The prettiest towns near Alicante

Alicante province splits its most photogenic towns between two very different landscapes: the whitewashed ones on the coast, built facing the sea and, for centuries, defending against it, and the stone ones inland, perched on crags or tucked into the mountains. This selection covers nine of them, coastal and inland, focused on what actually sets each one apart from its neighbours. For getting there without a car, the transport guide to the towns covers each line in detail.

Altea: a white old town under a blue dome

Altea's old quarter climbs in cobbled streets toward the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Consuelo, recognisable from much of the bay by its blue-and-white tiled dome. Whitewashed façades and potted plants on every corner make up the most photographed scene on the north coast, and the viewpoint beside the church gives one of the best views along the coastline towards the Peñón de Ifach. It is reached by a direct TRAM ride from Alicante, no car needed.

La Vila Joiosa: a row of painted houses

La Vila Joiosa's seafront is instantly recognisable for its row of brightly painted façades, a tradition the town itself traces to fishermen needing to spot their house from out at sea when returning with the boat. Behind that first line sits a medieval-origin old town with surviving stretches of wall, from an era when this coast built watchtowers against Barbary pirate raids. It also sits on TRAM line 1, with a stop in the town centre.

Xàbia: between the cape and the coves

Xàbia pairs a golden-stone old town with a heavily indented coastline, including the Cala de la Granadella, one of the most photographed coves in the Marina Alta. The town has no tram stop of its own; it is reached by combining the TRAM to Gata de Gorgos with a connecting bus, a longer trip than driving but manageable without a car.

Dénia: a castle, a port and a mountain

Dénia is built around its hilltop castle, with views over the whole bay, the fishermen's quarter down by the port, and the Montgó massif, which closes off the town inland. It has also been a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy since 2015, a status that shows in the market and the restaurants around the harbour. It is the final stop on TRAM line 9, so it is reachable by public transport with no extra transfers once on the north coast route.

Guadalest: the village on the rock

Guadalest sits on a rock spur, with the turquoise reservoir visible from the viewpoint at the entrance and the ruined castle crowning the village. It was declared a historic-artistic site in 1974 and is, by a wide margin, the most-visited mountain excursion in the province. It is also the least practical without a car: there is no direct bus from Alicante, and combining tram and connecting bus easily runs past two and a half hours each way.

Polop: the village of a hundred spouts

The Font dels Xorros, in Polop's central square, sends water through more than two hundred ceramic spouts, each one dedicated to a different town in the province. The writer Gabriel Miró spent several summers here in the 1920s and wrote part of his last novel in a house beside a nearby spring, now a museum. There is no tram or train; it is reached by car, or by combining the TRAM to Benidorm with a connecting bus inland.

Finestrat: in the shadow of Puig Campana

Finestrat sits at the foot of Puig Campana, the second-highest peak in the province, recognisable by the deep notch in its profile that local tradition calls the Tajo de Roldán. The old town, far quieter than the theme parks on the nearby coast, keeps narrow streets around the church of Sant Bartomeu. It is reached by car, or by combining the tram to Benidorm with a local connecting service into the village.

Biar: an Andalusi castle on the border of two kingdoms

The Castillo de Biar, of Andalusi origin and built in the mid-12th century, crowns the village from a hill 750 metres up and marked the border between the Crowns of Aragón and Castile for centuries. Below it, the village keeps a medieval aqueduct and streets that climb toward the fortress. There is no train station of its own: it is reached by car, or by completing the last stretch from Villena by bus.

Alcoi: the bridge that reshaped the city

Alcoi is strung across several ravines that the Puente de Sant Jordi, a reinforced-concrete bridge finished in 1927, spans in one leap, and it remains the city's most recognisable landmark. The industrial, modernist-era town centre quickly gives way to the sierra: the Font Roja Natural Park starts just a few minutes' drive from the centre. Alcoi has its own train station, but the line runs towards Xàtiva and the rest of the Comunitat Valenciana rather than towards Alicante, so the interurban bus is the practical way in without a car.

Frequently asked questions

What is the prettiest town in Alicante province?

There isn't just one: Altea and La Vila Joiosa stand out for their coastal old towns, Guadalest for its position on the rock, and Biar and Alcoi for their inland heritage, each for a different reason.

Which pretty town can be visited without a car?

Altea and La Vila Joiosa both sit on TRAM line 1, so neither needs a car from Alicante.

Is Guadalest the most-visited town in the area?

It is, by a wide margin, the most-visited mountain excursion in the province, though also the least accessible by public transport.

Which inland towns are worth visiting besides Guadalest?

Biar, for its 12th-century Andalusi castle, and Polop, for its fountain of more than two hundred spouts, are two inland alternatives with a very different character from Guadalest.