La Vall d’Uixó: Holiday Apartment, Caves and Culture

The Coves de Sant Josep are a karst cave formed naturally over thousands of years, with a navigable underground river. The regular visit includes 250 metres on foot through a dry gallery and a further 800 metres in a boat guided by hand. The visit by speleokayak takes approximately two hours. The La Vall d’Uixó Tourist Information Office is located in the car park of Paraje de Sant Josep, 300 metres from the Coves de Sant Josep.

When considering a holiday apartment in La Vall d’Uixó, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions can be compared objectively on the respective offer pages.

Nature and Trails

At Paraje de Sant Josep, where the Coves de Sant Josep are located, the PR-V-241 hiking trail begins and climbs to the summit of Pipa, the town’s most prominent mountain. La Vall d’Uixó also provides access to the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park.

The PR-V-164 hiking trail passes Muslim towers, local springs and structures from earlier agricultural use in La Vall d’Uixó. A signposted, five-kilometre hiking section begins at Paraje de Sant Josep and runs past Fortín de la Creueta, trenches, machine-gun nests and shelters.

For cyclists, the 28.64-kilometre Ruta a Alfondeguilla circular route also begins at Paraje de Sant Josep and leads to Pont de l’Aigua. The new Via Ferrata runs along a rock face in the Cingles de Tido area, on a slope above the Barranco de Aigualit. It is freely accessible, but requires experience, the necessary equipment and membership of a mountaineering association. Without these prerequisites, the activity can be undertaken with active-tourism companies and accredited guides. Short trails, longer hiking and cycling routes, and an approximately two-hour speleokayak experience can be compared as different time formats.

Culture and History

The Camino del Agua is 1.5 kilometres long and begins at the Aigualit aqueduct complex. It ends with the ascent to the 49-metre-high bell tower of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. Along the way, it passes the Church of Santo Ángel, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción and the Palacio de Vivel manor house; the buildings are viewed from the outside. The route follows a former Roman irrigation channel, a water system supplied by the water of the underground river of the Coves de Sant Josep.

The Iglesia Parroquial del Santo Ángel Custodio parish church has a central nave and two aisles; frescoes decorate its domes and presbytery area. The Iberian-Roman settlement area of Sant Josep includes Roman settlement remains from the 4th and 5th centuries AD, as well as the remains of an ancient wall, several towers, houses, stairways and other structures.

The Fàbrica de la llum archaeological city museum combines archaeological finds with interactive reconstructions, including an immersive reconstruction of an Iberian house more than two millennia old. The Benizahat Tower is an 11th-century defensive tower and the only visible remnant of the former Muslim alquerías in the historic centre of La Vall d’Uixó. The Centro Cultural Palacio de Vivel is currently a free cultural centre for exhibitions and cultural events.

The section of the Línea XYZ preserved in La Vall d’Uixó belongs to a defensive belt built by the Republican army in 1938, which extended from Almenara to Cuenca.

Festivals and Cuisine

The Fiestas Patronales San Vicente Ferrer take place every year in April and are supported by the residents of La Vall d’Uixó. Les Penyes en Festes are patronal celebrations held every year in July and August. The patronal celebrations of the Sagrada Família and the Santíssim Crist are recognised as events of national tourist interest.

Empedrao is a traditional stew from La Vall d’Uixó. It is prepared with pork, rice, chopped beans and game meat, particularly rabbit or hare, and is considered essential at every feast. Typical sweets of Muslim origin include hollow, ring-shaped pastries coated with sugar.

Getting There

La Vall d’Uixó has no railway station; nearby stations are located in Nules, Xilxes and Moncofa. Regular bus services connect La Vall d’Uixó with Castellón de la Plana, Playa de Xilxes, Playa de Moncofa and Valencia.

Other Places

Anroig, Zorita Del Maestrazgo, Cervera Del Maestre, Cinctorres, Castellnovo, Traiguera, Vilafamés, Moncófar

To the higher-level travel overview: Castellon.