We love taking day trips from Valencia. One of the most popular excursions from the city is the nearby town of Cullera. Just hop on a Cercanias train (commuter rail) and within 40 minutes, you’ll find yourself at the Cullera train station. Despite its small size, Cullera offers a lot, including a great beach, mountain hikes, and a surprisingly developed city center.
Cullera does have a lovely historic center, but that’s not the architecture which is makes the biggest impression — instead, it’s the huge high-rises lined along the coast. It’s hard to believe that buildings this imposing are found in such a small coastal town. Cullera has a population of just 22,000, and I feel like just three of these massive buildings could hold that many people.
Most people passing by Cullera probably don’t know these buildings even exist, because from the highway, they’re hidden behind a mountain. The Iberian Range is a massive mountain system which extends from La Rioja in northern Spain, all the way to the Mediterranean. Cullera’s Munt de l’Or is the final mountain in the range.
In today’s article we’re taking you on the hike we did in Cullera. We started at the the Cullera train station, then climb the mountain to gain views over the land. We were on the back side of the mountain, so we couldn’t see the town itself yet, but we did spot a beautiful cemetery, and a little rice museum placed on a hill, with the Albufera Lake as a backdrop.
Once we reached the top of the mountain, it was time to brace ourselves and take a deep breath. Because as we walked over the crest, the town of Cullera came into view for the first time, and our brains needed a moment to process the sight of the densely built high-rises, the bay with its beach, the turquoise water, and just the overall beauty of the view.
From the top, there are several options; the most popular is probably to make your way to the Castle of Cullera. But we chose to descend the hill towards the north, so that we could walk along the coast to take a closer look at the classic lighthouse.
We finally reached ground level, and treated ourselves to a great lunch in town before getting the train back to Valencia. This was such a fun day trip from the city, and we couldn’t believe how easy it had been. Why hadn’t we done this before?!
From our Travel Blog.
