave the car in the lower part of the city and walk up to the old town. If you go by train, take the Cercanías C-2 at València Nord around 9:00: Xàtiva station is about ten minutes' walk from the centre. 10:30 · Fine Arts Museum. In the Casa de l'Ensenyança, open on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:30. Look first for the upside-down portrait of Philip V, by Josep Amorós; then the San Matías by Ribera, who was born in Xàtiva, and the complete series of Goya's Caprichos and Disparates. 11:40 · The Seu. On Sundays, the museum and bell tower of the collegiate church only open from 11:30 to 13:00. It costs €3. Inside, the great 15th-century monstrance, the chalice of Calixtus III and the altarpiece of Saint Anne; at the door, the two Borgia popes in bronze. If you like, climb the 180 steps of the bell tower. 12:40 · Borgia route. Wander to Plaza de Alejandro VI, with the pope's birthplace and the Baroque Aldomar fountain, and return by the Gothic Trinitat fountain and the church of Sant Pere, where he was baptised. 13:45 · Baked rice at El Cullerot. On Plaça del Mercat, opposite the Seu. On Sundays it is open from 12:00 to 17:00. Order the Xàtiva baked rice, €16 per person, and arnadí for dessert. Book on its website or by phone. 15:45 · The castle. On Sundays from October to May, take the shuttle at Plaça de l'Espanyoleto for €1.15; otherwise, walk up the Carretera del Castell, past Sant Feliu: it is long and without shade. The castle opens on Sundays from 10:00 and closes at 18:00 from November to February, at 19:00 in March and October. Inside, two castles joined by the parade ground, the cell of the Count of Urgell and views over the whole Costera. The ticket, €6, includes the municipal museums: buy it online. 18:00 · Return. By car, you are in Valencia around 19:00. By train, check the last Sunday Cercanías before going up. ## What to Order Baked rice is the dish of Xàtiva; at El Cullerot they call it Xàtiva baked rice and it is ordered per person; if there are two or more of you, there is also señoret's rice, black rice or duck and foie rice. For dessert, the sweets of the area: arnadí, made with pumpkin and almond, or moixavena. ## With Children and Dogs The castle is big and can be explored; under-7s get in free, but they need a ticket. With small children, take the shuttle up. With a dog, the route round the old town and the castle road are fine; the museums, no. ## Cómo llegar ### By car A-7 from Valencia, about 48 minutes. Park in the lower city: the old town has narrow, sloping streets. ### Without a car Cercanías C-2 from València Nord, 50 minutes to 1 h 10, with fewer trains on Sundays. From the station to the old town, ten minutes on foot; to the castle, a shuttle on Sundays from October to May. ## Consejos ### Buy the castle ticket online The tourism website recommends it, and the same ticket is valid for the Almodí. ### The Seu, at 11:30 On Sundays it is only open for an hour and a half; do not leave it until after lunch. ### Water for the climb If there is no shuttle, the Carretera del Castell has no shade. ## Cuándo no ir A Monday: castle, Seu and museums are closed. And July and August middays at the castle: go up at 10:00 or leave it for another day. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Valencia to Xàtiva? About 48 minutes by car along the A-7 and 50 minutes to 1 h 10 on the C-2 Cercanías. ### Do I need to book the castle? It is not compulsory, but buying the ticket online is recommended. ### How do you get up to the castle without walking? On Sundays and public holidays from October to May, on the shuttle from Plaça de l'Espanyoleto, for €1.15. ### Where do you eat baked rice on a Sunday? At El Cullerot, opposite the Seu, from 12:00 to 17:00. Book. ### What is open in Xàtiva on a Sunday? The castle, the Seu from 11:30 to 13:00, the Fine Arts Museum and the Almodí from 10:00 to 14:30.