Tortosa

Tortosa is a 25 minute drive away from Benifallet and the closest major town for visits to the supermarket and topping up with cheap petrol.

If you are lucky enough to be visiting in July, a must to see is the annual Festa de Renaixement (Renaissance Festival) when hundreds of actors and thousands of local townspeople dress in traditional costume to take you back in time. Houses are decked out with flags, rugs, tapestries and plants, whilst shopkeepers, also in traditional costume, take their stands out into the streets, all to take us back to the splendor of the 16th century.   It’s 4 days of merriment and to join in the cheers in the streets they are probably shouting:

Terra d'aigua,
Terra d'un riu,
Visca la Vegueria de Tortosa!
VISCA!

Land of water,
Land of a river,
Long live the region of Tortosa,
HURRAH!

For information check out their website

Also in July is the Tortosa Jazz Festival and you should see Local Fiesta Dates for more in the area.

The architecture of the town has been declared to be of Historic-Artistic Heritage as it preserves examples of four different styles; Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and  Modernist.  A wander through the tiny winding streets will reward you with many photographic opportunities.

The Arab castle of La Suda, perched on top of a hill, towers over the old quarter and is surrounded by ancient walls. It was originally built in the 10th century, and was taken over by the Templars before becoming a Royal Palace.  The wall, keep, parade ground and other Medieval elements have been conserved and nowadays, as well as being a National Monument, part of it has been converted to a 4 star Parador Hotel.

Other places worth visiting include the Gothic masterpieces of the 14th century Cathedral and the buildings of the Episcopal Palace, the Remolins neighbourhood, where you will find the old Jewish quarter, and the College of Sant Domènec, with its Renaissance facade. 

A walking route map of the city of Tortosa can be found here.

More details on individual walking routes can be found below: