"The part of Spain favoured by the Spanish"

Benicarló is one of the last truly Spanish towns on the coast & popular with the locals for its fine seafood restaurants, especially in the season... but be prepared to have to practice your Spanish! It is never overcrowded with tourists, and has a distinct Mediterranean character.

It has a wide variety of entertainment and being a traditional fishing village, stands out for the quality and excellence of the seafood.

Towards the south of the town, and following the promenade, is Morrongo Beach, located next to the fishing port. This beach is a cove (250 m) and is ideal for families. It has fine sand and the quality of its waters & standard of cleanliness earn it the Blue Flag award year after year.

Benicarlo has a Sailing School in the harbour. In addition, Scuba diving can be enjoyed in privileged locations such as on the sea floor by the Columbretes Islands natural reserve.

It is also just a 7 km walk/drive to the town centre of Peniscola. It is pleasant to walk along the beachfront from one town to the other in the early evening and takes about 25 minutes.

Strolling through the old quarters at dusk, which is now mostly pedestrianised, where the majority of the city's commercial activity can be found, stopping for an ice cream, enjoying the pleasant warmth of the last hours of the day, is a must after a sunny day on the beach.

However, this tranquillity is sharply contrasted with the hustle and bustle of the weekly street market (next to the central market and Catalunya Avenue). So, on Wednesday mornings, the city centre is fit to burst in an explosion of colour and texture, with multi-coloured stalls selling fruit, vegetables, linens & lace, shoes, etc.

Another place of great interest is the fishing port, one of the main centres of Benicarló's economy. From the Marqués de Benicarló Avenue, boats can be seen returning to the harbour at the end of the day, laden with the best fresh fish and shellfish caught off the coast. The fish market becomes frenetic when the fish sale (auction) begins at 1700 hours, and where bids are made to purchase the excellent fish and shellfish, which will then travel on to different markets all over the country, or end up on a plate in one of the local restaurants.

A little further from the city is the exotic bird centre (The Parrot Garden). Here, people of all ages can enjoy a few hours of fun, and at the same time learn more about the world of these exotic birds.

Benicarló also has an interesting range of cultural and artistic events, providing the opportunity to visit the theatre, cinema, exhibitions and concerts all year round, that are either held in the municipal auditorium or in the open-air in the city's squares and parks during the summer.