Peñíscola, with its unique natural and architectural heritage, is an exceptional natural set for all kinds of audiovisual productions. Its geographical location and cultural heritage make it a privileged setting for attracting productions that require locations for the production of their audiovisual works.
It is worth highlighting Peñíscola’s track record as a set for numerous film projects from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. The most recent filming that the city has hosted has made it a reference point today.
The filming of the sixth season of Game of Thrones, which premiered on 25 April 2016, along with the popular television series El Chiringuito de Pepe, which on 19 April 2016 broadcast the last of its 26 episodes; seen in prime time for two seasons and with great ratings success since 2014. This popular TV series has shown every corner of Peñíscola in more than 200 minutes of broadcasting.
Peñíscola has been the setting for films such as Ana Cadova (1913), La alegría del batallón (1924), La vida es maravillosa (1955), Calabuch (1956), Los bucaneros del Mar Caribe (1960), El Cid (1961), Todos eran culpables (1962), Jo, papa! (1967), Aluncinaciones (1978), El hijo del cura (1982), El cura ya tiene hijo (1984), Fuga de la isla del diablo (1984), Tramontana (1990), El día nunca por la tarde (1994), Tierra (1995), Paris Timbuktu (1999), Mataharis (2007), Pizza Eli (2008). Sinterklaas (2009), among others.
Peñíscola and cinema have a strong connection that crystallised with the celebration, until 2008, of the Peñíscola International Comedy Film Festival, which attracted, during the 25 years in which it was held, prestigious actors, directors and professionals linked to the seventh art.
Peñíscola Film Office focuses its efforts on promoting the city as an ideal setting for cinematographic discourse and therefore expresses its desire to collaborate with national and international production companies.
Film office
Contact for administrative and other formalities and formalities: [email protected]
For locations and technical information: [email protected]
Information telephone number: +34 686 513 793
The application for filming must be made by submitting a general application form to the Customer Service Department.
Department / Board of Trustees
Telephone SAC: +34 964 48 00 50
Zone for professionals
Location information for audiovisual industry professionals
Cobblestone streets
Architecture
Fishing Port
Museum of the Sea
Serra d’Irta
Urban beaches
Wetland
Templar Castle
Gardens
Walled city
The old quarter of Peñíscola, with its narrow cobbled streets, its houses with white walls, blue windows and balconies full of flowers, evokes a Mediterranean atmosphere.
The streets facing the sea recall the almost island-like condition of the citadel, which could be found in any corner of the Mediterranean Sea, closer to the Aegean, approaching the coast of Africa or anywhere along the peninsular coastline.
Access to the citadel by land is through the Portal de Sant Pere and the Portal Fosch, both accessible by mixed vehicles, large-capacity vans and non-articulated, low-tonnage lorries. Inside the historic centre, there are various spaces for marquees and spaces for services (such as catering) and sufficiently accessible access and evacuation routes.
With the restrictions on traffic and parking, road closures occur regularly and alternative roads are provided for access to homes. Filming permits are authorised by the filming office of the local town hall.
The colours and architectural structures found in the Old Town of Peñíscola are reminiscent of the Greek islands, its watchtowers overlooking the sea, imposing from the Renaissance fortress, make the City by the Sea an icon of Mediterranean architecture from the medieval period to the 17th century.
The port is divided into an area dedicated to fishing boats and another to sports boats. It offers the services of a port in a privileged location on the slopes of the hill that houses the castle of Papa Luna and the old part of the town.
The harbour breakwater offers views of the southern part of the castle, the old town, the Sierra de Irta mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea.
It can be accessed via the bridge in front of the Portal de Sant Pere and through the main entrance located next to the South Beach. The port is right next to the old town and the distance between the entrance to the rock and the port is 210m (3 minutes walk).
This location is always open to the public, although with access restrictions to some areas such as the fish market during the auction between 15:30h and 17:30 approx. If you are interested in filming a documentary of this activity, the Fishermen’s Guild can arrange access, insurance and the transfer of image rights with the seamen’s collective.
For the fencing and restriction of access to this area, permission from the (competent) port authority is required, which can be obtained from the filming office.
The views from the Museum of the Sea are a great attraction for tourists. It is located in the highest part of the Calle Príncipe, the road that leads to the Old Town of Peñíscola through the Portal de Sant Pere and runs parallel to the city walls. From the square in front of the museum you can enjoy an impressive panoramic view of the port of Peñíscola and the Mediterranean Sea.
As early as 1956, Luis García Berlanga chose this location for his film ‘Calabuch’. It is also one of the most famous locations in the series ‘El Chiringuito de Pepe’, where different scenes have been filmed and where the scene of ‘Laura’s Taona’ was filmed.
The Serra d’Irta Natural Park is a totally unspoilt, undeveloped, 15 km long coastline that stretches along the southern coast of Peñíscola. It has 16 natural coves, some with fine sand and others with pebbles and gravel, more abrupt.
The Serra d’Irta Natural Park, located in the extreme north of the Valencian Community, is a mountainous alignment 573 m. high. The historical absence of important human settlements and the progressive abandonment of the agricultural and livestock exploitation that it has endured for centuries, allow the presence of natural and ethnological values.
It is a coastal mountain range, rocky and full of cliffs and small coves, where the Mediterranean vegetation and fauna can be seen in all its splendour for more than 15 kilometres. It also has numerous signposted trails that lead to discover this marvel, along with its heritage, among which we find the Badum watchtower, recently restored and with access to its interior.
The filming in this place has the exceptional singularity of the virgin coastline in the heart of the Mediterranean; the accesses are accessible for mixed vehicles, tourism and non-articulated low tonnage lorries.
Chapters of series such as ‘El Barco’ have been filmed in these coves.
The processing of permits for filming in the coastal and inland areas of the park must be done with the regional administration, through the Filming Office.
The North Beach of Peñíscola is the closest beach to the old town. It is an attractive beach in a relaxed setting with the Papa Luna Castle in the background.
Its main characteristics are the five kilometres of fine sand that make it the main beach in the municipality, its excellent care and the quality of its waters. Thanks to the beach’s facilities, it has been awarded the Blue Flag, the ‘Q’ flag of the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality, the ‘green’ flag of the AENOR certification company and the ‘Qualitur’ flag of the Valencian Tourism Agency, which attest to the quality, management and good service present on the North Beach of Peñíscola.
This location is equipped with access walkways and infrastructures for people with reduced mobility.
Moreover, it can be visited every day of the year at any time. It is one of the most visited beaches in the Valencian Community. The fencing of the site for filming is facilitated, as well as the processing of the permit for its occupation. It is known, in fiction, for having housed emblematic scenes from the film El Cid and the Chiringuito de Pepe, a large-scale set for the television series which for two seasons has broadcast 26 episodes in our country.
The South Beach is characterised by the fine sand that makes up its 300 m long and 35 m wide. Strolling along this location allows you to enjoy a stroll along the southern promenade while the boats arrive at the port with the catch of the day. This is one of the magnificent views that you can enjoy in this location. It is accessed via the Paseo Marítimo Sur.
This beach stretches from the entrance to the port, at the foot of the old town, to the breakwater of Las Viudas beach.
The South Beach can be visited every day of the year at any time and, in addition, the fencing of the beach for filming is facilitated, as well as the processing of the permit for the occupation of the beach.
During your visit to the Peñíscola marsh, you will first enter the most natural and unaltered area of the wetland, until you reach the area transformed by man, bordering and following the course of the irrigation ditches until they reach the mouth of the Ullal de l’Estany.
You will learn about the origin of its waters, the flora and fauna, the agricultural architecture, and how man has taken advantage of the resources offered by the wetland for his subsistence. It is also home to one of the last reserves of the Samaruc and the Fartet, which belong to the aquatic fauna, as well as other species.
The access to the Peñíscola marsh is located in Pigmalión street and next to the entrance to the Benedicto XIII football pitch. It is a natural location where wetlands abound and can be visited thanks to the wooden walkways built over them.
It is less than 1 km from the Marjalería trails to the old town, and the visiting hours are unrestricted, as it is a public space open to everyone and illuminated at night.
The processing of permits for filming in the coastal and inland areas of the park must be done with the regional administration, through the Film Office.
Peñíscola Castle is located in the highest part of the rock (64 metres above sea level). Declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931, it was built by the Knights Templar on the site of an old Arab citadel and later underwent minor alterations under Benedict XIII when it was transformed into a papal palace.
All the walls and rooms are covered with barrel vaults over simple imposts formed by a moulded cordon.
The castle stands out for the sobriety and solidity of its construction, both in the Templar rooms and in the strategic papal quarters.
Neither the modifications established by Philip II, nor the bombardments suffered in the various wars and attacks have altered the shape of the monument.
The Castle is accessed through the different entrances to the Old Town: Santa Maria Square, Philip II Ramp and Sant Pere Portal (located next to the port). From the entrance to the city rock to the access to the Castle is 260 metres (4 minutes walk).
Visiting hours vary depending on the time of year. In summer it is open to the public from 09:00h to 21:30h and in winter from 10:30h to 17:30h. The monument receives thousands of monthly visitors interested in the beauty and uniqueness of the location. All locations will be easily accessible in order to speed up and facilitate filming. It is possible to restrict access to one or more rooms and even close access to the monument depending on the size and requirements of the filming.
The processing of permits will be carried out with the Provincial Council through the Filming Office.
The Artillery Park currently serves as a botanical park where visitors can enjoy the vegetation made up of palm trees, olive trees, lavender and native flora from the Sierra de Irta Natural Park. Thanks to the location that these gardens occupy, on the lower left side of the castle, the views offered are of the north beach of Peñíscola and the Mediterranean Sea bathing the walls of the fortress of the City in the Sea.
The Artillery Park has been the setting for some of the most famous filming that has taken place in Peñíscola, such as the Telecinco series ‘El Chiringuito de Pepe’ or the internationally known ‘Game of Thrones’.
This location can be reached by going up the Felipe II ramp and down the Plaza de Armas. It has an established visiting hours, however, the contact provides the necessary permits for the occupation of this space and filming in it.
The Old Town of Peñíscola offers an unrivalled setting for audiovisual productions. Its location on the tombolo means that its panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea are exceptional. Similarly, its marvellous architectural heritage made up of the walls with their three access gates (Portal Fosc, Plaza Santa María and Portal de Sant Pere) as well as the Templar castle, the artillery park, the parade ground, the ramp of Felipe II and the promenade make Peñíscola a unique and exceptional exponent of medieval and Renaissance defensive and Mediterranean architecture.
The walled city has already been the setting for all kinds of filming: films, series, advertising spots…
All its heritage, together with the facilities offered by the City Council’s Filming Office, such as the processing of permits for the occupation of public roads, management of spaces or mediation with companies and entities to cover the needs of the production, make Peñíscola the ideal place to carry out any production.
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