The village and its surroundings

Cretas is a charming village in the Matarraña region with a well-preserved medieval town centre, which is the ideal setting for the medieval market that usually takes place on the weekend before Easter.

Despite its small size, Cretas has a fairly good infrastructure in the form of bars, shops, bakeries, restaurants and tourist businesses. Due to its rural character, there are also wineries and oil mills that invite you to stock up on their products. A good opportunity to get to know the variety of wines in the region is the famous Cretas wine fair, which is held in conjunction with the medieval market.

It is worth visiting the village festivals in August and October, which fill the streets with people who flock to the numerous events organised by the village’s associations.

You can relieve the summer heat in the village’s public swimming pool, which also has a bar with a terrace shaded by plane trees and willows.

The immediate surroundings of Cretas are characterised by hilly terrain planted with vineyards, almond trees and centuries-old olive trees. The landscape, reminiscent of Tuscany, invites visitors to take leisurely walks along the numerous paths and trails.

Those who prefer cycling can use the cycle path (Via verde), which runs along a former railway line very close to the village and connects Cretas with both the Terres de l’Ebre in Tarragona and the steppe areas of the Bajo Aragón in the vicinity of Alcañiz. But you don’t necessarily have to travel that far. Just a few kilometres from Cretas, next to the Via verde, there is a bathing area on the River Algars, which offers refreshment in the hot summer months.
You can also admire numerous archaeological sites of the ancient Iberians in the area around Cretas.

Els Ports

Between the Ebro Delta and the inland regions of Terra Alta and Matarraña rises the small mountain massif of Els Ports or Los Puertos de Tortosa-Beceite. Despite its small area and modest height (1447 m), it has a rugged relief and is characterised by its abundance of water in the form of numerous springs, streams and rivers that originate in the high areas of the sierra. Both its particular scenic interest and its botanical-faunistic value have led to it being declared an Els Ports Natural Park on the Catalan side.

An outstanding excursion destination that is relatively easy to reach from the village of Beceite is the so-called Parrizal, an impressive ravine that the Matarraña river has carved into the limestone cliffs of the Ports.

Those who are more attracted to the summit regions can visit the impressive conglomerate rocks of the Peña Galera, the Rocas de Masmut or the Roques de Benet in the neighbouring Terra Alta. The latter are said to have inspired Pablo Picasso when he stayed with a friend in Horta de Sant Joan for a while. The conglomerate rocks are also popular destinations for climbers.