Things to Do in Costa Blanca: Sights, Beaches and Days Out

If you only pick a handful of Costa Blanca attractions, start with Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante and the Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park in Calp. Between them they show both sides of the coast. One is the historic city on its hill. The other is the protected rock that rises from the sea and defines Calp's skyline. El Montgó Natural Park behind Dénia is the other big natural landmark. It is a mountain under protection, and it pairs well with a visit to the Castell de Dénia in town.

For culture, Alicante carries most of the weight. You have the Archaeological Museum of Alicante, the Alicante Museum of Contemporary Art, the Co-Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari, the Basilica of Saint Mary and the city's bullring, the plaza de toros. Down the coast, the Castillo-Fortaleza de Santa Pola is a fortress rather than a hilltop castle, and it makes an easy half-day from Alicante.

The best beaches on the Costa Blanca named here are Benidorm's Platja de Llevant and Platja de Ponent, plus platja de la Fustera in Calp. Plenty of visitors come for beach holidays first and sightseeing second, and the coast suits that well.

Alicante is the cultural centre. The castle, two museums, the co-cathedral, the basilica and the bullring are all in the city, which is 9 minutes by road from the airport. Santa Pola, also 9 minutes from the airport, has its fortress. El Campello, about 19 minutes away, is a quieter coastal base within easy reach of the city. In the south, Torrevieja is 31 minutes from Alicante airport and 38 minutes from Murcia, and has the most activities of the southern towns.

Heading north, Villajoyosa and Benidorm come first. Benidorm holds the big family attractions: Terra Mítica, Aqualandia, Mundomar and its two famous beaches. Altea and Calp follow. Calp is the place for the Penyal d'Ifac and platja de la Fustera. Moraira, Benitachell and Teulada sit on the stretch towards Jávea. Dénia caps the coast with its castle, El Montgó and a ferry port.

All twelve towns covered here have Costa Blanca activities you can book, so it is easy to stay in one resort and take excursions to the others.

Benidorm is the obvious family base. Terra Mítica is the theme park, Aqualandia is the waterpark and Mundomar is the marine animal park, so a week can mix park days with time on Platja de Llevant or Platja de Ponent. In July and August, highs of 30 to 31°C make the waterpark and the sea more appealing than long walks.

Castles go down well with older children. Santa Bárbara in Alicante, the Castell de Dénia and the fortress at Santa Pola all give a day out a bit of history without a long museum visit. For outdoor families, the Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park in Calp makes a good change of pace from the beach.

You can compare tours, tickets and excursions across the Costa Blanca on this page. That includes entry to the Benidorm parks and trips from the resorts. Car hire is here too, and it makes sense if you plan to reach El Montgó, Dénia or the southern towns from a base further along the coast.

Most British travellers book a package with flights, hotel and transfers. The page shows live deals from Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach next to hotel prices, so you can compare them in one place. Alicante airport is closest for Alicante, Santa Pola and El Campello. Murcia works well for Torrevieja. School-holiday weeks are usually the most expensive, so May, June, September and October can be better value for a sightseeing trip. Note that May and September are also the wettest months, at about 7 rain days each.