Yecla announces guided visits for the remainder of 2025

From history to wine-tasting, from rural hikes to the famed December fiestas, Yecla welcomes all visitors to these fascinating tours between August and December!

The Tourism department of the Town Hall of Yecla in the north of Murcia has published its programme of free guided visits between August and the end of 2025, featuring 17 events to add to the 22 which were held in the first half of the year.

The Yecla guided tours are among the most popular in the Region, often becoming fully booked very quickly as visitors from Alicante, Valencia and Murcia explore the “Altiplano” area and also enjoying great support from the local population. Among the highlights over the next five months is the last opportunity to take part in a tour of the Iglesia Vieja on August 29 and 30, before work begins to transform the interior of the building, while others include cultural and historical heritage, rural and active tourism, local wineries and the annual fiestas in early December.

Between January and June an average of 25 people joined each tour, and those who chose to offer their opinion of the experience gave it an average rating of 9.44 out of 10!

Booking for all of the visits will be made available in the weeks before they take place through the regional tourist board website online here.

The full programme for the tours is as follows:

Friday August 29 – Guided tours of the Iglesia Vieja, officially known as the Iglesia de la Asunción, starting at 18.30 and 20.15. Duration 90 minutes. Booking is already available online here.

Saturday August 30 - Guided tours of the Iglesia Vieja, officially known as the Iglesia de la Asunción, starting at 10.00 and 11.45. Duration 90 minutes. Booking is already available online here.

September 25, 27 and 28 – Celebrate World Tourism Day in Yecla with a walking route taking in the church of San Roque, the Chapel of the Virgen de las Angustias, the Basílica de La Purísima and the Teatro Concha Segura. At each stop participants enjoy a local snack and a performance of music from the baroque period.

Four groups begin the 2-hour stroll at 10.30 on each of the three days and the tour is suitable for those of limited mobility.

Sunday October 5 – A walk on castle Hill, especially notable for no longer boasting a castle but being home instead to the Santuario del Castillo and the Museo Mariano, which is devoted to the local fiestas. The route follows the “pasarelas” or wooden walkways on the hillside before participants delve into the history of the local Fiestas de la Virgen, which have been awared International Tourist Interest status.

The tour begins at 10.30, starting at the Edificio Bioclimático, and lasts 2 and a half hours.

Saturday October 25 – The Chicharra greenway, a hike along the track bed of the old railway line which led to Biar in the province of Alicante, with the route including a water deposit or well dating back to the times of Moorish rule in the Early Middle Ages before reaching the beauty spot of Las Celadillas.

The walk begins at 10.30 at the old railway station on Avenida de Cartagena and lasts 2 and a half hours.

Saturday October 25 and November 1 – A dramatized evening tour of the mysteries and legends of Yecla, exploring popular myths and traditions which have survived through the centuries. The tour begins at 19.30 in the Plaza Mayor and lasts approximately 3 hours.

Sunday October 26 - A family tour in nature at the “magic mountain” of Monte Arabí, beginning at 9.30 with a car journey to the Casa del Guarda. During the 3-hour event participants visit the mysterious “cazoleta” rock formations and the Cueva del Tesoro, where stories are told of the legends associated with the mountain, and the old quarry.

Saturday November 8 – A more complete tour of Monte Arabí, including the prehistoric rock art of Cantos de Visera I and II and following the PR-MU91 hiking route. The day begins at 9.30 with a car journey to the mountain and the return to Yecla is at 13.00. NOTE: This visit costs 2.50 euros, corresponding to the fee for visiting the rock art sites.

Sunday November 9 - Modernist jewels of Yecla, an exploration of some of the architectural treasures of the town including the Iglesia Del Niño Jesús, the Teatro Concha Segura and the church of San Roque. The starting point is at 10.00 at the Iglesia Del Niño Jesús.

Friday November 14 – A tour of the industrial and wine-producing heritage of Yecla, with a visit to Fama Tapizados (who specialize in furniture upholstery) and Bodegas Conde de Montornés, where some of the locally produced wines are tasted (at a cost of 9 euros). The tour begins at the Feria del Mueble building at 16.30 and lasts 2 and a half hours.

Sunday November 16 – The historical heritage of 16^th-century Yecla, with visits to the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), Hospitalico and the Museo Regreco. Centred on the impressive Plaza Mayor this includes some of Yecla’s most iconic buildings and ends at the Casa Municipal de Cultura, where more than 70 replicas paintings by El Greco (the work of Juan Albert Roses) are on display

The visit begins at 10.30.

Saturday December 7 – A special visit to coincide with the start of the Fiestas de la Virgen del Castillo, when the figure of the Patron of Yecla is brought down to the town. The tour includes some of the most important venues of the fiestas and also a tasting of the most traditional food consumed as the cold winter begins to set in! The tour begins at 10.00 in the Plaza Mayor and costs 7 hours, including a tapa and wine tasting.

Saturday December 30 – Blue and White, the Basílica de La Purísima. This 2-hour visit, starting at 10.00, includes both the interior and the exterior of what is probably the best-known building in Yecla, which dominates panoramic photographs due to its eye-catching dome.

Sunday December 21 – The Francsicans in Yecla, the Chapel of the Virgen De Las Angustias in the monumental church of San Francisco. The Franciscan Order is of great importance in the history of Yecla, and in these naves and chapels are all the particularities of the decoration they used in their places of worship as well as the sculpted tableau of the Virgen de las Angustias by the famed Murcia artist Francisco Salzillo.

The visit begins at 10.30 and lasts 2 hours.

Saturdays December 27 and January 3 – Sample the atmosphere of Yecla at Christmas and in the New Year, with the emphasis on the traditional nativity scenes in churches and public buildings. Christmas carols are sung at stops along the route, which begins at 19.00 and lasts 2 hours.

This schedule may be modified during the autumn, but details will appear in the What’s on section of Yecla Today as booking becomes available (usually a month before each event).

Further information is available from the local tourist office, currently located in Calle Epifanio Ibáñez opposite the Mercado Central (telephone 968 754104, email turismo@yecla.es).

Address

Plaza Mayor, Casa de los Arcos, s/n 30510 YECLA

Tel: 968 754 104

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Oficina de Turismo de Yecla

In early 2025, due to renovation work at the usual office, the service is located on the other side of the Plaza Mayor at Calle Epifanio Ibáñez nº 2 (click for map).

Yecla is a large municipality in the north of the Region of Murcia, home to just under 35,000 people, and these days is best known for its wines, which enjoy Denomination of Origin status, and its furniture production, which has its origins in the abundance of pine trees on the mountainsides and the high plateaux.

While visitors in the 21st century may be attracted primarily by wine tourism, the town (or city, as it was proclaimed in 1878) also has a wide historical, cultural and natural heritage, and an identity quite different from the coastal areas of the Region of Murcia. For this reason it is often grouped together with its neighbour and fellow wine-producing area Jumilla as part of the Altiplano area.

Yecla borders with Castilla-La Mancha and the Region of Valencia and is closer to Alicante coastal areas than much of Murcia. These visitors come to see the historic old town itself - an atmospheric and interesting place, crammed full of history - the natural beauty of Monte Arabí, with stunning views for those who enjoy the outdoors, the gastonomy and of course the wine route.

Yecla boasts cave paintings from 10,000 years ago in Monte Arabí, a Bronze Age settlement at El Arabilejo, Iberian remains in El Pulpillo and a Roman administrative centre at Los Torrejones as well as the remnants of the 11th century Moorish castle on the hill behind the town. More modern (and complete) testimony to the past are the buildings in the town centre, which include the grandiose Basílica de la Purísima, with its striking blue dome, the archaeological museum and the attractive Plaza Mayor, where the 16th century Town Hall stands alongside the Renaissance Casa de los Alarcos, the clock tower and the old grain store.

The tourist office holds a full selection of leaflets, maps, pre-planned routes, accommodation and restaurant options and information about visiting Yecla for both individuals and groups.

There is parking close to the tourist office, although those driving to Yecla for the first time are advised to park in Calle Perales. 

For further information go to the home page of Yecla Today.  

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Friday 8.00 to 15.00

Saturdays 10.30 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 19.30.

Public holidays 10.30 to 14.00

Click for map, Yecla tourist office