About Alicante and the surrounding area
Alicante
15km north is the capital of the region, Alicante. This historic yet cosmopolitan city provides something for everyone. Excellent shopping and nightlife, modern harbour development and sophisticated restaurants and bars are within a 20 minute drive.
Alicante, and it's wonderful boulevard with palm trees and shopping streets, is one of the most well-known towns 
along the Costa Blanca. Known for its miles of sandy beaches, Alicante is a starting point for thousands of tourists every year.
Famous for its excellent weather, the city invites you to take a trip along the coast or to the wonderful island of Tabarca. Along the Alicante harbor you find beautiful long alleys for nice relaxing walks, enjoying the palm trees and the mild climate.
With many historical buildings around the entire city, Alicante offers countless sightseeing attractions, from cathedrals to churches and of course a wonderful harbor area.
Additional to sightseeing, direct from the harbor area, a long wide sandy beach leads its way up to San Juan. Just drop your towel on the sand and enjoy a wonderful day in the sun.
During summer time, Alicante with its Airport, is a starting point for many Costa Blanca tourists, while during the winter months tourists and residents tend to live along the coast in places like Benidorm, Calpe and Denia.
Alicante's location: The Costa Blanca lies on the east coast of Spain. to the south is the Costa Almeria and to the north, the Costa Dorada. Alicante has about 340 000 habitants (2005 numbers) and lies directly at the Mediterranean sea.
The Alicante weather in winter is around 16 ºC. In summer the average is around 32 ºC.
Gran Alacant
Situated south of Alicante, Gran Alacant is a new development overlooking the sea, on the Costa Blanca.
The golden sandy beaches of Arenales del Sol are wide and bordered by dunes and just 700 metres away.
The wonderful scenery and beaches will encourage you to enjoy the Mediterranean climate that prompted the World Health Organisation to describe it as "One of the healthiest places in the World in which to live". Close by (500metres) is the Clot de Galvany nature reserve.
Santa Pola
Santa Pola, 3km south of Gran Alacant is a traditional Spanish fishing town. There are five main beaches, a harbour and plenty of seafood restaurants and other cuisines. A large market is held in Santa Pola on Saturdays and Mondays. Just a short ferry journey away is the Isle of Tabarca. Ferries run about every 30 mins.
Santa Pola lies just twenty kilometres south of Alicante and is very easily reachable either by car on the National highway N-332 or by air when landing at the Altet Airport just 8 kilometres away.
Santa Pola quickly takes you back to Roman times. It was here where the Portus Illicitanus, the Roman ruins, were found. The Roman House of the Palmeral which was built during the Low Imperial and the Roman factory for pickling and salting fish from the 4th century B. C. are also clear signs of this era. It was a most prosperous fishing village on the Costa Blanca, but today all of this has been overtaken by tourism.
Santa Pola extends and hugs both side of the Renaissance Castle-Fortress built in the 16th c. to defend itself from the pirate attacks. This building is found in the city centre and has a very strict military appearance.
It houses the magnificent Archaeological Museumwhere you can feast your eyes and admire Iberian and Roman findings. Along with this, the Fishing Museum with a rich selection of maritime objects and a fascinating aquarium.
From the same time period three watch out tower are still standing ; the Atalayola, the Tamarit and the Escaletes. As you leave the fortress, a nice place to take a breather and maybe a few tapas ( typical side dishes) would be in the Plaza de la Glorieta ( Glorieta Square), surrounded by terraces and lovely gardens. Continuing on with your leisurely stroll heading towards the higher part of the town, you promptly arrive at the Plaza del Calvario where you will enjoy a impressive panoramic view.
On the outskirts you must visit the Salinas de Santa Pola (salt mines) in the natural park where you can get information and book a date for your visit. You will be graced with an incredible view of flamingos (reaching over 3000 at the end of summer) and two very unique kinds of ducks among others.
Guardamar
People have inhabited Guardamar for millennia, and it's no surprise that people continue to flock here in their hundreds all year round. The town is best known for its beauty, particularly for the fragrant forests that surround the shore, the protected blue flag beaches and rare archeaological ruins. These days, it's also known for the fantastic facilities it offers its visitors.
One of the prettiest towns in the Valencia region – acres of evergreen forest circle kilometres of pale sand and bright blue sea. It's been a popular location for thousands of years for the combination of river, sea and fertile land. Now it's also popular for sports, nightlife, social clubs and world class beaches.
Fresh seafood, hearty rice dishes, tapas, local cheeses, sweetmeats and local delicacies like Turron nougat ensure you'll always find what you hunger for. The little town of Guardamar Spain, lies about 15 kilometers north of Torrevieja. Following the national road N332 up in northern direction.
With about 10000 habitants Guardamar (also known as Guardamar del Segura) is one of the very well known places along the Costablanca. The city is famous for its about 10 km long beach, which is pine forest enclosed.
Lying very close to the beach, the city often got large blast of sandstorms within the years. Therefore it had been decided to plant a large forest alongside, which is now known as the dunes of Guardamar. Attracting an enormous amount of wildlife over the time, the area is now an environmentally protected area. The created area is the smallest natural park in Spain called Park Alfonso XIII. Together with the little park of Reina Sofia close to the city center, Guardamar is really a wonderful place to totally relax and enjoy a perfect day.
Elche
Known as the Palm Grove of Europe, Elche is surrounded by over 300,000 date palms, first planted in the 10th century by the Moors. It is now classed as a World Heritage Centre. Palms are everywhere in Elche and can best be seen in the municipal park and in Huerta del Cura, the Priest’s Garden, where you’ll see an unusual palm in the shape of a seven-armed candelabra.
It’s easy to get a sense of history in Elche; there are ancient buildings wherever you look. In the old section of the city you can see the Altamira Palace, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the Moorish fortress and the Moorish Baths.
There’s so much to see in Elche that you really must pick up a street plan with marked routes from the Tourist Office near the park.
Elche has 9 km of coastline about 15 minutes away from the City centre. El Altet and La Marina beaches hold the Blue Flag for their clean fine sands, clear waters and excellent facilities.
Both beaches are great for sand and water sports like volleyball, windsurfing and sailing and are can be fully accessed by disabled people. Les Pesqueres-El Rebollo also holds the Blue Flag and is worth a visit if you prefer a quieter, more tranquil beach.
To the south there are four slightly more exotic beaches, with sand dunes, where two diving centres organize some exciting dives in the area around Elche and on the Isla de Tabarca.The excellent Mediterranean climate means that you can sunbathe and swim on Elche’s beaches, whatever time of year you visit, even in winter months when temperatures are still quite warm.