Discover Aspe: Culture, Nature and Holiday Apartments

Around the Vinalopó, Aspe is home to Los Algezares, a municipal nature area covering approximately 507 hectares within the municipality. The area is home to Mediterranean scrub vegetation and animal species such as foxes, genet cats, weasels, polecats and stone martens.

Nature and Trails

The more than 14-kilometre-long Senda del río Tarafa trail connects the Tarafa River with the Los Algezares nature area and offers an opportunity for outdoor recreation and physical activity. One route leads to Casa de la Coca, with its former barns, stables, enclosures, an irrigation cistern and a spring. Casa de la Coca was part of an agricultural estate that was used until the mid-20th century and is now derelict.

One route runs along the Vinalopó River and a dense reed bed, offering views of the ruins of Castillo del Río on a hill. After the Barranco de los Ojos joins the Vinalopó, the PRV-169 Sendero de Upanel provides a connection via a turn-off to the Puente de los Cinco Ojos. The same trail runs along the Alto del Pinar and the Sierra Negra, where there are areas of particular importance for the extraction of sand and clay.

The Ermitas y Cruces de Término route conveys Aspe’s popular religious architecture; along the trail, information boards provide details about the cultural heritage. It follows a devotional Stations of the Cross laid out in mosaics to the Ermita de la Santa Cruz. The route begins at the Ermita de la Santa Cruz and gently climbs along the Camino de la Temerosa to a viewpoint in the southeast of Aspe. Different route features and themes can be considered separately when planning your days in Aspe.

More destinations

More destinations: Javea, Dolores, Benimantell, Ontilles, San Felipe Neri, Forna, La Vall d'Ebo, Altea.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Aspe, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation policies in particular on the offer pages. The described highlights of nature, trails, history, festivals and cuisine can be incorporated separately into your own travel planning.

Culture and History

Castillo del Río is a partly ruined fortress of Arab origin dating from the 12th century, situated on a hill near the confluence of the Tarafa and Vinalopó rivers. The Museo Histórico de Aspe is located in the historic house “El Cisco”, a building from the late 19th century. It reconstructs history through archaeological and ethnological collections.

The parish church of Nuestra Señora del Socorro was built in the mid-17th century on the site of a former Arab mosque and is considered an expression of Levantine-Valencian Baroque. Castillo del Aljau is a small fortified complex that once controlled an earlier river access to “Aspe el Nuevo” from the north. The Castillo del Aljau archaeological site is located in Aspe’s old town and covers an area of 1,877.61 m². The remains include a round tower, a round masonry block connected by a wall and an inner area protected by walls.

The Teatro Wagner is an original building dating from 1922 that was inaugurated on 16 February 1995 after several years of restoration work. The Teatro Wagner hosts theatre, music and film events, as well as events of civic interest; the foyer is set up for exhibitions. The Auditorio Alfredo Kraus is an open-air venue with a 400 m² stage and seating capacity for 1,000 people, where numerous events take place.

Festivals and Religious Traditions

The Fiestas de la Virgen de las Nieves are Aspe’s main festival and take place in even-numbered years from 3 August. They include a pilgrimage on 3 August, during which the image is brought to Aspe, and a return pilgrimage about twenty days later to its usual shrine in Hondón de las Nieves.

The Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos in Aspe have taken place every year since they began in 1978. They include traditional messages recalling the medieval past. Aspe’s Semana Santa dates back to the 17th century and was recognised in 2008 as a festival of provincial tourist interest. It includes the lively re-enactment of the Marías and Magdalena.

La Jira has been celebrated in Aspe for more than a hundred years and takes place on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. La Jira is a festival of provincial tourist interest in which groups design special costumes and perform their own festive texts to the music of popular songs in the Plaza Mayor.

Cuisine and Regional Products

Typical dishes from Aspe include gazpachos, ajos, arroz “caldosico” de cerdo and las pelotas. Aspe is one of the municipalities covered by the Denominación de Origen Uva Embolsada del Vinalopó designation of origin.

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