All About ALTEA
GETTING TO ALTEA FROM BENIDORM CATCH THE NO. 10 BUS. anywhere along the Avenida Mediterraneo COST 1.55€PP
Altea is without doubt one of the most charming towns on the Costa Blanca North. It's old town is packed full of character and the impressive church with its blue and white tiled dome roof has to be one of the most photographed landmarks of the area.
The N332 splits the town in half. On one side are the sandy and pebbly beaches which are backed by the long promenade and the marina. On the other side of the road is the old and new town. The tram station and busy Tuesday morning market are both to be found in the new town.
Places of interest and ideas of things to do in Altea
Old Town: steep cobbled streets packed with character, restaurants and shops.
Market: large Tuesday morning.
Church: Nuestra Senora del Consuelo with famous blue and white tiled dome.
Beaches: sandy and shingle beaches.
Promenade: long beach front with great selection of bars and restaurants.
Marina: at southern end of town.
Tram Station: for tram south to Benidorm and Alicante or north to Denia.
The impressive church (Nuestra Señora del Consuelo) overlooks whitewashed buildings and a bustling square, filled with quality restaurants and cafes that encourage you to linger over lunch. Inside the church is flooded with light through the glorious stained glass windows and the murals and sculptures on display are equally beautiful.
Back outside look at the bell towers and you'll notice that one of the three, destroyed in the Spanish civil war, has been left as a symbolic reminder of the destruction that conflict causes.
A must see is the famous Mirador Cronistas de Espana, this is also know as the viewpoint of the Plaza de la Iglesia and from here you get the most amazing views of Altea the bay and port. a great photo opportunity day or night.
The cobbled streets, filled with wrought iron balconies overflowing with flowers, urge you to explore. Wander by the stylish shops selling handmade pottery, jewellery and other artifacts and you can see the old walled town has a unique charm.
The many small art galleries reflect that Altea was a haven for artists because of the fabulous light experienced here and along with the artisans, writers and musicians they gave the place a bohemian feel.
The Old Town Square at Altea
Finally don't miss the opportunity of a photograph of the views. From the church square you can enjoy the vista of the sweeping bay, the mountains and a distant Benidorm with its high rise buildings.
Ideas of places to twin Altea with day or night
Spend the morning in the hustle and bustle of the large street market, which is held every Tuesday near the new town. Then jump on the tram and visit Denia for a bit of lunch before enjoying the return journey back through the beautiful scenery of the Costa Blanca North.
Visit the tourist magnet that is the nearby Fonts del Algar waterfalls
head to Allbir for a walk along the long beach front promenade and a filling menu del dia at any of the lovely restaurants which line it.
Altea Marina
Parking: is in the car park and is free
From here: walk down to the port, turn left and walk away from the boats for the sandy beach and promenade.
Altea Market - Tuesday Morning
Altea Tram Station
From here: there is only one platform which is used by the trams going north and south. Buy your tickets on the tram.
Beaches
The beach of Altea is over 5 km long and is divided into the stony Cap Negret beach to the north of Altea, followed by the La Roda beach next to the old town and the largest beach the Cap Blanc to the south which blends into the coast of Albir.
Altea and the hills surrounding
Some kilometers away from Altea you will find the mountain area of Sierra de Bernia which reaches up to 1130 mt high hills. From that area you will have a nice view on the Altea area and the coastline. All around Altea there is a huge construction boom happening over the past years. Not so much along the coastline but more in the hills surrounding Altea.
Main Fiestas in Altea
June 4th updates - The Councilor for Festivities of the Altea City Council , Marta Lloret , announced that all the festivals in the neighbourhoods of the municipality that are held during the summer, between the end of May and the first of September, are suspended due to the COVID pandemic. -19. In the absence of knowing what will happen with the winter festivities that take place in Altea la Vella during December (Santa Bárbara and La Purísima), the rest of the festivities will carry over to 2021.
Sant Antoni, which are held in June; Sant Pere, Sant Jaume and Santa Anna, in the month of July; Sant Roc, Sant Llorenç, Sant Isidre and Sant Lluís, in the month of August; and Sant Tomàs, in the month of September, are postponed to 2021.
The fireworks of Castell de L’Olla, in August, and the festivities of Moors and Christians, in late September.
𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 …
Like many of the fishing villages along this coast, Altea goes back many centuries. It has been settled by Iberians, Greeks, Romans and Muslims, and then eventually the Christians when it was captured in 1244 by James I of Aragon.
All these civilizations were especially drawn to Altea because it is where the mouth of the River Algar (which further inland feeds the popular Algar Waterfalls) meets the sea and this provided plenty of fresh water for sailors and fisherman, and the town prospered by producing dried salt fish.
But life was far from the idyllic town you see today; in the 17th century, increased pirate attacks caused a decline in the population and economy. Furthermore, its privileged position so close to the sea meant that for centuries whenever there was bad weather the waves crashed into the front line buildings and the inhabitants literally had to leave the doors open and let the waves crash through their homes. This was eventually solved quite recently in the 1970’s by the building of a dyke. But, although this protected the buildings it took away the town’s beach – and even worse, over the years the lake ‘el charco’, (the puddle) created on the inside of the dyke generated bad smells and was generally considered unhealthy.
And so in 2016 the external dyke was removed, the lake dredged and the whole area replaced with an artificial beach. This acts as a break water so the buildings are still protected, but is far more useful for the locals and this new attraction has also done wonders for tourism.
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