What's on in Costa del Azahar

The Costa del Azahar — the "orange-blossom coast" — is the shore of Castellón province, named for the citrus groves that scent the air inland each spring. It's one of the quieter mainland coasts, and the better for it: Peñíscola's old town crowds onto a rock jutting into the sea behind its castle walls, Benicàssim has its long beachfront and music history, and Vinaròs and the Ribera de Cabanes still run as proper fishing and langostino-prawn towns. Long, gentle beaches and far fewer high-rises than the costas to the south.

The summer fiestas centre on the sea and the patron saints. Sant Joan bonfires light the beaches on 23 June, rolling straight into the San Juan and San Pedro fairs that fill towns like Vinaròs, and the Sant Pere maritime fiestas where the fishermen's saint is carried round the harbour. July adds the cultural draws — the Peñíscola International Jazz Festival inside the castle, the Titéres a la Mar puppet festival, and the Virgen del Carmen procession out to sea — while August brings stargazing for the Perseids and the patron-saint festivities of the inland villages.

Castellón–Costa Azahar (CDT) is the local airport, small and right on the coast, though flight choice is limited; Valencia (VLC) is around an hour south with far more options. A hire car makes the most sense here — it links the strung-out beach towns and opens up the Maestrat hill villages and castles behind the coast.

Whether you're in a Peñíscola apartment, a Benicàssim hotel or a place out near the orange groves, this is your guide to what's actually on while you're here — the festivals worth planning around and the local fiestas worth stumbling into.