Europe · Spain
Costa Blanca
Europe’s largest palm grove and a coast that is warm from March to November.
The White Coast runs from Dénia in the north to Torrevieja in the south, with Alicante in the middle and Benidorm’s towers halfway along. It is drier than the Costa del Sol, with a light that painters came for, and a string of small beaches between rocky headlands. The palm story here is unmatched anywhere in Europe: the orchards of Elche are the closest thing to a North African oasis on the continent.
The palm: Date palm
Elche, ten minutes inland from Alicante, has more than 200,000 date palms in orchards planted by the Moors a thousand years ago. The Palmeral is a UNESCO site, the northernmost date plantation in the world, and it still produces dates and the white palm fronds used across Spain on Palm Sunday.
When to go
Sights
Palmeral de Elche
Walk the Huerto del Cura garden and the paths between the orchards; the Imperial Palm has seven trunks growing from one.
Santa Bárbara castle, Alicante
A lift from the beach through the rock to the fortress, and a view down the whole coast.
Altea old town
White lanes up to a blue-domed church, galleries and terraces looking over the bay.
Guadalest
A village on a pinnacle above a turquoise reservoir, forty minutes inland from Benidorm.
Beaches
Playa de Levante, Benidorm
Two kilometres of groomed sand with a palm promenade and lifeguards in every colour of flag.
Cala Granadella, Jávea
A pebble cove in a pine valley with water clear enough for snorkelling. Arrive early.
Mil Palmeras
A quiet family beach south of Torrevieja, named after the palms behind it.
Events
- Jun
Hogueras de San Juan, Alicante
Giant satirical sculptures fill the streets for a week and burn on the night of 24 June.
- Apr
Moors and Christians, Alcoy
Three days of costumed parades and mock battles in late April, the biggest of many along the coast.
- Aug
Misteri d’Elx
A medieval sung mystery play performed in the basilica of Elche every August since the 15th century.
For remote workers
A comfortable month: about €1,700
Alicante is one of the cheapest well-connected cities on the Spanish coast, with a tram along the seafront, a university and coworkings around the Mercado Central. Winters are dry and bright. Small towns like Altea and Jávea attract long-stay remote workers who want sea views without a city.
Compare as a baseFor families
The Costa Blanca has the gentlest water in Spain: Benidorm’s Levante and Poniente beaches slope so slowly that children can play far out, and the Terra Mítica and Aqualandia parks are ten minutes away. Alicante’s Postiguet beach is right below the castle.
Rank for your familyThree things to know
- Alicante airport serves the whole coast; the tram reaches Benidorm and Dénia along the sea.
- Rice, not paella, is the local word: arroz a banda and arroz negro are the dishes to order at lunch.
- Even in January the coast averages 17 degrees; it is one of the best places in mainland Europe for a February escape.
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