Costa Blanca

The Costa Blanca stretches for about two hundred kilometers along the coast of the Spanish lift. It receives this name for its beaches of clear sand and crystal clear waters, but also for its villages of whitewashed houses and rocky headlands. You can enjoy in it almost three hundred days of sunshine a year and average absolute temperatures of seventeen degrees.

Magnificent landscapes nestled in beautiful natural parks, a wide monumental heritage fruit of a rich and extensive history, a wide hotel offer and gastronomy as delicious as healthy are other qualities that the Costa Blanca offers you. It is not by chance that every year millions of Spanish and foreign visitors travel to it to enjoy their vacations. If you want to know her, we invite you to follow us.

Towns of the Costa Blanca

As we said, the Costa Blanca stretches for approximately two hundred kilometers along the Levantine coastline and includes municipalities of the province of Alicante that arrive until the same border with that of Murcia. Let's see the most interesting.

Alicante

It is necessary that we begin our journey through the capital of the province itself. With beaches such as Postiguet, San Juan, La Albufereta or Aguamarga (the latter adapted for dogs), Alicante also shows you a great monumental heritage.

Its symbols include the castle of Santa Barbara, an Arab building rebuilt by the Christians between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries and which is one of the largest fortresses in Europe. You should also visit the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás de Bari, built in the seventeenth century in Herrerian Renaissance style and has a fifteenth-century cloister; the baroque monastery of the Holy Face and basilica of Santa Maria.

Also, one of the attractions of Alicante are its palaces and noble houses. Among the first, those of Gravina, Maisonnave and Portalet, all from the XNUMXth century. And, among the second, the House of La Asegurada, current Contemporary Art Museum, or the City Council. When you visit the latter, built in the XNUMXth century, you have a curiosity in mind: it is located at zero elevation above sea level and serves as a reference when measuring altitude in any part of Spain.

But you can also see more modern buildings in Alicante. In this sense, the Central Market and the Lonja stand out, two modernist buildings from the early twentieth century; the Castle of San Fernando, from the XIX, and the Principal Theater, a neoclassical building from the middle of this same century.

Finally, in the area of ​​La Albufereta you can see the remains of the Iberian-Roman city of Lucentum, many of whose pieces are in the Provincial Archaeological Museum, where you can also see the Lady of Cabezo Lucero, one of the most relevant Iberian sculptures in Spain.

Denia

This town has managed to maintain its charm of a fishing village despite tourism, with an old town with narrow streets. The Montgó massif It protects it and from it you can appreciate wonderful views of the Costa Blanca. Even on clear days you can see the contours of Ibiza.

Among its monuments, the castle, built in Muslim times and located on a promontory on whose slopes are the remains of the ancient Roman city of Diannium. You can see the pieces extracted from this archaeological site in the museum of the castle itself.

You should also visit the neoclassical building of the Town Hall; the fortified house of Benitzaina, from the XNUMXth century and declared a Site of Cultural Interest; the Baroque church of the Assumption; the hermitages of San Juan and Santa Lucía and coastal defense towers such as those of Almadraba and Gerro.

Finally, you can enjoy beaches and coves such as those of La Marineta Casiana and Les Marines. And don't forget to walk through the Baix la Mar neighborhood, with its whitewashed fishermen's houses and its restaurants.

Javea

Located in a beautiful bay framed by two capes, in Javea you have a beautiful old town with narrow streets, small white houses and medieval palaces. However, its most important monument is the impressive fortress church of San Bartolomé, built between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries and whose bell tower is visible from all over the region. It is a National Artistic Monument.

In addition, you can enjoy the Arenal beach in Javea, in the heart of the town, and above all take one of the hiking routes that lead to the viewpoints of Natural Park Montgó, of whose views we have already spoken to you previously.

Calpe

Sheltered under the impressive Peñón de Ifach, one of the great symbols of the Costa Blanca, the town of Calpe stands out precisely for the natural park of fifty thousand square meters that makes up this rocky mass. It is a perfect place for both climbing and diving. But it also offers you magnificent beaches such as Levante, Arenal-Bol and Cantal Boig.

As for its monuments, they stand out The Queen's Baths, some fish nurseries from Roman times; the Mascarat Castle, a XNUMXth century watchtower that is a Site of Cultural Interest, and Casanova, a rural house from the early XNUMXth century.

Altea

With a six-kilometer coastline that alternates coves and cliffs, Altea is a beautiful town. Its old part, known as The Fornet It is made up of cobbled streets and small white latticed houses adorned with flowers. Also its port is very picturesque.

As for the beaches, you can enjoy those of La Roda, La Olla and Cap Negre. It even has three nudist beaches: Mascarat Norte, La Solsida and Cala de la Barra Grande.

Finally, you can visit in Altea the monastery church of the Discalced Carmelites; The Torre de la Galera, which is an Asset of Cultural Interest; the precious Orthodox Church, which replicates a XNUMXth century Russian temple, or the Casal del Festero Museum, where you will see the typical costumes of the Moors and Christians festivities, which we will talk about later.

Benidorm

We don't need to tell you about Benidorm, one of the great tourist destinations in Spain. With two spectacular beaches, Levante and Poniente, separated by the viewpoint baptized as Mediterranean balcony, stands out for its night life, with numerous discos, pubs and bars.

But you can also find three in Benidorm theme parks: Terra Mítica, with a historical base; Aqualandia, to enjoy giant slides, and Mundomar, to observe animals. You also have to see the Roman site of Cala Tossal; the Punta del Cavall tower, which is located in the Sierra Helada Natural Park, and the church of San Jaime and Santa Ana, built in the XNUMXth century in neoclassical style.

Finally, another great attraction of Benidorm is the island, which is located in front of the bay and has a nice legendary history. The giant Roldan deeply loved a lady who fell ill. Only the rays of the sun seemed to recover it. Roldán punched the mountain of Puig Campana and part of it fell into the sea (a cleft can still be seen on the hill today), forming the island, on which the sun sets a few minutes later.

Villajoyosa

The old town of this town makes up the Historical-artistic complex of La Vila, where the spectacular Renaissance walls and the gothic church of the Assumption. You should also see the Centella chalet, an eclectic-style urban palace, and the coastal and garden towers that guarded the arrival of Barbary pirates on the coast. Among these, that of Aguiló and that of Dalt.

But Villajoyosa stands out above all for its extensive Roman heritage. The Roman Baths of Allon, the Malladeta sanctuary and the Sant Josep tower are its three main elements. Regarding the beaches, you have a large number of them in the town and its surroundings. Paraíso, Bol Nou and Estudiantes beach stand out.

Santa Pola

You should also visit in this town the Ruins of the Portus Ilicitanus, an Iberian site from the XNUMXth century BC on which a Roman factory was built. Among all these remains, the Casa del Palmeral, a villa with mosaics from the Latin period, stands out. Also stands out in Santa Pola the castle-fortress, built in the XNUMXth century and which houses two museums: the Sea Museum and the Fishing Museum.

Regarding nature, you have magnificent beaches such as Tamarit, Varadero and Lisa, all of them fully equipped. And also the wonderful Natural Park of the Salinas, listed as a Special Protection Area for Birds.

Torrevieja

Also here you will find a natural park, that of the Lagunas de la Mata and Torrevieja, which for centuries were saline and are currently a fundamental area in the migration of birds. Among its beaches, those of Los Locos, El Cura, La Mata and Dique de Levante stand out. But, above all, that of Cabo Cervera, not only because of its qualities, but because in it, more specifically in the Moro tower, you will find a spectacular viewpoint that offers you wonderful views of the Costa Blanca.

Other locations

Anyway, you can also enjoy towns on the Costa Blanca like Albir, with its beautiful coves; El Campello, with the Iberian ruins of Illeta; Guardamar del Segura, with its immense extensions of pine trees, and Pilar de la Horadada, already bordering the province of Murcia. All of them without forgetting the Tabarca island, whose waters hold the category of Marine Reserve of the Mediterranean, due to its biodiversity of fauna and flora.

The weather on the Costa Blanca

One of the great advantages of the Costa Blanca is its magnificent weather. If you travel to it, you are practically taking out sun and good weather insurance. In fact, the days a year it shines are almost three hundred, which guarantees you many hours on the beach.

The area has a typical mediterranean climate. Therefore, very mild in terms of temperatures and with little rainfall. Winters are very pleasant, with minimums of about five degrees and maximums of fifteen. In part, this is because frosts are so rare.

Summers are hot, with highs above thirty degrees and tropical nights that rarely drop below twenty. You will see that sensation of heat intensified by the humidity of the area. When it comes to the coast, it can exceed seventy percent.

On the other hand, rainfall is very scarce, concentrating in spring and autumn. However, the so-called cold drop, which also happens in the rainiest months. It consists of the very abundant fall of precipitations during a very short period of time, which usually causes floods.

Therefore, the best months for you to visit the Costa Blanca are those of spring, with very pleasant temperatures. Nor will you have to worry about rainfall because, although it is one of the rainiest seasons, it is still scarce as it is a dry climate.

Typical festivals of the Costa Blanca

As in all of Levante, the festivities related to fire have a long tradition on the Costa Blanca, especially the bonfire of San Juan. More typical are Moors and Christians festivities, which are held in almost all towns and recreate a battle between one and the other. Especially famous are those of Villajoyosa.

On the other hand, although the city of Elche does not belong to the Costa Blanca, its municipal term is included in it. And in it one of the most original festivals in Spain takes place. Its about Elche mystery, which recreates the assumption and coronation of the Virgin Mary and is an Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Gastronomy of the Costa Blanca

As in all the Spanish Levante, the Costa Blanca is characterized by its Rice dishes, which are prepared in the most diverse ways. But also the Fruits and vegetables they are very important in your kitchen. This is the case of the Muchamiel tomato, the Alicante Mountain cherry, the Elche pomegranate or the Señora de Guardamar.

Among the typical dishes of the area are rice with a crust or bandage, with rabbit and snails or with beans and turnips; fresh fish roasted, grilled or in stews such as kettles and sheep, and seafood, with special importance of the red prawn. But the cooked balls, they carry a large meatball; the gazpacho and farinettes or porridge.

And, as desserts, the Alicante toña, Jijona nougats, brandy rolls of Villajoyosa or the ice creams and meringue milk. Regarding the drinks, the Tiger nut milk shake, Vinalopó wines and anise liqueurs such as herbalist or coffee like burrett.

How to get to the Costa Blanca

The Costa Blanca has an international airport, the of the Altet. You can also get to Alicante by rail, with the AVE line that connects this city with Madrid. Once in the area, you can move by road through the A-38 motorway, which runs from Valencia to Pilar de la Horadada.

But you may find it more convenient to use the trams and trains of the TRAM-Metropolitan of Alicante, which link this city with the main towns on the Costa Blanca. Among its lines stands out the 9, known as the Trenet of the Navy, which connects Benidorm and Denia through Alfaz del Pi, Calpe, Altea or Benisa. Finally, you can also get around by bus or taxi.

In conclusion, the Costa Blanca offers you everything you need to enjoy an unforgettable stay. You have good communications to get to it and go through it. It has a magnificent hotel offer. The climate guarantees you the sun. It has a wide and beautiful monumental heritage and, as if all this were not enough, its gastronomy is exquisite. What are you waiting to visit it?