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When first going on our city trip to Valencia and deciding last minute to go to Calpe, I didn’t expect to be blown away by the beauty of this small town in Spain’s Costa Blanca region. It has one of my absolute favorite hikes and the town itself is pretty cute! I also feel like this would be the perfect summer destination as you can enjoy a day at the beach or stroll along the promenade with the shops and restaurants! If you’re doubting about going to this town, doubt no more and put it on your bucket list!
You might also like: Ultimate guide for visiting Valencia
For your information, all these pictures were taken in January 2023.
Calpe, or Calp for the Valencian pronunciation, is a coastal town located in the province of Alicante, Spain. Earlier on, this was an ancient fishing village, but now it is transformed into a touristic place. With a total population of almost 25.000 inhabitants, there are only half of them who are originally from Spain. That’s how much of a touristic region this has become.
This town is rich in culture and history as it has a strategic position. You will see remains of these settlements around the town which you still can visit. Not only is here history, there is also a natural park, called Penyal d’Ifac Natural Park. It’s definitely the perfect place to combine nature, history, culture, beaches and cuisine!
The easiest way to get here would be with a rental car as it’s pretty far away with public transport from Valencia or Alicante. The easiest way to park in Calpe is by finding a parking garage, but you can also try finding a spot on the street.
By car: You can park your car at a parking garage. There are a lot around Calpe, just look for them in Google Maps. We were parked here, very close by the beach and promenade.
With public transport: There is a bus that goes all the way from Alicante or Valencia to Calp. If you depart from Alicante, it takes between 1 or 2 hours and if you depart from Valencia, it takes between 3 or 4 hours, depending on which bus you takes, to complete the trip. Find more information about the bus trips here.
This can easily be done as a day trip from Valencia, Alicante or Benidorm. But I do understand if you want to spend more than one day here! It is the perfect starting point to see different things on the Costa Brava. It’s perfectly located in the middle of those three cities, which can be visited on day trips each. Also, in Calpe, you have everything that you need like a lot of beaches and restaurants, if you want a chiller vacation. It’s totally up to you how many days you want to spend here, but I think you can see everything in one day.
We had rented a car as we came all the way from Valencia, so we could easily get around Calpe. But fear not, everything is within walking distance and we didn’t use the car that much after we parked it. However, if you don’t feel like walking, there are a few other options: public transport like buses and renting a bicycle.
Calpe has a local bus service that connects the town center with nearby areas. You can find more information here. If you want to see a bit of the town, but a bit faster than walking, I would recommend renting a bike. Calpe has several bike rental shops so you can look into it. Don’t worry, the town is pretty safe as it has several bike lanes!
You will be surprised with how many different things there is to do in Calpe! This town has everything you can imagine, from beaches to their most iconic landmark there is to see on the Costa Blanca! And if you don’t believe me, look for Costa Blanca or Calpe on Google search and this will definitly pop up! Let’s dive into all the things you can do in Calpe!
The first thing you need to do when in Calpe is strolling around the promenade. If you do this, you’ll get a great idea of this town and you will pass by a lot of places on this list, like some beaches and the ruin Banys de la Reina. But that’s not all, this promenade is also lined with a lot of cafés, bars and restaurants, where you can enjoy your day in the sun. And all that with a beautiful view over the most iconic landmark of Calpe, the Peñon De Ifach!
The best thing to see in Calpe is their old part of the town. It is located on top of a hill, so you need to walk uphill if you want to see this. You can reach this part by following the main shopping street (located at Av. Gabriel Miró) and take a left at Plaza de la Constitución. Here, you can find ancient cobblestone street, colorful houses and traditional restaurants.
There are a few must visits when wandering around the old town of Calpe. Make sure you stop at the narrow, but colorful staircase as it’s a very photogenetic and in general cute place. If you go up these stairs, you will stumble upon Torreo de la Peca. It was built to protect Calpe from Moorish attacks between the 13th and 14th centuries. As it’s a coastal town, this meant that the Calpe suffered the most from pirate attacks.
But most of all, just wander around the old town and discover for yourself. If you want to make sure you see everything, you can follow the tourist signposted route in the old town of Calpe.
Calpe can easily be combined with a beach vacation as it’s the perfect location for it. The coastline is more than 8 kilometers long and most of them have earned the Blue Flag status. This is one of the world’s most recognised awards for beaches for their high environmental and quality standards. The most famous beaches to visit are Playa del Arenal-Bol, Playa del Cantal Roig and Playa de la Fossa. Here you will have the perfect view of Peñon De Ifach!
This was one of my favorite things to do in Calpe! This outstanding rock is a prominent feature of Calpe and is a well known symbol of the Costa Blanca. The Peñon de Ifach is a massive limestone of 332 meters high and a kilometer long. It’s part of the Penyal d’Ifac Natural Park and home to over 300 different species of animals. People who are deemed fit of love a bit of adventure can climb up this rock through a tunnel and by using chains and a narrow walkway! As I wrote a whole blogpost about this hike, make sure you don’t miss out:
Read about it here: Hiking to the Peñon de Ifach in Calp
As said before, Calpe has a rich history and it can still be seen to this day. This town was a great place as a defense system from attacks by the sea in the Middle Ages. You can still see this evidence while hiking Peñon De Ifach. The remains from the 13th century are called Pobla d’Ifac and is located within the Penyal d’Ifac Natural Park. It’s a perfect stop on the challenging hike.
There is another ruin that can be viewed called Banys de la Reina. You will see these ruins when you walk along the promenade next to Playa del Cantal Roig. It was built between the 2nd and 4th centuries by Romans and it consists of a thermal bath complex and a fish farm, which you could still swim in as of today! But be careful, water shoes may come in handy.
There are some interesting buildings near the center of Calpe and you may have seen one of them before as it was inspired by one of the biggest Netflix shows recently. The staircase in Squid Game looks oddly familiar with an apartment in Calpe, called La Muralla Roja. This building is an eye-popping red and violet apartment complex, which sadly enough can not be visited without booking a night. It is understandable as it is a place were people live day to day. But it’s still a must visit spot as you get a great view over Peñon De Ifach. Another great building is right next to La Muralla Roja, called Xanadú. Both have the same architect and you can see that in the influence of the building. If you want to have more information on how to visit La Muralla Roja, click below:
Read about it here: Ultimate guide to visit Muralla Roja in Calpe
Did you believe me when I tell that you can see wild flamingos in the middle of Calpe? Me neither, but it’s really true. Las Salinas are natural salt flats that welcomes a large number of migratory birds every year. This was a very important place for Calpe in the 19th and 20th century as salt and fishing were key for the economy of the town. Salt was very necessary, because it helped to preserve the food. Nowadays, it’s less used and in 1993, it was declared a maritime-terrestrial zone. There is a whole circular walking trail around the salt flats, which can get you close with the flamingos.
These are the best places to visit in Calpe and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did back in January! Please let me know if you visited Calpe and if you liked it or if you have any questions. I will get back to you with answers!
Be sure to check out my other blog posts about things to do around Calpe or in Spain:
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Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!
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