Mirador de la Plaça de Sant Gregori

The Plaça de Sant Gregori is the largest open space inside the Guadalest citadel and its best-known viewpoint. A statue of Saint Gregory the Great, the village's patron saint, presides over the square, on the spot once occupied by a large walnut tree. On one side stands the town hall, beneath which an old dungeon survives and can be visited as part of a walk through the walled enclosure. The square also serves as the village's central meeting point, with the façade of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción visible at one end, so both places are usually visited on the same walk.

The view over the reservoir

From the stone balustrade that closes off the square on the cliff side, the whole valley opens up: the deep turquoise Guadalest reservoir, with the Aitana and Xortà ranges behind it. Along with the Penyó de l'Alcalà, it's one of the spots where the village's most-repeated photographs are taken, and there's no charge to reach it — just a walk through the citadel's streets from the tunnel entrance.

Given its small size and the number of visitors, the square gets crowded easily around midday in high season. Arriving early, right after the village opens, or late in the afternoon, when the light hits the reservoir at a lower angle, makes for a calmer visit and better photos. The cobbled surface and the steps leading up to it make this an awkward spot for wheelchairs or pushchairs without someone else's help. Unlike other viewpoints on the Costa Blanca set deep in open countryside, this one sits right inside the village itself, reachable without following any trail beyond its own cobbled streets. That makes it an easy stop to fit into a short visit, even for travellers passing through Guadalest on a wider day trip around the Marina Baixa comarca.