Costa Blanca, spain
Attractions Guide

Introduction

Spain's extremely scenic Costa Blanca (White Coast) is a popular vacation destination which features many gorgeous beaches and amazing attractions along a large stretch of coastline between Alicante an Valencia.

Popular beach resort towns to visit along the Costa Blanca (listed from south to north) include Alicante, Villajoyosa, Benidorm, L'Albir, Altea, Calp, Moraira, and Denia. All of these cities are connected to each other via an efficient tram system, making travel fairly easy without a car if you're willing to walk or take taxis.

Alicante, Spain

Towering over the coastal city of Alicante is the 9th century Santa Barbara Castle, a massive hilltop fortification surrounded by expansive medieval walls. This castle hosts a history museum and many corridors to explore. From the top of the castle you can enjoy majestic panoramic views over the scenic coastline. The easiest way to reach the castle is via the Ascensor al Castell elevator near the beach. Otherwise it's not a very long walk however its quite a steep ascent to the top.

Just below the castle is the sandy El Postiguet Beach, which features a long promenade and fantastic views looking up at the castle.

Also nearby the castle is the city's MARQ Archaeological Museum, which contains a significant collection of artifacts stretching back to prehistory and Ancient Rome. The museum contains many interactive exhibits and displays its artifacts in a very engaging manner. MARQ is also known for its collection of underwater artifacts, many of which were retrieved from shipwrecks.

In the center of Alicante is the city's impressive main plaza, the Plaza de los Luceros, which has an extravagant giant fountain at its center and is surrounded by palm trees and tall buildings.

Banos de la Reina Ruins (El Campello, Spain)

Further up the coast from Alicante are part of the remains of an ancient Roman village, Banos de la Reina El Campello, which sits on a tiny peninsula. You can walk amongst the ruins and then swim in the adjacent ancient fish farms if you like, which are carved into the rocks at the end of the peninsula.

Villajoyosa, Spain

A bit north of Alicante is the picturesque town of Villajoysa (also known as La Vila Joiosa), which is best known for the vibrant colorful homes which line the boardwalk behind its beautiful sandy beach. This boardwalk is called the Paseo de Sant Pere and is very scenic, passing many great restaurants and bars along the beach.

Benidorm, Spain

Further up the Costa Blanca is the popular resort and party town of Benidorm, where the beaches are lined with stunning tall high-rise buildings. The city's stunning Playa de Poniente beach features clear waters and amazing scenery, as well as a long colorful boardwalk lined with bars and restaurants.

Benidorm's most famous attraction is the Balcon del Mediterraneo (Mediterranean Balcony), a lavish and extremely photogenic large balcony along the cliffs. The balcony also offers incredible panoramic views over the city and coastline.

On the eastern side of the Balcon del Mediterraneo is another long sandy beach, the Playa de Llevant, which also hosts a boardwalk and many restaurants, bars, and nightlife.

Hiking & Viewpoints

If you'd like to enjoy views high above Benidorm and the coast you can drive or take a taxi up to La Creu Benidorm, a hilltop viewpoint offering breathtaking views over the city.

A long and strenuous but highly recommended hike is the trail along the crests of the cliffs between Benidorm and L'Albir, starting from the La Creu Benidorm Viewpoint and ending near the Camino del Faro trailhead. This route along the Sierra Helada is extremely scenic with breathtaking coastal views and very few people. The one-way hiking distance is roughly 6.5 miles (10.5km) to L'Albir, so you'll want to take a combination of taxis and the tram/bus to complete the loop.

A short drive or tram ride northeast from Benidorm is the picturesque Faro del Albir Lighthouse. In order to reach the lighthouse, you'll need to take a scenic 3.2 mile (5.2 km) round-trip hike along the Camino del Faro trail (from the trailhead), which is part of the Serra Gelada Natural Park. At the end of this nature trail you're rewarded with amazing views overlooking a gorgeous section of the Costa Blanca.

Altea, Spain

About halfway between Benidorm and Calpe is the beautiful beach town of Altea, with an old hilltop village filled with extremely photogenic white homes and pathways to explore. This hilltop is centered around the Plaza de la Iglesia and offers many different viewpoints overlooking the coast and many excellent photo opportunities.

Guadalest Castle (Car Recommended)

Towering above the village of Guadelst (inland from Benidorm) is the 11th century Castell de Guadalest, a hilltop castle complex. Within the complex are several interesting museums and lovely historic structures. From the castle you can also enjoy magnificent views over the nearby vivid turquoise reservoir, which sits below tall beautiful mountains.

In order to reach the castle without a car, you'll need to take two buses from Benidorm, which takes just under 1.5 hours, however the second bus (in the town of Callosa d'en Sarria) only travels to Guadalest twice a day, so you'll need to time out visiting this popular castle very precisely.

Algar Waterfalls (Car Only)

Also inland from Benidorm are the Algar Waterfalls, a series of waterfalls flowing through a canyon. A very short trail runs alongside the waterfalls and allows visitors to access the clear light blue waters of the river for swimming.

Calpe, Spain

Northeast along the coast from Benidorm is another great resort town, Calpe. At the eastern end of Calpe is a massive peninsular rock which sticks out from the coastline, known as Penyal d'Ifac. An excellent place to view the rock set amongst the shore is from the boardwalk at Calpe's Bano de la Reina, a mostly ruined ancient Roman site.

On the other side of the Penyal d'Ifac is the Playa de la Fossa Beach (just north of the rock) offering incredible views of the Penyal d'Ifac.

It's also possible to see the Penyal d'Ifac rock up close, or even climb to the top of the rock for stunning panoramic views over the coast. If you wish to reach the top of the rock, the round-trip hiking time is approximately 2+ hours and is very challenging.

The trail is actually quite dangerous and technical requiring significant scrambling, so be sure to bring shoes and water and take your time as most of the trail does not have rails after a certain point. Many people only hike up part-way to the long cave before turning around, which offers great views and is a less challenging trail than beyond the cave.

Monte Toix Viewpoint (Car or Taxi Only)

On the western side of Calpe you can take a short drive or taxi ride up to the top of a coastal ridge, Monte Toix, where you'll find a stunningly gorgeous viewpoint overlooking Calpe and the coastline. This viewpoint is the Mirador Monte Toix and is an excellent introduction to the city.

Moraira, Spain

Northeast from Calpe along the coast is the beach resort town of Moraira, which is known for its breathtaking Playa del Portet beach with its vibrant light blue waters and gorgeous scenery. Along the way to the beach you can walk along the lovely Miradores de Portitxolet Stairway, enjoying amazing views over the coast and Moraira's port.

Moraira also hosts two tiny castle-forts, one along the coast (Castillo de Moraira) and one high above the Playa de Portet (the Torre del Cap d'Or tower). The tower above the beach offers stunning views from atop the mountain it sits on and can be reached via a short but strenuous hike.

Cala Moraig Beach & Cova dels Arcs Sea Cave (Car Recommended)

Just northeast of Moraira is the beautiful beach of Cala Moraig, with its vibrant waters set below the striking cliffs.

During medium to low tide you can easily access the stunning Cova dels Arcs sea cave on the southern side of the beach, which has several impressive arched entrances over the water. Water shoes are recommended for the beach and sea cave.

Hiking to Cala Moraig (from Moraira, Spain)

It's possible to reach the Cala Moraig via a long but extremely scenic hike from the town of Moraira. This route begins in the neighborhoods north of Moraira Beach and follows along the Barranco de La Viuda trail throug a forested canyon. The trail leads to the stunning Cala Llebeig beach, which can only be reached via hiking.

From the Cala Llebeig Beach you can take an incredible cliffside hike along the Ruta de los Acantilados trail which features fantastic voastal views as well as ruins before connecting to the Cala Moraig beach. This route is approximately 5 miles (8 km) one-way from Downtown Moraira (near the port).

Cova Tallada Sea Caves (Denia, Spain)

Further up the coast from Calpe and Cala Moraig Beach near the city of Denia is a mesmerizing series of shallow sea caves, known as Cova Tallada. These giant caves are incredibly gorgeous and contain grottoes as well as sea arches and long deep caves you can explore and swim around.

You can access this sea cave via a moderate hike of about 2 miles (3.2 km) round-trip along the coast, beginning from the Mirador Las Rotas at the eastern edge of Denia. Water shoes are highly recommended for visiting the sea caves.

Reaching Cova Tallada by Bus

It's possible to reach the Cova Tallada sea caves without a car by taking the bus from Explanada de Cervantes (near the Port of Denia, Spain) all the way to its last stop at the Restaurante Mena near the trailhead.