Vilamarxant: Nature, History and Riverside Trails

In Vilamarxant, Les Rodanes has been designated a municipal natural area since 2002 and covers approximately 600 hectares. The landscape, with its siliceous red sandstone formations, offers a wide variety of trails for active tourism.

When searching for a holiday apartment in Vilamarxant, you can first compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the listing pages. This information provides a clear framework for your own planning, while nature, riverside trails and local history remain distinct areas of interest alongside one another.

Nature

In the Llomaina hills within Túria Natural Park lies Pedrera del Rei, a former marble quarry that has been converted into a recreational area. Pedrera del Rei has publicly accessible paella cooking facilities.

The Les Rodanes accessible trail in the Bassa Barreta facility is exclusively for pedestrians and has been adapted for people with reduced mobility. The trail is 1 kilometre long and 1.5 metres wide and features walkways, bridges and 17 access ramps. Three information panels cover the area's fauna, vegetation and geomorphology; additional educational panels provide information about the existing vegetation.

At Arboreto i Rocalla, 120-metre-long footpaths lead through seven sections with more than 40 taxa and approximately 200 plants in total. The planted species are labelled with their common names in Spanish and Valencian, as well as their scientific names in Latin; the information is also available in Braille.

La Pea is a natural area on the Túria River. Both the 450-hectare mountain and the entire river section within the municipality were incorporated into Túria Natural Park, with riparian vegetation predominating.

Trails and Landscape

La Pea offers walking trails and opportunities to observe river birds such as the great cormorant, grey heron and short-toed snake eagle, as well as native fish such as barbel and eel. The area is connected to the Ruta Violeta de l’Aigua, the Ruta Roja de la Pea and a riverside footpath.

The Parc Fluvial del Túria is an approximately 30-kilometre-long nature trail along the riverbed of the Túria, running from the municipality of Vilamarxant to its mouth in the city of Valencia. A multi-use riverside trail starts at the Vilamarxant visitor centre and can be used on foot, by bicycle or on horseback.

The PR-CV 175 hiking trail begins at Vilamarxant municipal cemetery, where parking spaces are available for safely leaving cars, and has four information panels along the route. The IE-031 riding route, Ruta del Turia, also begins in Vilamarxant and leads to Parque de Cabecera. Different trail lengths and types of use can be weighed against one another when planning your day.

Other local destinations in this selection include Santa María de Bonaire, Mareny de Barraquetes, Sinarcas, San Antonio, Picanya, L'eliana, L'olleria and La Barraca d'Aigües Vives.

Culture and History

In the old town is Vilamarxant's restored 15th-century Arab cistern, which is open to visitors. It consists of an underground vaulted room with three interconnected chambers.

The Puente de Hierro is a surviving railway bridge from Valencia's former C-4 suburban railway line, which served Vilamarxant from 1889 to 1969; the bridge was built in the 19th century.

The ruins of Vilamarxant Castle include an 11th-century Arab defensive tower standing at the highest point of the town centre in the old-town district. The castle remains have been listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 2001.

The Cova de les Rates Penades extends underground for 552 metres to a depth of 57 metres and contains an archaeological site attributed to the end of the Upper Palaeolithic.

A path leads from Bassa Barreta to Rodana Gran, where visitors can see the trenches built in Les Rodanes between 1938 and 1939 against a possible direct attack on Valencia by Nationalist troops; they formed part of the defensive line known as “La Inmediata”.

The Dansa dels Pastorets is performed in Vilamarxant every year on 25 December as a traditional Christmas dance by four dancers. The Sant Antoni celebration takes place on 17 January or, usually, on the following Sunday; after Mass, animals are blessed and traditional Sant Antoni bread, a symbolic piece of carob and a small holy image are distributed.

For the wider travel overview: Valencia.