Valencia to the Maestrat: Sagunto, Peñíscola and Morella

Route description

Leave Valencia north on the V-21 and A-7 to Sagunto, 30 km. The hill above the town carries a long fortress with Iberian, Roman and Moorish walls, and the restored Roman theatre sits just below. The streets up are steep and narrow, so park in the lower town. From Sagunto the AP-7, now toll-free on this section, and the N-340 run north along the Costa del Azahar.

After about 120 km you reach Peñíscola, where the old town and the castle of the antipope Papa Luna fill a rocky peninsula joined to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. Parking is on the isthmus and the beach road; in summer arrive early. The Serra d’Irta natural park, just south, has one of the last undeveloped stretches of this coast, with a coastal track for walking or cycling.

Leave the coast at Vinaròs on the N-232 and climb inland for about 60 km to Morella, a hill town ringed by 14th-century walls and topped by a castle. The road is good but has many bends and a pass near the end. Motorhomes can park below the walls. Morella is the capital of Els Ports, a highland area of stone farmhouses, dry-stone walls and cold winters.

From Morella take minor roads north-east through the Els Ports hills into Aragon and the Matarraña region, often called the Tuscany of Spain for its olive groves and hill villages. Valderrobres has a Gothic castle, a church and a stone bridge across the river. The whole drive is about 300 km. From here, Tortosa and the Ebro Delta are about 60 km to the east.