About Costa Blanca
The Costa Blanca offers visitors a wide range of things to see and do. From the high rise hotels and fantastic entertainment venues in Benidorm to the quiet inland villages of the rural Costa Blanca, this region of Spain attracts thousands of visitors every year.Most visitors to the Costa Blanca head for Benidorm, knowing that the Mediterranean's biggest resort will provide an unforgettable holiday. Many tourists find everything they need in the coastal resorts an agreeable year-round climate, a good standard of accommodation and plenty to do.But the Costa Blanca has much more. A few kilometers from the tourist centers traditional Spain re-emerges, a country where historic towns are set amid superb scenery and the rural pace of life remains undisturbed. Finding this other side is a challenge and delight, and the memory of this will last long after the tan has faded.
Costa Blanca culture
It is a land of huge variety, with thriving ports, bustling cities and a vast agricultural industry. Life has changed immensely in the last 50 years, but its people remain fiercely proud of their region, their history, their traditions and their culture For most visitors though, the main attraction will be the beauty and fertility of the land. High sierras soar above terraced valleys planted with almonds, oranges and olives. Discover the vineyards, hidden upland streams, and vistas of buff, red and ochre peaks. Explore the still lonely coastal stretches, where pines shade rocky paths and the air is scented with aromatic plants. Gaze over the salt flats, haunt of wading birds, a flat and shimmering landscape backed by miles of rich market gardens. The sooner you discover this Costa Blanca, the more you'll enjoy this lovely corner of Europe.
Costa Blanca Information
The Costa Blanca officially lies along the coastline of the region of Valencia, but now includes the hinterland and the region of Murcia. At 325km, the Segura is Spain's eighth longest river.Espuna, with a height of 1,579m is the area's highest mountain.There is one regional park and several natural parks, including marine reserves, within the area.The northern part of the Costa Blanca enjoys 3,147 hours of sunshine annually, and the southern 3,098 hours.The annual rainfall ranges from 394 to 148mm and occurs mainly in the winter months.
People in the Costa Blanca
Most of the population of the area live in the cities and their suburbs.Only around 50 per cent of the area's inhabitants were born here of local parents.Over 70 per cent of foreign property owners are English or German.The main fruit crops are oranges, lemons, cherries, peaches, nectarines and loquats.Large amounts of almonds and olives are grown here and are important Spanish exports.Local produce includes rice, tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, beans, aubergines and a range of salads, which are exported throughout Europe.Fruit and nut processing are major industries.Shoe manufacture is an important source of revenue.
Tourism in Alicante and the Costa Blanca
Holiday life on the Costa Blanca revolves around sun, sand and sea, with plenty of good food and a few late nights. If this is your first visit here, soak up the sun and the atmosphere, sparing perhaps a couple of days for exploring the beautiful inland mountains and one or two atmospheric towns. Once you have tasted the diversity of the region, you will probably return and gradually get to know the hidden corners, where traditional Spanish life has remained untouched by the glitz of the big resorts. Bottom: clean beaches lie within an easy stroll of Costa Blanca's modern hotels
Best things to do on the Costa Blanca
Take the scenic Costa Blanca Express between Alicante and Denia for great views and glimpses of small-town life; or hop on at night and have dinner up the coast from your resort.Take a boat ride for fresh breezes and a change of scene, to the offshore island of Abarca, Benidorm Island, or the islands in the Mar Menor.Go to a local market and admire the produce, smell the flowers and buy a picnic, a paella pan or a pair of locally made sandals.
Have a gastronomic day out sampling local wine, locally grown rice, almonds and honey, and turron, a super sweet nougat produced here to be eaten at Christmas.Take in a fiesta, be it the pre-Lenten Carnaval, the Holy Week processions, a Moros y Cristianos parade commemorating the Reconquest, or a summer firework display. Eat a traditional rice dish fish based on the coast. or with pork, game and vegetables inland. Top: the crags of Guadalest rise above the roofs of this picturesque village Above: an Alicante flower stall glows with warm southern colors.
Rural inland Costa Blanca
As in so many parts of Spain, tourism in the Costa Blanca clings to the highly developed coastal strip, leaving the hinterland virtually untouched. Less than 8km inland from even the busiest resort, Spanish rural life continues as it has always done. So if you crave tranquility you never have far to go, with the added bonus that this lovely coast is backed by some wonderful countryside.
Even beside the sea there are still undeveloped pockets where you can have a swim, rock scramble or a cliff top walk far from the sights and sounds of the 21 st century. There are some impressive pine studded cliffs and solitary coves south of Cabo de la Nao, with stretches of dune backed secluded sand between Alicante (Alacant) and Torrevieja, and remote, empty bays and beaches at Calblanque below Cabo de Palos, now a designated natural park. These coastal areas have an exceptionally rich spring flora; lavender, thyme, rosemary, white, yellow and pink cistus, and other aromatic plants carpet the cliffs from March to June. Some parts of the coastal water have remarkable submarine life, which flourishes on the expanses of sea grass, and includes the now rare turtle. The salt flats around Santa Pola and Torrevieja provide rich feeding for more than 250 species of birds, including good-sized flamingo colonies.
South of Alicante
South of Alicante the area behind the coastline is relatively flat and very fertile, planted with vegetable crops and huge orange groves, the landscape dotted with small farms and sentinel palm trees. The palms form a forest around Elche thousands of trees carpeted with cool greenery, where you can stroll in shady peace. South again, Murcia seems like one vast market garden, the upper Segura valley a rolling landscape of peach orchards, olive groves and rice fields interspersed with patches of woodland, steep escarpments and sleepy country towns, its quiet roads bordered with the vibrant colors of poppies, crown daisies and Bermuda buttercups This agricultural landscape provides shelter for a good range of birds and small mammals naturalists keen on insects and small reptiles will find fascinating life in the stone walls and long grasses bordering the well tended fields.
Costa Blanca mountains
North of Benidorm the high sierras rise precipitously from the coast, wonderful mountain systems of great drama, the bare rock faces glowing with different colors as the light changes throughout the day. The lower slopes of these great mountain valleys have been intricately terraced since Moorish times and are planted, as they have been for centuries, with almonds, oranges, loquats, cherries and olives. Roads twist up through the mountains, sometimes clinging to the hillsides, sometimes allowing stupendous panoramas of valleys and further chains of peaks and rock faces. These hills are laced with ancient footpaths offering magnificent day-long hikes for discovering the wildlife, birds and flora. Foxes, rabbits and other mammals are hard to spot in daylight, but the soaring birds of prey, migrant wintering songbirds and prolific insect life add an extra dimension to walking in this superb landscape.Right in the south of the region lies another great mountain area, the Sierra de Espuna, a superb mountain chain covered with natural pine woods.
Alicante and Costa Blanca information
Long before the Costa Blanca was a famous holiday resort, it was home to many famous Spaniards from the world or art and nobility.This part of Spain has given birth to many eminent Spaniards, who have made their mark on local history. World famous are the writer Gabriel Miro Ferrer, who was born in Alicante and Murcia's most famous son, the 18th century sculptor, Francisco Salzillo. Salzillo specialized in life-size painted wooden figures, which adorn altarpieces and are used in religious processions throughout Murcia.
Rich and famous sons of the Costa Blanca
Today, tourism has changed the Costa Blanca forever, and the 19th and early 20th century travellers who explored this coastline would scarcely recognise it. One of the last people to write about the area before the boom was Rose Macaulay, who travelled along the coast and described sleepy villages which are now buzzing resorts and a landscape which has virtually ceased to exist. The luxurious villas, hidden in pine woods above the sea, are the retreats for northern European celebrities, business people, financiers, sportsmen and women and their families. Many famous people have found the area ideal for a second home, where they can escape the attention of the media which is an inevitable part of life in their own countries.
Costa Blanca culture
It is a land of huge variety, with thriving ports, bustling cities and a vast agricultural industry. Life has changed immensely in the last 50 years, but its people remain fiercely proud of their region, their history, their traditions and their culture For most visitors though, the main attraction will be the beauty and fertility of the land. High sierras soar above terraced valleys planted with almonds, oranges and olives. Discover the vineyards, hidden upland streams, and vistas of buff, red and ochre peaks. Explore the still lonely coastal stretches, where pines shade rocky paths and the air is scented with aromatic plants. Gaze over the salt flats, haunt of wading birds, a flat and shimmering landscape backed by miles of rich market gardens. The sooner you discover this Costa Blanca, the more you'll enjoy this lovely corner of Europe.
Costa Blanca Information
The Costa Blanca officially lies along the coastline of the region of Valencia, but now includes the hinterland and the region of Murcia. At 325km, the Segura is Spain's eighth longest river.Espuna, with a height of 1,579m is the area's highest mountain.There is one regional park and several natural parks, including marine reserves, within the area.The northern part of the Costa Blanca enjoys 3,147 hours of sunshine annually, and the southern 3,098 hours.The annual rainfall ranges from 394 to 148mm and occurs mainly in the winter months.
People in the Costa Blanca
Most of the population of the area live in the cities and their suburbs.Only around 50 per cent of the area's inhabitants were born here of local parents.Over 70 per cent of foreign property owners are English or German.The main fruit crops are oranges, lemons, cherries, peaches, nectarines and loquats.Large amounts of almonds and olives are grown here and are important Spanish exports.Local produce includes rice, tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, beans, aubergines and a range of salads, which are exported throughout Europe.Fruit and nut processing are major industries.Shoe manufacture is an important source of revenue.
Tourism in Alicante and the Costa Blanca
Holiday life on the Costa Blanca revolves around sun, sand and sea, with plenty of good food and a few late nights. If this is your first visit here, soak up the sun and the atmosphere, sparing perhaps a couple of days for exploring the beautiful inland mountains and one or two atmospheric towns. Once you have tasted the diversity of the region, you will probably return and gradually get to know the hidden corners, where traditional Spanish life has remained untouched by the glitz of the big resorts. Bottom: clean beaches lie within an easy stroll of Costa Blanca's modern hotels
Best things to do on the Costa Blanca
Take the scenic Costa Blanca Express between Alicante and Denia for great views and glimpses of small-town life; or hop on at night and have dinner up the coast from your resort.Take a boat ride for fresh breezes and a change of scene, to the offshore island of Abarca, Benidorm Island, or the islands in the Mar Menor.Go to a local market and admire the produce, smell the flowers and buy a picnic, a paella pan or a pair of locally made sandals.
Have a gastronomic day out sampling local wine, locally grown rice, almonds and honey, and turron, a super sweet nougat produced here to be eaten at Christmas.Take in a fiesta, be it the pre-Lenten Carnaval, the Holy Week processions, a Moros y Cristianos parade commemorating the Reconquest, or a summer firework display. Eat a traditional rice dish fish based on the coast. or with pork, game and vegetables inland. Top: the crags of Guadalest rise above the roofs of this picturesque village Above: an Alicante flower stall glows with warm southern colors.
Rural inland Costa Blanca
As in so many parts of Spain, tourism in the Costa Blanca clings to the highly developed coastal strip, leaving the hinterland virtually untouched. Less than 8km inland from even the busiest resort, Spanish rural life continues as it has always done. So if you crave tranquility you never have far to go, with the added bonus that this lovely coast is backed by some wonderful countryside.
Even beside the sea there are still undeveloped pockets where you can have a swim, rock scramble or a cliff top walk far from the sights and sounds of the 21 st century. There are some impressive pine studded cliffs and solitary coves south of Cabo de la Nao, with stretches of dune backed secluded sand between Alicante (Alacant) and Torrevieja, and remote, empty bays and beaches at Calblanque below Cabo de Palos, now a designated natural park. These coastal areas have an exceptionally rich spring flora; lavender, thyme, rosemary, white, yellow and pink cistus, and other aromatic plants carpet the cliffs from March to June. Some parts of the coastal water have remarkable submarine life, which flourishes on the expanses of sea grass, and includes the now rare turtle. The salt flats around Santa Pola and Torrevieja provide rich feeding for more than 250 species of birds, including good-sized flamingo colonies.
South of Alicante
South of Alicante the area behind the coastline is relatively flat and very fertile, planted with vegetable crops and huge orange groves, the landscape dotted with small farms and sentinel palm trees. The palms form a forest around Elche thousands of trees carpeted with cool greenery, where you can stroll in shady peace. South again, Murcia seems like one vast market garden, the upper Segura valley a rolling landscape of peach orchards, olive groves and rice fields interspersed with patches of woodland, steep escarpments and sleepy country towns, its quiet roads bordered with the vibrant colors of poppies, crown daisies and Bermuda buttercups This agricultural landscape provides shelter for a good range of birds and small mammals naturalists keen on insects and small reptiles will find fascinating life in the stone walls and long grasses bordering the well tended fields.
Costa Blanca mountains
North of Benidorm the high sierras rise precipitously from the coast, wonderful mountain systems of great drama, the bare rock faces glowing with different colors as the light changes throughout the day. The lower slopes of these great mountain valleys have been intricately terraced since Moorish times and are planted, as they have been for centuries, with almonds, oranges, loquats, cherries and olives. Roads twist up through the mountains, sometimes clinging to the hillsides, sometimes allowing stupendous panoramas of valleys and further chains of peaks and rock faces. These hills are laced with ancient footpaths offering magnificent day-long hikes for discovering the wildlife, birds and flora. Foxes, rabbits and other mammals are hard to spot in daylight, but the soaring birds of prey, migrant wintering songbirds and prolific insect life add an extra dimension to walking in this superb landscape.Right in the south of the region lies another great mountain area, the Sierra de Espuna, a superb mountain chain covered with natural pine woods.
Alicante and Costa Blanca information
Long before the Costa Blanca was a famous holiday resort, it was home to many famous Spaniards from the world or art and nobility.This part of Spain has given birth to many eminent Spaniards, who have made their mark on local history. World famous are the writer Gabriel Miro Ferrer, who was born in Alicante and Murcia's most famous son, the 18th century sculptor, Francisco Salzillo. Salzillo specialized in life-size painted wooden figures, which adorn altarpieces and are used in religious processions throughout Murcia.
Rich and famous sons of the Costa Blanca
Today, tourism has changed the Costa Blanca forever, and the 19th and early 20th century travellers who explored this coastline would scarcely recognise it. One of the last people to write about the area before the boom was Rose Macaulay, who travelled along the coast and described sleepy villages which are now buzzing resorts and a landscape which has virtually ceased to exist. The luxurious villas, hidden in pine woods above the sea, are the retreats for northern European celebrities, business people, financiers, sportsmen and women and their families. Many famous people have found the area ideal for a second home, where they can escape the attention of the media which is an inevitable part of life in their own countries.
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