Discover Villena: Culture, Nature and Holiday Apartments

Villena's visitor service provides tourist information, arranges reservations for local tourist visits and sells tickets for municipal tourist facilities.

For a holiday apartment in Villena, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the offer pages. This information helps you match your planned travel dates with the conditions shown in each case and base your accommodation decision on the specific information provided on the respective page.

Culture and History

The Castillo de la Atalaya was built by the Almohad Empire at the end of the 12th century as a refuge for Villena's Muslim population. Guided visits are offered there by prior reservation.

The Iglesia Arcedianal de Santiago was built between the 14th and 16th centuries and is considered one of the most significant Gothic-Renaissance examples in the Comunitat Valenciana. It has twelve monumental spiral columns and is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural. The Iglesia de Santa María was built in the 16th century over Villena's former main mosque and is protected as a Bien de Relevancia Local.

The Museo Festero is housed in a four-storey former bourgeois building from the 19th century with Nolla ceramic floors. It displays traditional costumes, festival photographs, posters, programmes and mementos from past festivals. Guided visits must be reserved at the Villena Tourist Info office next to the museum.

Today's Teatro Chapí opened in 1925 and features Neo-Mudejar elements on its side façades and in the stage-house area. After renovation, it reopened to the public in April 1999 and is now considered one of the most significant theatres in the Comunitat Valenciana. Guided visits for individual visitors and groups are offered one Sunday each month.

The origins of the Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos in Villena date back to the late 15th century, when the Virgen de las Virtudes was declared the city's patron saint. The approximately 3,500-year-old Bronze Age settlement at Cabezo Redondo is another attraction.

Routes and Active Experiences

The Vía Ferrata Castillo Salvatierra is 115 metres long, has an elevation gain of 53 metres and is rated AD, meaning somewhat difficult. The combination of length, elevation gain and difficulty rating directly describes the character of this route.

The Vía Verde del Chicharra is a disused railway line converted for cyclists and pedestrians. It begins at the Santuario de Las Virtudes and ends in Biar; from there, you can continue to Alcoy. Its archaeological railway heritage includes abandoned stations, aqueducts and spectacular bridges, while the landscape changes along the route.

Nature and Birdwatching

In Villena, protected areas are incorporated into the European Union's Natura 2000 network under four protection categories: SPAs, SCIs, flora micro-reserves and fauna reserves. Birdwatching is considered a sustainable and nature-friendly tourist activity for observing birds in Villena.

In the area of the former Laguna de Villena, which was drained, various wetland and steppe birds can be observed year-round. These include little ringed plovers, black-winged stilts, reed warblers, great grey shrikes, lesser short-toed larks, black wheatears and European bee-eaters.

The endemic, endangered fish Fartet has been reintroduced into the flora micro-reserve located next to Cabezo Redondo.

More Destinations

More destinations: Jijona, Teulada, La Torre de les Maçanes, Cocentaina, Alcoy, Xaló, El Mojón, San Isidro

Wine and Local Products

Villena has the largest number of wineries in the entire province. The Alicante Wine Route offers visits to wineries, tastings of gastronomic products and the purchase of local products and wines.

To the overarching travel overview: Alicante.