The first time you see the Costa Blanca from the plane window, it looks almost staged. A ribbon of white towns and golden sand runs between dry mountains and a sea that stays turquoise deep into October. This stretch of Alicante province has been Spain's holiday workhorse for sixty years, and it still delivers more beach per euro than almost any other corner of the Mediterranean. The trick is choosing the right base, because Benidorm and Altea are twenty minutes apart and feel like different countries. Here is the coast, town by town.
Benidorm: two beaches and a skyline
Benidorm gets dismissed as a concrete circus by people who have never walked its seafront at eight in the morning. The city has two long urban beaches and both are genuinely excellent. Levante is the famous one, a curve of fine sand backed by a promenade that never quite goes to sleep. Poniente, on the other side of the old town, stretches for more than two and a half kilometres and feels calmer, with local pensioners doing their morning swim next to hotel guests still holding their first coffee.
Between the two beaches, the old town sits on a small headland. The Mirador del Castillo viewpoint at its tip is the best free attraction in the city. Come at sunset, when the towers light up behind you and the whole bay turns the colour of copper.
Calpe and the Penon de Ifach
Half an hour up the coast, Calpe lives in the shadow of the Penon de Ifach, a limestone rock 332 metres high that rises straight out of the sea like a small Gibraltar. Playa de la Fossa lies right beneath it and gives you that postcard view from your towel, while Arenal-Bol runs along the town centre with shallower water for children.
If you have decent shoes, hike the Penon itself. The trail is a nature reserve with limited daily numbers, so reserve a free slot online in season. Count on a sweaty two to three hours return, rewarded by a view over the salt flats, the marina and half the coast.
Altea, the white postcard
Altea is where the coast slows down. The old town climbs a hill in narrow whitewashed lanes full of bougainvillea, small galleries and cats that clearly own the place. At the top stands the church of Nuestra Senora del Consuelo with its blue tiled dome, the most photographed rooftop on this shore. The beaches here, Playa de la Roda and Cap Blanch, are pebble rather than sand, which keeps the water glassy and the crowds thinner. Bring water shoes and you will not miss the sand at all.
Javea and the coves of the north
Beyond Calpe, the coast breaks into cliffs and coves around Javea. Cala Granadella is the star, a small pebble bay framed by pine slopes, regularly ranked among the best beaches in Spain, with water so clear you can count the fish from the rocks. It fills up fast in July and August, so arrive before ten or come in the shoulder months. Sandy Playa del Arenal in Javea town is the easy family alternative, with a low-key promenade of restaurants right behind it.
Guadalest, the village in the rock
Save one morning for the interior. Guadalest sits about forty minutes inland from Benidorm, a village of a few hundred residents perched on a crag, entered through a tunnel carved in the stone. Above it hangs the castle of San Jose, and below it spreads a reservoir of an emerald colour that looks photoshopped and is not. Go early, before the coach tours arrive around noon, and have lunch in one of the small restaurants overlooking the valley.
Villajoyosa, the coloured bonus town
Between Benidorm and Alicante hides Villajoyosa, a fishing town whose seafront houses are painted in blues, ochres and pinks so bright they were once said to guide fishermen home through the fog. It has a fine sandy town beach, a proper fishing fleet that still lands its catch in the afternoon, and far fewer foreign visitors than its famous neighbours.
The other reason to stop is chocolate. Villajoyosa has been making it for more than a century, and the Valor factory on the edge of town runs a small museum with tastings. A morning among the painted houses, an afternoon on the beach and a seafood dinner by the boats adds up to one of the most satisfying easy days on this coast.
How to put the week together
- Base yourself in Benidorm for energy and infrastructure, or in Calpe and Altea for quieter evenings.
- The TRAM line from Alicante runs along the coast through Benidorm, Altea and Calpe, so you can hop between towns without renting a car.
- Best months are May, June, September and early October, when the sea is warm and the sand is not shoulder to shoulder.
- Plan one inland day for Guadalest and one cove day around Javea.
How does it compare with the neighbours? Mallorca has more glamour and higher bills, Halkidiki has greener scenery, and Antalya wins on all-inclusive value. The Costa Blanca sits in the sweet spot: reliable sun, real Spanish towns and prices that leave room for tapas. WAYLY runs packages here from 90 € per person, so browse the current offers and pick your stretch of the white coast.
