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Calpe Mini Guide
Calpe is on the Costa Blanca on the eastern coast of Spain. Like its neighbour
Benidorm, this coastal town boasts beautiful beaches and a near perfect climate. Tourists flock to the fishing town of Calpe for these reasons and many high rise buildings have sprung up to for an uneasy union with the village’s old medieval buildings and lanes.
In Calpe there are enough sites to keep tourists interested and they can stay comfortably as there is everything in the way of accommodation such as hotels, hostels and luxury villas with pools. Most tourist choose to make the most of the Blue Flag beaches in Calpe, and the Playa la Fossa has over 800 metres of golden sands. The beaches have many facilities for children and adults such as play areas and tennis courts and even a bowling green for the older visitors to enjoy. Other great beaches to choose from include El Boll and El Raco.
The most prominent landmark in this fishing village resort is the Peno de Ifach, a large rock sticking more than 330 metres out of, and one mile into, the Mediterranean Sea. The rock has been designated a natural area because many birds build their nests there. It is possible to hike up the Peno de Ifach but it is not recommended for the faint hearted. The views out across the deep blue of the Mediterranean are well worth the effort though.
Other sights to marvel at are the ruins of Los Banos de la Reina, which translates as the queen’s baths, and various sanctuaries for migrating birds which include a salt lake. There are old sites of archaeological interest from Roman times and a Gothic-style Catholic church which can be traced back to the 1700s. Arab invaders also made their mark when they conquered the peninsula and built a castle overlooking the Mascarat Ravine. Getting to Calpe is easy with a number of flights going to the nearby
Alicante Airport where cars can be hired to get around the Costa Blanca.
As you make your way into the town from the north you will see many shops and supermarkets as well as large apartment blocks. Most of the food in Calpe tends to revolve around the popular Spanish diet in coastal areas of fish and rice but there is a pedestrian promenade with restaurants and bars to explore.
Craft fairs take place in the town during the summer and are a great place to get unique and authentic gifts and souvenirs.
- Whilst coastal Calpe may look a lot like its sister town of Benidorm, you only have to drive your Calpe hire car inland a little to leave the hustle and bustle behind and see the true Spain with its kilometres of beautiful vineyards.
- Calpe marries tradition with the modern tourist industry and this comes together in no better way than at the wine festival where traditional wine making methods are demonstrated in the delicious drink produced outside the city. There are also demonstrations of other traditional crafts including cork harvesting, basket making and more. Beginning on the 1st September, the festival lasts the whole week.