Peñíscola Castle

The castle sits at the very top of the rock, above the walls of the old town and some 64 metres above the sea. It is the most photographed thing in the province and one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses on the Spanish Mediterranean: a compact, austere, military building with a 360-degree view over the coast, the Playa Norte and the Serra d’Irta mountains behind.

Two histories overlap in it. It was built by the Knights Templar, and a century after their order was dissolved it became the residence of Benedict XIII — Pedro de Luna, the Pope Luna — which makes Peñíscola one of only three places that have ever served as a papal seat, alongside Rome and Avignon. Everything below comes from the same sources as our Spanish guide; where a figure moves with the season, we say so instead of pretending it is fixed.

Who built it, and how a fishing town got a pope

The Templars raised the fortress between the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th — roughly 1294 to 1307 — on the foundations of an earlier Arab alcazaba. That explains the architecture: heavy, plain, defensive, nothing like the palace-castles built later inland. When the order was dissolved the fortress passed to the Order of Montesa and later to the Crown.

Its great moment came in the 15th century, when it became the residence and papal seat of Pedro de Luna, Benedict XIII. He kept his library and his court here and governed what was left of his obedience from this rock. That is why the walls of a small fishing town carry the weight they do: for a few decades, this was one of the two or three addresses that claimed to be the head of Western Christianity.

Who was Pope Luna?

Pedro Martínez de Luna, an Aragonese noble, was elected pope in Avignon in 1394 as Benedict XIII, in the middle of the Western Schism — the decades when the Church had rival popes at the same time. When most of Christendom withdrew its support, he took refuge in Peñíscola, which was effectively unassailable, and defended his legitimacy from here until his death around 1423.

He never conceded. The stubbornness is the part that stuck: the phrase associated with him about holding to one’s convictions is still quoted in Spain, and it belongs to this rock rather than to Avignon. Standing in his study, with the sea on three sides, the decision to hold out here makes a certain kind of sense.

What you actually see inside

The route through the castle covers the rooms where Pope Luna lived and governed as well as the military structure underneath:

• The basilica and the noble halls — the ceremonial heart of the old papal seat.
• Pope Luna’s study, where he kept his library.
• The stables and the Templar rooms, which is where the original fortress shows through.
• The terrace and the viewpoints, with the coast laid out in both directions.
• The gardens of the Artillery Park, included in the ticket: a planted terrace above the Mediterranean.

Opening hours and tickets

The castle opens all year, with longer hours in high season. As a guide only:

General admission costs a few euros and covers both the castle and the Artillery Park gardens, with reductions for groups, older visitors and children. Hours and prices change with the season and with scheduled events, so confirm them with the Peñíscola tourist office before you go. We publish them as approximate rather than exact because that is what they are.

The castle on screen

The setting has pulled in film crews for seventy years. The castle and the old town played the sixth season of Game of Thrones, shot in 2015, where Peñíscola stood in for the free city of Meereen. Long before that came El Cid (1961), with Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, and Calabuch (1956), by the Spanish director Luis García Berlanga.

If you have seen the Meereen episodes, the walk up through the walled town is a run of recognisable corners. The Spanish site has a page dedicated to the filming locations, street by street.

Practical advice before you climb

The castle is at the top of the old town, and the old town is a hill of cobbled ramps. Nothing about it is difficult, but it is a climb:

• Wear shoes you can walk uphill in. The stone is polished and slippery in the rain.
• Water and sun protection in summer — much of the route is in the open.
• Go early or late. Midday in August is both the hottest and the busiest.
• Leave time for sunset at the lighthouse and the viewpoints around it.
• Combine it with the walls, the Bufador blowhole and the Portal Fosc gate; they are all within a few hundred metres.
• In high season, park at the northern car parks and walk in. Driving into the old town is not a plan.

Where to stay for a castle visit

Peñíscola is small enough that almost anywhere works, but the geography matters: the old town has very few beds and no parking, and the hotels line up along Avenida Papa Luna, which runs north from the rock for about two kilometres. The lower the street number, the shorter the walk to the castle gate.

The Gran Hotel Peñíscola is at number 132 on that avenue: the old town is a walk along the promenade rather than a hop, which is the honest way to put it, and the hotel runs its own shuttle for guests in summer and at Easter. It is a four-star from 69 € a night with a spa, and the most reviewed hotel in town: 4,427 Booking reviews at 8.2/10 (7 August 2026) and 11,361 on Google at 4.2/5 (27 July 2026). It closes for winter — last night of the season 7 November 2026, reopening 26 February 2027 — which is worth knowing before you buy a flight for January.

Rates and availability →

Frequently asked questions

Also in English

The rest of what we publish in English:

• Beachfront hotels
• Hotels with a spa
• Hotels for families
• The beaches
• History of Peñíscola
• All hotels in Peñíscola

The detailed guide is in Spanish

The Spanish site goes further: the Game of Thrones locations street by street, guided tours of the walled town, the Serra d’Irta natural park, and a page for every hotel with its reviews broken down by theme.

Go to the Spanish site