A railway village, a sculpture park featuring historic railway elements and a hiking trail leading to the church: La Encina offers several ways to explore its local history. The village in Villena can be discovered through its railway heritage, the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista and the June festivals. When planning a visit, culture, a specific festival period and routes described in different ways are therefore central considerations.

La Encina as a Railway Village

The railway village of La Encina in Villena, Alicante, was shaped by intensive railway activity from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. The station was established in the mid-19th century with the aim of connecting Madrid and Alicante. This brings two historical perspectives together: the station’s origins and the long-standing influence of rail traffic on the village. The Conselleria de Educación, Cultura y Deporte designated La Encina a Bien de Relevancia Local (BRL), a locally significant heritage site. For visitors interested in industrial heritage, the history of transport and the local heritage designation provide a framework for understanding what makes the village distinctive.

Historic railway elements are displayed in a sculpture park along the village’s main promenade. Installed collectively, these elements add further visible evidence of the railway heritage to the story of the station. The Ayuntamiento de Villena organises guided tours of the railway village on request. If you plan to join a tour, take this request-based arrangement into account when planning your visit.

Church and June Festivals

The Iglesia de San Juan Bautista is a 20th-century church in the railway village of La Encina. Since 1914, La Encina has held festivals in honour of San Juan Bautista from 23 to 26 June. The festival week includes activities ranging from the Pregón to the Cremà of the Falla. Alongside the village’s railway heritage, this offers a recurring event with clearly defined dates on the calendar.

Hiking Trails and Different Destinations

The PR-CV 197 hiking trail ends in Villena-La Encina. Its final section passes over Cerro Rocín and by the Cantera de la Encina before reaching the church of La Encina. The church is therefore both a cultural landmark in the village and the destination of the final stretch of the route described here. These named waypoints show how this section leads to the railway village.

Villena’s municipal sports guide also lists the route “Desde La Encina a La Zafra”. The destinations already differ in the route descriptions: the PR-CV 197 ends in Villena-La Encina, while the other route’s title names La Zafra. Keep in mind which route you intend to take; before setting out on “Desde La Encina a La Zafra”, check its condition.

Choose Your Stay Based on Your Reason for Travelling

When looking for a holiday apartment in La Encina, it helps to decide first what you want to focus on during your trip. The June festivals are a specific reason to visit at that time of year; the station, sculpture park and church make up the cultural highlights. If you are interested in walking, you can distinguish between the routes by their respective destinations and waypoints.

Discover more destinations: Trencall, Benferri, La Florida, Salinas, L'alfàs Del Pi, Arneva, La Romana, Polop.

For the broader travel overview: Alicante.