Castellón de la Plana/Castelló de la Plana
Castellón · Comunidad Valenciana
Castellón de la Plana, in Spanish, or Castelló de la Plana, in Valencian (or simply Castellón or Castelló), is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is located near the eastern coastline of the Iberian Peninsula by the Mediterranean Sea. The main urban core lies some kilometres inland while the detached district of Grau was built around the Port. The Desert de les Palmes mountain range rises to the north. According to the 2018 census, Castellón has a population of 174,264 inhabitants, ranking as the fourth most populated municipality in the Valencian Community. Castellón is part of a larger metropolitan area along with the neighbouring municipalities of Villarreal, Almassora, Benicàssim, Borriol, and Borriana. The Prime Meridian, or Greenwich Meridian, intersects the 40th parallel at Castellón de la Plana and is commemorated with a monolith in Meridian Park (Parc del Meridià) located at the exact point where this occurs.
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Origins
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History
During the Islamic era, it was named قسطلونة (Qasṭalūnah). The town inherited the name from a Moorish castle on the top of the hill of Magdalena (the Castle of Fadrell), a ḥiṣn dominating over a demarcation roughly consisting of the current-day municipalities of Castellón and Almassora. The area capitulated to James I of Aragon in 1233. This was followed by a series of attempts to create new settlements in the area starting with the alqueria of Benimahomet, the first Christian project to leave the castle, with mixed results. Following the 1247 mudéjar revolt, James I decreed the expulsion of the mudéjares from the area in 1248. The current settlement was however not founded until the 1250s, after James I, on 8 September 1251, granted Ximén Pérez d'Arenós a privilege authorising him to move from the castle to a new unspecified place in the plains (plana). Tradition claims that the move was completed by the third Sunday of Lent, 1252.
During the Middle Ages, the city was protected by moats, walls and towers, and a church was built, later becoming a cathedral. Due to its geographic proximity to Valencia, the city prospered as a port. During the late medieval period, many members of the community participated in maritime trade, or in industries supporting the merchant community. During the late Middle Ages, the Jewish community of Castellón de la Plana maintained a synagogue and active communal life, but like many communities in Spain, it was dismantled following the 1492 expulsion.
In the 16th century the town was one of the last strongholds in the Revolta de les Germanies (local guilds). It also supported Archduke Charles of Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14), but was later taken by the troops of Philip d'Anjou.
In the 19th century, the city walls were torn down and it slowly began to expand, a process interrupted by the War of Independence against Napoleon (1804–14) and the Carlist Wars (1833–63). In 1833 Castelló became the capital of the newly constituted province. In the second half of the 19th century, the city again began to expand, marked by the arrival of the railway, the enlargement of the port and the construction of representative buildings (Provincial Hospital, Casino, Theater) and parks.
In 1991 a university (Jaume I University) was established, set upon a modern campus. The local economy is based on industry, tourism and craft-work.
Monuments
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What to visit
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Gallery
Festivals
September 2026
Festivals this month
- No festivals recorded this month.
Rest of the year
- January: Cabalgata de Reyes (5)
- February: Fiestas de la Calle San Blas (3)
- March: Fiestas de La Magdalena (7)
- June: Noche de San Juan (23)
- December: Fireta de Santa Lucía (15) · Fin de Año (31) · Navidad
What's on
Street market
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Gastronomy
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Trails and hiking
•Sender de la Lluna Plena (GR 33)
•Camino del Maestrazgo-Bajo Aragón
•Ermita la Magdalena - Ermita Sant Vicent - Ermita la Magdalena (PR-CV 378)
•El Camí IT6TR1 El Camí Central: de Castelló de la Plana a Montserrat (CC-C)
•El Camí IT5TR8 El Camí del Sud: de Dénia a Castelló de la Plana (CC-C)
•Sendero dels Tossals de Castelló (PR-CV 448)
Routes passing through Castellón de la Plana/Castelló de la Plana
Services
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Famous people
•Pablo Hernández Domínguez, futbolista español
•Pablo Fornals, futbolista español
•Roberto Bautista, tenista español
•Sergio García Fernández, golfista español
•Paco Montañés, futbolista español
•Santiago Ventura, tenista español
•Miguel Ángel Silvestre, actor español
•Germà Colón i Domènech, lingüista español
Town hall
Alcaldía: Begoña Carrasco García
Web oficial: http://www.castello.es/
Town hall of Castellón de la Plana/Castelló de la Plana
Alcaldía: Begoña Carrasco García Web oficial: http://www.castello.es/
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How to get there
- 🚗 80 km from València (about 56 min by car)
- 🚗 211 km from Eivissa (about 149 min by car)
🧭 Travelling around the villages of Spain: a practical guide — Opening hours, transport, money and customs, before you set off.
- ✈️ 34 km from Castellón airport (about 24 min by car)
- ✈️ 84 km from Valencia airport (about 59 min by car)
Practical info
🅿️ Where to park
- Rey Don Jaime · 0.3 km away
- Where to park · 0.5 km away
- Where to park · 0.5 km away
🏧 Nearest cash machine
- Caixabank · 0.1 km away
- Banco Santander · 0.1 km away
- Unicaja Banco · 0.1 km away
⛽ Nearest petrol station
- BP · 0.6 km away
- Gasexpress Castellón · 1.2 km away
- Q8 Hermanos Bou · 1.4 km away
ℹ️ Tourist office
- Tourist Info Castellón · 0 km away
- Tourist office · 0 km away
- Tourist office · 0 km away
🔭 Viewpoints
- Viewpoints · 4.4 km away
- Mirador de la Plana · 4.7 km away
- Viewpoints · 4.8 km away
🏖️ Where to swim
- Piscina Olímpica Gaetà Huget · 2.3 km away
- Piscina polideportivo Emilio Fabregat · 4.5 km away
- Platja del Pinar · 5.4 km away
Buses
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Pharmacy and health
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Wall and news
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Obituaries
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In loving memory
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Videos
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