On 24 of the 43 weekday C2 trains from Valencia, Xàtiva is not the last stop. Those 24 carry on to L’Alcúdia de Crespins, the next station, so that is the name you will often see on the departures board at Valencia North Station. Xàtiva is a hill town 56 minutes south of Valencia by Cercanías commuter train, and Xàtiva Castle is a double fortress on the ridge above it with a 6-euro ticket.
Is Xàtiva worth a day trip from Valencia? Yes, from Tuesday to Sunday and with an early train. Renfe’s C2 takes 56 to 68 minutes from Valencia North Station, the 6-euro castle ticket also covers two museums that close at 14:30, and the last train back leaves Xàtiva at 22:06, weekends included. Mondays are a bad choice: everything is shut.
Spain runs on the 24-hour clock, so 14:30 is 2.30pm and 22:06 is just after 10pm.
Is Xàtiva worth it, and who is it for
Xàtiva suits walkers who want a castle, two small museums and a slow lunch in one day for 9 euros in entry fees. The castle charges 6 euros, the museum and bell tower of the Collegiate Basilica 3 euros, and the Fountain of the 25 Spouts costs nothing.
It suits less well anyone with a pushchair or a wheelchair, since the town council states the castle is not accessible for either. The climb from the station is about 170 metres, and on Saturdays there is no shuttle. Arriving after lunch is the other common mistake: the two museums in the castle ticket close at 14:30, so a late start means paying for sights you cannot see.
How to take the train from Valencia to Xàtiva
Cercanías line C2 leaves from Valencia North Station, the Estació del Nord, which sits next to Xàtiva metro stop on lines 3, 5 and 9; the metro from the airport stops there, as covered in getting from Valencia airport to the city centre. The building itself is worth five minutes, as the guide to the Valencia North Station explains.
This is the part that trips up visitors, step by step:
- Buy at the Renfe machine or the ticket office. Pick Xàtiva as the destination and the machine prices it by zone. A same-day return is “ida y vuelta”; a single, “sencillo”. Contactless cards also work at the gates if you tap in and tap out.
- Read the board by destination, not by line. Look for “Xàtiva” or “L’Alcúdia de Crespins”. On Saturdays 24 of the 33 trains run on to L’Alcúdia, so do not wait for a train labelled Xàtiva.
- Find the platform on the board. It appears next to the departure time; the timetable itself does not assign one.
- Count on 10 or 11 stops. Xàtiva comes after Alzira, Carcaixent, La Pobla Llarga and Lenova-Manuel.
Fares, zones and the 40 percent discount from the fifth contactless trip in a month are set out in the guide to day trips from Valencia by train. The city pass is a separate sum, worked out in whether the Valencia Tourist Card is worth it.
Coming back, trains take 62 to 71 minutes. On weekends the gap between trains back is never longer than an hour after 10:00, and the last one leaves at 22:06, reaching the North Station at 23:11, every day of the week.
Xàtiva castle tickets, opening hours and the passport rule
Xàtiva town council sells the castle ticket at 6 euros for visitors over 16 and 4 euros for ages 8 to 16, students, teachers, pensioners, large families, groups of 10 or more and disabled visitors; under-8s go free. The same ticket opens the Almodí Museum and the Fine Arts Museum down in the old town.
The council advises buying online ahead of the day, and the rules are stricter than most foreign visitors expect. You show an original ID card or passport at the gate, plus the card behind any discount. Every child needs a QR ticket, even a free one, and there are no changes or refunds. Dogs are allowed.
How to get up to Xàtiva castle on foot or by shuttle
From Xàtiva station to the castle gate is 1.9 km (1.2 miles) on foot, climbing from about 100 metres above sea level to about 270. At an easy pace that is around 45 minutes, and roughly 100 of the 170 metres of climb come in the final kilometre. Wear proper shoes and carry water.
The council recommends walking and bans private cars on the castle road on Sundays and public holidays, except in July and August. From October to May, on Sundays and public holidays, a shuttle bus runs from Plaza Espanyoleto, an 8-minute walk from the station, between 10:00 and 14:30 and again from 16:30 to 19:00, at 1.15 euros a ride.
There is also a little tourist train from the tourist office on Avenida de Selgas, run by Autobuses Chambitos at 5 euros for adults aged 17 to 65 and 4 euros for children aged 5 to 16 and over-65s. Its timetable changes from month to month, so ring the tourist office on +34 962 27 33 46 before you rely on it.
What to see in Xàtiva old town before lunch
The Almodí Museum at Calle Corretgeria 46 and the Xàtiva Fine Arts Museum in the Casa de l’Ensenyança both open Tuesday to Sunday and on holidays from 10:00 to 14:30, and both are included in the castle ticket. The Almodí, the old grain exchange, holds the town’s Islamic collection; Valencia’s own grain hall is covered in the guide to the Almudín of Valencia.
The Fine Arts Museum is the one to make time for. It hangs work by Josep de Ribera, who was born in Xàtiva, and by Goya, and it shows the portrait of Philip V upside down, because that king ordered the town burned. It is a small collection next to the Valencia Fine Arts Museum, an hour at most.
The Collegiate Basilica of Santa María, known locally as la Seu, charges 3 euros for its museum and bell tower, 2 euros for children, and is not in the castle ticket. Its hours are the tightest in town, and the Fountain of the 25 Spouts in Plaça de la Trinitat, a late-Gothic fountain 149 metres away, is free at any hour.
Where to have lunch in Xàtiva
The town dish is arròs al forn, oven-baked rice with chickpeas, onion black pudding, garlic and pork, followed by arnadí, a pumpkin and almond sweet. Casa La Abuela makes the baked rice its speciality, and the Terrassa de Sant Josep sits beside the hermitage of the same name, partway up the castle road.
La Talaia del Castell serves local cooking inside the castle grounds, with the farmland of Xàtiva below. Around the Plaza del Mercado, El Cullerot cooks spoon dishes and Els Porxes traditional Valencian food. None of them publishes prices or hours openly, so phone ahead to book, above all at weekends. For why rice dishes change so much from town to town, see the guide to paella rice varieties; for dinner back in the city, where to eat in Valencia.
A weekday in Xàtiva, hour by hour
The plan below is for a Tuesday to Friday in November, when the castle shuts at 18:00 and the Collegiate museum opens at 10:30. It puts every sight with a lunchtime closing before the meal.
| Time | Stop | On foot | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | C2 from Valencia North Station, in Xàtiva at 9:28 | n/a | zone fare at the machine |
| 10:00 | Almodí Museum | 716 metres from the station | in the 6-euro castle ticket |
| 10:45 | Fine Arts Museum, Casa de l’Ensenyança | a few minutes | in the 6-euro castle ticket |
| 11:30 | Collegiate Basilica museum and bell tower | 334 metres from the Almodí | 3 euros |
| 12:30 | Fountain of the 25 Spouts, Plaça de la Trinitat | 149 metres | free |
| 13:30 | Lunch in the old town | n/a | the restaurant’s own menu |
| 15:00 | Walk up to the castle | 1.4 km from the Collegiate | free |
| 15:45 | Xàtiva Castle, Castell Menor and Castell Major | n/a | 6 euros, closes 18:00 |
| 18:25 | C2 back, at the North Station at 19:32 | 1.9 km downhill to the station | zone fare at the machine |
In summer reverse it: climb at 10:00 when the castle opens, before the heat, then come down for the museums before 14:30.
Frequently asked questions about a Xàtiva day trip
Is Xàtiva worth a day trip from Valencia?
Yes, from Tuesday to Sunday, if you arrive before 10:00. Xàtiva Castle costs 6 euros and the ticket also covers the Almodí Museum and the Fine Arts Museum, which close at 14:30. The C2 train from Valencia North Station takes 56 to 68 minutes, and the last train back leaves at 22:06.
Which train goes from Valencia to Xàtiva?
The Renfe Cercanías C2 from Valencia North Station. On the departures board it shows Xàtiva or L’Alcúdia de Crespins as its destination, and both call at Xàtiva. There are 43 trains on weekdays and 33 on Saturdays and Sundays, the first at 5:35.
Can you walk to Xàtiva castle from the train station?
Yes. It is 1.9 km from Xàtiva station to the castle gate with about 170 metres of climb, roughly 45 minutes at an easy pace. From October to May a 1.15-euro shuttle bus runs on Sundays and public holidays from Plaza Espanyoleto, 585 metres from the station.
Do I need my passport for Xàtiva castle?
Yes. The town council asks visitors to show an original ID card or passport at the entrance, plus proof for any discount such as a student card. The ticket carries a QR code, every child needs one even when entry is free, and tickets cannot be changed or refunded.
What time is the last train from Xàtiva to Valencia?
22:06, every day of the week, arriving at Valencia North Station at 23:11. Earlier evening options on weekends include the 18:45, in at 19:51, and the 19:30, in at 20:40. Renfe updates the C2 timetable with each new service period, so check the times again if you travel after late November.
Take the museums before lunch and the castle after it, and Xàtiva fits into one train ticket.