Turisme d’Elx :: Routes

The route starts off and ends at one of the historic orchards called Sant Plàcid. Here you can see one of the most unique traditional homes, built in the 19th century, and comprising two wings joined by a covered wooden bridge.

Inside you’ll find the Museu del Palmerar (Palm Forest Museum), a museum space, which offers the visitor a wide vision regarding the characteristics of this highly valuable cultural landscape.

Once outside, a signalled route invites us to visit Sant Plàcid orchard to know palm tree cultivation and maintenance techniques and to observe a recreation of the traditional irrigation system with a system of ditches and distributors. The grove, of approximately 15.000 sq.m, has a thousand palm trees and a sample of the most characteristic associated crops and trees such as olive trees, carob trees, lemon trees or pomegranates, and endemic species such as the Elx Poplar.

Once the visit is over, we’ll advance along the street called Porta de la Morera, under which runs the Acequia Mayor del Pantano, the main irrigation channel that has provided water to the plantations for centuries, we arrive at Huerto del Cura, with the eponymous hotel on our right.
Continuing on our way, we will pass the Los Salesianos school whose buildings and sports facilities blend in with the palm trees of the Pesetero and Hort que no te Portes plantations.
Before arriving at the first bend, we can see some curious examples of palm trees popularly called “pipas”. These are trees whose trunk grows at an angle while the crown remains vertical, examples of which are to be found in the Rogeta, Tía Casimira and Felip plantations.
The Hort del Sol plantation starts just before turning right into the Carrer Beniardà. Since coming into municipal ownership, this space has started to be recovered by replanting it with young palm trees.

Coming to another intersection, we see in front of us the Hort de Dins plantation and we turn right into Camí de Les Almàsseres, separating the Rogeta plantation on the right and the Sempere plantation on the left.
The gate to Hort dels Pontos plantation gives access to a pathway lined with tall palm trees that lead us to one of the last houses to have kept its original structure.
We then cross Curtidors street to enjoy the view of some of the best conserved palm plantations: the Casimira, Pastoret, Mareta, Borreguet* and Monjo plantations that together form what is known as the Filet de Fora Palm Tree Park.
Our stroll now takes us through one of the entrances to the Hort del Monjo and thence to the Hort de la Tía Casimira plantations.
The latest example of the recovery of the palm plantations as spaces for the townspeople to enjoy is that of Hort de Pastoret plantation, with its newly-created circuit for cyclists and joggers. Just in front and blending in harmoniously with its surroundings is the Hotel Milenio.
When we arrive at the bend in the road, we go down Camí de Felip which receives its name from the plantation to our left. The section we are about to walk is one of the quietest and is therefore a wonderful opportunity to study the birdlife to be found here.
A short distance further on, we cross the street going towards the Porta de la Morera garden, next to which a modern Conference Centre has been built. At the end of the park and next to the car park entrance is the last signpost, telling us that the route has come to an end.