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Villena is a city in Alicante province of the Valencian Community, best known for its large Moorish castle and elaborate Moros i Cristians (Moors and Christians) festival.

By car
Villena is connected to Madrid, Murcia, and Alicante by the A-3 (Autovía del Este). The Valencian regional motorway CV-81 connects to the N-301 (Nacional 301, running between Murcia and Madrid) and to the N-430 (Nacional 430) coming from Valencia.

By train






Get around
It is easy to get around the historic centre by foot, due to its relatively small size.

By bus
On Monday through Friday Autobuses de Villena operates three lines traversing the city and its outskirts. A single journey costs €1, and a book of 10 tickets costs €7.60 (€5.85 for seniors/students). A route plan and schedule can be downloaded.

See
The historic centre, with narrow and winding streets and plazas, is dominated by the Castillo de la Atalaya. Most sights of interest are located in this area.

Monuments










Museums








Other




Festivals








Performing arts and sporting events






Hiking and outdoor activity
The mountains near Villena offer many opportunities for trekking, and have trail segments of longer routes including the Camino de Santiago, the Camino del Cid, and the Vía Verde del Chicharra. There are also opportunities for climbing and paragliding.







Buy
Villena specializes in producing quality footwear, especially for children and teenagers.





Eat


Villenese cuisine is a blend of of that from Castile-La Mancha and the Mediterranean. Typical dishes include gachamiga (a type of porridge with olive oil, garlic, and sausage), gazpacho manchego (a warm soup with bread), paella valenciana, arroz y pata (rice with beef shank and chickpeas), trigo picao (cracked wheat with vegetables, saffron, and sweet paprika), zarangollo (scrambled egg with zucchini, onion, and sometimes potato), and pelotas de relleno (spiced meat dumplings).

Special desserts include sequillos (doughnuts), rollicos de vino (doughnuts with olive oil, wine and powdered sugar), and almendrados (almond pastries).



Drink
The most common local wine is made from red Monastrell grapes. Fondillon is a local specialty, a sweet red made from oxidised overripe grapes that has been aged for at least ten years.

Villena and the surrounding area is well-known for its liqueurs made from aromatic and medicinal plants grown in the mountains of northern Alicante province. The most well-known of these is katakí, followed by anisete villena dulce, a sugary anise. Other liqueurs include cantueso, made from thyme, and herbero, used in a regional cocktail called mesclaet.

Sleep






Stay safe
Take care after dark in the barrio de los gitanos ('gypsy quarter'), in the historic centre, especially after dark.