The association 'The Most Beautiful Towns in Spain' includes five municipalities of the Valencian Community in its extensive national network of 150 towns that stand out for their great beauty, history and culture. Incredible places that do not escape the spell of the Mediterranean Sea and the inland areas of the region.
The criteria used by this tourist group are based on the following parameters: a population of less than 15,000 inhabitants, a certified architectural or natural heritage, the conservation of facades, the controlled circulation of vehicles, as well as the care of flowers and green areas with their consequent cleaning and maintenance.
In the case of the Valencian Community, its most beautiful villages according to this association are Culla, El Castell de Guadalest, Morella, Peñíscola and Vilafamés.
According to its president, Francisco Mestre, the entity's activities focus on a "firm and determined" commitment to sustainable rural tourism and the promotion of these places through information technology.
Between the slopes of Alt Maestrat de Castellón is Culla, a medieval municipality where you can find several Levantine rock art shelters, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and remains of Bronze Age and Iberian settlements.
Its castle is one of the most visited sites, with a long history behind battles between Christians and Muslims in the 12th and 14th centuries. In addition, the old part of the town was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest thanks to its buildings and narrow streets steeped in tradition.
Located in the northern sector of the Marina Baixa, the Castell de Guadalest represents the true essence of the towns in the interior of Alicante. It is located at an altitude of about 600 meters on a rock with houses embedded in the rock and surrounded by an extensive valley framed by the Xortà, Serrella and Aitana mountain ranges.
It was declared a historic-artistic complex in 1974 and is differentiated by two neighbourhoods: the castle, at the top of the rock, and the Arrabal, created later when its population increased. To access them, you must enter through a tunnel dug into the rock itself.
It can be found in the extreme north of the Valencian Community, about sixty kilometers from the Castellón coast. It's pure magic, a fortification reminiscent of King's Landing from Game of Thrones. Its spectacular castle is more than a thousand meters high, with sixteen towers, six portals and almost two kilometers of wall.
Located in the province of Castellón, Peñíscola is the perfect destination to combine historical and medieval tourism with the best beaches in the Valencian Community in the same place. Its Templar castle stands out for its excellent state of conservation, as well as other must-see monuments such as the Church of Santa María, El Bufador and the emblematic Casa de las Conchas.
Just 25 kilometers from Castellón de la Plana is Vilafamés, a beautiful town on top of a hill with narrow, winding streets with a long Arab tradition. Its main tourist spot is the 'Roca Grossa', a stone mass that can be seen on the town's main street, named a Site of Cultural Interest almost twenty years ago.
