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Calpe Holidays
A charming hilly seaside small town with its famous rock |
A charming hilly seaside small town with its famous rock
Tourist information about Calpe in Spain. Travel to Calpe and let Spain-Holiday.com guide and accommodate you |
At the heart of the Costa Blanca, within the region of Valencia lies an ancient fishing village, now a tourist magnet by the name of Calpe.
Calpe sits in an ideal location, easily accessed by the A7 motorway and the N332 that runs from Valencia to Alicante. Calpe is dominated by the towering rock of Ifach which reaches to an impressive 332m and is now a nature reserve. The summit of the rock is reached by means of a tunnel through the rock. From here, magnificent panoramic views can be had. On a clear day, the island of Ibiza is visible.
Calpe has a wonderful mixture of old Valencian culture and modern tourist trappings, perfectly harmonising providing an ideal base from which to explore the local area or enjoy on the many beaches. Calpe alone has three of the most beautiful sandy beaches on the coast.
Calpe is a town rich in history and culture and its strategic position on the coast has attracted many voyagers and settlers throughout history.
Remains of Iberian tribes have been found around the town and later, the Romans founded a prosperous colony whose main activity was dried, salted fish. Christians and Moors lived peacefuly for a time but were subjected to attacks by pirates during the 14th-17th centuries. The peace of the 18th century enabled Calpe to regenerate and form the current tourist location.When it comes to sightseeing, the ancient town centre, next to the Moorish quarter is a good place to start. The old town walls and the church known as Iglesia Vieja are well worth seeing. This church is the only remaining example of Mudejar-Gothic architecture within Valencia. Alongside the modern Paseo Maritimo are the recently discovered remains of a Roman villa, once forming part of the Roman fish factory, known as the Banys de la Reina (Queens Bath). Overlooking the Mascarat ravine are the ruins of the Moorish Castle of Calpe and all over the local countryside are the typical rui-rau country houses, with arched porticos for raisin drying.
The town centre is also home to the Museum of Archeology and the Fiestas Museum.
Calpe has a wonderful modern marina that sits alongside the old fishing port. From here it is possible to take boat rides around the rock and to the nearby resort of Benidorm.
The port has a nautical club and facilities for yachting, windsurfing and water skiing. If its dry-land sports you want then the rock of Ifach offers climbing facilities.One of the best ways to glimps the local coastline is by means of the narrow guage railway that runs from Alicante to Denia, stopping at Calpe.
Calpe has several tourist information centres, all of which are very helpful and will provide you with information about the whole of the region.
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See a map over Calpe
