Discover Ondara: Architecture, History and Riuraus Routes

Ondara is home to the Casa del Mayorazgo, a building protected as a heritage asset of special cultural interest. The Ferrando family built it in the first half of the 19th century with neoclassical elements. The Església de Santa Anna has a Latin cross-shaped floor plan; its nave is covered by a barrel vault. Its interior paintings are by Salvador Gil Camarena.

Culture

The local architectural heritage also includes Ondara’s Plaza de Toros, a Neo-Mudéjar building inaugurated in 1901. Various forms of pilota valenciana can be played at Ondara’s Trinquet, including escala i corda, raspall, pilota grossa and rebotet. The “Coneix Ondara” project provides information and audio guides accessible via QR codes at 12 local sights, in Valencian, Spanish, English and German.

For planning your own day, the attractions can be distinguished by their type: buildings and architectural details, multilingual access to several sights, or a venue for Valencian ball games each offer a different focus. The combination you choose can depend on your interests and the time available.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Ondara, you can compare the room category and cancellation conditions for your preferred travel dates side by side in each offer. These three fields provide a practical basis for making a decision alongside the different themes that Ondara offers through its buildings, festivals and rural routes.

History

The Torre del Rellotge was established as a museum and an interpretive space dedicated to local history. The Torre del Reloj is the only surviving tower of Ondara’s former Muslim castle. The Convento de Mínimos was built in the first half of the 17th century and has a central cloister.

The irrigation systems developed in Ondara during Muslim rule are still in existence today. Ondara’s Llavador was inaugurated in 1950 and served as a washhouse; it used running water from an irrigation system fed from the weir. It permanently houses a series of photographs and posters about its past.

Festivals

Ondara’s Fira de Novembre is a traditional popular festival dating back to 1690 and held in November; on the first festival weekend, it also includes a medieval fair. The festival weekends also include a food fair at the Prado.

Festival dates, historic interiors and individual buildings thus offer different reasons to visit, without requiring you to commit to just one way of discovering the town.

Getting around

The Ruta dels riuraus d’Ondara connects rural paths with the town area of Ondara. The riuraus along the route are privately owned and should be viewed from the path without entering private property. The combination of rural paths and the town area complements the cultural sites with another way to explore Ondara.

Other places

Other places: Torrevieja, Ibi, El Bacarot, Castell De Castells, La Romana, Murla, Xaló, Tabarca

For the higher-level travel overview: Alicante.