Benicarlo 
Benicarlo, Costa de Azahar - Overview:
Benicarlo has a population of 20,000 and is both a modern city and a traditional seafaring town. Benicarlo is a coastal village of the region known as el Bajo Maestrazgo, it lies amongst the palm trees near the sea at the northern tip of the Costa de Azahar. Benicarlo has a distinctly Mediterranean character and is not too crowded with tourists. It is a traditional sea-faring town with a thriving modern city feel.
Benicarlo, Costa de Azahar - Gastronomy:
There are many restaurants serving the coastal speciality of paella in the town. The whole area is famed for the growing of oranges and fresh orange juice is a delightful drink if the hour has not yet arrived for the local wine.
Benicarlo, Costa de Azahar - Beaches:
From north to south the beaches along the coast of Benicarlo are: Mar Xica (1km long pebble beach, open to the sea); a promenade runs south to Morrongo Beach, next to the fishing port. This beach is in a cove and is a fine sand beach about 250m long and has a Blue Flag award; Gurugu Beach is 800m long and is of pebble and sand. It is largely unspoilt.
Benicarlo, Costa de Azahar - Out & About:
The fishing town of Benicarlo has an 18th century church that is worth visiting together with an archaeological museum. A visit to the picturesque mountain village of Morella is interesting. One house has a macabre story attached to it dating from the early 1400's. The family had no food to offer the local saint. A wife and her husband killed their son and made a paella with the meat, Saint Vicente later heard of this and put the body together and brought the son back to life. Unfortunately he was missing one finger which his mother had eaten to check the food was cooked to perfection!.
The local festival is the Fallas (burning figures) which takes place in Benicarlo on March 19th. The Feast of Moros y Cristianos is celebrated in Peniscola on September 8th, and the Carnivals of Vinaroz in February. The Costa del Azahar is one of the Mediterranean coasta least affected by tourism making it an ideal destination for family holidays.
Benicarlo, Costa de Azahar - History:
The oldest known settlement in Benicarlo is the Iberian village of El Puig whose origins date back to the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age (8th century AD). Benicarlo dates from small Arabic farms. The town got its charter from the ubiquitous Jaime I in 1236, where it is called Benicastlo. In 1359, the town was granted its independence from Peniscola. The town developed with the typical defensive arrangements of a moat and city walls (which were destroyed in 1707). Today you can still see these early streets in the old quarter.
Benicarlo, Costa de Azahar - Sightseeing:
The Convent of St. Francis (XVI century) was built in 1578, and reconstructed extensively in the XVIII century. However the original single nave without side chapels remains. It is now the city museum, and houses permanent exhibitions on ethnology, archaeology and the Fallas festival.
Buildings in the old quarter include Bosch House which has a modernist facade; the Renaissance style House of the Baroness, and the House of the Marquis of Benicarlo, with a lintelled doorway, heraldic shield and a great double staircase. The Old Prison in the main street houses exhibitions and contains the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
The Church of St. Bartholomew (XVIII century) has a Baroque facade, freestanding spiralling columns and an octagonal, freestanding tower. It has has a single nave with a transept and chapels between the buttresses. Above the transept is a great dome. Inside the church, there is a remarkable panel by Vicent Masip painted around 1520. The Cristo del Mar Chapel is located near to the fishing port and marina. The present-day chapel was opened in 1924.
The Hermitage of St. Gregory (XVI century) is 2km from Benicarlo. A late Gothic building with a wide portico, formed by five arches of worked stone. Inside the hermitage is a 16th century carving of the saint in painted wood. On the 9th May, the saints day, there is a fiesta here.
Benicarlo, Costa de Azahar - Our holiday accommodation and service:
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So, if you're looking for an activity holiday golfing, walking, cycling and trekking; exploring Valencia's fascinating villages and historic towns such as Castellon, Calpe, Denia and Alcossebre or the vibrant nightlife of Alicante; enjoying the tranquil beauty of the Orange Blossom Coast or a few rounds of golf at a country club or luxury spa hotel; fancy a spot of sailing, catamaranning, jet skiing, water skiing, SCUBA diving, wind surfing, swimming or simply sunbathing and relaxing on great beaches by the Mediterranean sea (much of Spain's south coast is also ideal for a spot of winter sun); or you just want to simply escape the tourist masses with a privately owned apartment, cottage or villa with a pool, call our holiday team today. We can also assist you with flights to Valencia and Alicante in southern Spain, catamaran charters, holiday car hire and insurance.
