Spain

Altea: The Santorini of Spain

September 12, 2017

White washed houses, flowers dotting the view, iconic blue domed roofs, gorgeous ocean views…

Sounds like Santorini, Greece, doesn’t it? I couldn’t fault you for thinking that you were in the Aegean’s most famous island, because it’s almost a spitting image of the place, but no – Altea, Spain isn’t anywhere near Santorini. In fact, the only way to tell the two apart is the style of architecture.

Altea is located on the Southern coast of Spain, on the region known as Costa Blanca. It’s situated near the cities of Calpe and Benidorm, and makes for a great day trip.

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The town is divided into a new and old neighborhood. While the new town may have more amenities, the more picturesque part of the town is the Old Town.

Unlike other tourist sites, Altea Old Town doesn’t have a list of things you need to rush to do in order to feel like you’ve properly “done” Altea. Instead, it’s worth your while to simply wander around the winding streets, snapping photos and enjoying the warm Mediterranean breeze.

There are many small shops along the little streets, selling goodies and trinkets. Window shopping is one of the best things to do in Altea. There are also quite a few restaurants, which all serve delicious food and offer delectable views.

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Altea, like Santorini, has an iconic church with blue-domed roof. If you are looking for it, it’s called La Mare de Déu del Consol.

Have I convinced you yet? Well here are some more details about the place.

How to See Altea for Yourself

How to get there:

From the Alicante airport, you can either take a bus, a taxi, a bus and train combo, or rent a car to get to Altea. Personally, we were already on a roadtrip so we just drove. Driving to Altea is fairly simple, just be aware that you cannot park your car in the Old Town area! The streets are too narrow. For more information on how to get to Altea, see this website.

When to go:

Summer is the best time to go. Unlike with other travel destinations, Altea is still pretty off the radar and therefore even in the peak months of summer enjoys a lovely and uncrowded environment. However, it is still good to come here any time of year because the climate is very mild and the average year round temperature is 18-20° C.

Excursions:

There are a number of noteworthy places near Altea that you can visit. The first being Villajoyosa, a lovely and very colorful town. There’s also Calpe, a small city with a huge rock formation jutting out of the sea right next to it. Javea, which is a summery beachy town, and lastly, if you’re looking for nightlife, Benidorm.