Castellón · Comunidad Valenciana
Segorbe
- Province
- Castellón
- Status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 9089
- Elevation
- 358 m
Segorbe is a heritage town in the province of Castellón, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain. Population 9089 (2013), elevation 358m.
A former episcopal seat and Aragonese conquest base in Castellón, Segorbe holds medieval walls, a cathedral built over a mosque, and a ducal palace whose Mudéjar ceilings rank among the finest in the Valencian Community.
Key facts
- Province
- Castellón
- Heritage status
- Conjunto Histórico
- Population
- 9089 (2013)
- Elevation
- 358 m
History of Segorbe
Human presence here reaches back to the Middle Palaeolithic. In 1225, the Moorish lord Zayd became a vassal of the Aragonese king James I, using Segorbe as a base for the conquest of Valencia in 1238. The town was immediately made a bishop's seat, absorbing the diocese previously held by Albarracín.
It held steady at around 7,000–8,000 inhabitants for centuries, but lost ground as Castellón de la Plana and the coastal strip grew. The diocese was reorganised in 1960, and the early 21st century has brought renewed growth, with Segorbe becoming one of the main inland tourism destinations in the Valencian Community.
Heritage & Monuments
The Cathedral Basilica is the most important building in the Segorbe-Castellón diocese. Construction began in 1246 under Bishop Pedro in a transitional Gothic style with Romanesque elements; it stands on the site of an earlier mosque. The façade is early Baroque, notable for its restraint, and the chapels contain gilded wooden altarpieces with paintings.
The Town Hall occupies the former palace of the Dukes of Segorbe and Medinaceli, begun in an earlier century and purchased by the municipality in 1858. Inside are three marble and jasper doorways brought from the Carthusian monastery of Vall de Cristo in nearby Altura. The council chamber has a 15th-century Mudéjar coffered ceiling with octagonal panels and four-pointed stars, and a second coffered ceiling survives in the Círculo Segorbino; both are considered among the finest in the Valencian Community.
The medieval walls survive in part, and their final stretch incorporates the arches of an aqueduct that once supplied the town with water. The castle saw its peak in the late medieval period; after the ducal palace was built in the town centre, it fell into gradual ruin, though it still hosted Philip IV in 1620. Reinforced again during the Carlist Wars, the remaining stonework now forms a public park.
About a kilometre from the old centre, the Fuente de los Cincuenta Caños is a fountain with one spout bearing the coat of arms of each Spanish province.
Practical Travel Info
Autocares Herca (autocaresherca.com) runs seven buses daily from Valencia and one daily from Sagunto on weekdays; their Segorbe stop is at C/ Alicante, 5, a few blocks from the old centre. Autocares Samar (samar.es) also runs frequent buses from Valencia via Sagunto, stopping further south at the corner of Avda España and Plaza de la Constitución. Both companies publish schedules and fares on their websites.
The town is small and easy to cover on foot.
Where to eat in Segorbe
Ratings & restaurant data from Google.
Traditional food & drink in Comunidad Valenciana
- Paella valenciana
- — The original paella: rice with rabbit, chicken, beans and saffron, cooked over a wide flat pan.
- Fideuà
- — A paella-style dish made with short noodles instead of rice, rich with seafood.
- Horchata
- — A sweet, milky chilled drink made from tiger nuts (chufa), served with fartons.
- All i pebre
- — An eel stew with garlic and paprika from the Albufera wetlands.
- Turrón
- — Almond-and-honey nougat, especially from Jijona/Xixona — a Christmas fixture.
Watch: Turrón
Gallery
Location
Quick answers
Is Segorbe worth visiting?▾
A former episcopal seat and Aragonese conquest base in Castellón, Segorbe holds medieval walls, a cathedral built over a mosque, and a ducal palace whose Mudéjar ceilings rank among the finest in the Valencian Community.
Why is Segorbe a heritage town?▾
Segorbe is officially designated a Conjunto Histórico — Spain's national protection for historic town ensembles (Conjuntos Históricos).
What is the traditional food in Comunidad Valenciana?▾
Comunidad Valenciana is known for Paella valenciana, Fideuà, Horchata and All i pebre. You'll find these regional specialities in and around Segorbe.
What is the history of Segorbe?▾
Human presence here reaches back to the Middle Palaeolithic. In 1225, the Moorish lord Zayd became a vassal of the Aragonese king James I, using Segorbe as a base for the conquest of Valencia in 1238.
Which heritage towns are near Segorbe?▾
Nearby heritage towns include Jérica, Onda, Llíria and Sagunto.
Where is Segorbe?▾
Segorbe lies in the provincia de Castellón comarca, in the province of Castellón, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain.
Nearby heritage towns
A hilltop town in Castellón whose castle, medieval walls, and mudéjar bell tower trace more than two thousand years of continuous human settlement, from Neolithic caves to a royal prize fought over by the Cid, Jaime I, and Ferdinand the Catholic.
A hilltop town in Castellón whose castle, medieval walls, and layered history of Romans, Moors, and Templars rise above the Mijares river plain.
A town in Valencia province whose roots go back to a major Iberian capital, later remade as a Roman city, and whose layers of history — prehistoric, Islamic, medieval, and noble — survive in excavated sites, ruins, and street names.
A city written into ancient history, Sagunto rises above Valencia's coastal plain with a castle hill that has seen Carthaginian sieges, Roman theatres, and the footsteps of conquerors across three thousand years.
Visiting from a nearby city?
Segorbe makes a great day trip from:
Last updated 18 July 2026.