Castillo de la Atalaya

The Castillo de la Atalaya overlooks Villena from a hilltop 550 metres high, with the town having grown at its foot since medieval times. It was built by the Almohads in the late 12th century as a refuge for the Muslim population, and over time became the core around which the historic capital of the Alto Vinalopó district took shape.

Four floors and eight centuries of history

The fortress has a double walled enclosure, roughly rectangular, with battlemented walls flanked by round towers. The keep’s lower two floors are Almohad, built using rammed-earth (tapial) construction, and hold vaulting that in Spain is only matched at the nearby Castillo de Biar. The third and fourth floors were added in masonry in the mid-15th century, during an expansion ordered by Juan Pacheco, Marquis of Villena.

In 2026 it was voted Spain’s favourite castle in a public poll run by the REPAHIS historical heritage network, a recognition that has brought a rise in visitor numbers.

From the keep’s upper terrace, the natural corridor of the Alto Vinalopó opens up: the historic route between the Mediterranean coast and the lands of Castile and Murcia that explains the fortress’s military importance over the centuries. The view takes in both Villena’s historic centre and the farmland spreading out around it.

A visit takes a little over an hour, as part of a day trip into the inland part of the province, and pairs well with the Museo Arqueológico José María Soler and the Museo Festero, both in the town centre at the foot of the castle.