Road trip through Marina Baixa: beach and mountain on the same day

Alicante means beach, Alicante means mountain, Alicante means history. On its 5,816 square kilometres of extension we can find a great variety of landscape and a total of 244 kilometres of coastline, linking Denia to Pilar de la Horadada. This region, also known as “Costa Blanca”, offers a wide range of road trips you can take to soak up culture.

On this post, we are visiting the Marina Baixa, a beautiful region of Alicante that goes far beyond the typical sun and beach tourism and offers historical towns, waterfalls and some real beautiful landscapes. We recommend you fly to Alicante, rent your car at the Alicante airport, put your favourite music on and start driving!

Alicante, the city bathed by the Mediterranean Sea

Alicante boasts five fantastic beaches of its own spread over 15 kilometres. All are very different from each other and each of them has its uniqueness: the Saladar-Urbanova has dunes; on El Postiguet, you will see the “Santa Bárbara de Sentinel” castle while swimming; the Albufereta, where you can enjoy very close to the Lucentum Roman site; Almadraba, crystal clear waters and rocks; and San Juan Beach, which represents the definition of amplitude.

To learn more about what is beyond the city, immerse yourself inside the city centre. With a mix of cosmopolitan vibe of a big city and the historical side of the old town, you cannot miss the colourful Santa Cruz neighbourhood (this is really a must!). Once you have finished the visit of the capital of the province, we start our car route northbound on the AP-7 to Altea, a magical coastal town.

Altea: beaches, caves and cliffs

Altea stands out for its whitewashed old town. Take your time wandering through the curvy streets up the hill. At the top, you can find many restaurants and souvenir shops surround the “Iglesia de la Virgen del Consuelo”, a blue-domed church with great views. Its narrow streets and viewpoints have attracted many painters such as Benjamín Palencia, Eberhard Schlotter or Toni Miró. But of course, there beaches to rest your feet after walking around this breath-taking town.

There is also a beautiful trip to enjoy along the Guadalest river and the Algar River, which forms an impressive natural landscape and is located only 15 kilometres of Altea.

A short stretch west of Altea along the the CV-755, we get to Callosa d’En Sarrià, where a gorgeous green area rests with waterfalls.  The town’s main attractions include the “Fuentes de Algar”, a sugar cane field where you can enjoy a wonderful paella on the banks of the river and a 1.5 km walk along the river. Take a good bath in one of the natural pools you can find and enjoy the truly Mediterranean climate, the water is at a great temperature!

Castle of Guadalest, a town in a rock of the "Sierra de Aitana"

About 15 minutes west of Callosa d’En Sarrià lies Guadalest (the CV-755), better known as “Castell de Guadalest”, a historical town around the “Sierra de Aitana” at 586 meters.

This town is preserved as it was built by the Arabs and can only be accessed through a gate. You can meander through the typical houses of the old town and visit none other than… 8 museums!

Descent to Benidorm passing by Polop

Once visited Guadalest and some (or all) of its museums, we follow our route along the CV-70 towards what leads us to the final stage of our trip: Benidorm. Known as the Manhattan of the Mediterranean, the skyscrapers are the iconic landmarks of the city. However, you can also enjoy part of unspoilt coastline.

Next to the last skyscraper of the city is located the Serra Gelada, six kilometres of rugged coastline and natural landscapes. You can enjoy it through different options: by car you can see the skyline of Benidorm from the cross of the first peak or go to the Alfàs del Pi, at the northern end of the mountain range and walk (about 45 minutes) to the lighthouse of Albir. The third option is to walk directly from the beach to Punta del Carvall, where you can gawk cliffs of more than 300 meters high.

This trip by road only cover a distance of 127 kilometres, which on quiet roads can be accomplished in a little less than 3 hours. But with the opportunity to drive through some of the Alicante’s most beautiful location… why rush a trip in 3 hours which is sufficiently enchanting to stretch over 2 or 3 days?