The Castle of Dénia

Dénia is home to a large Moorish castle named Castle of Dénia on a rocky crag overlooking the port and the city. It was built in the 11th and 12th century and offers views around the sea, the city and the surrounding area. Located in the castle is the Palau del Governador (Governor’s Palace) and its corresponding museum including various artifacts and amphoras. Dénia also has the Museu Etnològic (Ethnological Museum) with further details on the history and culture of the city.

The castle is located in the heart of the city, on a 60 meter high mound. The entrance is at a 3 minute walk (220 m) from Loreto 29. Here’s a map for easy access to the castle.  It is accessed by San Francisco street (Sant Francesc), in the neighborhood of Les Roques. You will find a door in the form of tumidated warhead, an Islamic feature, which gives access to a landscaped road, at the end of which is the ticket office. There is a tunnel under the Castle, acting as a shortcut to avoid going around it, going from Plaza del Consell (Carrer de La Mar) until Ronda des les Muralles used as an air-raid shelter during the Spanish Civil War. Open daily 06:30-02:00.

Visiting hours, Tickets and Prices

Hours. Dénia Castle opens its doors at variable times throughout the year, depending on the hours of sunlight:

In summer, without previously defined date, there is a period in which you can visit the castle until 00:30 at night, in the so-called Visit the Castle by night. The information telephone number is +34 966 420 260.

Ticket prices. Residents of Dénia and those born in the city can access it for free, showing their ID with their address or place of birth. Tourists and visitors have to pay an entrance fee of €3. Children under 8 years old: free, and boys and girls between 8 and 16 years old: €1. The fare for retirees, pensioners and students is €2, as well as for groups of more than 25 people.

Guided tours. If you want information about visits to Dénia Castle, you can contact the telephone numbers +34 966420260 and +34 966420656. Generally, visits are organized in summer and do not have a fixed schedule. They will inform you at the Castle ticket office and you can also consult the Dénia City Council website

History of the Castle

This fortification, of Andalusian Muslim origin, dates back to the Xth and XIth centuries. But much earlier Roman remains have been found on the castle slope, belonging to the time of the Roman Dianium.

Muslim Era

The castle was the citadel or residence of the governor of Daniya. In the Xth century it reached its structure with the double enclosure of the citadel and the albacar (walled enclosure used as a refuge for the inhabitants), and with relevant fortification architectures. During the second half of the XIth century, important reinforcement works were carried out, as can be evidenced from the architectural studies.

In the citadel we find the Mig Tower (Torr del Mig o Mid Tower), dating from the XIth century. This is the most significant of the entrances to the enclosure. It has a remarkable architectural quality with double horseshoe arches and alfiz. Also in the citadel is the Portal de la Vila, the most important entrance, formed by pointed horseshoe arches and a split key.

The Reconquest

After the conquest of Dénia by Jaume I in 1244, the spaces of the enclosure changed their use: they hosted the Palau (Palace), Castell (Castillo) and Vila. In the year 1308, in the lower enclosure was the albacar (Villa de Dénia), while the citadel, with the Palau Vell (Old Palace), became the citadel. In this area, around the year 1600, the Renaissance palace, built by Francisco Gómez Sandoval y Rojas, Duque de Lerma and Marqués de Dénia, was integrated.  This is what was once the Governor’s Palace and today it is the headquarters of the Archaeological Museum of the city.

From the XVIth century, the continuous harassment of the Berber pirates forced to improve the fortification of the precincts of the Vila and the Castell with the construction of bastions (to resist enemy attacks), leaving an important mark of Renaissance military architecture.

Modern Era

In successive centuries, wars leave their mark on the Castle of Dénia. The Spanish War of Succession (1701-1713) devastated the Vila and a good part of the fortress, and the assault during the French invasion (1812) damaged the southern front of the two enclosures.

With the arrival of the XXth century, the castle passed into private hands, becoming an agricultural estate oriented to the cultivation of the vine and the production of the pansa (the grape raisins). During this time terraces were enabled for agriculture and retaining walls were created.

From the XXth Century to the Present

In the first decades of the XXth century, the north slope of the castle was used as a quarry for the extraction of stone. In 1947 after a complex expropriation process, the castle became municipal property. From that moment on, different remodeling actions have been promoted, such as the planting of trees throughout the premises, the fitting out of accesses or the restoration of rooms such as the Torre del Consell or Portal de la Vila. In the 60’s and 70’s, with the boom of tourism, an access road to the upper part was built, demolishing a significant part of the walls and destroying archaeological remains of the Vila Vella.

The premises of the Governor’s Palace were restored at the beginning of the 1980’s. The Galliner Tower and the Red tower were rehabilitated. Also in these years various bastioned constructions and wall canvases were consolidated.

Already in the XXIst century, new spaces in the monumental complex were enabled, such as La Sala, used as a conference room, or the Visitor Center, next to the Palau esplanade. The rehabilitation of the staircase of the Palau (Governor’s palace) means recovering the experience of accessing the palace rooms. In 2020, the Verger Alt and the eastern bastion of the castle were rehabilitated with Renaissance military architecture of the mid-XVIth century, which for many years have been closed due to the lack of safety conditions for visitors. Now the Verger Alt is a new exhibition space, which corresponds to the old access to the citadel.

Dénia Castle at a glance (Video in Spanish)

Denia Castle Photographic Gallery from Denia.com

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