The Costa Blanca is the coastline of Spain that stretches 170 miles along the east coast, centred around Alicante where you will find the international airport. This coast runs from Valencia in the north to La Manga in the south. The Costa Blanca is probably most famous for the seaside town of Benidorm which has always been a family holiday resort. Away from the coastline, the Costa Blanca has a backdrop of mountains and open countryside with a handful of small villages. The Jalon Valley is particularly beautiful with its tiny hilltop towns.

Fiestas, traditions and more on the Costa Blanca
The best known traditional dances on the Costa Blanca are the Jota Valenciana and the Jota Murciana. These can be performed either solo or in pairs and although the partners do not actually make contact with each other, the movements are both vigorous and gracious. The dancers are accompanied by musicians playing guitars or other instruments introduced to the area by the Moors. Flamenco is also popular here.

Sports and recreation on the Costa Blanca
Much of a holiday on the Costa Blanca will be spent on one of the wonderful beaches and there are hundreds of miles of them. Most of the major resorts have facilities for water sports such as skiing, boating, jet-skiing etc and several have diving and snorkelling available. Scuba-diving has taken off in a big way on the Costa Blanca. Wind surfing is one of Spain's fastest growing sports and on this coast it is popular. See also fishing. The Costa Blanca is home to many British people who live there permanantly. This has sparked a whole host of sports and activities, aimed at foreigners.

If you are considering settling on the Costa Blanca, you will find a very large English speaking community and an endless supply of properties. Property prices here are cheap in comparison with other coastal areas of Spain. See more about property on the Costa Blanca here.

Climate on the Costa Blanca

The area has a good climate that is pleasant most of the year and the average annual temperature is 18º. The humidity here is low and is especially good for sufferers of arthritis. The beaches here are one of the biggest attractions to tourists and most of them comprise of wonderfully clean, white sand. Most of the resorts offer a wide range of water sports.

Scuba Diving is plentiful

Average monthly temperatures on the Costa Blanca (approx.)
January	13º C
February	14º C
March	17º C
April	17º C
May	21º C
June	25º C
July	25,5º C
August	28º C
September	24,5º C
October	22º C
November	17º C
December	13º C

Hotels and accommodation on the Costa Blanca

Each resort on the Costa Blanca has a wide range of hotels ranging from small hostels through to large, luxury 5 star hotels with spas and golf courses. Away from the coast, the region of Valencia has a wide range of casa Rurals which are small, friendly houses, converted to bed and breakfasts. Idealspain have reviewed many hotels on the Costa Blanca. Prices of hotels on the Costa Blanca are very reasonable and vary according to season. Some hotels such as those in Benidorm are popular with retirees in the winter. They often stay for several months at a time. Instead of hotels, you could consider renting a private apartment or villa on the Costa Blanca. There are plenty to choose from and specialist agents can book them for you.

Videos of the Costa Blanca

Where to go and what to do on the Costa Blanca

For history enthusiasts on the Costa Blanca

If you like history then why not follow the 90km Ruta dels Monestirs (Route of the Monasteries). Take in the very best of the Valencian monasteries. There are many villages within the region of Valencia that are full of history. Indeed, most places have ancient churches, monasteries and much more. The tourist services on the Costa Blanca are very keen to promote this side of the region. Most towns have a museum, some are very impressive. There are also lots of castles to visit.

For families on the Costa Blanca

Theme parks include:

Terra Natura, Benidorm - A very large animal park - More info and video here

Terra Mitica, Benidorm - Theme park for the whole family

Aqua Natura, Benidorm - Large water fun park

Mundomar, Benidorm - A water based animal park

Go-karting seems to be popular on the Costa Blanca and there are some superb tracks such as Oliva and Javea.

Idealspain's visits to the Costa Blanca
We have toured the Costa Blanca many times and have explored the well known holiday resorts, the lesser known resorts and the inland villages. We have seen a varied landscape and culture and the region appears to offer everything. The main resorts survive almost entirely on tourism and are booming. There are still a few small villages that have been unaffected by tourism and are worthy of exploration. Idealspain is still touring the Costa Blanca and our pages are updated daily.

The media on the Costa Blanca

With such a large international community, there's no wonder that that the Costa Blanca has such a wide range of English speaking media sources. These include English newspapers, radio and local TV stations.

Radio stations on the Costa Blanca include:

Vibe FM - 90.8 & 91.1 FM - Tel 966 260 888, Studio 660 234 768

Coast FM Live - 96.3 & 105.7 FM

Onda Cero Radio - 91.3FM

Cool FM - 97.4FM - www.coolfm974.com

Bay Radio 89.2FM (Denia-Valencia), 98.5FM - www.bayradio.fm

Exite FM Radio - 89.2 and 93.1FM - www.exitefm.com

Spectrum FM Radio - 89.8FM - www.spectrumfm.net

Sunshine FM Radio - 102.8 and 104.4FM - www.sunshine-fm.com

Radio Denia Ser (Spanish) - 92.5FM and 102.5FM