A visit to Guadalest

Visit Guadalest – one of the finest villages in Spain

A visit to Guadalest (officially El Castell de Guadalest) is one of the classic day trips from Moraira. The small mountain village sits on a rocky point above the Guadalest reservoir; you reach the old part through a tunnel in the rock. Within a couple of hours you see the castle, a handful of museums and the viewpoints over the valley. This page is about the village itself; for the reservoir and the countryside around it, see the Guadalest valley.

The castle and Casa Orduna

Access to the castle grounds runs through the Museo Municipal Casa Orduña, a manor house with a furnished kitchen, dining room, bedrooms and library. The same ticket takes you on to the remains of the Castillo de San José, the highest point with a view over the reservoir. The combined ticket for the museum and the castle costs 4 euros for adults and 2 euros for children.

The museums

For such a small village, Guadalest has a remarkable number of museums, most of them private. A selection:

• Museo de Microminiaturas: tiny works of art, viewed through magnifying glasses.
• Museo Belén y Casitas de Muñecas: nativity scenes and dolls’ houses.
• Museo de Saleros y Pimenteros: a large collection of salt and pepper sets.
• Museo Etnológico: everyday life in the valley as it once was.
• Museo de Vehículos Históricos: old cars and motorcycles (closed on Saturdays).
• Museo Histórico Medieval and a bicycle museum complete the line-up.

Between the museums, the village itself is worth the walk: narrow streets, steps and small squares, with views from the edges over the turquoise reservoir far below. The footpaths down to the water are described on the page about the valley.

Every museum has its own times and its own ticket. You do not have to see them all: with Casa Orduña and one or two others you already have a morning.

Parking and arrival

You cannot drive into the old village. On the edge are several large car parks; parking there costs about 2 euros a day. From Calamora it is about three quarters of an hour to an hour by car, the last stretch over a winding mountain road.

If you want to know the current opening times and prices in advance, contact the village tourist office.

Tourist Info Guadalest: +34 965 885 298
Google Maps

Addresses, opening times and prices

Opening times and prices change with the season. These are the details you can use to call ahead or plan.

The best time to come

Guadalest drew about 700,000 visitors in 2024, which makes it one of the busiest villages in the interior. The crowds come between 10:00 and 16:00, in summer and around the public holidays in mid-August. So come before 10:00 or after 16:00, when the tour coaches are not there. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant: the temperature suits the steps and the lanes, and the light over the reservoir is clear. Wear shoes with a good grip, because many of the paths are of worn-smooth stone.

Guadalest combines well with the Algar waterfalls near Callosa d’en Sarrià, which lie on the route from the coast. For more day trips in the region, see the attractions of the Costa Blanca.