Castellón de la Plana, with over 170,000 inhabitants, has just about the right size to offer prospective international residents all the possible services (yes, there is an El Corte Inglés here) while still retaining its charm of being a provincial town where, given enough time, everybody ends up having a familiar face. This city, which is the capital of the Province, as well as that of the Costa del Azahar, was founded in the 13th century after the conquest by Aragonese King Jaume I of a nearby Moorish fortress. It displays a very interesting monumental ensemble, which is clustered mainly around the city’s Plaza Mayor, where you can find the Cathedral with its famous bell tower, El Fadrí (the bachelor, in Valencian language), the Central Market, and an impressive Mayor House in pink colour. The Plaza is surrounded by pedestrian streets on which Castellon’s residents can leisurely enjoy some window shopping or prefer to sip a café con leche in one of its cafés.
But if we are honest, the town’s historical charm starts to fade away the moment you walk away from the Plaza Mayor and the city centre and a bunch of blocky apartment buildings from the 60’s and 70’s start spawning in any direction you look. However, this also means that the bargain hunter looking for a property for sale in Castellón may find good opportunities here. If you also take into account that the cost of living in Castellón is one of the lowest in Spain, this can be a perfect place to lead a new life near the sea while keeping the investment within limits. This is also a very lively city to be in: since Castellón is a University town, you can be sure a good mass of students will fuel the city’s nightlife. Castellón is also well connected by its train station and by an international airport in which Ryanair services major European cities. But if you are looking for a property for sale in Castellón, probably you should head to the coastal area of El Grau de Castellón, a couple of kilometers aways from the inner city, where you can find Castellón’s beach and port. This a very nice area to take a walk by the sea and enjoy an occasional dive, where you can find hotels, seafood restaurants, as well as a golf club, all of it connected to the main city by a tram service. As also happens in the overall region, expat residents are yet to discover the pleasures of living here, so this means a good opportunity to mingle with local community. Finally, if you have decided to buy your new home in Castellón, you should definitely profit from your location to take the occasional trip (it takes about 4 hours by boat) to the Islas Columbretes, today a beautiful natural reserve displaying a great diversity of fauna and flora. Until now, Castellón has not been the first choice for most prospect international residents. However, this is a lively city with all the services where you can find real estate offers with a great value for price ratio. The beautiful beach area of El Grau is a little more exclusive and is targeted towards those willing to pay for first line access to the sea, while the inner city will offer possibilities for all price ranges. If you finally decide to buy a home in the provincial capital of Castellón, you might be surprised of how pleasant your life can be here.
