Leisure
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The Beach |
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Sightseeing |
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 The
Town Hall
The administrative and political centre of the city, it
was built in 1778 as a counterpoint to the former centre
of power, the Ducal Palace. The façade was projected in
the purest neo-classicist style.
The monument is rounded off by an elegant balustrade upon
which four stone busts represent the four cardinal virtues
to be observed by rulers and public interest defenders. |
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 The
Collegiate Church
This is a paradigmatic example of 14th/15th
century gothic architecture in the Catalonian-Aragonese
kingdom (the so-called international gothic style was used
in the rest of the Iberian peninsula). Its architecture is
predominantly horizontal and solid, the elevation is not
too high, it has very few openings, and from the
ornamental point of view, it is most simple and austere.
Indoors, the building is uniform, spacious, and open. It
has a single nave with five sections, a transept, side
chapels between the thick buttresses, and two portals.
Outside, the rectangular ground plan evidences the compact
volumetry. It has two entrances, the Constitution Square
one and the Apostles gate. |
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 The
Ducal Palace
A symbol of power and prestige, the ducal palace is one of
the most emblematic monuments in Gandia. The building
articulates around a central patio in which we find a
remarkable two-flight stairway: next to it, there is a
window, one of the very few opened by the architects of
the Crown of Aragon. Other interesting elements are the
Crowns Hall, the Golden Room, the Manises ceramics from
the 18th century with references to the Four
Elements, the chapel-cell of Saint Francisco de Borja, and
all the mementos of the city's patron saint found
throughout the many and very large palace rooms. |
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 The
Former Gandia Summer University
Thanks to the decisive intervention of the future saint
Francisco de Borja, a university was set up in Gandia in
1549, to be ruled by the Jesuits. For more than two
centuries, lectures were delivered at this educational
centre; but in 1767 the Jesuits were expelled from Spain,
this fact throwing the University of Gandia into
stagnancy. Yet, from that moment onwards the building was
still used for different purposes until 1806, when the
Piarists took over. Except for some periods of
uncertainty, this religious order remained in the
premises, also used for educational activities. |
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Night
Life |
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 Enjoying
Gandia nights is easy and lost of fun. The entertainment
offer is an interesting one, particularly in summer:
discos, pubs, terraces by the sea with live music,
fireworks, folk shows... The magic of the night is on
until sunrise. As in any other large beach, Gandia's
nightlife is most varied; it mainly concentrates in two
areas, Plaza Temple and Plaza Castell. During the summer
months, the students of the Mosaic project offer a
cultural and historical alternative to Gandia's nights, a
Ruta por la
Ciudad Medieval... with unexpected encounters. |
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The
Beach |
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 The
beach is 3 Km away from the town, next to the Grao quarter
and the harbour.Due to its length (more than 3 Km) and the
quality of its sand and services (lifeguard, showers,
children’s playground), Gandia's sandy beach is considered
to be the best on the eastern coast. This fact has earned
the beach a blue flag for many years now (a blue flag is a
quality label granted by the EU).The large size of the
beach prevents it from being overcrowded, even in August.
Sand enters the sea with a mild slope, in such a way that
one can go into the sea for quite a distance without it
getting deep. A small wall, the pavement, some gardens and
a road separate the sand from the apartment blocks. Night
clubs, discos, sports halls, bars, taverns, cafeterias,
and other recreation places are found all along the beach. |
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