Monuments of the Costa Blanca: places of ancient history

It’s not clearly defined exactly where the Costa Blanca (“White Coast”) begins and ends but with approximately 200 km of coastline stretching from Gandia in the north to Pilar de la Horadada in the south, there is certainly plenty of room to enjoy your Costa Blanca Holidays. There is an enormous hinterland with mountains, sierras, river valleys and natural parks and throughout the area you'll find monuments left behind by the previous invaders whether the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, Carthaginians, Moors, Barbary Pirates or Christians. Still, none have left their mark as much as the 20th century Costa Blanca Holidays have.

So you’re on your Costa Blanca Holidays and you have had enough of the hot sun and sandy beach and you’re craving for something different. Well a nice gently stroll or a hard days trekking is all here for you on your Costa Blanca Holidays, from climbing to the top of Penon de Ifach at Calpe or visiting the cave “Cova del Mancano” in the Jalon Valley or maybe visit the old town of Javea. Your Costa Blanca Holidays will always be something to remember if you look for it - and you don't have to look far because almost every town and every village you come across will have something of historical interest: towers and fortresses dot the coastline and villages lay high in the mountains. Fortresses, castles, churches and museums can be found in virtually all towns and ruins left to stumble across or hidden under apartment blocks. The history of this land is everywhere and while travelling between places on your Costa Blanca Holidays with no end of places to visit.

Try to find the time to visit the blue glazed terracotta domed church in Jalon or if you wish to know about the various products that have been exported from fine wines and raisins in the Jalon Valley, to the Salt at the Salt lakes in Torrevieja where among other things you'll find Pelicans and other extraordinary life. On your Costa Blanca Holidays so much history can be found and so many different species of wildlife national parks surround historic monuments, gardens catering for all tastes.

On your Costa Blanca Holidays you could visit a national park again like the one at Calpe Montgo, Cabo de Gata, Nijar Natural Park or even La Mata. There are as many national parks and walking areas as there are beaches. If you want churches they can be found so many variants some built as early as the Roman or Moors times, others more recently when the Christians returned or the Church of Algorfa, a neo-gothic church with many unusual designs unique to it. There’s the blue glazed terracotta domed church in Jalon. You can find small forts with walls peppered with gun and cannon shot and the amount of submerged ships from Barbery pirates or bigger cruisers from World War II. And talking of ships if you feel diving to see a wreck is maybe a little beyond you while on your Costa Blanca Holidays: you could visit the submarine museum in Torrevieja. There are caves with paintings from the Stone Age and Iberian villages hidden among the mountains of this area. There is no end to discovery if you just spend a little more time while on your Costa Blanca Holidays just exploring the individuality of the Costa Blanca.

The area to the north of Gandia is called the Costa del Azahar (“Orange Blossom Coast”) while to the south of Pilar de la Horadada is known as Costa Calida (“Warm Coast”). Many artefacts have been discovered over the whole region of Costa Blanca with a distinguished history items found dating back to the Neolithic era. This stretch of coastline must have been deemed as important to the many conquering races with so many strategically placed outposts and forts each being conquered destroyed rebuilt in some manner or other at some time. And with many the descriptions at these historical buildings will take your Costa Blanca Holidays one step back in time. The area has been moulded into a rich tapestry most significantly by the Romans and the Arabs where many regions and towns retain names dating back to those times.