To explore with some good company the 2.5km-long Palm Grove Route, which takes in some of the loveliest groves is one of the best ways of appreciating Elche’s palm tree greenery.

Right in the heart of the city, it is possible to lose yourself amidst the leafiness and tranquillity of this natural heritage which offers some unique spots such as the renowned Huerto del Cura, a magnificent and lovingly tended garden with abundant plantings of palms, a varied collection of cacti and succulents and the unique palm specimen known as Palmera Imperial, with its seven radiating branches.

Palm Grove Museum

Other interesting places on the route are the Palm Grove Museum, where the palm groves’ origins, history, traditions and management are divulged and Filet de Fora Park, one of Elche’s biggest. In this grove, as well as in Els Pontos traditional Elche-style farmhouses have been saved from demolition. Other noteworthy elements are the stone and mortar walls that have always been the traditional way of fencing in the groves.

The best example of a public palm grove which is also the city’s biggest and most popular is the Municipal Park with an area of 60,000m2. Within its boundaries we can find the Tourist Information Office, the Visitor’s Centre, the bandstand and the old mill known as Molí del Real where we can see the old irrigation channel known as Acequia Mayor del Pantano; it is a fine hydraulic legacy of the city’s Islamic past. In the vicinity and towards the north, we can find the children’s traffic education park or Parque Infantil de Tráfico and, to the East, the parks