Cabanes

Planning what to do in Cabanes, in Castellón, is much easier with this guide. Start organising your trip to this town in La Plana Alta, where you can look forward to cultural visits, buckets of history and walking routes through a protected natural park. 

Things to see in Cabanes, Castellón: history, heritage and monuments

To make sure you don’t miss a thing, we’ve split your visit to Cabanes between the treasures tucked away in its old town and the landmarks scattered across its surrounding landscapes.

In the old town 

A stroll through the Walled Enclosure of Cabanes, takes you back to the town’s medieval beginnings as you follow its winding streets: 

• Municipal Palace and Town Hall: one of the best-known buildings in the heart of the historic centre. 

• Mustaçafe Arcade: one of the old town’s most recognisable architectural features. 

• Old Prison and remains of the town walls: traces of the town’s defences can still be spotted today, including the historic Sitjar and San José gateways and machicolated towers incorporated into houses. 

• San Juan Bautista Parish Church: an 18th-century Baroque church. 

• Calvario Hermitage: head up to this hilltop hermitage for sweeping vistas across Cabanes. 

Around Cabanes 

Venture just beyond the town centre and you’ll find archaeological sites, centuries-old fortifications and other traces of Cabanes’ past: 

• Roman Arch of Cabanes: dating from the 2nd century BC and standing beside the route of the ancient Via Augusta, the arch has become the unmistakable symbol of Cabanes. 

• Albalat Castle and Fortified Hermitage of Albalat: a 13th-century defensive complex with far-reaching views. 

• Miravet Castle: a fortress of Muslim origin surrounded by countryside. 

• Santa Águeda and Santa Lucía Hermitage: set in the scenic Les Santes area, it makes a great addition to a day out walking. 

• Tossal del Mortorum: an archaeological site where remains from the Bronze and Iberian periods have been found. 

• Molinet de Vent de la Partida de la Forqueta: the remains of an early wind-powered structure from Cabanes’ pre-industrial past. 

• Wartime remains: more recent chapters of local history can be explored through surviving military structures, including a former machine-gun post, trenches and an observation post. 

Where is the Roman Arch of Cabanes and what is its history? 

Standing along the route of the ancient Via Augusta, the Roman Arch of Cabanes was built in the 2nd century BC. Its simple design suggests that it was probably a private funerary monument. Rising to almost six metres, it survives as a tangible link to Castellón’s Roman past. 

Prat de Cabanes-Torreblanca Natural Park 

Prat de Cabanes-Torreblanca Natural Park protects an important stretch of coastal wetland, where you can go birdwatching or enjoy an easy-going walk with the Mediterranean never far away. 

There are three main routes to choose from: 

1. Red Route – Torre de la Sal: an easy 3.5 km walk along the coast, where banks of pebbles give way to a micro-reserve of Phoenician juniper and the channels of the marshland, with plenty of opportunities to spot some of the park’s best-known birdlife.

2. Blue Route – Cuartel de Carabineros: an almost entirely flat 8 km trail that follows the shoreline across pebble ridges and fossil dunes to the ruins of the former Carabineros barracks. From there, the path turns inland and leads through wetlands, irrigation channels and marshes. 

3. Yellow Route – Torrenostra: a flat 4.5 km route that heads into the wetlands, passing lagoons that are particularly good for birdwatching, farmland and the Gola del Trenc viewpoint before returning to the coast through salt-marsh vegetation and pebble banks. 

Which beaches and defensive towers can you visit in Cabanes? 

Along the coast, protected landscapes sit alongside old watchtowers and beaches where there is plenty of space to enjoy the Mediterranean: 

• Torre de la Sal beach is characterised by its calm waters and traditional fishermen’s houses right by the shore. 

• Quartell Vell beach: a naturist beach within the natural park, where the remains of an old barracks form part of the coastal scenery. 

• The watchtowers: look out for the medieval Torre de la Sal, as well as Carmelet, del Carmen and la dels Gats towers, which date from the 15th and 16th centuries. 

If that’s whetted your appetite, come and discover Cabanes and get ready to fall for a destination with oodles to see and do!