Torres de Quart

The Torres de Quart are, along with the Serranos towers, the other great surviving gate of Valencia's medieval wall. Two massive semicylindrical towers flank the gateway that once opened the road towards Castile, which is where the name comes from, taken from the nearby town of Quart de Poblet. Severe and military in feel, they are one of the most photographed corners of the El Carmen quarter.

History

They were raised in the mid-15th century (from 1441), with the master builders Francesc Baldomar and, later, Pere Bonfill among those who worked on them. Their model was the Castel Nuovo in Naples, as both were linked to Alfonso the Magnanimous. Over time they served as a gunpowder store and a prison — including a spell as a women's jail — and were declared a national monument in 1931.

What to see

• The famous cannonball marks on the façade facing Carrer de Guillem de Castro: impacts of French artillery on 28 June 1808, during the Peninsular War, deliberately preserved.
• The Gothic gateway between the two towers.
• The terraces, with views over the historic centre.

Practical tips

General admission is around €2 and it is free on Sundays and public holidays. The hours are much like those of Serranos: morning and afternoon Monday to Saturday, and Sunday mornings only. They are a few minutes from the Botanical Garden and the El Carmen quarter.

Insider tip

A curiosity to spot: go right up and run your hand over the stone of the west façade, hunting for the cannonball hollows; Valencians chose not to patch them so the city would remember the siege. Pair the visit with the Torres de Serranos to grasp at a glance what walled Valencia looked like, and keep exploring the old town with our things to do in Valencia guide.