What primarily attracts Swedes to vacation and/or buy a home on the Costa Blanca is the sun, the sea and the relaxed lifestyle. It also doesn't hurt that it is cheap to get accommodation here, and that food and drink etc. are much cheaper than in Sweden. In addition, more and more Swedish and Norwegian airlines are offering low-cost flights to the capital Alicante. For example, Norwegian's initiative with regular flights at low prices from Karlstad and Umeå to Alicante has meant that interest in this part of Spain has increased further. In addition, a year ago, HSBC, one of the largest global financial institutions, released a report that stated that the Costa Blanca is one of the absolute best regions in the world to buy a home in right now.

In this combined travel guide/buying guide, we therefore thought of going through the best resorts on the Costa Blanca for both those who want to go on a sun holiday and those who want to buy a home in the area. We give tips on the best sights, cities and the finest beaches. We conclude with general information about the Costa Blanca, with a map and facts about the climate, etc.

Read our article about investing in Spain. Figures on how well Costa Blanca stands up to the competition, etc.

Would you like to buy a property on the Costa Blanca? Write to emil@spanskarealestate.se for more information. See also our international subsidiary page.

For hotel or residential rental (including long-term rentals, so-called long stays) Hotels.com is recommended. Book long stay villas and apartments at the best prices on the market.

Notable areas and beaches on the Costa Blanca

The capital of the Costa Blanca is Alicante. It is also where the flights arrive. However, for most people, Alicante city is more of a gateway to other places. The city, which has over 300,000 inhabitants, is worth a trip if you have time. Here you can find shopping (the prices of clothes etc. are quite high, however), good restaurants, culture and history. Just like Malaga On Costa Del Sol , Alicante city also has several nice beaches in its immediate vicinity, such as Playa de San Juan. The big tourist attraction, however, is the old castle Castillo de Santa Bárbara.

Torrevieja is by far the most popular resort near Alicante. There is a new direct bus to Torrevieja every two hours from the airport. The journey time is about 40 minutes (60 km). It is also no problem to rent a car during your holiday in the area. The N332 motorway is newly built and has four lanes and rental cars are cheapWe also think that the traffic is calmer here compared to, for example, Greece or Italy.

Torrevieja is the place where we receive by far the most inquiries about renting a holiday home, both long-term and short-term. Due to the currently very low prices of properties in the area, Torrevieja is also at the top for inquiries about homes for sale. However, no one buys in Torrevieja city, but people prefer, for example La Mata (5 kilometers northeast of Torrevieja) which has a very nice beach , according to many one of the best in Spain. Torre La Mata is free from the typical high-rise hotels, and both tourists and locals praise the area's genuine Spanish charm. It is mainly this that has made La Mata a popular residential area for those who want to buy a relatively cheap home near the beach. Nowadays, you can get a lot of housing for the money here.

Guardamar is an extension of La Mata. You can walk all the way along the sea from La Mata to Guardamar. It takes about four hours if you walk at a normal pace. Along the sea promenade you pass, among other things, an area called Pinomar. This is a quiet area that was popular in the early 80s.

When it comes to buying a home, Orihuela perhaps the most popular area on the Costa Blanca right now. Everyone refers to Orihuela as "southern Torrevieja", but the town is its own municipality, which is good to know. Ciudad Orihuela is located a couple of miles inland, at the foot of the Sierra de Orihuela mountain. But the area extends all the way down to the Mediterranean Sea. Lemons, oranges, pomegranates, cotton and lots of delicious vegetables are grown in the area. The many beautiful monuments and buildings testify to the area's very rich history.

Cabo Roi is an exclusive but nevertheless very affordable area, 20 minutes from Orihuela (35 minutes from the airport)! By the beautiful bay, which is watched over by an old fort, built in the 16th century as a protection against pirates, lie the sandy beaches of La Caleta and Cala Capitain. Below Cabo Roiis Thousand Palms. Many people want to go viewing here, but few buy as Palmeras has seen better days and is poor in activities.

Other popular areas nearby are Playa Flamenca with its golden beaches, La Cenuela and La Zenia (right before the bridge to La Zenia is Spain's fourth largest shopping town center ). Here you will find proximity to the sea and activities such as horse riding, golf, shopping, etc. The areas are fresh and much is newly built. Zeniamar is, by the way, a very attractive residential area for Scandinavians, which is a bit reminiscent of (but cannot quite compete with) the jewel of Costa del Sol Capistrano Village.

A few kilometres inland, from La Zenia, lies Villa Martin with four golf courses for those who want to live near golf courses. However, there are plenty of golf courses along the entire coast. If you want a real challenge, book yourself on the golf course located on the beach in Alicante. It was designed by the legend Seve Ballesteros and is said to contain several difficult water courses and sand bunkers.

Approximately one mile northwest of Torrevieja lies the mountainous area Quesada with its spectacular cliff. The area's desert landscape brings to mind the western landscapes of Arizona or Nevada in the US. Dona Pepe is an area that is a very good option for those who want to buy a home around Quesada. Here you have everything you need, the homes are cheap and the beaches (there are two to choose from in different directions) are no more than ten kilometers away.

Benidorm is a holiday classic and still the number one tourist destination on the coast (read: for Brits). The nightlife here is buzzing, it is teeming with hotels, restaurants and various types of entertainment. However, the trend is quite clear, modern travelers want a little more genuine, not quite so “touristy” alternatives for their holidays. Buying a home here then? Many people come to Benidorm to look at houses and apartments for sale, but they usually end up choosing another place along the coast. If you can't afford to live right on the beach, the view of the sea is obscured by the giant building complexes. In fact, Benidorm, with just over 70,000 inhabitants, has the most tall buildings per capita in the world.

Our real estate agent firmly states that “if you want to live in Benidorm, you should live on the other side of the road, in the mountains with a view of the sea.” The beautiful and elevated village Finestrat is an attractive alternative. Finestrat, located 40 kilometers north of Alicante, is considered Benidorm's best area, with a good selection of restaurants, SPA facilities, etc. However, it costs a little more to both buy and rent a home here.

About 10 minutes north of Benidorm, along the N-332, is found the coastal town of Altea. The town, set in a bay with the mountains towering in the background, is very picturesque. The town has a strong cultural heritage and has long been a hub for artists, sculptors and writers. When Altea also recently inaugurated its University of Culture and Art, the town was awarded the official title of “Cultural Capital of the Valencian Community”. The beaches around Altea are a bit rocky but still lovely and very clean. The finest of the area’s beaches is in the increasingly popular area of Albir (which however needs to grow a little further to become attractive to buyers) 3 kilometers south of Altea.

If we continue north towards Valencia, approximately 12 kilometers, we arrive at the city Calpe, whose mighty cliff, Peñon de lfach, has become a symbol of the entire Costa Blanca. Here there are 14 beaches of different types, all of which are clean, unspoiled and very beautiful. In Calpe there are five ports. The most popular, however, is undoubtedly the one beautifully located right at the foot of the cliff. Calpe is not a city for those looking for wild nightlife, but is aimed at nature lovers. The area offers wonderful hiking trails through the beautiful natural park, walks along golden beaches and exotic lagoons with pink flamingos and much more.

Do you like wine? Then visit the fantastic The Garroferal Winery located in Vall de Pop (near Calpe) between Alicante and Valencia.

Another hour north of Benidorm, along the coast, we find the nice little town of Denia. As it turned out, the Romans dedicated this city to the goddess Diana and made its port one of the busiest in the entire Iberian Peninsula. Denia has a 20-kilometer coastline, with fine sandy beaches along the northern part and more rocky shores in the south.

Attractions and excursion destinations 

• South of La Manga, near the Mar Menor, is found Calblanque, a beautiful natural paradise that is one of the few stretches of coastline along the Mediterranean that has been left untouched, and virtually undiscovered. Here you will find 13 kilometers of quiet coves, beaches and fossilized dunes – beautifully framed by pine forests and jagged cliffs. The salt lagoons attract a myriad of different bird species and the hills and cliffs are home to a unique fauna. The area can be a little difficult to find, but drive the Cartagena-La Manga motorway and take the Calblanque exit, about a kilometer after Los Belones, and you will enter a dirt road that leads to the La Jordana tourist office.
• Don't miss the salt lakes on the outskirts of Torrevieja (Salinas de Santa Pola). In the evening the lakes are lit up in an orange shimmer by all the crustaceans. With the mountains towering in the background it is a truly impressive sight! In the area which is now a natural park you can, if you are lucky, also see pink Flamingos. The area is said to be one of the healthiest places in the world. A client told me that his doctor recommends, if you suffer from psoriasis, that you bathe for 20 minutes, three times a week, in the lakes.
• Speaking of healthy places. Fortuna's natural hot springs are a real highlight! Fortuna is located about an hour inland from Torrevieja. When the Romans ruled the area, they had the world's first (known) luxury baths constructed. This is a spa with a very rich history. We highly recommend a visit to one of the area's spa facilities.
• Valencia is a modern Spanish city, located about 200 kilometers north of the airport in Alicante. There are countless museums, shops, etc. There are cruises from Valencia to Mallorca. The cruises we know of take about twelve hours, and are 3-day trips departing on Fridays.
• Cathedral of Santa Maria in Murcia is one of the most visited buildings in Spain. Murcia in general has a lot of culture and history to show.
• Guadalest is located about 90 minutes north of Torrevieja, 30 kilometers inland from Benidorm. Guadalest is an enchanting village located on a cliff. Above the village are the beautiful ruins of an old castle and below the valley, with the deep and beautifully turquoise lake, spreads out. Beautiful as it is!
• South along the Mediterranean we find Costa Calida in the region of Murcia. The Costa Calida is a very beautiful, unspoilt natural area. The area with its pristine beaches, beautiful villages and rolling landscapes stretches all the way down to Almeria in eastern Andalusia. We definitely recommend a visit to the Costa Calida, but at the same time our broker points out that many visit, but no one buys here. It is simply too sleepy. If you prefer this, it is recommended these newly built apartments for sale in Murcia.

• La Manga is the two-mile-long “spit” on the coast of the Murcia region. It is very beautiful here, but to be honest, it is a bit “offside”. Excuse the pun, because surely you think of football when you hear the name La Manga? The Swedish national team, and most Allsvenskan clubs, usually hold their training camps here. Incidentally, it was in La Manga that a teenage Zlatan, in a training match against a Norwegian team, overturned the law of gravity with a couple of incomparable feints. Ajax’s then coach stood on the side of the field and watched, completely amazed. After Zlatan netted, according to legend, he immediately pulled out his wallet and offered Malmö FF 80 million for the magical Swede.
• Southwest of La Manga lies the historic town of Cartagena. The city was founded in 227 BC and is well worth a visit for anyone interested in Spanish history. 

• In addition to all the beautiful beaches, mountain areas and whitewashed villages on the Costa Blanca, there are, as befits an international tourist magnet, all kinds of activities: water parks, animal safaris, golf, etc. Contact the nearest tourist office when you arrive in your town and you will receive brochures with information about these types of entertainment facilities.

Read also: Book a hotel on the Costa Blanca and This is how you can buy a house in Spain.

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Facts Costa Blanca

• The Costa Blanca is a coastal area in the province of Alicante (which is also the name of the area's capital) in the Valencia region.
• The coastline is 219 kilometers long.
• The Costa Blanca has 149 towns/cities, with a total population of 1.3 million.
• It's about 40 miles to the capital city Madrid.
• It is about 500 kilometers to Malaga on Costa del Sol .
• If you want to fly to Alicante, you can fly to Alicante Airport or Valencia International Airport. The flight time to Alicante is approximately four hours. Tips on where to book flights.
• The Valencia region is The homeland of paella so take the opportunity to eat paella here! Another culinary specialty is Nougat, nougat with honey and almonds. The area is also a major exporter of wine, olive oil and fruit.

The climate

The climate in the Costa Blanca is very good. There are 320 sunny days a year and very mild winters. There are also not many rainy days even during the winter. In January, which is the “worst” month, there are only 5 rainy days on average. In July it rains on average only one day while the average temperature during the summer is around 30 degrees. The best time to visit the Costa Blanca, in our opinion, is May when it is moderately warm. However, the temperature in the Mediterranean does not reach above 20 degrees until June. On the other hand, the water temperature does not drop below 20 degrees until November.

Map Costa Blanca

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