Places to visit

The Costa Blanca has many well known tourist destinations, such as Denia, Javea, Moraira, Calpe, Altea, Benidorm, Villajoyosa, Campello, Alicante and Torrevieja.  In addition to these seaside resorts, there are many places of interest inland. There are also the cities of Valencia, Murcia and Alicante. General information can be found at:

http://www.infocostablanca.com/

http://www.info-costablanca.com/

http://www.comunitat-valenciana.com/index.htm

Benidorm is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Spain. It is the quintessential sun, sea and sand destination. There are hundreds of bars, restaurants, discos and nightclubs.  The following sites have  information:

http://www.benidorm.org/portal/

http://www.benidorm-spotlight.com/

Altea  is an artistic and cultural centre. There is a large concert hall there with regular events.  Alfaz del Pi is between Altea and Benidorm. It also has its own concert hall and its own resort at Albir. Calpe is another nearby resort, famous for its rock, which is now a national park . Villajoyosa is a large town with a very pretty old and recently restored seafront area.

A light railway along the coast runs from Denia in the north to Alicante in the south. It means that, even on public transport, a day trip to any destination along the route is feasible. It’s not as fast as the bus, but it’s dependable.

Inland and coastal touring routes (select Routes from the menu on the left of the new screen) are easily accessed from our villa. The very popular and much visited Guadalest is about twenty minutes away by car. The routes through Tarbena and Parcent towards Pego go through La Nucia and Polop. Past Guadalest is the road to Alcoy and beyond that are Bocairent and Villena, both of which make good day trips. The various mountain ranges – Sierra d’Aitana, Sierra d’Orxeta and Sierra de Xorta are all nearby and have beautiful scenery and walks. There are also a number of small inland towns that are very pretty, such as Relleu, Sella, Tarbena,  Callosa d’en Sarria, Finestrat and numerous others.

Valencia is a good day trip, especially on a Sunday, when it’s easier to park near to the old town, the churches are all open and the Sunday market is on. The old town in Valencia is very interesting and there are galleries and museums to visit.  Alicante is less interesting than Valencia, but still makes a good day trip. Murcia is very much worth a full day’s visit. It has some beautiful buildings and excellent restaurants. Further afield, but still an easy day trip is Cartagena, where there is a Roman theatre.

Yahoo has pages for all three.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p/travelguide/488734 (Valencia)

http://travel.yahoo.com/p/travelguide/488463 (Alicante)

http://travel.yahoo.com/p/travelguide/482581 (Cartagena)

The area is known for its fiestas and here is a selection of local celebrations:

• Altea - fireworks from Castell de l'Olla in August and a Medieval Festival in late September
• Benidorm - Fallas in March, St John's Bonfires in June and patron saint festivities in early November
• L'Alfàs del Pi - patron saint festivities from 6 to 10 November with floats and parades, and summer festivities in the first fortnight of August; film festival in July
• La Nucia and Polop - patron saint festivities in August in both towns
• Callosa d'En Sarrià - medieval festivities in mid-October
• Tárbena - patron saint festivities in August
• Guadalest - patron saint festivities from August 14 to 17
• La Vila Joiosa - medieval festivities at the end of July

For a different kind of experience in Benidorm, Terra Mitica, Aqualandia and Mundomar are nearby.