The Costa Blanca has many attractions and cultural excursions. If you head inland, you will find a stunningly beautiful mountain landscape with unadulterated Spanish culture. A visit to the city of Alicante with its medieval architecture, beautiful buildings and squares, the many shopping streets and the enormous medieval castle “Santa Barbara” is recommended. Or beautiful Valencia with its cosy old part, with many eateries and super nice shops but also the beautiful new architectural buildings. Also worth a visit are the beautiful, famous date-palm forest in Elche just south of Alicante, the waterfalls of Guadalest, the cane braids in Gata and the island of Tabarca.
The coastline is not linear so it makes you discover interesting coves, bays and sandy beaches. The pleasant and sunny climate all year round makes it the ideal choice no matter when.
Visit this !
What we find impressive is the picturesque old centre of Villajoyosa. The many fishermen’s houses you find here by the beach are painted in beautiful pastel shades. This gives Villajoyosa a completely unique and totally recognisable face. The reason that the houses have such a characteristic appearance is that the fishermen find this way from the sea is the picturesque old core of Villajoyosa.
The many fishermen’s houses you find here on the beach are painted in beautiful pastel shades. This gives Villajoyosa a completely unique and totally recognisable face. The reason the houses have such a characteristic appearance is that this is how the fishermen knew where to go from the sea.
Villajoyosa has an additional asset
For all those who love chocolate , you can go and visit the museum of the Valor chocolate factory!
Many a child’s dream: a visit to a real pirate island! Until the end of the 18th century, Tabarca was a haven for pirates. Today, Spain’s smallest inhabited island is the ideal place to stroll along the beach, walk to the lighthouses and spot some rare birds. From the marina in Torrevieja, Alicante or Santa Pola, take a catamaran to Tabarca. After a relaxing boat ride on the water, you can spend the whole day exploring!
The most famous drink from Cartagena is undoubtedly Licor 43. This liqueur contains 43 spices in a secret composition and it is possible to visit the factory with the two-hour ‘Experiencia Licor 43’ tour and, of course, taste the famous liqueur. The factory is located a few kilometres outside the city centre. Open daily from 9am-6pm
The port of Guardamar
Every working day, the fishermen of Guardamar arrive at the port mid-morning. Once the fish are taken away from the boats, the fish auction opens where some of the catch is sold in the traditional way.
Sunday 25 February kicks off the cosy street festival Las Fallas in the beautiful city of Valencia. A celebration you definitely must have attended once. You will feast your eyes on the gigantic sculptures that have been put together.
Streets are slowly transformed with the most beautiful lights, food trucks sell the most delicious traditional dishes and the people of Valencia spend entire days tinkering with the statues. After all, who in the end built the most beautiful and impressive statue? During the final spectacle on the night of 19-20 March, all the statues will be set on fire.
Semana Santa 2024 is celebrated from Thursday 27 March (Maundy Thursday) to Sunday 31 March (Easter Sunday). These are the dates when all Spain has the day off, but throughout Holy Week, which actually starts on Sunday 24 March, dozens of processions are held in the streets of Málaga, Granada, Seville, Cadiz, Valladolid, Salamanca, Palencia, Zamora, Tarragona, Valencia and many other Spanish cities, among others. Semana Santa processions take place all over Spain but those in Andalusia are the most famous in the country (which does not mean the other Semana Santa processions are any less interesting, of course).
All processions are organised by hermandades or cofradias. These are so-called Catholic brotherhoods that belong to a particular parish, the place where the processions start and end. The routes walked through the city can sometimes last for hours and consist of several pasos, or passion scenes.
The Hogueras de San Juan in Alicante is a lively and traditional festival that takes place around the summer solstice, from 20 to 24 June. The festival celebrates the beginning of summer and includes a series of colourful and exuberant activities, including:
Hogueras: Large works of art and figures made of wood and papier-mâché are placed in the streets. These are set alight on the last night of the festival, known as “La Cremà”.
Mascletás: Daily fireworks shows with a focus on sound, where hundreds of bangers create an impressive series of explosions.
Desfile Folklórico Internacional: A parade featuring traditional dances and costumes from different parts of the world.
Banya en el mar: On the evening of San Juan, people go to the beach to bathe in the sea at midnight, a ritual that symbolises good luck and cleansing.
Concerts and parades: All over the city there are musical performances and parades with floats, music and dance.
The festival is an important cultural event in Alicante and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
