Loop from Alicante

01 Garden  · Family

Palmeral of Elche

Palmeral de Elche

In the heart of Elche, date palms line rectangular orchards laid out in the Muslim era. The palms protected the crops from wind and sun, irrigated by channels that diverted the brackish water of the Vinalopó. Follow the Palmeral route in the filtered shade of the fronds, in this site inscribed by UNESCO in 2000.

02 Castle

Santa Bàrbara Castle

Castillo de Santa Bárbara

Seen from the beach, Mount Benacantil traces a face, the cara del moro. Go up through a tunnel and lifts carved into the rock to the ramparts overlooking the bay. The castle, taken on 4 December 1248, Saint Barbara's Day, by the Infante Alfonso, the future Alfonso X, has kept her name.

03 Castle

Murallas de Villajoyosa

After the Barbary raid of 1538, Villajoyosa shut itself behind a wall between 1551 and 1565. You can trace its north-west flank between the Plaza de la Generalidad and the calle del Pal, where the widest of its towers stands. This tower still has a cannon embrasure cut into the ashlar.

04 Village

El Castell de Guadalest

Guadalest

Perched on its rock, the castle of San José dominates the Guadalest valley, framed by the Aitana and Serrella ranges. Discover a ruined castle, shaken by the earthquakes of 1644 and 1748 as well as by the explosion of 1708. Below, the reservoir completed in 1971 fills the valley floor.

05 Nature

Fuentes del Algar

In the barranc de Sacs, water emerges straight from the limestone and tumbles in cascades into clear pools. Follow a one-and-a-half-kilometre route along the bed of the Algar, where some pools are suitable for swimming. Along the way, an old weir and centuries-old irrigation channels are still in use.

06 Church

Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora del Consuelo

At the top of old Altea, still girded by ramparts, this church built from 1901 to 1910 replaced a sanctuary begun in 1607. Its dome of blue and white tiles has earned the village the nickname "dome of the Mediterranean". Count two bell towers, the left one taller, around a niche sheltering the Virgin.

07 Mountain

Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park

Penyal d'Ifac

The Penyal d'Ifac soars 332 metres out of the sea beside Calp, a limestone block joined to the coast by a narrow strip of land. Follow with your eyes the path climbing towards the ridge, passing through a tunnel cut into the rock. A natural park since 1987, the rock is home to colonies of gulls.

08 Coast

Cap de la Nau

Cabo de la Nao

Cabo de la Nao closes off the Gulf of Valencia to the south with a limestone headland topped by a lighthouse since 1928. The Greeks called it the Cape of Artemis, and its waters saw a naval battle between Carthaginians and Massaliots. Lean towards the foot of the cliff, where a vast cave opens that only boats can reach.

09 Monument

Faro del cabo de San Antonio

Between Jávea and Dénia, at the heart of a nature reserve, this white lighthouse trimmed with ochre has stood watch above the cliffs since 1861. Approach its cylindrical tower with its double gallery, flanked by a modest keeper's house, then turn towards the bay of Jávea. It replaced a temporary light from 1855 whose beam carried poorly.

10 Castle

Castillo de Denia

At the highest point of Dénia, read the successive eras in its walls, from the Almohad arches of the Porta de la Vila to the Renaissance bastions. The Duke of Lerma transformed the palace here to receive Philip III; today only a half-ruin remains. Its cobbled path dates from the 14th century.

11 Cave

Covetes dels Moros

Stop at the edge of the barranco de la Fos, a stone's throw from old Bocairent, facing a cliff pierced with some fifty windows halfway up. Excavations identify them as fortified granaries from the Andalusi period, perhaps linked to farmers of Berber origin. Stairs now replace the notches by which the first users climbed up.

12 Castle

Castle of Biar

Castillo de Biar

Since the 12th century this castle has overlooked Biar; the Treaty of Almizra made it a border stronghold under James I. Its 17-metre keep holds, on two of its three levels, Almohad ribbed vaults that are among the oldest in Spain. Take a close look at its crenellated walls of masonry and rammed earth.