The best things to see and do in Benicasim (Castellón) in 1 day

Surely you have heard of Benicasim as one of the holiday villages for the Valencian Community.

And, indeed, enjoying a family vacation on the beach is the main reason that brings thousands of visitors to this coastal town on the island every summer. province of Castellón.

Benicasim Currently it has a population of about 18.000 inhabitants, which increases with about 20.000 residents, but in summer it reaches almost 100.000 inhabitants due to the arrival of tourists who mostly seek the sun and the beach.

But the holiday spirit of Benicasim, a town very close to the city of Castellón, does not come from the time of tree of tourism in the 60s of the last century, but dates back to the end of the XNUMXth century.

Tourism tradition in Benicasim

That boom in the 60s gave way to great and unbridled urban development in a large part of the towns on the Mediterranean coast, and was the starting signal for the arrival of tourists to Spain.

Instead, tourism in Benicasim It has its origins in a time when they began to build holiday villas along its beaches, which led to it being known as “little San Sebastian" or "the Valencian Biarritz".

Now in your Benicasim visit In addition to enjoying the sun and the beach, you can see a good part of these vacation homes in what is called the Route of the Villas, which extends along the pedestrian promenade that runs through the beaches of Saint Vincent Tower, Almadraba y Voramar.

What to see in Benicasim, Route of the Villas

Looking ahead to your visit, below we are going to highlight the main corners of this Route of the Villas what you should see in your Benicasim visit.

The first villa was built in 1887 by the railway engineer Joaquin Coloma, who was working on the new railroad, and who appreciated the virtues of Benicasim as a vacation spot.

Precisely the aforementioned promenade now has the name of his wife, Pilar Coloma.

Later, other villas were built by his friends, which encouraged families of the bourgeoisie of Castellón to build their own villas.

Architecture on the Route of the Villas of Benicasim

When you give a walk along the Route of the Villas, you will see that they are buildings with very fantastic architecture.

You'll find classic style villas, Renaissance or even medieval, but also some town that emulates a Basque farmhouse.

Currently, the villas are dotted among the holiday buildings that have been built on the sites of old villas that were demolished.

Sant Vicent Tower in Benicasim

La Route of the Villas starts in the Tower of Sant Vicent a 16th century defensive fortification, and through the three aforementioned beaches they reach the Hotel Voramar, a Benicasim classic with an idyllic location on the sand of the beach, typical of previous times.

I have had the opportunity to know the Route of the Villas in winter time, coinciding with my visit to Benicasim on the occasion of the popular festival of Day of the Paellas.

In this winter season, the morning walk along this route, with the warm sunlight, shared with some walkers and people doing jogging, and without the crowds of summer tourism, is a context that increases the attractiveness of this holiday villas.

Thus, for example, the villa that you find in front of the aforementioned will catch your attention. Hotel Voramar, with a curious tower mix of architectural styles.

Old holiday villas in Benicasim

Its architecture also highlights the Villa Elisa, from 1943, or the Villa Victoria, from 1911, one of those that were known for holding large and boisterous parties.

La Villa Pons, same as the Hotel Voramar, were used as a hospital during the Civil War, and in them they stayed Hemingway y Alejo Carpentier.

La Villa Amparo, from 1880, is one of the oldest, and its architecture is typical of a city like New Orleans.

You will also be struck by the Villa of the Sea, whose exterior may seem like a medieval church, and which is currently occupied by a restaurant.

Without a doubt another good time to discover the Route of the Villas It's during the event Belle Epoque which is celebrated every year at the beginning of September in Benicasim during which recreations of the atmosphere that was experienced in these towns are made.

What to do in Benicasim: Paella Day

But there are other reasons that justify a trip to this Castellón town, such as the  FIB international music festival and Belle Epoque, event related to the aforementioned Route of the Villas.

Now, that the paella It is the iconic dish of the Levantine gastronomy It is something well known to everyone, therefore, it will not surprise you that many events, competitions and parties are held around paella in the Valencian Community.

And in this regard the Day of the Paellas which is celebrated every year in Benicasim It is one of the benchmarks, an occasion in which thousands of people occupy its main streets to cook hundreds of paellas.

That is what happens known as Day of the Paellas which has been taking place for more than 30 years coinciding with the celebrations of the patron saint festivities San Antonio Abad y St. Águeda.

Benicasim Paella Festival Dates

In particular, the date of the Day of the Paellas It is a Friday in mid-January, a new reason to visit this ideal town for summer vacations at another time.

The great popular character of Day of the Paellas It manifests itself throughout the day, so that the inhabitants of Benicasim take to the streets to share a great paella along with family and friends.

The town's bars and restaurants also participate in the festival by offering their own paellas to friendly clients, as well as visitors who have come to enjoy the festival.

The day begins with a solidarity lunch which takes place in the square of the old railway station.

On the same street, embers occupy the road, along with chorizos, sausages and blood sausages, as well as loaves of bread, beer or wine; It is a great popular barbecue, which is actually a mere appetizer of the main dish of the day, the paellas.

And the time has come to launch the operation to prepare them.

A week before, the participants in the day will have requested a space on the street to prepare the paella, gathering more than a thousand requests to prepare more than 1.400 paellas.

The night before Day of the Paellas the workers of the Benicasim town hall They leave sand and a bag of firewood in each of the spaces provided for preparing the paellas.

And already during the morning, participants can collect aprons, irons and folding tables in places enabled for their distribution.

In your walk through the streets of the center of Benicasim, to the rhythm of the charanga of the young people of the municipal music band, you can see how each group of family or friends prepares the most varied paellas.

And don't be surprised if they invite you to try them.

Of course, make sure you wear washable clothes because the smoke from the embers and the smell of the paellas invade all the streets of the center.

After tasting the paella, around five in the afternoon it is the music the one that takes center stage in the streets of Benicasim; For this, there are stages set up for outdoor performances, but the music also plays inside the main leisure venues in the town.

The party will last for hours, officially until midnight, although in reality you will choose when to end it.