Xàtiva sits 45 minutes south of Valencia by train, close enough for a day trip and unhurried enough that a marathon the day before is not a disqualifying condition, provided the castle climb waits for another visit.
Getting There
Direct trains run from Valencia's Estació del Nord or Joaquín Sorolla station to Xàtiva in 40 to 55 minutes depending on the service. Trains run regularly through the day, and the station in Xàtiva sits a short walk from the old town.
The Old Town
Xàtiva's centre is Baroque and honey-coloured, built on the wealth the town accumulated as one of the more important settlements in the old Kingdom of Valencia. The Col·legiata basilica anchors the main square, and the streets around it hold a run of shaded plazas and narrow lanes that reward slow walking rather than a checklist. The town's most curious relic is a portrait of King Philip V hung upside down in the town museum, in retaliation for his burning of Xàtiva in 1707 during the War of the Spanish Succession, a piece of civic memory the town has kept for three centuries.
The Castle
Above the town, a double castle, the Castell Menor and Castell Major, runs along the ridge and looks out over the Vega valley toward the coast. The climb is genuine, uneven ground and real elevation gain, and it is the one part of Xàtiva worth deferring on marathon-weekend legs. Save it for a return trip when a day of walking does not follow a day of running.
Where to Eat
La Plaça, on the main square, serves Valencian rice dishes including arròs al forn, oven-baked rice with black pudding and pork, a heavier and more filling plate than a coastal seafood paella and well suited to post-marathon appetite.
Getting Back
Return trains to Valencia run at similar intervals to the outbound service. A morning departure, a slow walk through the old town, lunch at La Plaça and an afternoon train back covers Xàtiva comfortably as a single day.