Monreal del Campo, Spain: travel guide to the saffron town of the Jiloca valley

Monreal del Campo is a town in the province of Teruel, in Aragon, set at around 940 metres in the valley of the river Jiloca, about 58 kilometres north of the city of Teruel. Home to some 2,500 people, it is the main town of its stretch of the Jiloca and is best known for a precious crop that long shaped its life.

For travellers searching for Monreal del Campo, the Saffron Museum, the source of the Jiloca or the Jiloca valley, it offers culture, history and fine natural scenery.

The Saffron Museum

Monreal is saffron country, and its Museo Monográfico del Azafrán, housed in a handsome old manor on the main square, is devoted to this prized spice. Its collection of around two hundred objects, many donated by local families, illustrates the whole cycle of cultivation, harvest, the delicate separation of the stigmas and the toasting that turns the flower into one of the world's most valuable seasonings.

Sights and nature

The town's church of the Nativity is unusual for its freestanding bell tower, which stands on the site of the old medieval castle. Manor houses and former flour mills recall its past, while just outside lie the Ojos de Monreal, the springs that give birth to the river Jiloca, forming one of the largest wetlands of the Iberian range and a haven for birdlife.

Practical information

Monreal del Campo lies about 58 kilometres north of Teruel on the A-23 motorway between Teruel and Zaragoza, and has its own railway station, making it an easy stop in the Jiloca valley.