During our 6-week stay in the Province of Castellon we lived in Benicassim. It’s a small and peaceful coastal town perfect for chilled beach holidays. It also can be a great home base for travelers and digital nomads for discovering Costa del Azahar. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to do in Benicassim itself, except for typical holiday activities, but there are quite a lot of cool places to visit nearby. Stay with us if you’re bored of sunbathing on one of Benicassim beaches and discover the best one-day trips from Benicassim, Spain. All max 1.5h away from the town if you’ll be traveling by car. Ready? Let’s go!
This website uses affiliate links thanks to which we may earn a commission for purchases you made at no additional cost to you. If you like the content, consider using those links to support us. Thank you!
Benicassim, Spain FAQ
Benicassim is located in the Province of Castellon in the Valencian Community in Spain, on Costa del Azahar. It’s located about 15km from the capital city of the province – Castellon de la Plana, and 85km from Valencia.
Benicassim is best known for its nice warm weather, beautiful beaches, delightful blue Mediterranean Sea water, mountain areas with many hiking possibilities, and also for the world-famous FIB music festival (Benicassim International Festival).
In our opinion – yes, especially if you’re looking for a quite peaceful place for typical holidays, not filled with thousands of tourists. Amazing sandy beaches, blue sea waters, and mountains in the backdrop create an amazing picture. For us, until today Benicassim is one of our favorite places we lived during our digital nomads life.
The closest airport to Benicassim is located in Valencia, about 90km away. Other ones are in Barcelona (260km away) and Alicante (270km away).
FIB (Festival Internacional de Benicassim) is a 4-day annual music festival that takes place in Benicassim, focusing mostly on pop, rock, and electronic music. It’s known for being among one of the best international music festivals. It starts on the second Thursday of July and lasts until Sunday.
One-day trip ideas from Benicassim, Spain
Via Verde del Mar
Via Verde del Mar is a fantastic option for an outdoor activity for people of all ages, and physical abilities, also for people with reduced mobility. Rough seashore views, blue sea, sharp cliffs, hidden coves, pine woods, watchtowers… Via Verde has it all among its 5.6 km long path (one way). The best thing about this one-day trip idea? If living in Benicassim, you won’t even need to get into a car to get to the beginning of this picturesque route.
Learn more: Via Verde Del Mar – Scenic Route Between Benicassim & Oropesa
Desert de les Palmes Natural Park
Desert de les Palmes Natural Park is located only about 10km away from the town center. If you love spending time in nature, walking, hiking, or cycling – this place will be perfect for you. Spectacular views over Benicassim and Costa de Azahar are guaranteed from the various viewpoints in the park, or even the highest mountain peak (Bartolo, 729m a.s.l).
Learn more: Things To In Desert De Les Palmes Natural Park near Benicassim, Spain
Peniscola
Peniscola is located about 60km from Benicassim. This white village with a typical Mediterranean vibe can literally steal your heart. Whitewashed houses with blue ornaments and decorated with flowers, narrow cobblestone streets, charming squares, house entirely covered in shells, a castle, and lovely beaches are waiting for you there. No wonder in 2013 Peniscola was named one of the most beautiful villages in Spain! Without a doubt it’s one of the best one-day trip ideas from Benicassim, so be sure not to miss it.
Learn more: One Day In Peniscola, Spain – The Best Things To Do
Ares del Maestrat
Ares del Maestrat is located about 85 km from Benicassim. It’s a very small and charming village situated at the altitude of 1195 m.a.s.l., which gives the village the title of the second highest town in the Valencian Community! Amazing views over the town and its surroundings from many viewpoints, a charming old town with many beautiful stone houses make Ares del Maestrat a great destination for a one-day trip from Benicassim.
Travel tip: a trip to Ares del Maestrat can be combined with a trip to Morella, located about 30km further.
Learn more: Ares del Maestrat, Spain – Remote Village Near Castellon
Morella
Morella is located about 120 km from Benicassim, and a trip to it can be easily combined with a trip to Ares del Maestrat. Morella is a small medieval town, which in 2013 was voted one of the prettiest villages in Spain. The town is wonderfully preserved, surrounded by medieval stone walls and an impressive castle at an altitude of over 1000m a.s.l. It looks just amazing, both from a distance and from the inside of the walls.
Learn more: 7 Best Things To Do In Morella, Spain
Castellon de la Plana
Castellon de la Plana, the province’s capital city, is located only 15km from Benicassim. The city is divided into three areas: historic city center, harbor, and modern neighborhoods. In the historic center, you’ll find points of interest like Fadri Tower, the Cathedral of Santa María, the main square – Plaza Mayor, Ribalta Park, the Museum of Fine Arts of Castellon, and Mercat Central de Castello. For beach time head to Platja del Pinar or Platja del Gurugú.
Onda
Onda is located 35 km from Benicassim, and only 20km from Castellon de la Plana which makes it a great next stop. It’s a historic village that holds an important monumental heritage and has a long tradition in the production of ceramics. The 10th-century Castle of Onda, also known as the “castle of 300 towers”, is a must-see place in the city. Also, don’t forget to just wander through Onda’s historic center and admire the lovely streets of this charming little town.
Festival Benicassim – FIB music festival
Festival Internacional de Benicassim (FIB) is a renowned annual music festival that has taken place in Benicassim since 1995. For 4 days, starting every second Thursday of July, the Benicassim concert venue turns into a huge scene for various artists from all over the world playing different music genres. The Arctic Monkeys, The Chemical Brothers, Depeche Mode, Muse, The Cure, and The Offspring are just a few of the famous names that performed there
So if you’ll be visiting Benicassim in mid-July, that might be one more great thing to do nearby. And if the Benicassim Festival is your main goal, you can use the above ideas to fill your free time before and/or after the concerts to create the best Benicassim experience possible!
One-day trip ideas from Benicassim, Spain – Summing up
So many beautiful places to discover near Benicassim, right? We hope that this post was helpful, and now you know which places you would like to visit soon. Enjoy your time during one-day trips from Benicassim and share your experience in the comments. If you’ll discover other awesome places in the Province of Castellon, share them as well! Help others to get the most out of the area 🙂
Our opinion about trips from Benicassim & our TOP3
Benicassim was our very first stop during our first season of living as digital nomads. We lived there for 6 weeks (September to mid-October) and during that time we were able to notice how the city was slowly going to sleep, emptying from holidaymakers. We quickly felt for the charm of this area and have nice memories! Probably because it’s where everything started, but still! We really enjoyed our time there and a few trips we did. Our TOP3 places? Peniscola, Morella and Via Verde del Mar.
Travel tip. Traveling by car, without a doubt, is the best and the fastest way of getting to all mentioned places in the Province of Castellon. So if you’re not traveling by car, we recommend you rent one. Only to some places you’ll be able to reach by bus.
