Alcoy

Alcoy has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The name's etymology is unclear, but is believed to derive either from Arabic (al-Qawi – the fort/village) or from Latin (Arabic article al + Latin cola – cultivator/inhabitant). The town in its current incarnation was formally established after the Christian reconquista in 1256, and was the setting for repeated Arab revolts. The last of these was suppressed in 1276 and is still commemorated today in the city's annual Moors and Christians festival.
In the mid-19th century the city became heavily industrialized; most architecture in the centre dates from this period. Today the city is a regional commercial and financial centre.

• Tourist Information

  phone: +34 965 537 155
  address: Plaça d'Espanya, 14

By train

• Estación de Tren de Alcoi

  phone: +34 902 432 343
  address: Plaza Estación, s/n
  Alcoy is connected by Renfe regional trains to Cocentaina, Xàtiva, and Estació de València Nord.

By bus

• Estación de AutobusesFrom Valencia, Autocares Travicoi (tel. +34 963 491 425) runs several buses daily, including on weekends, with the journey taking just under two hours. From Alicante, Subus runs buses multiple times daily, with a full schedule available here.

By bus

Subus Alcoi operates six routes in Alcoy. A single journey costs €.85, payable in cash to the driver on entry. If you plan to use the bus frequently it may be worth purchasing a Tarjeta Multiviaje card, which will give you ten journeys for €5 – these can be purchased at a number of convenience shops, shown on an interactive map here.
A route map can be downloaded here, and more detailed route maps with schedules can be downloaded here.

Despite the antiquity of the street layout, most buildings in the historic centre are Modernist in style and date from the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, when the city was completely modernised during the Industrial Revolution.

Monuments

• Castell de BarxellA 12th-century castle of likely Muslim origin. It has a rectangular keep and a court with rainwater tank.

• Torre de Na Valora

  phone: +34 965 537 144
  address: Carrer Verge María, s/n
  The 13th-century Gothic tower was once part of Alcoy's defensive network, and fully restored in 2002. Today it offers some excellent views of the city.

• Església de Santa MariaA 20th-century reconstruction of a previous church destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. It is worth peeking inside to see the 15th-century Gothic painting by Jacomart tucked away in a side chapel, along with works by the late-Renaissance painter Cristóbal Llorens.

• Ermita de Sant Antoni Abat d'AlcoiA complex of two conjoined buildings from the 14th and 18th centuries.

• Plaça de DinsFormerly a monastic cloister, the neoclassical square was created in the mid-19th century.

• Llotja de Sant Jordi

  phone: +34 965 537 155
  address: Plaça d'Espanya, s/n
  This venue for special exhibitions and cultural events was designed by Valencian star architect Santiago Calatrava and built between 1992-1995.

Museums

• Museu Alcoià De La Festa

  phone: +34 965 540 580
  address: Carrer Sant Miquel, 60-62
  Has on display costumes and other material from the three-day Moros i Cristians festival.

• Museu Arqueològic Municipal Camil Visedo Moltó

  phone: +34 965 537 144
  address: Placeta del Carbó, s/n
  Housed in a building from the Valencian Gothic and Renaissance periods, the museum as a large collection of ceramics from the Iberian period.

• Refugi de Cervantes

  phone: +34 965 537 203
  address: Carrer Els Alçamora, s/n
  One of more than 25 air raid shelters used by Alcoy residents during the Spanish Civil War, it is more than 100m long and has on display a number of photographs as well as audiovisual presentations.

• MuBoma

  phone: +34 965 544 418
  address: Carrer Algezares, 26
  The former factory is now a museum, with two floors dedicated to the history of firefighting in Alicante province.

Other

• Cementeri d'Alcoi

  phone: +34 965 544 382
  address: Ctra Font Roja, 25
  This 19th-century cemetery is considered to be one of the most interesting in the Valencian Community, due to its unusual architecture and excellent examples of period funerary sculpture. It is listed on the European Cemeteries Route, a cultural itinerary established by the Council of Europe.

Festivals

• Moros i CristiansAlcoy hosts the largest and possibly the most elaborate of the annual Moors and Christians festivals, listed as a festival of 'International Tourist Interest'. Celebrated since the early 16th century, it reenacts the Battle of Alcoy of 1276 during the Muslim insurrection against the Christian reconquista. According to legend, St. George appeared on a horse on the city walls during the battle and thereby turned the tide against the rebels, resulting in the death of the Moorish commander Al-Azraq.
  The celebration commences with a marching band parade on the evening of the 21st. The Día de las Entradas ('Day of Entrances') is devoted to parades, starting with the Christian parade in the morning and the Moorish parade in the late afternoon. The following day, Día de San Jorge ('St. George's Day') is more solemn, with a morning religious procession, high mass, and an evening parade. The battle takes place on the final day, the Día de Alardo ('Alardo's Day'), first with a verbal exchange between the Moorish and Christian ambassadors, and then with arquebuses (muskets), each side retaking in turn the castle in the . The appearance of St. George in the evening brings the battle to a close. A full schedule and parade route map is available for download from the tourist office.

• Cavalcada de ReisBelieved to be the oldest Three Kings' Day parade in Spain, it was first documented in the mid-19th century and is listed by the Spanish government as a festival of 'National Tourist Interest'. Thousands of residents turn out at 18:30 to watch the three wise men proceed on camel to the Plaça d'Espanya, where they arrive at about 20:00 to a grand display of fireworks. The fiesta ends at 22:00 in the .

Hiking and biking

• Parc Natural de la Serra MariolaThe mountain park offers good opportunities for hiking, with trail difficulty ranging from easy to difficult. The park can be accessed from Cocentaina as well as Alcoy, and has several sights of historic and natural interest. Many trail heads are located right on the outskirts of Alcoy, and trails range in difficulty from easy short hikes to challenging 8 hour treks. The tourist office has a handy map with basic trail descriptions available for download. To explore further reaches of the mountain range, the park administration maintains an online list of nine hiking trails with maps and trail descriptions (in Spanish).

• Centre d'Informació

  phone: +34 965 566 383
  address: Ctra CV-795, km 17
  Organizes guided nature walks, bird-watching workshops, and guided hikes to archaeological sites.

Parc Natural de la Font RojaThis smaller, heavily-forested mountain park has some good hiking trails, ranging in difficulty from easy three-hour to challenging eight-hour hikes. The park administration has an online list of five hiking trails with maps and trail descriptions (in Spanish).

• Centre d'Informació

  phone: +34 965 337 620
  address: Ctra Font Roja, s/n
  Located in a former religious complex, the centre has brochures about natural and historic sights in the park, a small botanical garden, and displays. Other facilities include toilets and a café, as well a nearby campground with 20 campsites. To camp prior approval is required at least two days in advance; details (in Spanish) are available here.

• Mercat de Sant Roc

  phone: +34 966 522 914
  address: Carrer Espronceda, 2
  The town's main market is a good place to pick up fresh fish, produce, and meat, and also has a supermarket. On W and Sa mornings there is also a general outside the main entrance on Carrer Espronceda.

• Mercat de Sant Mateu

  phone: +34 965 549 494
  address: Carrer Sant Mateu, 20
  Another covered market hall good for all sorts of produce, fish, and meat, with an onsite bar and bakery. Every Sa from 13:00-15:00 every market stall also sells tapas. On Tu and F mornings there is also a general located behind the building at Plaça Ramón y Cajal.

• Mercadillo Zona Norte

  address: Carrer Ausiàs March
  The semi-weekly street market is good for picking up fresh produce and various odds and ends.

• Centro Comercial Alzamora

  phone: +34 966 526 480
  address: Carrer els Alzamora, 44
  The shopping centre has the usual brand name shops as well as a Supercor supermarket.

Alcoy and the surrounding region has a number of distinct dishes.

• EmbotitsSausages from Alcoy and nearby Cocentaina, in many varieties, are famous throughout the Valencian Community.

• Olleta de músicAlso known as olleta alcoyana, a variant of the Valencian one-pot stew olleta d'arròs. Traditionally it is stewed for several hours and consists of vegetables, beans, meat and sausages, bones, and pumpkin, and omits the rice included in other versions.

• PericanaA sauce of olive oil, dried peppers, sometimes dried tomatoes and garlic or chives, and salted cod, usually served on toast or as a garnish for fish or green beans.

• Bajoques farcidesOven-roasted peppers stuffed with tomatoes, rice, and meat or sometimes tuna.

• Aceitunas rellenas de anchoaOlives stuffed with anchovies, invented in Alcoy and made in a local factory.

• BorretaA stew of cod, potatoes, spinach, and beaten eggs.

Midrange

• Lolo Restaurante

  phone: +34 965 547 373
  address: Partida Rambla Alta, 98
  The restaurant serves traditional Alcoy dishes in a former farmhouse with great mountain views.

• Restaurante Casa Juliet

  phone: +34 965 331 007
  address: Carrer Anselm Aracil, 21
  Serves Mediterranean and traditional cuisine with a modern touch, in a comfortable setting with antique furniture.

Splurge

• Restaurante La Gruta Gastronómica

  phone: +34 965 545 404
  address: Carrer Sant Nicolau, 19
  The Modernist building itself, a 19th-century social club, is worth visiting. The restaurant is located in the basement, in a faux grotto built in 1896, with stalagmites, stalagtites, and a pond. The food is modern and creative. Dressy attire and reservations are essential.

Alcoy, along with nearby Cocentaina, is known for its café licor ('coffee liquor'), not to be confused with the sweeter licor café in Murcia and Galicia. The drink is known to date to the early 13th century, and grew in popularity during the industrial revolution when factory workers would add it to their coffee thermoses. Today it has the Spanish denomination of origin of Bebidas Espirituosas Tradicionales ('Traditional Spirits'), and is consumed alone or mixed with other ingredients, such as orxata (Spanish: horchata), soda water, or lemon water.
Cervesa Spigha, the local craft beer, comes in three varieties: American pale ale, brown ale, and blonde ale.

Budget

• Residencial Alcoy

  phone: +34 911 237 046
  address: Carrer Sant Joan de Ribera, 70
  The fully-furnished apartments are nonsmoking. Free Wi-Fi, parking €8/day.

Midrange

• Casa Bons Aires

  phone: +34 660 666 768
  address: Partida Llacunes, 6
  The entire facility is nonsmoking, and has a pool, onsite restaurant,

• Hotel Reconquista

  phone: +34 965 330 900
  address: Avda Pont de Sant Jordi, 1
  A comfortable hotel with an onsite restaurant, fitness centre, nonsmoking rooms, and free Wi-Fi.

• Sercotel Hotel Ciutat D'Alcoi

  phone: +34 965 333 606
  address: Carrer Colón, 1
  Has an onsite bar and fitness centre. Free Wi-Fi, parking €12/day.

• Pinturas Rupestres de la Sarga

  phone: +34 965 537 144 (information)
  Discovered by hikers in 1951, the set of three rock shelters has prehistoric pictographs dating from the 7th to the 2nd millenium BCE. It is one of over 700 sites that have collectively been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as 'Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula'. Guided visits must be arranged through the Alcoy Museum of Archaeology; the museum has available for download a basic guide (Spanish/Valencian) and a more detailed guide (Spanish/Valencian).

• Safari Aitana

  phone: +34 965 529 273
  address: Ctra CV-785, Km 20
  The Valencian Community's only drive-in safari park cares for rescued large animals.