My last trip to this part of Spain was in February this year. I discovered some great coastal towns in Costa Blanca that I will share with you for planning your next trip to this part of Spain!

The below map shows the towns circled in red that I will describe in this article. You can see that they are all south of Valencia and north of Alicante. For details about visiting Valencia, check out my post 3 Days in Valencia Spain. To learn about Alicante and other cities in that area, refer to my post Alicante Spain in One Week.

The Costa Blanca region offers a diverse landscape with the northern part having mountains next to the sea and southern area with plains of sand patches and palm trees. You can visit this area year-round as it prides itself with 300 sunny days per year and an average annual temperature of 17c.

Dénia

The coastal town of Dénia is a one hour drive south of Valencia. I stayed in this small town for 5 nights after spending 5 nights in the bigger city of Valencia. My friend and I chose Dénia as the base town to explore other nearby coastal villages.

Dénia is a quiet town on the coast with a main pedestrian street, castle sitting on a huge rock, and the prominent El Montgó mountain as a backdrop. From every corner of Dénia, you can see the Montgó Natural Park, an icon for the region and a natural border between Dénia and Xàbia. Although we didn’t visit the park, you will find many hiking trails there.

In town, you can easily walk the flat city and enjoy strolling the Marqués de Campo Avenue and the Baix La Mar neighborhood, which is the old fishermen’s quarter of Dénia. This city was declared the ‘Creative City of Gastronomy‘ by UNESCO in 2015. It was here that we finally tasted the Valencian-style paella (Arroz a Banda with seafood).

Jávea

Also called Xàbia, this small beach town was a 30-minute bus ride from Dénia. Xàbia is the town’s name in the local Valencian dialect but Jávea is the name used by most people. We didn’t need to rent a car during the five days in this area as there are many buses and trams to get you around the coast.

I really enjoyed the old town of Jávea. Once off the bus, we started walking through the historical area and sat outside for lunch. We then walked down the hill towards the waterfront and all along the beach.

I have to say it was very quiet and empty in this town during February. It seemed the only people around were locals or foreigners who live there in the winter. I can imagine how busy and crowded it gets during the heat of summer.

If you walk all along the beachfront in Jávea, you will arrive at a small harbor inlet (shown below) with the scenic Montgó mountain in the background. We stopped for a drink at an outdoor terrace overlooking the boats and the beach on the other side before catching the bus back home.

Altea

This was by far my favorite town during this trip to Costa Blanca. The views from the beach are lovely and the upper town area is amazing. Altea is known for its snow-white buildings, blue-domed churches, and narrow cobbled streets.

We took the one-hour tram ride from Dénia to reach Altea. The ride itself was very scenic passing through countryside and mountainous terrain. The train station in Altea is one block from the beach, so it was very easy to get around this town.

The rock beach offered beautiful views in both directions with Calpe in the north and Benidorm in the south. There is a nice boardwalk on one end of the town with many restaurants and bars just across from the beach.

Don’t miss taking the short 15-minute walk from the beachside up to the old town perched high on a hill. There you can admire the Church of Nuestra Señora del Consuelo, with its two blue domes. Entrance to the church is free. You will find many small boutique shops in the streets of the old town.

I spent time just walking through the cozy alleys and taking in the tranquil ambiance. You will find small bars and restaurants situated on the cobble stoned streets with dropping views onto the sea.

Calpe

Although I didn’t stop and visit the town of Calpe, I include it in this list because I did see it from a distance. Calpe has the great icon of the Alicante coast called the ‘Peñon de Ifach’, a large rock 332 meters high. The huge rock is quite impressive, but after seeing all the high rise buildings next to the beach, we decided not to stop here.

Gandia

Gandia was the last town I visited while based in Dénia. It was a 30 minute drive (1 hour bus ride) north of Dénia. I think Gandia has the biggest beach I’ve ever seen! The beach was huge, both long and wide with soft light brown sand.

As we were there in February, it was a bit chilly and the beaches were practically empty. We strolled along the long boardwalk and ate some tapas at a simple restaurant.

Summary

So, there you have my list of the best towns in Costa Blanca Spain! In addition to these Costa Blanca towns, I’ve also visited other nearby areas. Check out my articles What to Do Near La Zenia Spain and Alicante Spain in One Week. There is so much to explore in this coastal part of Spain!

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