Logbook · 9 places

What to see and do in Peníscola

What to see and do in Peníscola (El Baix Maestrat, Castellón): 9 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 4 Monuments · 1 Activities · 2 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Peníscola

Torre Badum de Peníscola 5.5 km

Towns near Peníscola

What to see in Benicarló 6.8 km · 5 places
What to see in Santa Magdalena de Pulpis 8.8 km · 2 places
What to see in Càlig 12 km · 6 places
What to see in Vinaròs 14 km · 12 places
What to see in Cervera del Maestre 15 km · 6 places
What to see in Alcalà de Xivert 17 km · 7 places
What to see in Sant Jordi 18 km · 2 places
What to see in La Jana 21 km · 3 places

Spain › Valencian Community › Castellón › El Baix Maestrat › Peníscola

What to see and do in Peníscola

Peníscola
Village
Peníscola, in Spanish Peñíscola, is a walled coastal town of the Baix Maestrat, in the province of Castellón, holding the title of city since 1707 and included since 2013 in the network of the most beautiful villages of Spain. It stands on a tombolo, joined to the mainland by a sand isthmus, on which rises the old town dominated by the castle of the Papa Luna, which separates two stretches of coast with beaches to the north and south. The municipality includes a large part of the Sierra de Irta, which reaches the sea in cliffs such as that of the Badum; the town rises 5 metres above sea level, and the castle up to 66. It has 8,774 inhabitants.
Castle of Peñíscola (Papa Luna)
Monument
A Templar fortress built between 1294 and 1307 on the remains of an earlier Arab fortification, with the sober, solid lines typical of the order. In 1411 Pedro Martínez de Luna, Pope Benedict XIII, known as the Papa Luna, settled in it and turned it into a papal palace and library, a residence he used until 1423; his successor, Clement VIII, also lived there. It preserves the papal basilica, with a semicircular apse and barrel vault, the throne room, the conclave chamber and the pontifical study overlooking the sea. During the Germanías and under Philip II the engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli reinforced its defences against Barbary piracy. Declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) on 3 June 1931, it is today owned by the Diputación de Castellón.
Wall of Peníscola
Monument
Renaissance walled enclosure of the old town of Peníscola, the work of Felipe II's military engineer Giovanni Battista Antonelli, completed in 1578 to defend the stronghold against Barbary piracy; its layout recalls the walls of Ibiza.
Festivities of Peníscola
Activity
Peníscola's patronal festival is in honour of the Virgen de la Ermitana, held from the night of 7 September with dances and processions; the town also celebrates Sant Antoni Abat on 17 January.
Hermitage of Sant Antoni de Peníscola
Monument
The hermitage of Sant Antoni de Peníscola, dating from the 16th century, rises in the Serra d'Irta, on the muntanya de la Mola, at about 400 metres above sea level. In 1416 Pope Benedict XIII granted indulgences to those who visited the original chapel; the present building was probably begun in the 15th century, although its main extension was completed in 1684, the year the sculptor Alexandre Guasch made the central altarpiece. Of popular typology, the complex brings together the temple, the hermit's house and a lodging house around a courtyard with views over the coast. Every Sunday following Easter, a traditional pilgrimage sets out from Peníscola to the hermitage; Sant Antoni shares the patronage of the town with the Mare de Déu de l'Ermitana.
Torre Badum de Peníscola
Monument
A watchtower of Arab origin reinforced in the 16th century, standing on a cliff of almost 100 metres at Cape Irta, between the Volante ravine and El Pebret beach, in the municipal district of Peníscola.
The surrender of Peníscola to Jaime I
Historical milestone
After the fall of Burriana, the stronghold on the rock capitulated in 1233 before James I with no need for a siege, and the king described it in his chronicle as one of the keys of the north of the kingdom; shortly afterwards it passed into the hands of the Order of the Temple.
The transfer of the papal court to Peníscola
Historical milestone
Benedict XIII, the Papa Luna, installed his papal seat in the castle with his library, his relics and his curia, and there he held out in isolation until his death on 23 May 1423, never renouncing his status as pope.
The fish suquet of Peníscola
Food and drink
Suquet de peix is a seafarers' stew, traditionally made in a pot with various fish and potato, typical of the whole coast of the Catalan Countries; in Northern Catalonia it is called bullinada, and in Peñíscola it goes by the name remescló. It arose as a simple but nourishing dish that fishermen cooked when they got home with the fish that had been damaged during the day's work and could not be sold at the fish market. Very similar fish and seafood stews, without potato or tomato, were already being made in ancient Greece and spread throughout the Mediterranean; the same family includes Corsican aziminu, Occitan bouillabaisse and Portuguese caldeirada. In the port of Peñíscola black rice and fideuà are also prepared.