Los Montesinos: Cycling Routes, Churches and History

Los Montesinos offers several specific starting points for planning your trip: named cycling routes with different itineraries, churches with clearly describable architectural features, and traces of history dating back to Roman times. If you are planning a stay around your own interests, you can explore cycling, local history and food culture as separate themes.

Cycling and hiking

The cycling routes differ both in distance and in their described itineraries. The Ruta 10 exterior is 25 kilometres long, starts in the centre of Los Montesinos and then joins the Vía Verde. At 37.5 kilometres, the Ruta 11 exterior is longer; it is a road cycling route that runs entirely on roads, circles the La Pedrera reservoir and passes through scenic areas of Los Montesinos. The Ruta 12 exterior covers 39 kilometres and leads from Los Montesinos through fields and orange groves.

The Ruta 11 is 1.5 kilometres shorter than the Ruta 12. When choosing between them, the itinerary may matter as well as the distance: one is a road cycling route on roads, while the other passes through fields and orange groves.

The Ruta 13 exterior runs for about 10 kilometres through the Lagunas de la Mata y Torrevieja Natural Park. The Ruta Salada is the local SL-CV-115 hiking trail and leads to the Torrevieja Lagoon; there is also a viewing tower there. Before setting out, check the conditions of the relevant municipal route; for the SL-CV-115, check local trail conditions as well.

Church architecture and historical traces

The Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar was built in 1886 and has a central nave, two side aisles, a chancel and an attached tower. The term “central nave” refers to the central area of the church interior; the side aisles are on either side. This makes the layout, including the chancel and tower, easier to picture.

The Ermita de La Marquesa is located outside the town centre. It has a rectangular floor plan, two naves and a square bell tower with three bells. In 1829, it was granted the status of a parish church to provide pastoral care for farm workers in the surrounding fields and the residents of Los Montesinos.

In the Partida de La Marquesa, archaeological remains and villae rusticae in the surrounding area point to settlement dating back to Roman times; the Vía Augusta ran through the estate. The existence of the Aljibe de La Marquesa has been documented since the mid-18th century. The cistern served to secure the water supply for the first settlement. Together, these places and structures illustrate different aspects of history: ancient settlement traces, water supply and pastoral care for the population.

Local cuisine and festival traditions

The traditional cuisine of Los Montesinos is based on Mediterranean produce. Typical dishes combine produce from agricultural estates with animals raised there. The agricultural connection therefore appears in two themes: in the fields and orange groves along the Ruta 12, and in the combination of produce and livestock farming in the local cuisine.

A pilgrimage in honour of the Virgen del Rosario, along with other religious and festive celebrations, takes place during the first week of October; these events recall the former parish community. If you would like to plan your visit around these celebrations, check the event dates before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Tàrbena, Daya Nueva, Almoradí, Callosa D'en Sarrià, Santa Clara, Arneva, Castell De Castells, El Tosalet

For the main travel overview: Alicante.