Castillo de Montornés

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Sitting on the top of a mountain in Desierto de Las Palmas natural park are the ruins of a castle that speaks of the region’s past.

Located in Benicàssim in the province of Castellón, Castillo de Montornés sits on Roman remains. Built in the 10th century as part of a Moorish defence system, the castle was reinforced and extended by the Christians after the Reconquista.

The castle is composed of three areas surrounded by a curtain wall and forms a triangle with Torre San Vicente and Casoleta de Salandó, two structures that served to further strengthen its defence. In the present-day, only some sections of the wall, cisterns and two watchtowers are standing. It is not known exactly how and when the fortress was destroyed, though it is known that it was inhabited until the 15th century.

From the ruins of Castillo de Montornés you can enjoy vistas over La Plana and the Mediterranean Sea. The castle sits in Desierto de Las Palmas, a 3,200 hectare natural park straddling five municipalities: Cabanes, La Pobla Tornesa, Borriol, Castelló de la Plana and Benicàssim. The protected park is home to a wide variety of plants and wildlife, such as strawberry trees, junipers, lentisk and over 120 different bird species.

If you’re wondering what to do in Benicàssim and you enjoy spending time in the mountains, come to Castillo de Montornés to see the remains of an old fortress that played an important role in its heyday. Gaze at the ruins and imagine just what the castle would have looked like in times past.