Palma de Gandía: Cultural Heritage, Routes and Festivals
Accommodation in Palma de Gandía
Palma de Gandía is located in an area characterised by irrigated fields and orange trees. Les Arcadetes were used to channel water to the village of Palma de Gandía.
Church, Plaça Vella and prehistoric paintings
Most of Palma de Gandía’s emblematic buildings are concentrated around Plaça Vella. They include the Church of Sant Miquel, dedicated to the holy archangel Michael. Construction began in 1392; until 1835, it was administered by monks from Cotalba.
West of the town lies Cova de la Clau, with remarkable prehistoric paintings in the naturalistic or Levantine style. There is also a traditional washhouse on San Miguel Street. The Sant Miquel washhouse forms part of Palma de Gandía’s water-related cultural heritage.
Waterworks, weir and castle ruins
The Lavadero de la Huerta is a rectangular basin dating from the 16th or 17th century. It preserves the dimensions calculated by Muslim irrigators in earlier centuries. Walks in Palma de Gandía lead to the Palma Weir. It is thought that a weir already existed at the site of the present-day Palma Weir in Arab times.
A simple, 2 km circular route begins in Palma de Gandía. In the surrounding area, the Castillo de Palma de Gandía, of Arab origin, stands on a mountain between Palma de Gandía and Alfauir. Two towers, sections of the wall and remains of a cistern have survived from the complex; the round tower is currently badly damaged. The surviving parts therefore clearly differ from the condition of the round tower.
Routes and feast days
For mountain bikes (MTB), the Ruta dels Monestirs has a signposted, circular route covering 123 km. The Ruta dels Monestirs is also homologated as a long-distance hiking trail by the Valencian Mountaineering Federation; this hiking route begins at Gandía railway station and ends at Alzira railway station. For planning purposes, the 2-km circular route represents a short local walk, while the 123-km Ruta dels Monestirs route requires a considerably greater amount of time. On this long-distance route, the start and end are also at different railway stations: in Gandía and Alzira; this difference is part of planning the excursion from the outset.
The Festes Majors of Palma de Gandía take place during the last full week of August. Moros i Cristians have also been celebrated in Palma de Gandía since 2008, during the second week of July. The two festival periods therefore fall in different months: Moros i Cristians in July and the Festes Majors in August.
How to get to Palma de Gandía
From Valencia, you can reach Palma de Gandía by road via the N-332, followed by the CV-686 and the CV-685.
More destinations to explore
Campo Olivar, Catarroja, Alcàntera De Xúquer, Macastre, Salem, Camp de Túria, Simat de la Valldigna, Titaguas
To the higher-level travel overview: Valencia.
