Discover Les Alqueries: Orange Groves and Cultural Heritage
Accommodation in Les Alqueries
Les Alqueries is located in a completely flat landscape where orange cultivation, numerous alquerías and country houses shape the surroundings. The town emerged from a group of alquerías, agricultural farmsteads that were dependent on Vila-real. As a result, the townscape combines a rural character with a long-established local history. For those interested in culture, the town’s history is closely linked to the visibly agricultural surroundings of Les Alqueries.
File:Les Alqueries, 12539, Castelló, Spain - panoramio.jpg
Photo: zejijunto via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Landscape and Trails Around Les Alqueries
In the immediate vicinity of Les Alqueries, an easy, almost flat hike leads through orange groves to the nearby Muntanyeta de Sant Antoni in Betxí. The almost flat route does not require any special planning for steep sections. When planning the day, the main consideration for this route is therefore the path through the orange groves to the destination in Betxí. A walk through the town also reveals interesting Modernist-style houses.
Defensive Tower and Historic Buildings
The Torre de la Regenta is a very old defensive tower that was later integrated into an agricultural residential complex. The tower has a rectangular ground plan, is 11.2 m high and features loopholes, a ground floor with a barrel vault and battlements. The Torre de la Regenta is located on the Camí de la Ratlla near Vila-real and stands within an enclosed site. La Regenta is a protected cultural monument.
The Torrasa contains Iberian remains. A Roman bridge stands on the Riu Sec. The Torrasa and the Riu Sec represent two different historical periods. La Palmera is a distinctive former school dating from the 1930s. Les Alqueries also has numerous Muslim remains.
Townscape and Cultural Heritage
The parish church of Nuestra Señora del Niño Perdido is classified as a “Bien de Relevancia Local”. The town hall is located in the Modernist and Neoclassical Chalé de Safont. El Replà is a municipal cultural heritage complex near the centre of Alquerías del Niño Perdido. The ensemble includes the Iglesia Vella del Replà, La Casona del Replà and El Aljibe del Replà. One of the buildings dates from the 16th century and was extensively remodelled in the mid-19th century.
Festivals and Local Traditions
The 2024 patron saint festivities were held in honour of the Virgen del Niño Perdido. Their programme included a bull programme with eight bulls, as well as a daily running of the bulls in the bullring. The festivities also included the traditional Calderas meal. In addition to the animal events, the Calderas meal adds a culinary element to the festival programme. A monolith commemorates the independence of Les Alqueries; in June, this is also commemorated with the Fiesta de la Segregación.
More Town Pages
Vistabella Del Maestrazgo, Benafer, Barracas, Argelita, Torreblanca, Sant Joan de Moró, Todolella and Castell De Cabres.
For the overarching travel overview: Castellon.
