Whitewashed buildings cascade down a Mediterranean hillside in Spain's Costa Blanca. Art galleries, tapas bars, and winding cobblestone streets fill this coastal town.
Altea, a coastal town of 22,000 residents in Spain's Costa Blanca region, sits between Benidorm and Calpe. Its old quarter climbs up a hillside, where you'll find the Church of Nuestra Señora del Consuelo with its blue ceramic domes. Below, a 2-kilometer Mediterranean promenade connects stone and sand beaches, while the streets above hold art galleries, craft workshops, and the Fine Arts Faculty of Miguel Hernández University.
Exploring Altea's Old Town
The historic quarter rises above the Mediterranean Sea, with streets barely wide enough for a single person in some places. You'll walk on worn cobblestones between white-painted houses, many dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Iron balconies hang overhead, often decorated with bright bougainvillea and geraniums. The quarter includes dozens of small craft shops and art galleries, many run by local artists who work and sell their pieces on-site.
The Blue-Domed Church
The Church of Nuestra Señora del Consuelo sits at the highest point of the old town, its blue and white ceramic-tiled domes visible for miles along the coast. The church plaza functions as the old town's main square, where you can look out over the Mediterranean and the Sierra Bernia mountains. The current building dates from 1910 and replaced a 16th-century church damaged by lightning.
Beaches and Promenade
The town's 2-kilometer seafront promenade connects several distinct beaches. Playa la Roda stretches for 500 meters with dark sand and calm waters. Nueva Playa De Altea has facilities for children and water sports equipment rental. Cap Negret beach consists of smooth stones rather than sand, making it less crowded than other beaches. Restaurants and cafes line the promenade, which fills with walkers and cyclists in the evening hours.
Local Festivals
Each August, the Castell de l'Olla fireworks display lights up l'Olla beach, with 50,000 people gathering to watch pyrotechnics launched from floating platforms. The February pork festival includes street parades and communal cooking of paella in the town square. During the five-day Encontes festival in May, storytellers perform in streets and squares throughout the old town, sharing tales in multiple languages.
Arts and Culture
The Faculty of Fine Arts brings hundreds of art students to Altea each year. Through the Douzelage program, the town connects with 23 other European Union communities for regular cultural exchanges. You'll find changing exhibitions in the town's galleries, weekly language exchange meetings at local cafes, and art workshops open to visitors throughout the year.
Day Trips and Natural Areas
Sierra Helada Natural Park begins just outside town, with marked trails leading to clifftop viewpoints 300 meters above the sea. The mountain village of Guadalest lies 25 kilometers inland, where a medieval castle perches on a 200-meter rock spire. At Algar Falls, 15 kilometers from Altea, you can swim in natural pools formed by the river or walk along marked paths through olive and citrus groves.
