What to see in La Vila Joiosa

Villajoyosa is recognisable from a distance by the brightly coloured house fronts lined up facing the harbour and the mouth of the Amadorio river, inside the walled old town. According to local tradition, fishermen painted their houses in the same colours used on their boats so they could pick them out from the sea on the way back from fishing; over time, that practical habit became the town's most photographed feature. Before the medieval foundation, some historians place the Roman city of Alonis at this same site, though its exact location has not been confirmed with certainty.

A town founded to defend the coast

The present-day settlement was founded in 1300 by Bernardo de Sarriá, admiral to James II of Aragón, specifically to strengthen the coastal defences. It gained royal town status in 1443, and during the 16th century Felipe II ordered new walls built to withstand Barbary raids, which were no abstract threat: in 1538 a large-scale pirate assault was fought off by the residents themselves, an episode the town still commemorates every year in its late-July Moros y Cristianos festival, declared of International Tourist Interest in 2003. Part of that defensive system survives in the Torre de Sant Josep and in the layout of the old town itself.

Chocolate and heritage

Since 1881, Villajoyosa has been home to the Chocolates Valor factory, one of Spain's oldest chocolate makers still operating; the Museo del Chocolate Valor, next to the factory, walks visitors through the process from cocoa bean to finished bar. That combination of a chocolate industry and beach tourism is unusual on the Mediterranean coast and is part of what sets the town apart. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, built against the old walls, and the Embalse del Amadorio reservoir inland round out a route that mixes religious, industrial and natural heritage.

With close to 37,000 residents and 15 kilometres of coast spread across thirteen beaches and coves, Villajoyosa pairs its historic centre with stretches of sand and smaller spots on either side of the town, a combination that keeps it a frequent stop on the route between Alicante and Benidorm, especially for travellers on the coastal TRAM. Mild weather and easy access to both Benidorm and Alicante have also made Villajoyosa a common place to live for people working in the district's tourism sector.