Alicante Spain Costa Blanca VALENCIA 75 km Canals 330 340 Almansa Albaida 430 ALBACETE 73 km Onteniente R M Mariol Sierra a C Caudete Benejama Bañeres Alcoy Cañada 344 330 lopó PARQUE NATURAL ina V DE CARRASCAL DE LA FONT ROJA Onil Ibi Villena Biar 340 ío Yecla R Castalla Els Almerades Sax Jijona ALBACETE 112 km ALBACETE 112 Emb. Salinas de Elda Tibi Petrer id Laguna l C Bus de Salinas Elda de ra er Carche Si 1371 Monóvar Agost Muchamiel Monforte San Vicente S Pinoso del Cid del Raspeig Novelda Santa La Romana Aspe 330 Emb. Bacarot ALIC Hondón de de Elche las Nieves 340 G Elche El Altet Ali 1261 Crevillente Cabo d PARQUE NATURAL SALINAS Santa Pola 340 DE SANTA POLA Fortuna Albatera Catral Isla Pla o Nueva Ta PARQUE 332 NATURAL Dolores Cox EL FONDO Callosa de Segura Almoradí Guardamar SEGURA del Segura Orihuela Benijófar Rojales Emb. de la Pedrera PARQUE NATURAL LAGUNAS Cala de la Mata ÍO R DE LA MATA Y TORREVIEJA Cala del Salaré San Miguel M de Salinas Torrevieja MURCIA Cala Cerrada Cala Capitán Cabo Roig ALMERÍA 210 km ALMERÍA Pilar de Dehesa de Campoamor la Horadada 332 301 Torre Horadada San Pedro del Pinatar San Javier Mar Menor CARTAGENA 36 km VALENCIA 75 km Oliva 332 PARQUE NATURAL DE MARJAL is erp DE PEGO-OLIVA S Denia Pego Benialí Ondara Cabo de San Antonio PARQUE NATURAL Montgó P Emb. de Vall de Ebo Pedreguer DEL MONTGÓ 753 Jávea ío Beniarrés R Alcalá de la Jovada Orba Gata Playa El Arenal de Gorgos Muro de Alcoy Benichembla Benidoleig Cabo de la Nao Cocentaina Castell de Castells Benisa Teulada Moraira Guadalest Punta de Moraira Sierra d Les Basetes Benasau Aitana e Bér 1558 nia Calpe Luis Campomanes Playa de Levante Benifallim Callosa PARQUE NATURAL i t a n a de Ensarriá S i e r r a d e A Puerto Blanco PENYAL D'IFAC Altea Torremanzanas L'Alfàs del Pi Playa del Albir Albir Relleu A-7 Benidorm PlayaPlaya de Poniente de Levante Villajoyosa sot 332 Playa de Paradís A Playa Muchavista C El Campello N San Juan de Alicante Faz Playa de San Juan A L ANTE Golfo B de cante A de Santa Pola a T ana S Tabarca O C Highway Freeway National Road MAR “A” Road “B” Road EDITERRÁNEO Local Road Railway P Parador N Shrine/Monastery Castle Monument Nature Reserve Golf Course Camp site 0 5 10 20 Km Marina Lighthouse CARTOGRAFÍA: GCAR, S.L. Cardenal Silíceo, 35 Airport Tel. 914167341 - 28002 MADRID - AÑO 1999 Contents Introduction 1 Your stay on the Costa Blanca 4 Coastal itineraries From Alicante to Denia 6 From Alicante to Pilar United Kingdom de la Horadada 13 Dublin Inland itineraries Ireland London The Vinalopó Castles 16 The Alcoy Mountains 18 From Elche to Orihuela 20 City visit 23 City Plan 24 Paris Leisure and spectacles Sports 29 Leisure and Theme Parks 30 France Culture 31 Nightlife 31 Festivals & Folklore 32 Shopping & Handicrafts 33 Trade Fairs and Exhibitions 34 Spain Local cuisine 34 Madrid Useful addresses and Portugal map of Alicante Province 36 Lisbon Costa Blanca Melilla Ceuta Rabat Morocco Canary Islands Introduction demographic detail which indicates that the population is fairly evenly Alicante is the Valencian Region’s distributed throughout the various southernmost province, its entire districts. Nonetheless, there tends length of shoreline (the Costa to be a greater concentration in Blanca or, literally, White Coast) those localities that witnessed the caressed by the Mediterranean’s industrial boom and spectacular soothing sea breeze. Warm sandy rise in tourist demand which, in the beaches and curving dunes lie 60s and 70s, led to rapid economic interspersed between sheer growth and the ensuing influx of stretches of cliff and rugged coast, job-seeking immigrants from the shading the local geography in Spanish hinterland. hues of white, blue, ochre and green. This is one of Spain’s leading Along the coast, from Denia tourist Meccas, and thanks to its southwards to Pilar de la scenery, facilities, the quality of its Horadada, and through the towns and warm friendliness of its Denia people, Alicante is host all year round to intense tourist activity, winding folds of its inland reaches, attending to visitors’ needs with from Villena to Orihuela, Alicante’s pleasing efficiency. 5,900 square kilometres (2,279 sq. miles; 1.16% of Spain’s total With close on one and a half surface area) embrace a million inhabitants, it ranks topography of sharp contrasts, due amongst Spain’s most heavily not only to the physical diversity populated provinces. One out of between mountainous uplands every five Alicantinos lives in the and coastal flats, but also to the provincial capital of Alicante, a differences between the verdant 1 lushness of some areas and others Christmas time), toys and ice- that are so arid as to be almost cream- as well as modern hotels, desert-like. The northern and holiday accommodation and central parts are traversed by spacious residential estates where soaring mountain ranges, many a foreign resident has marching in monumental fashion established a second home. Owing to the very edge of the sea, to the area’s cosmopolitan terminating in Capes La Nao and composition, conversations in San Antonio. Against this, English, French, German or Italian the southern tip of the province, can be frequently heard in coastal an area made up of flats and hill districts, alongside Castilian Spanish country irrigated by the waters and Valencian (which closely of the River Segura, fringes the resembles Catalan), the two official sea in a series of dunes and languages spoken by the local low bluffs. population. Alicante, a region manifestly Jávea Mediterranean in nature, basking (the coast particularly) in bright In bygone days, the presence of sunlight throughout the year and Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks and blessed with an average Romans moulded the region’s temperature of 17.6°C (63.7°F), has unique character, key elements of a number of towns and cities in which have been subsequently which there are high-tech factories salvaged thanks to the discovery -specialising in footwear, textiles of valuable archaeological finds and clothing, turrón (the local almond-based, nougat-like sweetmeat, particularly popular at Guadalest. Belfry 2 and cultural remains. Harking back Your stay to these ancient times are precious treasures worked in gold, on the Costa enigmatic sculptures such as the Blanca Dama de Elche (Lady of Elche) and a local preference for palm groves. One can travel to the province of At a later date, Alicante, like other Alicante by rail, road and air, mainland regions, lived under though its strategic coastal Moorish rule until the area’s position makes it possible to dock annexation by the Kingdom of at any of its harbours and use the Valencia in the 14th century. Local railway network that criss-crosses jurisdictional privileges, ways and the region. customs were lost at the beginning of the 18th century following the By air: El Altet Airport, situated introduction of the new centralist approximately 12 kilometres south regime imposed by the Spanish of the city of Alicante, is the Costa monarchy. At present, Alicante Blanca’s main airport, handling looks ahead to a future of scheduled and charter flights from innovation in both the tourist all leading Spanish and European trade and technology, without in cities. While the busiest domestic any way sacrificing or forfeiting its links are those with Madrid, roots in its traditional industrial Barcelona, Mallorca, Las Palmas, activities and farming. Tenerife, Seville, Malaga and Bilbao, European flights tend to Alicante harbour concentrate on destinations such 4 as London, Paris, Brussels, (Lemon Express), while for the Frankfurt and Amsterdam, among younger set there is the others. Trensnochador, a way of going discothèque-hopping without By road: the Madrid-Albacete- running the risk of a traffic Alicante motorway is the principal accident. route to Alicante from points in the country’s interior. From the Alicante boasts the most north, the easiest approach is via comprehensive and best equipped Valencia along the Mediterranean network of hotel and holiday Highway (A-7), which links the accommodation in the entire region with the heart of Europe Valencian Region. There are 243 and is a firm favourite with hotels covering a wide range of Benidorm-bound coach services. categories, with a bed-capacity Best access from the Province close on 55,000. Lodging of Murcia to the south is via the availability varies very little from N-340. There is a fourth major high to low season, since tourist road, the N-332 motorway, which resorts such as Benidorm have takes in towns and villages lying become year-round vacation along the coast. centres, and the city of Alicante itself is a privileged incentive- By sea: while the Port of Alicante scheme, conference and berths a good number of convention venue. In addition, Mediterranean cruise liners, a there is also a very varied choice of regular ferry service plies between camp sites and holiday flats, Denia, in the north of the province, catering for some 25,000 and and the Balearic Isles. Numerous 64,000 visitors respectively. As marinas and yacht basins act as a regards places to eat out, there port of call for tourists sailing are more than enough to satisfy aboard their own craft. every kind of person and pocket, with something like 3,200 By rail: trains from the Renfe restaurants in all. (Spanish Rail) station in Alicante connect up with points around Visiting times should always be Spain and the rest of Europe. checked with the local Tourist There is a daily scheduled service Offices.