Segorbe city walls

Segorbe is a town of about 8,900 people (2018) in Castellón (province). Segorbe's bull-running week (semana de Toros) in September attracts 200,000 visitors each year.

Understand

Segorbe has been inhabited since the earliest of times, due to its strategic location with fertile lands, a navigable river, and springs. During the Islamic era (8th-13th centuries) Segorbe was considered to be one of the most important cities of the Muslim province of Toledo. Its last Muslim ruler converted to Christianity in the early 13th century, and it was later occupied by King Jaime I of Aragon, who used it as a base for the conquest of Valencia.

In modern times the town is known for olive oil and wine, and for its annual running of the bulls.

• 1 Oficina de Turismo, Plaza Alto Palancia, s/n, ☏ +34 964 713 254, turismo@segorbe.es. M-F 09:00-14:00 16:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-14:00 16:00-18:00, Su and holidays 10:00-14:00; 15 Jun - 15 Sep: daily 17:00-19:00. (updated Aug 2017)

Get in

By train

• 1 Estación de Tren de Segorbe-Ciudad, Explanada de la Estación, 2, ☏ +34 912 432 343 (station), +34 912 320 320 (tickets). Renfe regional train line C5 arrives six times daily from Estació de València Nord, with a change of trains required in Sagunto. There is also regular medium-distance service with Teruel, Zaragoza, and Cartagena. (updated Sep 2017)

By bus

On weekdays Autocares Herca (☏ +34 963 491 250) runs seven buses daily from Valencia, and one bus daily from Sagunto, with the Segorbe 2 bus stop a few blocks from the old centre (C/ Alicante, 5). Schedules for Valencia can be found here, and schedules for Sagunto can be found here.

Autocares Samar also runs frequent buses from Valencia through Sagunto, with the 3 bus stop located a bit further south, at the corner of Avda España and Plaza de la Constitución. Likewise, a schedule and fares are available online.

Get around

The town is very small and easily navigable by foot.

See

Aqueduct and the Torre del Verdugo

Mudéjar ceiling in city hall

Gothic altarpiece by Joan Reixac, in the Cathedral Museum

• 1 Castillo de la Estrella (Castillo de Sopeña / Star Castle) (Sopeña Hill). The remains of a Moorish castle, which were possibly built on top of an Iberian fortress. Little remains of the castle today, as in the 18th century it was used as a source of building material for other construction. However the hill provides good views over the town and the surrounding area. (updated Sep 2017)
• Murallas Medievales (City Walls), C/ Argén. The earliest foundations of the city walls date from the Roman period; the wall was heavily modified by the Arabs in the 11th century, while the majority of the remaining wall visible today dates largely from the 14th century. The longest section of the wall runs along the length of Calle Argén. (updated Sep 2017)
  • 2 Portal del Argén (Argen Gate). The old Arabic gateway to the city. (updated Sep 2017)
  • 3 Torre del Verdugo (Torre del Botxí / Executioner's Tower). Tu-Su 12:00-13:00. So called as it was once the residence of the town's executioner, the 14th-century watchtower is part of the remnants of the city walls. €2 (adults), €1 (seniors), free (children under 12). (updated Sep 2017)
  • 4 Torre de la Cárcel (Prison Tower), C/ de la Torre, 2. Tu-Su 12:00-13:00. Also connected to the city wall, and dating from the 14th century. €2 (adults), €1 (seniors), free (children under 12). (updated Sep 2017)
  • 5 Acueducto (Aqueduct). The first aquaduct was built by the Moors in the 11th century; this one dates from the 14th. It is most eaily viewed from where it crosses C/ Colón. (updated Sep 2017)
  • 6 Arco de la Verónica (Arch of Veronica), C/ Verónica. This entrance to the old city is believed to of Moorish origin, although some historians believe it may be Roman. (updated Sep 2017)
• 7 Ayuntamiento, Plaza Agua Limpia, 2, ☏ +34 964 132 020. M-F 08:00-15:00. This ducal palace was built in the 16th century by the King of Aragon, it was acquired by the municipality in the late 19th century. Two especially noteworthy Mudéjar elements survive in the building, including an ornate wooden ceiling in the Salón de Plenos, and an intricate pair of wooden doors. (updated Sep 2017)
• 8 Catedral Basílica de Segorbe (Segorbe Cathedral), C/Santa María, s/n, ☏ +34 964 711 014. Museum: Tu-Sa 11:00-13:30; crypt Tu-Su 13:00-14:00. Formerly a mosque, the church was rebuilt in the 13th century in the Valencian Gothic style. Parts of the building were renovated in the 16th and 18th centuries, and only the cloister has retained its original form. The cathedral museum houses one of the better collections of Valencian Gothic paintings in the community, and also has a piece by the Italian early Renaissance painter Donatello. It is well worth climbing the bell tower for a good view of the city walls, and visiting the 13th-14th century crypt (access on C/ Colón). Museum: €3 (adults), €2 (seniors); crypt: €2 (adults), €1 (seniors), free (children under 12). (updated Sep 2017)
• 9 Museo de Arqueología y Etnología (Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology), C/ Colón, 98, ☏ +34 964 712 154. M-Sa 11:00-14:00 17:00-19:00, Su 11:00-14:00. The building was constructed in 1792 from blocks from the castle, and showcases archaeological finds from the area. On the first floor are artifacts from the Bronze Age, Iberian, Roman, Moorish, and medieval periods, while the second floor is dedicated to regional handcrafts. €2. (updated Sep 2017)
• 10 Museo del Aceite (Museum of Olive Oil), Plaza de Belluga, 1, ☏ +34 964 712 045. Su M 11:00-14:00, Tu-Sa 11:00-14:00 16:30-18:30, holidays 11:00-14:00. Located in a former olive oil mill, the museum's exhibits illustrate the process of extraction. €2 (adults), €1 (seniors). (updated Sep 2017)
• 11 Centre Cultural Olga Raro (Centro Cultural Olga Raro / Olga Raro Cultural Centre), C/ Cronista Jaime Faus y Faus, s/n (across the street from the hospital), ☏ +34 964 713 751. M-F 09:00-14:00 16:30-18:30. A venue for temporary art or ethnographic exhibits. (updated Oct 2017)
• 12 Fuente de los 50 Caños, Avda Diputación, s/n. Pleasantly situated on the bank of the Palancia River, the unusual fountain has 50 spouts with 50 coats of arms, one for each province in Spain. (updated Sep 2017)

Do

Festivals

Gathering the bulls along C/ Argén, near the Torre del Verdugo

• Entrada de Toros y Caballos (Running of the Bulls and Horses). From M-Su of the 1st or 2nd week of September. Although not as well-known as Pamplona's Sanfermines, Segorbe's festival is just as old, dating from at least the 14th century, and has been designated a Festival of International Touristic Interest by the Spanish government. Unlike other bull runs, it is distinguished by the use of horses to guide the bulls as they run through the town, and by the absence of barriers protecting onlookers, who prod the bulls on with sticks or canes. An estimated 20,000 spectators participate each day in this event.
  At 12:00 each day a dozen bulls are collected from the nearby hamlet of Peñalba and driven across the river and along C/ Argén to the Torre del Verdugo (Torre del Botxí), which they reach at about 13:00. The roads are lined with spectators, and a few daredevils will attempt to run with the bulls as they pass; there are several good perches along the city walls from which to observe the action.
  At Torre del Verdugo six bulls are then selected for the carrera (running), which begins promptly at 14:00, signaled by a firecracker. The bulls and horsemen then thunder along C/ Colón to the provisional bullring at the 13 Plaza de la Cueva Santa, where they are held in pens until the evening's bullfights. The entire run lasts just about a minute, with throngs of spectators who had previously been milling about frantically running to the sides of the street to evade the bulls. The horsemen then return to the starting point, with great applause and fanfare. (updated Sep 2017)

Buy

• 1 Cooperativa Agrícola San Isidro (Segorbe Nostrum), Avda España, 119, ☏ +34 964 713 335, info@segorbenostrum.com. The cooperative sells local olive oils made from Espadán olives, the most famous of which is Segorbe Nostrum. (updated Sep 2017)
• 2 Masía de la Hoya, Avda Navarro Reverter, 1, ☏ +34 964 713 484. A cooperative which sells local wines. (updated Sep 2017)
• 3 Segorbina de Bastones, Ctra Segorbe-Castellnovo, km 2, ☏ +34 964 137 425, stick@segorbina.net. M-F 09:00-20:00, Sa 09:00-13:00. Sells handmade walking sticks, including for hiking. (updated Sep 2017)
• 4 Mercadillo (street market), C/ Colón. Th mornings. A weekly street market for local produce and other goods. (updated Oct 2017)

Eat

• 1 Arrocerías Casa Alba, C/ La Rioja, 146 y 147 (Polígono La Esperanza), ☏ +34 964 713 110, rtecasaalba@hotmail.com. M-Th 09:00-19:00, F 09:00-20:30, Sa 09:00-14:00, Su 09:00-21:00. Specializes in rice dishes. (updated Sep 2017)

Sleep

Hotel Spa Martín el Humano

Lodging

• 1 Hospedería El Palen, C/ Franco Ricart, 9, ☏ +34 964 710 740, reservas@elpalen.com. Check-in: 12:00-23:30, check-out: 12:00. A renovated old house with a well-regarded onsite restaurant as well as a pub-café. Free Wi-Fi, no parking. Doubles from €60. (updated Sep 2017)
• 2 Hotel María de Luna, Avda Comunidad Valenciana, 2, ☏ +34 964 711 313, info@hotelmariadeluna.es. Check-in: after 12:00, check-out: before 12:00. A modern family-run, non-smoking hotel. The onsite restaurant specializes in traditional regional cuisine. Has free Wi-Fi, luggage storage, and bicycle rental; private parking €7/day. Doubles from €59, including breakfast. (updated Sep 2017)
• 3 Hotel Spa Martín el Humano, C/ Fray Bonifacio Ferrer, 7, ☏ +34 964 713 601, info@hotelmartinelhumano.es. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Located in a renovated 18th-century hospital. The building is non-smoking, and the onsite restaurant can accommodate special diets by prior request. Free Wi-Fi, onsite spa and fitness centre (extra fee), private parking €10/day. Doubles from €85, including breakfast. (updated Sep 2017)

Camping

• 4 Camping Monte San Blas, Carrer Monte San Blas, s/n (next to the Segóbriga Water Park), ☏ +34 964 710 784, info@complejosanblas.com. Can accommodate tents, campervans, and caravans, and also has bungalows for rent. Has toilets and showers, an onsite restaurant, and pool. Pets permitted. (updated Oct 2017)
• 5 Camping Municipal de Altura, Ctra Requena-Segorbe, km 18 (Altura), ☏ +34 964 147 089. Can accommodate tents, campervans, and caravans. Has toilets and showers, pets permitted. (updated Oct 2017)