The Costa Blanca, Spain
The coast of Alicante is the perfect symbiosis of history and beach tourism. From the city of Denia located in the north of the province, to the southernmost city of Pilar de Horadada, dozens of fishing villages have become places of great tourist interest in recent years.
Known as the Magical Costa Blanca, its 160 kilometers of beaches, coves and cliffs know how to attract visitors. Not surprisingly, this is one of the areas of Spain where summer tourism has developed more in recent decades.
Fortunately, time has not managed to erase the historical traces of some of these old fishing villages, which preserve elements that connect them with their more traditional past, especially in the historic centers. This duality creates an interesting framework of contrasts, full of corners and unknown landscapes to discover. Here are some examples:
Denia is a city that dates back to Roman times, when the city was dedicated to the goddess Diana. The façade of the Town Hall shows two tombstones from an ancient Roman temple. Tourists can stroll through its narrow streets in a suggestive coastal environment full of white houses with red tiles that give Denia that traditional touch that makes it so special. In Denia you can find wide beaches of fine sand, as well as rocky and more rugged landscapes, including the Montgó natural park, which is a must-see for tourists. As a curious fact, it is interesting to know that many of the Nazis who fled from Germany chose Denia as their new home, and are even buried there.
Jávea is the ideal place to enjoy the sun and practice water sports. Located between the capes of San Antonio and La Nao, the city has more to offer than crystal clear waters. To learn more about this fascinating history, it is essential to visit the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum.
The city of Calpe has managed to combine very well the tourist flow with its ancient history. It is ideal for a walk along the coast or through its lively downtown streets. Calpe is bounded by the old city walls, which protected it from pirate sieges. The history of civilizations in the Mediterranean Calpe is extensive, from the Iberians and Phoenicians to the Romans, and some vestiges have withstood the passage of time.
The city of Benidorm is the best known by all tourists, both foreign and national, a place where you can lose yourself with its tall buildings, unique in the world, just behind New York. There are many other cities that we will focus on later in another article about the cities of the Costa Blanca that will be immediately after this article, DO NOT MISS IT...
Characteristics
Localities
The towns located on the Costa Blanca are: Denia, Jávea, Benitachell, Teulada-Moraira, Benisa, Calpe, Altea, Alfaz del Pi, Benidorm, Finestrat, Villajoyosa, Campello, Alicante, Elche, Santa Pola, Guardamar del Segura, Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa and Pilar de la Horadada.
Its capitals par excellence are the cities of Benidorm and Torrevieja, since these municipalities are the great tourist focus of the Costa Blanca and the entire Levantine coast.
And to live its most important know that your 'Home is where your heart is'
Transports
Transport on the Costa Blanca is articulated in two ways. The first, the AP-7 motorway, is a high-use express toll road that connects Valencia and Alicante with the towns of La Marina Baja, especially Benidorm. This highway receives the European code of E-15 and connects the coast with France and the United Kingdom. Next to this, the N-332 national road runs parallel to the AP-7. From Alicante, the AP-7 becomes the A-7 motorway and goes to Elche, Murcia and Andalusia. Meanwhile, the N-332 continues along the coast to Pilar de la Horadada.
The second transport route is the Trenet de la Marina, a historic railway line that runs along the coast from Alicante to Denia and is currently operated as a long-distance tram. The other train lines run inland, through the Vinalopó valley and the Hoya de Elche.
We must also mention the El Altet Airport, which is the main entrance for the millions of tourists who visit from outside of Spain.
Ecosystem
The Costa Blanca has a contrast of landscapes such as the steep cliffs of the Marina Alta, the beaches of the Vega Baja del Segura, the mountains (Montgó, Sierra Helada, etc.), the lagoons and the salt flats. The ecological variety means that we can find up to four natural parks: El Montgó, El Marjal Oliva-Pego, El Peñón de Ifach and Lagunas de la Mata and Torrevieja.
There is no lack of ecological enclaves and a large presence of migratory birds and typical Mediterranean species.
The oak, the Aleppo pine and the palmetto are the trees that predominate in the coastal mountains of Alicante. On the flat land the date palm grows, very important in some municipalities such as Orihuela and Elche. The natural vegetation coexists with species for agricultural use such as olive trees, carob trees, pomegranate trees, lemon trees, medlar trees and almond trees.
In the sea, the animal and plant wealth of the Posidonia meadows is remarkable, very well preserved off the coast of Cabo Roig and the island of Tabarca, where there is a marine reserve.
Tourism
The Costa Blanca is one of the most visited by people from outside of Spain. The states of origin are: the United Kingdom (4,500,000), Germany (700,000), the Netherlands (370,000), and Norway (270,000). A large number of French also spend the summer. Every year, Alicante Airport bills about 9 million (9,106,445 in 2007) arrivals.
The quality of life, political stability and good weather not only attract tourists in summer. Along with other coasts such as the Costa del Sol, a "residential tourism" has been developed, that is, inter-European immigration. There are important colonies of English, Germans and other peoples from northern Europe along the entire coast, equaling or exceeding the native population in some municipalities. In a more moderate way, people from Madrid and other points in the center of the peninsula have second homes. This type of immigration and demographic growth has brought improvements to the coastal economy but also problems derived from the increase in urban density on the coast.
Culture
The musical description of this coastline can be found in the well-known pasodoble 'Costa Blanca' by Maestro Manuel Lillo Torregrosa.
The Costa Blanca and its own name have traditionally been related to a very specific tourist product: the so-called sun and beach tourism, that is, the vacation linked to the weather (More than 300 days of full daylight and an average temperature of 20 ° C). Currently, the evolution of the tourist destination and its resources are configuring an increasingly complete offer in the province of Alicante, whose proposals can also be consumed inside (Alicante is one of the most mountainous provinces in Spain) and beyond the summer season, aligning itself with the increasingly sophisticated tourist preferences.
The Costa Blanca boasts 78 beaches and coves, 54 of which have been awarded the Blue Flag quality label.
Traditional Festivals
As in the rest of the Valencian Community, the Costa Blanca holds many festivals, especially during the summer months. Some of these are renowned and the Mystery of Elche, which has been awarded World Heritage status, stands out above all. Mention should also be made of the Moors and Christians festivals in Villajoyosa and Vergel, the first of which is unique in that the arrival of the "Moors" is made from the sea, swimming from the boats to the coast. Other festivals such as the Hogueras de Alicante, the Bous al Carrer de la Marina and the Bous a la Mar de Denia are typical examples of Valencian festivals. Las Fallas, although better known in the Province of Valencia, are also celebrated in Benidorm and Denia.
It is June 23, the Night of San Juan, as in the entire Mediterranean, the Costa Blanca lights up in a line of continuous bonfires of more than two hundred kilometers.
Economy
Most of the municipalities of the coast live from tourism and are dedicated to the service sector. Only the largest cities show an industrial trend, as is the case of Alicante and Elche. This industry is port in the first case and furniture in the second. The great engine of the economy in recent years has been construction and maintenance services (electricians, plumbers, gardeners). Thus, we can find in municipalities with only five thousand inhabitants six warehouses for building materials (as is the case of Ondara).
Some towns have become cities with the help of the frenetic growth of residential and seasonal tourism, with Benidorm being the best example, which grew from 2,726 inhabitants in 1950 to 67,627 in 2006.