Castelló de la Plana

The octagonal bell-tower known as El Fadri rises 60 metres above Castelló's main square, its green-tiled roof catching the morning sun like a lighthouse made of stone. This is the city's compass point, visible from almost everywhere and the first thing locals mention when giving directions. It's also the perfect introduction to a place that keeps one foot in its agricultural past while the other steps confidently towards the sea.

Between the Groves and the Port

Castelló's historic centre sits seven kilometres inland, a deliberate 13th-century choice that protected merchants from pirates but still allowed trade through the nearby port of El Grao. The arrangement still works today. Visitors wake among the orange-scented streets of the old town, then hop on bus L3 for a 15-minute ride to beaches that feel pleasingly local rather than packaged for tour operators. The contrast is immediate: medieval stone gives way to a working fishing harbour where crates of sardines are auctioned at dawn and the smell of diesel mingles with salt air.

The city's relationship with citrus runs deeper than postcard imagery. Walk the lanes behind the cathedral on a spring evening and the scent of orange blossom drifts through open windows, mixing with wood smoke from kitchen chimneys. These aren't ornamental trees - they're part of a working landscape that once made the province wealthy. Between the city and the coast, smallholdings still produce fruit for markets across Europe, though now they're hemmed in by ring roads and retail parks rather than extending to the horizon.

A University Town That Never Forgot Its Farmers

Jaume I University brings 15,000 students to Castelló each autumn, filling tapas bars along Calle Colón and giving the place an energy that belies its provincial status. Yet unlike some Spanish university cities, the student presence hasn't overwhelmed local life. Early evening in Plaza Mayor still belongs to elderly residents who gather on benches beneath plane trees, discussing harvest forecasts and municipal politics with equal intensity. The students arrive later, heading for craft beer bars tucked into former stable blocks or basement venues hosting indie bands from Valencia and Barcelona.

This balance extends to the city's cultural offerings. The Museum of Fine Arts occupies a dignified 18th-century mansion with a collection strong on Valencian ceramics and religious art - exactly the sort of place that would be packed in Barcelona but here welcomes a handful of visitors. Entry costs €2, or nothing if you visit on Sunday morning. Around the corner, the restored Lonja del Cáñamo recalls when hemp trading rather than oranges drove the local economy. It's now an exhibition space, but the thick stone walls and arched galleries still feel like somewhere merchants might appear at any moment, clutching samples of rope fibre.

Mountains, Marsh and Menu del Día

The Desert of the Palmas natural park rises sharply south-east of the city, its name misleading in the extreme. This is dense Mediterranean forest where walking trails climb through rosemary and thyme to abandoned monasteries and viewpoints across orange plains to the sea. Serious hikers can tackle the eight-hour circuit to Bartolo peak at 729 metres, but a gentler option follows the old pilgrim path to the Carmelite convent, ruined since 1835 but still commanding views that on clear days stretch to the Balearic Islands.

Back in town, lunch follows the reliable Spanish pattern of menu del día - three courses, bread, wine and coffee for €12-15 even in the most central restaurants. Local specialities worth seeking out include espencat (roasted aubergine and red pepper salad dressed with local olive oil) and arroz con alubias y nabos, a hearty rice dish combining beans, turnips and the region's excellent pork. The harbour restaurants in El Grao serve proper seafood paella, but be aware that Spanish dining hours apply: kitchens don't fire up before 21:30, so join locals for early evening tapas if you're starving at 19:00.

When the City Lets Its Hair Down

Castelló's fiestas reveal a different character entirely. The Magdalena celebrations each March transform the place for nine days of concerts, fireworks and street parties that draw visitors from across Spain. Hotels triple their prices and the normally quiet streets heave with revellers drinking mistela (a dangerously moreish sweet wine) until dawn. It's brilliant fun if you've booked accommodation months ahead; less so if you've arrived expecting the usual sleepy provincial atmosphere.

The rest of the year operates at a gentler pace. September brings the city's patronal fiestas, complete with traditional castells (human towers) in Plaza Mayor, while June's San Juan sees locals heading to El Grao for midnight swimming and beach bonfires. British visitors often time their arrival for late March or early November, when orange blossom or autumn colours provide natural spectacle without the accommodation squeeze.

Getting There, Getting Around

High-speed AVE trains connect Castelló with Valencia in 40 minutes and Barcelona in two hours, making the city an easy add-on to coastal holidays. The station sits beside Parque Ribalta, a formal 19th-century garden where pensioners play boules beneath enormous fig trees - a pleasant enough spot to wait for connections. Drivers should note that the historic centre is largely pedestrianised; underground car parks beneath Plaza María Agustín cost €1.50 per hour and put you within five minutes' walk of everywhere you'll want to be.

The beach operates on a different timetable entirely. El Grao wakes early with fishing boats and market traders, then dozes through the afternoon heat before evening promenade crowds take over the seafront. British visitors expecting constant seaside buzz sometimes find it too quiet; others appreciate the absence of English breakfast cafes and karaoke bars. The sand stretches for several kilometres, with quieter sections towards the Serradal end where local families set up for whole summer days, complete with folding tables and grandmother's paella pan.

Castelló won't suit everyone. Those seeking non-stop nightlife or Instagram-famous sights might find it too ordinary, too content with its own rhythms. But for travellers happy to exchange marquee attractions for authentic local life, where €3 buys a beer and a tapa while students debate politics at the next table, this provincial capital delivers. Come for the orange groves and medieval streets, stay for the discovery of a Spanish city that hasn't needed to change for visitors - mainly because most still pass it by on the way somewhere else.