I don’t know about you, but I love to save every interesting travel photo or video I stumble across for inspiration. My phone is full of random saved locations, waiting for the right trip. This year, while planning a long weekend to Alicante, Spain I spotted two places saved nearby. One was Pasarela de Relleu, a hike on a hanging boardwalk (read about my experience on the hike here) and the other was El Castell de Guadalest, a castle built into a rocky cliff in the Sierra de Serrella mountains. Both are great day trips from Alicante.

As a nature lover and total history nerd, I knew I had to visit both on my trip. I decided to spend a full half day exploring El Castell de Guadalest, and it was magical. This guide covers everything you need to know before visiting. It also includes my honest review on whether Guadalest is worth the visit. If you are planning to visit the Alicante region in Spain, make sure you read this guide before you travel.

The short answer, yes! El Castell de Guadalest is one of the most unique castles I have visited in Europe. What makes it so special is that the castle is built right into the rocky cliff overlooking a large valley. You enter through a narrow gate that is built into a crack in the rock. It honestly feels pretty magical. 

The long answer, maybe. I will be honest with you, although El Castell de Guadalest is really cool, it is also really small. I’m talking, basically one small street with only a handful of buildings, kind of small. It takes only 2 minutes to walk from the entrance gate to the opposite end. This is because the whole village is built on a cliff, so there is not much room to build.

When you look on a map it looks like it is a fairly large town, however, only a small part of the town is the historical El Castell de Guadalest that you see in photos. That being said, there is quite a bit to do both in the castle and in the new town of Guadalest. Scroll down to see my list of top things to do.

Another thing to consider is the inconvenient location. Since Guadalest is tucked into the mountains it is a bit difficult to reach without a car or tour. Is it worth the inconvenience to visit? Maybe not for some people. If you are a history lover or someone that loves amazing landscape views, then it might be worth the hassle. I certainly thought my visit was worth it!

The town of Guadalest is located in the Province of Alicante, tucked inland from the Costa Blanca. You will find it nestled in the mountains of southeastern Spain, about 60 km (37 miles) from the city of Alicante and just 20km (12 miles) from Benidorm. It is also located halfway between Murcia and Valencia, if you are mapping out a bigger roadtrip. 

One thing I did not realise before visiting the historic El Castell de Guadalest is that it is actually quite small. Most of the town that you see on the map is a newer part of Guadalest that was recently built.

When you arrive, you will park in the newer part of town and then walk about 5 minutes to reach the historic castle. Both the new town and the castle are worth the visit. There are several quirky museums, fun shops, and great restaurants.

El Castell de Guadalest is a medieval castle built into the rocky mountains of the Guadalest valley. The castle was originally built in the 11th century during the Muslim rule of the Iberian Peninsula as a stronghold for the region. Then Christian forces overtook the castle in the 13th century during the Reconquista. 

Once the castle was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Valencia by James I of Aragon, the Duke of Gandía was given ownership. When the last Duke of Gandía died, there was no one to inherit the castle, so the Cardona family became owners of the castle.

The Cardona family, with the title of Marquis of Guadalest, occupied the castle for several centuries until the last Cardona heir died in 1699. That is when another prominent family connected to Guadalest, the Orduña family, took over. 

Unfortunately, the castle was partly destroyed during several earthquakes in the mid 1600s and then again in the mid 1700s. Then the War of Spanish Succession added more damage to the castle in 1708. The majority of the buildings and walls were rebuilt after all the damage, including the Casa Orduña or Orduña house in English.

Only a small portion of the original fortress still stands today. The Orduña family lived in Guadalest throughout this time of rebuilding until 1934 when the last heir died without a descendent. 

Today, El Castell de Guadalest has become a heritage site due to its historical significance to the region. Since 1994, Casa Orduña has served as a municipal museum that you can visit today.

Honestly, any time is good to visit Guadalest. Since the town is located in the mountains, the temperature stays fairly mild all year compared to the coast. 

Summer (Peak Season)

Average daytime temperatures hover around 22–29°C (72–85°F), with warmer evenings than you might expect at this altitude. June through August has the biggest crowds, mostly tour buses arriving midday from the coast. Parking fills up fast, and the village can feel packed by late morning. Expect sunny days and crowded streets. If you visit in summer, I would either arrive before 10:30am or after 1pm to avoid the crowds.

Late Spring and Early Autumn (Shoulder Season)

May and September are just outside the summer rush. Average temperatures reach around 18–26°C (65–80°F), comfortable enough for hiking around the reservoir. There are less tours during these months and the village feels more relaxed.

Winter (Quiet Season)

Average temperatures sit around 8–15°C (47–59°F) during the winter. The biggest perk of visiting during winter is the near empty streets. However, the downside is that some places might be closed during winter.

To my knowledge, there are no hotels in the old town itself. If you want to stay overnight in Guadalest, the only option is in the newer part of town or the surrounding valley. Just keep this in mind if you dreamed of waking up inside a medieval village. Here are two great options nearby that I would recommend. 

Olcina apartments – Terrace views of El Castell de Guadalest

This apartment style hotel is a great option if you want to stay in Guadalest. There is a roof terrace with 360 views and it is only a 5 minute walk from the old town. Each apartment has air conditioning, a living room and a fully equipped kitchen. Click here for pricing and availability. 

VIVOOD Landscape Hotel & Spa – Scenic Luxury Nature Retreat

If you are looking for a more scenic, relaxing stay this is the perfect place for you. This adults only hotel is tucked into the mountains with panoramic views of the Guadalest valley. The hotel has a year round infinity pool, a spa and wellness centre, bar, and restaurant.

Each room is built to feel completely secluded and connected to nature. Upgrade your room to enjoy a private terrace and jacuzzi or to the premium villa which includes a private heated pool, terrace and a cinema projector. This place is meant to help you completely unwind, disconnect, and enjoy the natural landscape of the area. Click here for pricing and availability.

Public Transportation

Here is the catch, there is no public transportation directly to Guadalest from Alicante or Benidorm. To reach El Castell de Guadalest, you either need to rent a car or join a guided tour. Both options work well, so pick whichever fits your travel style.

When I visited, I rented a car mostly because we also wanted to hike the Pasarela de Relleu trail, which is also only reachable by car.

Visit Guadalest by Car

Driving to Guadalest from Alicante is easier than you might expect. The trip takes about an hour and a half, and roughly half of the journey is winding through the mountains.

The road itself stays well maintained, so the drive is smooth and not too stressful. Parking is simple and costs €2 for the day. During busier months, the overflow car park is open which is a slightly longer walk but the same price. There is space for caravans in the overflow parking if you are doing a longer road trip.

Visit Guadalest by Tour Group

If you choose not to drive, joining a tour group is a great option. There are several guided day trips from Alicante or Benidorm to El Castell de Guadalest. The perk of a tour is it is low stress. Most tours include a stop at the Algar waterfalls nearby, and this specific tour also stops at the coastal town of Altea.

Check opening hours before your visit

We visited on a Sunday in February and I was surprised how many places were closed. Even the Casa Orduña museum closed for an hour when we arrived at 2pm. We decided to explore the town first while we waited for the museum to reopen.

If there is a museum or shop that you really want to visit, check ahead of time to make sure it is open when you visit. If you are travelling during winter, prepare for unexpected closures.

Arrive early morning or afternoon

If you are driving, I would recommend arriving either early morning or early afternoon. Most of the day trip tours arrive around 10am-10:30am and stay for about two to three hours.

By 1pm, most tour groups have already left. Guadalest is a tiny town, and gets crowded fast. If you want to avoid crowds, I would avoid arriving between 10 – 1pm. 

Bring Cash with You

Finally, bring cash. Some places accept cards, but several museums and the car park only take cash. Most entry fees are daily cheap, around €2–5 per person, so you do not need much. Still, make sure you carry cash with you just in case. 

The Portal de Sant Josep is hard to miss. It is the main entrance gate to the castle and the only way to enter. To get to the gate, walk through the new town up towards the big rock. You will see the iconic white tower and as you approach it, there will be steps up to the narrow gate. The gate is built into the crevice of the rock.

As you walk through the gate, you will feel like you have been transported back into medieval times. The Portal de Sant Josep is simple, but it is one of the coolest castle gates I have seen.

After you enter through Portal de Sant Josep, the white building right in front of the gate is the Casa Orduña. The house is named after the Orduña family who lived here while they were stewards of the castle.

I highly recommend taking a tour of the inside. The tour is self guided and takes you through the entire stately home. You get a real sense of how the family lived and how much wealth they had. 

I really loved the small library that is at the back of the house. The views out the back to the reservoir are incredible. During our visit, there was an art exhibit of local artists in part of the house which was a nice surprise.

The tour takes about 45 minutes depending on how long you spend in each room. I will be honest, the amount of information available was quite minimal. Entry to the house also gives you access to see the old Sant Josep castle and bell tower up close, which is a nice added bonus.

You can still see the ruins of part of the original 11th century fortress, known as the Sant Josep castle, perched on the rocks. As you exit the Casa Orduña, you will exit from the side door which will take you up close to the tower and the castle ruins.

The structure received significant damage from multiple earthquakes and from the War of Spanish Succession, so you are not able to explore inside. The bell tower still works today and hopefully during your visit you will hear it ring. It is a white bell tower built on top of a craggy rock, which is visible from almost anywhere in the town.

As you continue up the path, you will reach a cemetery. It is a small, local cemetery but worth a visit. If you walk to the edge of the cemetery you will be welcomed by one of the best views of the valley to the east.

When you exit the cemetery, instead of walking down the path towards the main street, continue up the path towards the castle ruins. This location has one of my favourite views of the Guadalest reservoir. 

The striking turquoise water of the reservoir against the mountain landscape looks even more beautiful in person. You can see the entire turquoise reservoir and the surrounding mountains. You also have a great view over the entire castle and the bell tower. I would definitely not skip this section of the castle.

Make your way down to the main street of Guadalest and just wander. There is basically one main street and a side street, but that means you can take your time exploring. Pop into a few shops, grab some gelato, and enjoy strolling along the cobblestone streets with the views of the valley.

Right next to Casa Orduña is the Església de l’Assumpció, known in English as the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. It is a quaint little church and is very plain on the outside. I recommend visiting because it has one of my favourite hidden details.

If you walk to the back of the church towards the apse where the altar is located, look up and to the right. You will see a small window. You are probably thinking, how is there a window when the buildings are built right next to each other? Great question! 

That window actually looks into Casa Orduña, right into a private prayer room. You would have visited the small prayer room on your tour of the house. This private prayer room let the Orduña family pray and attend mass without ever leaving their home.

Small private chapels inside wealthy estates are fairly common historically. But this is one of the very few times I have seen a private home directly connected to a public church.

The Plaza de San Gregorio is right at the center of the castle. This main plaza features a statue and a small fountain. It is a great place to relax and take in the views.

The Guadalest city hall, or Ayuntamiento del Castell de Guadalest, is located right on the Plaza de San Gregorio. Inside, you can visit the basement, home to a 12th century prison. Sadly, the city hall was closed during our visit, so I could not visit it myself, but it looks interesting!

As you explore the castle, make sure to walk all the way to the west side. At this viewpoint, you will find incredible views of the reservoir and surrounding valley to the west. This vantage point really shows off how dramatic the castle’s location really is. It is a really cool spot. 

One of the most surprising facts about Guadalest is that there are three miniature museums. Only one museum is actually inside the castle walls, but still, that is a lot of miniature museums for one town. The museum of Micro Miniatures is the one located in the castle, and has Goya’s “The Nude Maja” painted on a fly’s wing and the Statue of Liberty tucked inside the eye of a needle.

The other two micro museums are in the new town. One is the Micro-Giant Museum. It features things like the Bible inscribed on a section of hair. Or the Guadalest gate and bell tower carved into a quarter of a centimeter.

The other, the Antonio Marco Museum, showcases miniature nativity scenes and dollhouses, all crafted by artist Antonio Marco. His work spans from his very first creation at age eight to his last piece, made at eighty. I did not have time to visit the museums, but from the reviews they look super interesting.

In my opinion, ethnographic museums are always worth a visit. They offer a glimpse into daily life from the past. This ethnological museum in El Castell de Guadalest recreates 18th century village life inside a furnished house. It is small, but it is free to visit. 

There are a few shops in the castle worth browsing. You will find kitschy souvenirs, unique home decor, regional drinks and preserves, leather goods, and more. I love wandering through shops like these just to see what unique items they sell. The new part of town also has several shops worth visiting, so make sure you have time to browse those shops too. 

When I visited, there were only two restaurants inside the castle walls. It looks like one of the restaurants recently closed down, so now there is only one called La Plaza. The La Plaza restaurant has great Spanish food and incredible views from the back. Even if you don’t eat here, I recommend at least getting a drink and enjoying the view.

Outside the castle walls, there is a lot more to explore in the town of Guadalest. Besides the Micro-Giant Museum and Antonio Marco Museum mentioned earlier, there are several more museums.

There is a Salt and Pepper Shakers Museum which has over 20,000 shakers from around the world. There is also the Museum of Torture, with more than 70 medieval devices once used during the Holy Inquisition. There are also several restaurants from cozy pizzerias to lively tapas bars.

Fonts de l’Algar Waterfalls

Fonts de l’Algar is just twenty minutes from Guadalest, and it feels like a hidden paradise. Enjoy swimming in crystal clear pools beneath cascading waterfalls.

Make sure you bring water shoes, since the rocks are slippery. Also note that it gets busy during the summer. Several tour groups stop here after visiting Guadalest. If you are driving, I would recommend visiting in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the big tour groups.

Hike Around the Guadalest Reservoir

There is a hiking trail around the Guadalest reservoir which offers great views of the castle and the reservoir. It is a 9.7 km (4.6 miles) loop around the reservoir that will take about 2-3 hours in total.

From Guadalest you will hike down the mountain towards the reservoir to start the hike. From there, it is mostly a flat trail until you hike back up to Guadalest. If you are driving, there is a small car park near the start of the hike, so you skip the big incline back to the city.

How much time do you need to visit El Castell de Guadalest?

Honestly, you can visit Guadalest in half a day. Two to three hours feels sufficient for most visitors. If you want to explore multiple museums or hike around the reservoir, budget extra time for that.

Where can you park in El Castell de Guadalest?

There are several car parks in Guadalest. One small free car park, but it always seems full. Beyond that, there is plenty of parking that costs about €2 for the entire day. We parked at aparcament 1. Additional parking, along with caravan parking, is further down the hill aparcament 2.

Is There an Entrance Fee to El Castell de Guadalest?

No, there is no entrance fee to enter El Castell de Guadalest. You can walk around, enjoy the views, and visit the ethnographic museum and the prison, all for free. If you want to tour the Casa Orduña museum, which I highly recommend, or any other museum, expect a small entrance fee.

Can you walk around the Reservoir? 

Yes! El Castell de Guadalest is located high above the reservoir, so plan for about 2-3 hours to hike around it fully. You can find the full trail route here

7 Easy Day Trips from Alicante (Public Transport & Car Options)

Hiking the Pasarela de Relleu Footbridge: Everything You Need to Know

The Perfect 1 Day itinerary for Alicante, Spain