Visiting El Castillo

Visiting El Castillo in Moraira

El Castillo in Moraira is the coastal fort on the edge of the village centre, right by l’Ampolla beach. It was built in the eighteenth century to protect the coast against Barbary pirates; the Bourbon coat of arms above the entrance carries the date 1742. The fort is small and quickly seen, but it is Moraira’s most important historic monument and a fixed point on any walk along the promenade.

A short history

For centuries the coast around Teulada and Moraira was plagued by raids from the sea. Besides a chain of watchtowers, such as the Torre de Vigía on the Cap d’Or, the eighteenth century brought this fort with its guns. It is one of the few artillery fortifications of its kind in the Valencia region. The building later fell into disrepair and was restored in the early 1980s, following the original form as closely as possible. More about the village’s past can be found at Moraira in brief.

What you see

The fort has a horseshoe-shaped plan, with the semicircular face towards the sea on the south side and the only entrance on the north side, beneath the royal coat of arms. Inside are three rooms, the middle one well over 200 m². They were originally vaulted and took light only through three windows in the façade: a plain, heavy building that was hard to take. Opposite the entrance stand a small chapel and a well that supplied the occupants with drinking water.

On the seaward side, note the walls some ten metres high and the gun openings from which the cannon covered the bay. The only entrance is on the landward side.

Inside the fort is a permanent exhibition on the watchtowers from the time of Philip II, with an audiovisual presentation in several languages about the sea and piracy.

Combining your visit

The castle stands on Calle Castillo, by l’Ampolla beach, within walking distance of the centre. From Calamora you walk there along the promenade. It is a natural stop on a morning by the coast: start at the marina, follow the water to the fort and finish with a swim at one of the beaches of Moraira. The fort is also the setting for fiestas, such as the Moros y Cristianos in June; see fiestas and public holidays.

Castillo de Moraira

Address: Calle Castillo, Moraira (by Platja de l’Ampolla)
Admission: exterior free, interior only during opening hours
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Tip: come late in the afternoon. The sun is then on the façade and it is quieter around the fort than in the middle of the day.