rom north to south the province of Valencia delivers over 650 km of Mediterranean coastline mainly comprising of white, sandy beaches forming the Costa del Azahar to the north and the Costa Blanca in the south of Spain’s third largest city, Valencia. To say that this is the epicentre of the Spanish Mediterranean is no understatement with superb year round sunshine and warm average temperatures, a beach city to rival Barcelona and unexpected treats for those that explore the interior. Valencia Region is comprised of three provinces: Alicante, Castellon and Valencia. Inland areas are quite mountainous, while the long, narrow coastal strip is quite flat, and traditionally very fertile accounting for 20% of agriculture in Spain. The Costa Blanca running north of Alicante has witnessed the most development due to its long sandy beaches with Benidorm attracting notoriety and a special coastal designation of its own! What is most striking is the density of holiday home ownership, which is particularly prevalent to the north around Calpe, Javea and Denia. The Costa Blanca offers much more than sun, the Mediterranean sea and good food. Alicante is a city with a great atmosphere, with a lively nightlife and interesting cultural offerings such as the Museum of Archaeology (MARQ) and the Castle of Santa Bárbara. From the castle you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view across the city and its port. For its part, Elche is home to the largest Palm Grove in Europe, which has been declared a World Heritage site. However, the most surprising discovery is the mountainous region hidden in the North West corner of the Alicante province behind the Costa Blanca. The Muntanya Alicantina provides some of the best mountain walking available in Spain. The dramatic limestone scenery and varied flora combined with its wonderful climate make it an ideal destination for walkers for most of the year. (July and August are too hot for valencia F Elche is world famous for being home to some 200,000 palm trees of many different types, in various parks in and around the town. Follow the 2.5 kilometre-long Ruta del Palmeral (PalmGrove Route) which starts and ends at the Huerto de San Plácido park, near the Museo del Palmeral (PalmGrove Museum). The trail is clearly marked and easy to follow, passing the most important areas and famous trees. oasis of palms MuntanyaAlicantina Javea Alicante Valencia Murcia Castellón de la Plana Elche Peniscola Q Q Q 52
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjE5ODQ=