Peñiscola

Peñiscola is a small coastal town in the province of Castellón, on Spain's Costa del Azahar. Its old quarter sits on a rocky headland overlooked by the Castle of Papa Luna, a 13th-century fortress that has featured in international film productions, including the television series Game of Thrones. The whitewashed, cobbled streets of the old town lead down to a seafront lined with seafood restaurants and terraces. The town has long, fine sandy beaches, such as Playa Norte and Playa Sur, popular for swimming and watersports. The still-active fishing harbour supports a culinary tradition centred on seafood and rice dishes, typical of this stretch of coast. Nearby, the Serra d'Irta natural park offers coastal walking trails and quieter, more rugged coves. Peñiscola is a well-established holiday destination with substantial hotel capacity and busy summer crowds, yet it retains its fortified old town as the main point of historical interest, giving the resort a distinctive character compared with neighbouring beach towns along the same coastline.