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| | | COSTA BLANCA
Costa Blanca is the tourist brand that identifies the province of Alicante. It is in southeast Spain and is the southernmost province of the Region of Valencia. It is strategically located and has excellent communications with the rest of Spain and Europe, thanks to the international airport and an extensive network of roads, dual carriageways and motorways, as well as railway links to the main Spanish cities.
The Costa Blanca is one of the Mediterranean’s top tourist destinations. Its mild climate, with an annual average temperature of 17ºC, and the beaches and coves along its 218 kilometers coastline, over which fifty EC Blue Flags wave, are more than sufficient to attract the massive number of visitors that have spent their summers on our coasts for several decades.
The north of the province, the Marina Alta district, is cut across by mountains that reach the sea to create impressive cliffs towering over tiny, secluded coves in such places as Denia, Jávea, el Poble Nou de Benitatxell and Benissa.
The Marina Baixa district has some of the best-known fine sand beaches, such as those in Benidorm (Levante and Poniente).
The south of the province, from Alicante to Pilar de la Horadada, is also famous for its long beaches, as well as for the many wetlands and saltings (the Lagunas de la Mata lagoons in Torrevieja and the El Hondo wetlands in Elche) and for sand dunes of exceptional natural value, especially those in Guardamar.
Cities with centuries of history, beautiful spots on the coast that preserve the essence of the Mediterranean villages, inland areas where you can enjoy rural traditions, as well as modern towns and cities offering all kinds of services, from Denia to Pilar de la Horadada there’s a place for you on the Costa Blanca.
| | | The landscape of the Costa Blanca is characterised by a gentle coastline overlooked by mountains that can reach 1,500 meters in height only a short way from the coast, such as Aitana and Puig Campana, making Alicante the second most mountainous province in Spain.
The province has many natural parks, including coastal mountain ranges (the Serra Gelada in Benidorm, the Peñón de Ifach in Calpe and El Montgó in Denia), inland mountain ranges (the Mariola and La Font Roja Sierras in Alcoy), as well as wetlands of exceptional ecological value (the Salinas de Santa Pola saltings, the Lagunas de Torrevieja-La Mata, the El Hondo wetlands in Elche and the Marjal marsh in Pego-Oliva).
The sea has always played a leading role for those living on the Costa Blanca. The more than 200 kilometres of coastline are dotted with cliffs, beaches and secluded coves, while the mild climate allows water sports to be practiced practically all year round and is a very important attraction for lovers of the sea.
The 20 marinas, 9,000 berths and three Marine Resorts, combined with a wide and comprehensive range of services and infrastructures, make the Costa Blanca one of the best places to go sailing. Our water sports facilities, especially sailing and scuba diving, are some of the most popular on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
The seabed of the Costa Blanca is especially rich and beautiful: places such as L’Illa de Benidorm and the Cabo de San Antonio and Tabarca Marine Reserves are idyllic settings for scuba diving. Sailing, windsurfing, flysurf, rowing, canoeing, jetski, catamarans and cruising are just a few of the water sports options available in the province of Alicante.
| | | Costa Blanca is a real paradise for golf lovers. It has become one of the leading international centres for golf all year round, thanks to the exceptional climate with over 300 sunny days a year, and the easy access from the main tourist markets.
The courses have first-rate facilities and are generally sited on the coast close to the main tourist resorts. There are currently over 15 courses along the Costa Blanca, all located less than a 45 minutes drive along dual carriageways or motorways from El Altet airport. Some of the facilities have been designed by top golfers such as Severiano Ballesteros. Golf currently attracts over half a million visitors to our province and it’s expected to become even more popular. Golf tourists will also find a wide range of quality accommodation next to the courses, as well as complementary services that are difficult to match.
The inland areas of the Costa Blanca conceal some of the most beautiful and captivating countryside of Spain’s Mediterranean region. There is a wealth of beautiful landscape, full of contrasts between the valleys and mountain areas, the historical remains of different civilisations and culinary traditions as well as crafts and festivals that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Inland, the province has different landscapes where you can see real Mediterranean countryside: mountains soaring to 1,500 metres, secluded valleys, ravines, caves and fertile agricultural areas devoted to vineyards and other crops, such as almonds, olives, cherries and loquats.
| | | Archaeological sites, monuments such as castles, fortresses, churches and palaces, as well as more popular buildings such as the masías (farmhouses), riu-raus, (raisin stores), neveros (ice stores), acequias (irrigation channels), aljibes (cisterns), and lavaderos (washing places), are all part of the legacy of bygone civilisations.
The Costa Blanca is committed to tourism, something shown by the unquestionable variety and quality of its leisure options. Water and safari parks, aquariums, craft fairs, caves, boat trips and an endless list of sports options, from scuba-diving and cycling to hot-air balloon rides and bungee jumping, mean that the Costa Blanca’s leisure options are almost infinite.
There are also several theme parks. Among the most innovative is Terra Natura in Benidorm, where you can visit, study and get to know Earth’s animal life and civilisations. Conceived as a journey, the leisure complex transports you to three continents – America, Asia and Europe.
Benidorm is also home to the Terra Mítica theme park. The historical cultures of the Mediterranean are its guiding theme: Greece, Rome, Egypt, Iberia and The Islands are the areas into which this interesting and entertaining theme park is divided. There are two more major leisure parks in Benidorm: Mundomar, with aquatic animals and exotic birds, and Aqualandia, Europe’s largest water park.
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