Guidebook for Gandia
THE LOCAL AREA
Located just below Mount Monduver (841m), Marchuquera is an area of pine covered mountains and orange groves, enjoying a mild climate all year round. Between October and March the orange trees are laden with fruit and in April the air is heavy with the scent of their blossom. Dotted in amongst the groves are small villages with farmhouses and friendly Spanish bars. There is good walking to be enjoyed on Mount Monduver and further up into the mountains, both for those who are dedicated walkers and those who prefer a scenic stroll.
You can walk for miles and not see a soul, smelling the wild rosemary and enjoying the spectacular views, stopping to rest beneath the mountain pines to eat one of Villa Florencia’s packed lunches. Discover the tranquil villages of the interior or take an excursion round the La Safor Cirque.
The city of Gandía is good for shopping and restaurants, with monumental buildings and a rich historical heritage. Visit the Palace of the Borgias, an outstanding example of 14th century architecture, or admire the Colegiata, a Gothic church constructed over an ancient Moorish mosque. Reach back into the past at the Archaeological Museum of Gandía with its rich collection of prehistoric silex and bone utensils and engraved stone plaques. If it’s nightlife you are after, Gandía has a wide variety of entertainment to suit all tastes, especially down at the beach area in the summer months.
The white sandy beaches are long and wide with palm trees and restaurants lining the promenades where people like to stroll before “sundowners” or dinner and watch the sun set over the blue Mediterranean.
Oliva is smaller and less busy but with a long sandy beach doted with beach bars and backed by sand dunes. If you get tired of topping up the tan or swimming in the sea, you can walk for miles along the beach towards Denia, passing the Seve Ballesteros designed Oliva Nova Golf Club along the way.
Wander around the old town centre with a “Christian quarter” and an older “Morisco quarter”, or take a walk up the Calvary route to the old castle overlooking the town.
Both Gandía and Oliva have marinas and there are water sports to suit all tastes. These are still primarily Spanish towns and not filled with fish and chip shops and English bars as found further south.
Monasteries, churches, castles, museums ….. all are plentiful and open to the public, displaying an insight into the culture and history of this part of Spain. Take a scenic drive over the mountains to Xativa and visit the old historic town with its ancient manorial homes, palaces and museums. This is an area which has been inhabited for millennia, and where the Moors introduced paper (made of straw and rice) to the rest of Europe. Visit the Cova Negra, where the Iberians minted their first coins, and climb (or drive) up the hill to wander around the beautiful Moorish and Roman castle and enjoy the stunning panoramic views.
Also worth visiting are the Cistercian Monastery of Simat de Valldigna (set in a breathtaking valley and currently benefitting from extensive restoration work), and the Church of San Roque in Oliva.
A short train journey from Gandía will take you to the stunning city of Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, where even the train station is of architectural interest. Here you can visit one of the biggest indoor markets in Europe, and wander around the Historic Centre with a wealth of wonderful old buildings, the bullring and the Las Fallas museum – a must for those not able to visit the area during the time of this great fiesta. New developments in Valencia include the innovative Biopark – offering an opportunity to see wild animals in a far more natural environment than a conventional zoo – and also the architecturally stunning City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias) which includes the largest aquarium complex in Europe, a science museum and an Imax cinema.
Spain is renowned for its fiestas, and the Valencia region is an enthusiastic participant! The most famous of these is “Las Fallas” held in March, when huge and grotesque effigies are built in the city streets and then burned down on the night of March 19th with accompanying fireworks and a great party atmosphere. There is also “Moors and Christians”, held during different months in various towns in the region, when Moors and Christians parade through the streets in fabulous costumes, fight mock battles, all ending with the triumphant entrance of St. George himself! On Janary 6th the Festival of the Three Kings is held, when there are floats and processions of children in the towns, who go to the Town Hall to receive their gifts from the Three Kings, and of course there is also Holy Week (Easter), declared as a national tourist attraction.
EXCURSIONS
Guidebook for Gandia
Many day-trip excursions may be made from the Gandía area and we will be pleased to make suggestions and offer advice. Various publicity and information leaflets are available in reception, so feel free to have a look. Just a very few of the more popular excursions include:
Valencia City Easily and cheaply reached by train, but we recommend using Xeraco station rather than Gandía due to extensive free parking there. Highlights in Valencia include the Biopark, the City of Arts & Sciences complex and the entire Historic Centre. An open-top tourist bus covers all areas of interest.
Benidorm For those looking for a wide choice of theme parks, water parks, and general resort attractions there can be no better place! About a 40 minute car trip down the A7 motorway, it is easily reached – and easy to retreat back here from!! A good fun day out. You could even take in an evening cabaret show at the Benidorm Palace – like in the TV programme!
Guadalest A beautiful and extremely picturesque inland village with a castle surmounting it all. Lots of surprisingly tasteful souvenir shops for gift opportunities, spectacular views out over the countryside and a famous turquoise lake, and nice restaurants for lunch. A major tourist attraction, so often fairly crowded in the high season
Villajoyosa A very photogenic and colourful fishing village to the south of Benidorm, Villajoyosa would be well worth a visit even if it wasn’t home to the Valor chocolate factory. Here, the finest chocolates are made, free factory tours conducted every hour (excl. siesta times!), and sampling sessions take place at the end!
ACTIVITIES
Guidebook for Gandia
It is possible to take part in a wide range of activities in the local area, many of which can be particularly well enjoyed out of the peak summer season when the heat is therefore less intense.
As well as being a recognised centre for rock climbing, the area also has an abundance of well marked-out walking and hiking routes. Routes vary considerably in length and degree of difficulty, but information is provided at the outset and all levels of fitness and endurance are catered for.
Cycling is a very popular hobby and sport in Spain and many local and regional clubs follow routes throughout this area – you may come across groups of them when driving along mountain roads! The La Safor region lends itself particularly well to mountain biking, so if you are an enthusiast already, or would just like to give it a go, this could be a great opportunity to do so.
There are designated National Parks and wetlands within easy driving distance for anyone interested in bird watching and many interesting and unusual species are to be found. Depending on the time of year, migratory as well as local birds may be seen and different habitats can be visited all within the same day – mountains and marshlands for example.
If you would like to take part in any of these activities and would like help in deciding the best places to go, please don’t hesitate to ask and we will try to advise on the best way for you to get the most from your stay with us.
RESTAURANT SUGGESTIONS
Guidebook for Gandia
There are many bars, restaurants and cafés in the local area catering for a wide range of tastes, budgets (and appetites!) and we are always happy to make any reservations for you that may be necessary. Not surprisingly, many restaurants serve paella, although this is usually a lunchtime dish rather than being available on an evening menu. Often it has to be pre-ordered when booking the table and is often subject to a minimum order of two people. Another dish to look out for on menus is “Fideua”, a speciality originating in Gandía. It is very similar to paella, but instead of being prepared with rice, it is made with small, fine pasta instead and is very tasty.
Some restaurants and their locations are listed below:
Ermita (the village in the valley opposite):
There are three restaurants in Ermita, and all offer straightforward home cooking for evening meals and light lunches. One is close by in the village centre and the other two (Bar Carril and El Coto) are slightly further afield. All are fine and come recommended, although not necessarily if you are looking for a Michelin star experience!
The Mountain Experience:
There are a variety of bars, cafés and restaurants in the mountain village of Barx (10kms up the road), but recommended restaurants in that area would include:
La Visteta – on the outskirts of Barx with a swimming pool and beautiful views. Suitable for either lunch or dinner, you can dine indoors or by the pool.
Restaurante Puig Mola – only open for lunches and booking (& pre-ordering) is essential. Their speciality is paella (reputedly the best in the whole province) and a minimum order is for three people. However, it is not a problem for two to eat here and the cost of a 3 portion paella is approximately €30. Very popular with local people and can therefore be noisy if you eat indoors!
Gandía:
The town has many restaurants to choose from – please see our supplemental Guidebook for Gandia, for suggestions and recommendations.
Tapas Route – not the name of a restaurant, but an evening experience enjoyed by large numbers of the townspeople! Started very successfully a few years ago, many of the bars and restaurants launched a scheme on Thursday and Friday evenings whereby they serve tapas and a drink for only €2. There is a certain amount of healthy competition between the establishments and the size and quality of the tapas generally exceeds expectations. The drinks are usually smaller than normal (so not a pint of beer or a goblet of wine!) but the whole concept represents exceptional value for money and usually after moving between 4 or 5 establishments (or staying in the one place and sampling several there), this is sufficient instead of a formal dinner out. Also, this starts around 8.00pm, so is earlier than restaurants would normally serve their dinner menus. Signs usually appear outside participating establishments, samples of the tapas are often on the counters inside (making choice very easy) and it all happens on Thursday evenings at the far side of town and on Friday evenings at this side.
General suggestions– If you fancy just strolling around the town and choosing a restaurant in passing, good places to start are Plaza del Prado and Plaça Major (generally known as Town Hall Square!). Plaza del Prado, originally the site of the town market) lies to one side of the main avenue and is a huge square lined with countless bars, restaurants and cafés. Plaça Major lies on the other side of the avenue and offers a smaller selection of eateries opposite the impressive Town Hall building and adjacent to the church.
Playa de Gandía:
Playa de Gandía is approximately 3kms apart from the main town and has a huge range of bars, restaurants and cafés, although many are closed in the winter months. A stroll along the promenade and the side streets will offer you pretty much any type of eating experience you might be looking for.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our Guidebook for Gandia, and look forward to hosting you in the near future.