The main attraction of Valencia’s La Serranía region – Roman aqueduct in Chelva, dating more than 2000 years back, nowadays accessible on foot. The aqueduct gives you the opportunity to walk through tunnels carved in rock, cross impressive bridges, and admire unique scenery of the area. Chelva itself and its historical neighborhoods deserves a visit as well. Take a more relaxed stroll through the town, admiring the old Moorish, Jewish, Christian and Arabic constructions.

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The Roman Bridge

The main attraction that we will find along the route is the impressive Peña Cortada aqueduct that is in quite good conditions, taking into account centuries that have passed since its construction. One of the most breathtaking moments is crossing the bridge, looking down is not recommended if you have vertigo.

The Tunnels

The rest of the route is very interesting too, since we will go through numerous tunnels carved into the mountain along the trail. Those were made with the aim of letting water pass through. Some of the tunnels seem to have windows, since it is possible to see the natural landscape from inside the caves.

Historical Neighborhoods

Chelva, which comes from the silva ‘forest’, the influence of the Arabic language palatalizing the initial “s”, today retains in its urban center the imprint left by the peoples that inhabited it throughout history, a place where Arabs, Jews, Moors and Christians bequeathed their heritage. The municipality located in the interior of Valencia, in the region of La Serranía, has some of the historic neighborhoods with most personality and beauty of the entire province.
Those who walk along its streets can enjoy visiting various historical neighborhoods, such as the Arab Quarter of Benacacira, which still maintains the hidden and mysterious ambiance of that culture. Its narrow streets, the sound of water from its countless fountains, its whitewashed houses, evoke the memories of a medieval city built on a hill and surrounded by walls to ensure its defense. Admire the tiles of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and visit the square that was occupied by a souk and the Muslim mosque, on which the chapel of St. George was erected, and sincet the beginning of the XVIII century, the current Soledad shrine. The neighborhood was built in the eleventh century on a promontory (elevation of the land or little hill). The Muslim medina that is in the neighborhood now retains its intact urban layout.

More photos and info: TurismoChelva.es

Ruta del Agua

Chelva’s Ruta del Agua or water route, which can be done both from Chelva and from Calles, is a tourist itinerary of great interest, with a circular layout that combines nature and culture in a pleasant walk of approximately two hours with some rest areas along the path. On the way, you will never stop hearing the murmur of the water from numerous springs, sources, ditches and especially the Tuéjar river, which is also sometimes called Chelva river.

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