Alicante
Alicante is really two coastlines. North of the city, in the Marina Alta, pine-covered cliffs drop into pebble coves so clear they look retouched, with sea caves cut by centuries of stonecutters and watchtowers built against pirates. South of it, long golden beaches roll out behind protected dune systems, easy to reach and built for a full day. Between them sits Tabarca, the only inhabited island on this coast and home to Spain’s first marine reserve. These guides cover access, parking, the summer barrier systems that close several coves once they fill, and what the ground under your feet is actually made of.
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Racó del Conill, Villajoyosa: The Complete Guide to This Hidden Naturist Cove
A signposted naturist cove north of Villajoyosa, barely 100 metres long: clear water, good snorkelling off the central outcrop, and the Colada de la Costa path to a 16th-century watchtower when the pebbles fill up.
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Playa Paraíso, Villajoyosa: The Complete Guide to This Long Coastal Stretch
Beaches on this coast are usually either small and hard to reach or long and completely built up. Playa Paraíso is neither, which is the whole point of it. Where the quiet end is, what the seabed is like, and how to get there.
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Playa de la Fossa, Calpe: The Complete Guide Beneath the Peñón de Ifach
Calpe’s main beach sits directly beneath the 332-metre Peñón de Ifach: nearly a kilometre of golden sand, a floating platform, snorkelling off the rocks, and a quieter southern end.
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Playa Mascarat, Altea: The Complete Guide to This Pebble Cove Beneath the Cliffs
For centuries the gorge directly behind this beach was the reason travellers avoided the whole stretch of coast. Now it is what keeps Mascarat quiet. Pebbles, clear water, cliffs overhead, and an access that still puts most people off.
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La Cova Tallada, Dénia/Jávea: The Complete Guide to This Historic Sea Cave
Everything else in these guides is a beach. La Cova Tallada is a quarry that flooded — cut by hand out of the cliff, now reachable only on foot or by sea, and subject to an access permit in summer. How the permit works and what the walk demands.
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Cala el Portet, Moraira: The Complete Guide to This Sheltered Sandy Cove
A shell-shaped bay sheltered by the Cap d’Or headland, with real sand, a shallow entry that suits young children, snorkelling along the rocky edges, and the hour-long climb to the watchtower.