El Campello is a stylish beach resort just 14kms north of Alicante. It’s a beautiful small resort with long stretches of sandy beaches, a pretty harbour, small coves and mountain views.
It’s a fabulous place for enjoying a beachside stroll along the promenade to enjoy the views of the beaches, yachts sailing by and the street art as you walk from the beach in El Campello, past the nautical club and north for a couple of kilometres to the Playa de l’Almadrava beach.
This is an easy walk with plenty of restaurants to stop for a bite to eat or a cool drink. Many restaurants in this area specialise in fish and shellfish caught by the local fishing fleet and rice dishes, for which the Alicante region is famous, including paellas and arroz a banda (rice cooked in fish stock).
El Campello beach walk for everyone
The beaches are accessible for wheelchair or mobility scooter users and the walk is suitable for all abilities and ages. We’re starting at the Carrer Sant Bartolome close to the Mercadona supermarket in the centre of El Campello.
The first thing you will notice is an interesting sculpture with a large fountain. The work of art represents a boat and is one half of The Fisherman's Monument created by Alicante sculptor Arcadi Blasco. Head down to the beach and you will see the other half of the monument on the beach, which represents a lighthouse.
Street art in El Campello
Blasco’s sculptures represent El Campello's rich connection with the sea which continues to this day through its dependence on tourism as well as its cuisine and fishing industry.
The Cubist and abstract artist was born in Muchamel in the Alicante province in 1928 and went on to study art in Madrid. He donated about 200 of his works of art to his home town with the idea of creating a museum. Muchamel is just 7kms from El Campello and so can be easily visited during a day trip.
Facing the sea, we’re heading to the left along the promenade and towards El Campello nautical club. The beach here is fine, golden sand which is very popular with families and water sports enthusiasts.
The promenade is lined with restaurants and interesting little houses, some with ornate balconies and stained-glass windows. It’s an easy stroll away from the traffic and is great to enjoy an evening stroll from the beach to the marina before deciding which restaurant to try.
Keeping watch over El Campello
At the nautical club, you can see the Illeta watchtower on a small hillside. The watchtower was built between 1554 and 1557 where guards could keep a lookout for marauding Berber pirates who carried out surprise attacks along the Alicante coast.
Each tower had four men - two on foot and two with horses. If a pirate boat was seen, the horsemen galloped off to warn the authorities while the footmen sent smoke signals to let other towers know.
El Campello fishing fleet
The marina is also home to the fishing port and market where the fish is auctioned and sold to restaurants and the public from Monday to Friday from about 6pm to 8pm. You can watch the fleet land the catch before the auction. It's a great chance to buy a variety of fish fresh from the boats.
Pools fit for a Queen
This is a very interesting part of town where you will find La Illeta Dels Banyets (the Queen’s Bathing Pools) at the foot of the watchtower.
This is a very important archaeologic site which is more than 5,000 years old, with objects being found from the Bronze Age, Roman and Iberian eras.
The small thermal baths date from the Roman era and are believed to have been the bathing pools of a Moorish queen.
Around here, there are some great little coves for swimming , snorkelling or sunbathing while enjoying the view. Wooden paths have been created to provide an easy walk around the area.
This is a favourite spot to stop as the waters are shallow, clear and full of rich fauna and flora.
It is easily accessible so is a great place for nervous swimmers or learner divers. You will see green algae, small sponges and anemones as well as spectacular schools of fish nibbling on the algae covering the rocks.
There are two routes, which you can see on an informational panel at the start of the Queen's Bathing Pools, or you can get an audio guide from the El Campello tourist office in Avenida San Bartolome, 103.
Back on dry land, at the foot of the watchtower is the Voramar de les Escultures walk to the Almadrava beach. There are wooden walkways around the environmental route with six panels along the way so you can find out more about the flora, fauna and make-up of this beautiful natural environment.
The Voramar de les Escultures is made up of three sculptures by Vicente Ferrero with the common theme of womankind, so it is fitting that the tribute begins at the Queen’s Bathing Pools.
From here, it is an easy walk of just over one kilometre to the charming Playa L’Almadrava beach. This is another popular beach but with plenty of room for all as it’s 500 metres long and 20 metres wide. There’s parking nearby if you don’t want to walk.
More interesting beauty spots in El Campello
Another interesting bay to visit in El Campello is the artificial reef by the Coveta Fuma and Carritxal beach. The reef is seven kilometres long and is home to the Posidonia oceanic meadows which are a sign of clear waters. The reef has also encouraged an increase in marine species in the area.
A little further south in El Campello is the magnificent Muchavista beach, which is 3,000 metres long and links El Campello with San Juan de Alicante. It’s a marvellous family beach with soft sand and shallow waters.
Getting there
El Campello is just off the main N332 and AP7 toll roads linking the resort with other major Costa Blanca beach resorts, Alicante and Valencia cities, and Alicante-Elche airport. Follow the signs to El Campello where the CV775 will take you to the town centre. There is free parking on the streets as well as a free underground car park near the Mercadona supermarket.
There is also a slow tram from Alicante which stops at El Campello on its way north to Benidorm.