CAR ROUTES
EXPLORE ELS PORTS
Castellfort -Ares del Maestrat -Vilafranca e Iglesuela del Cid, 41 km
The route starts in Castellfort, a charming medieval town. At the top of the town, we find the imposing hermitage of Sant Pere, where we see spectacular views. Throughout this area, we see large areas of dry stone. Ares del Maestrat is an enchanting town. The village has been built under a butte, which served to protect the village. There you will find the museum of La Cova, the Nevera del Els Regatxols (a building used to store goods thanks to snow) and visit the mills road. In Vilafranca, a large number of spectacular dry stone constructions are waiting for you. You can learn this art in the museum that is in front of the Church, making a stroll through the old town. At the exit of the village, there are three different routes to get to know dry stone. Just before reaching La Iglesuela, you can see the shrine of El Llosar and La Pobla del Ballestar. Visiting Iglesuela is enjoying the charming streets, the Town Hall, the religious buildings of great importance, the manor houses and the palaces.
DINOSAUR ROUTE
Morella - Cinctorres - Roca Roja and Portell, 26 km
The Cretaceous is the main character in this route. A period when mountains of Els Ports were small hills by the sea and dinosaurs were their principal inhabitants. In Morella, you can discover this period in the museum Temps de Dinosaures. Then, you can stroll through its streets and visit the main monuments of Morella, considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in Spain. From here, we will go to Cinctorres, where you can visit Anna’s dinosaur site and the museum Dinomania in the manor house Palau dels Santjoans. In Cinctorres we will be able to enjoy the town centre, where the church is the main attraction, and also the square known as Plaça del Pou or the Town Hall. Before reaching Portell, we stop at the viewpoint of La Roca Roja. From there, we can see the impressive views of La Rambla Celumbres with plenty of vultures flying in the sky. In Portell, we are to see how its long and narrow streets retain their medieval layout and the square and the castle, whose main tower is the belfry of the town.
CHARCOAL MAKER’S ROUTE
Morella - Vallibona, 27,5 km
The route starts in Morella, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, and continues towards Vallibona, located in a valley on the left bank of the River Cèrvol, between the mountains and of El Turmell and La Creu, at a height of 672 meters above sea level. Its rich landscape and its wide variety of wildlife can be seen in its almost 10,000 hectares, stretching from the mountains of Els Ports and La Tinença de Benifassà. This route shows the past of the beautiful town of Vallibona and its ancient crafts, including the work with charcoal. The people of this town elaborated charcoal, taking profit of the abundant oak forests. This trade made it possible that around 1,700 people lived there in the past. Through a museum and several routes, you will learn about the old charcoal making mounds and discover a charming landscape.
GREEN LUNGROUTE
Castell de Cabres - El Boixar - La Pobla de Benifassà - El Ballestar and Embalse de Ulldecona, 30km
The Tinença de Benifassà is one of the best biodiversity reserves in the country. The landscape of this place is rugged, with various mountain ranges ranging from 400 to 1300 meters. Tinença is a paradise for nature lovers, active tourism, and hiking, where they can enjoy stunning landscapes and a wide variety of fauna and flora. This route starts from the small village of Castell de Cabres, where we can see its square with the well and the parish church. From here, we'll discover a breathtaking landscape until we reach the Ulldecona Reservoir. Along the way, we can explore charming towns like El Boixar, La Pobla de Benifassà, and El Ballestar. We can also visit Coratxà and Fredes, small towns that bear witness to the passage of time and are surrounded by stunning landscapes. From each of these places or from the reservoir itself, numerous hiking routes originate. If it's Thursday, between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., we can also visit the 13th-century Santa María de Benifassa Monastery, which has had a significant influence on the population throughout history.
BERGANTES RIVER ROUTE
Fábrica Giner (Morella), Forcall, Villores, Palanques, Sorita and la Balma, 36 km
The route starts in a complex of great beauty, at the ancient factory Fàbrica Giner in Morella. There you will find many areas dedicated to active tourism and family entertainment such as Saltapins adventure park, horse riding, a children’s recreational areas and sports courts. In Forcall it stands out its main porticoed square, with its various palaces, Europe’s oldest baking furnace still in operation or its museums about history and local celebrations. In Villores, you can discover the past of a rural village in Les Eres and immerse in the world of bees with ApiVillores. In Palanques, you can stroll through the charming village, go to the viewpoint of the river Bergantes and discover its Neolithic past thanks to the paintings of El Cingle. In Sorita, you can stroll through the streets, the castle, a former manor house, and the parish church. Three kilometers away, we reach the Sanctuary of La Verge de la Balma. This, from the 14thcentury, is located on a rock, taking profit of its natural shelter to build the structure, completed by a curious bell and an inn. La Balma has witnessed many stories and legends, becoming a center of pilgrimage against the possessed.
CANTAVIEJA RIVER ROUTE
Forcall - Todolella - La Mata - Olocau del Rey - Mirambel y Cantavieja, 45 km
This route begins in Forcall, where you can enjoy the town centre, with its main square with various palaces. Here, you can visit some of Forcall’s museums to discover the importance of La Santantonà in the region or the historical past of the town, especially during the Iberian Roman period. In Todolella, you can visit the castle on top of a hill, the Gothic bridge or the shrine of San Onofre and the Arab bridge. Moreover, in La Mata and in Todolella we can learn about the production of espadrilles or espardenyes, the typical footwear of the area. In La Mata, in the historic centre we can visit the Church, the Town Hall, arcades and palaces. In Olocau we are to discover impressive geological formations, buildings of great importance, as the shrine of San Marcos or the Church and one of the oldest baking furnaces in Europe or a medieval prison.
In the province of Teruel, we find the town of Mirambel, a beautiful medieval town. Visiting this town means travelling back in time, entering inside its walls, enjoying its cobblestone streets, palaces and manor houses. One of the main attractions is the Convent of the Augustinian nuns. Following the road, we reach Cantavieja, one of the most beautiful villages in Spain. Its old part, with its arcaded square, is the most emblematic area.
MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES ROUTE
Route through the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain
In the region of Els Ports we can find Morella, which is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Spain. Within a radius of 80 km, we can mention more villages with this consideration as Peñíscola, Vilafamés, Puertomingalvo, Cantavieja, Mirambel, Valderrobres and Calaceite, which also deserve a visit.
MATARRAÑA ROUTE
Herbés - Peñarroya de Tastavins - Valderrobres and Beceite, 33km
El Matarranya is a land full of contrasts, which shares roots and charm with Els Ports. Herbés is a town with a charming landscape, specially the palace Palau del Baró. From here, we can go to El Matarranya through Pena-Roja, a town with great charm in which we can see the mountain formation Les Roques del Masmut or the Sanctuary of La Verge de la Font. Following our way to Valderrobres, we cross Fondespala before reaching the administrative capital of the region. Town with great charm, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Spain. Its Gothic bridge, the castle-palace, the church, its cobblestone streets, the Town hall or manor houses, there are many charming places in this town. Only six kilometers away from Valderrobres, following the river Matarraya we reach Beceit. Charming town in which we find stunning natural sites, such as La Font de la Rabosa, el Parrisal o the river Ulldemó.
ROUTE THROUGH THE 3 TERRITORIES
Els Ports - Matarranya - Terra Alta, más de 60 km
Tres Territoris or Three Territories is a collaborative project that aims to unite promotional efforts of three areas that have a lot in common. The route presents charming villages, their rich heritage, breathtaking landscapes and traditional agriculture, livestock and wine of these areas.
Els Ports is a land rich in history, with villages of great charm. Its rich heritage, its cuisine, its festivals and its landscapes are a very attractive offer to discover the area.
The rivers of El Matarraya are the arteries of the region and spring up giving life to the area and creating a spectacular scenery. In this area, you can discover charming villages, and a rich and interesting cuisine.
The enotourism is one of the basic pillars of the economy of the region Terra Alta. A land where you can discover places of great scenic charm and in which it is essential to know the recent past, where the Civil War had great importance during the Battle of the Ebro.
