High-rise beach resorts, whitewashed hill villages and quiet wine country all sit within an hour's drive of each other here. Some towns live for summer; others barely notice it.
1L'Alfàs del PiResidential town with the Albir beach and the walk to the Albir lighthouse.1000pts
2AlteaWhitewashed hilltop old town crowned by a blue-domed church above the Mediterranean.930pts
3BenidormHigh-rise resort city with two long beaches and the busiest nightlife on the coast.930pts
4XalóWine village in the Jalón Valley, ringed by vineyards, almond groves and fincas.818pts
5Santa PolaPort town with salt flats full of flamingos and boats to Tabarca island.734pts
6El CampelloFishing town north of Alicante with a seafront promenade and a medieval watchtower.734pts
7FinestratCliff-top village with colourful houses looking down to the sea and the Puig Campana peak.734pts
8VillajoyosaTown of brightly painted seafront houses and a long tradition of chocolate making.734pts
9DéniaPort town below a hilltop castle, known for its red prawns and ferries to the Balearics.636pts
10PolopHill village above Benidorm known for its fountain of 221 spouts.520pts
11XàbiaAlso known as Jávea, a town of coves, a fishing port and an old quarter under the Montgó massif.520pts
12Guardamar del SeguraDune-backed beach town where the Segura river meets the sea, with a pine forest planted to hold the sand.520pts
13ElcheCity of the Palmeral, a UNESCO-listed palm grove of some 200,000 trees.520pts
14GuadalestTiny mountain village built around a castle rock above a turquoise reservoir.382pts
15MorairaSmall upmarket resort with a marina, a watchtower and quiet sandy coves.382pts
16TorreviejaSouthern resort town famous for its pink salt lake and long promenade.382pts
17CalpSeaside town beside the Penyal d'Ifac, the limestone rock that rises straight out of the sea.0pts
18AlicanteThe coast's capital, with Santa Bárbara Castle above the Postiguet beach and the palm-lined Explanada.0pts
Photo credits
- Altea — Joanbanjo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Benidorm — FDV, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Xaló — Joanbanjo, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Santa Pola — User:Zeisterre, CC BY-SA 3.0
- El Campello — FLAVIVSAETIVS, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Finestrat — Joanbanjo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Villajoyosa — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dénia — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Polop — Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0
- Elche — Pedro J Pacheco, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Guadalest — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Moraira — Dan4708, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Torrevieja — Jose M Martin Jimenez, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Calp — Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Alicante — Michael Karavanov, CC BY-SA 3.0
