Costa del Azahar and Costa Blanca

There are good connections from Alicante airport, approximately 100km away up the Costa del Azahar or Valencia airport approximately 75km away via the A7 motorway (exact details will be provided on booking). Car hire is readily available at both airports alternatively for a reasonable fee a pickup can be arranged and a car can be hired in Oliva if required. Buses run from the town centre to near-by Gandia, where you can catch a train to Valencia, all areas of the Costa del Azahar and beyond - trains are regular, cheap, clean and above all reliable! Oliva is surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery and aromatic orange and lemon groves. The region lies on one of Europe's largest subterranean lakes, making it very green and fertile. Just outside Oliva is the Oliva Nova 18 hole golf course offering excellent facilities. A further 3 golf courses can be found within a short drive of Oliva. For information on other golf courses you can take a look at the Valencia Trader website.

Drive up the Costa del Azahar towards Valencia and you will reach Gandia, again traditionally Spanish with a wide variety of shops and restaurants. Here you can catch a train to Valencia passing through rice paddy fields on the way.

The drive south takes you past Oliva Nova Golf to the more traditional, but still refined seaside resorts of Denia, Javea, Calpe and Altea, each with it's own unique charm. If you wish to travel a little further you will leave the Costa del Azahar and reach Benidorm, in Costa Blanca, providing you with all the tourist attractions of a modern holiday resort. For the young and the young at heart Terra Mitica Theme Park on the outskirts of Benidorm is a must. With lots of rides and attractions to suite all the family it makes a great day out.

Some inland towns on the Costa Del Azahar particularly worth a visit are the monumental town of Xativa with its magnificent castle and streets full of Spanish life and also Guadalest set high in the hills and built into the side of the mountain. It boasts an array of narrow, cobbled, winding streets and host of gift shops and cafes as you climb up to the fortress with its unrivalled views over the dramatic peaks and the Guadalest valley. The animal sanctuary El Arca, just on the edge of Guadalest will leave captivated by the close proximity to wild animals you would not expect to find in Spain. On our two visits we were able to play with Tiger Cubs. The Sanctuary's main aim is to rehabilitate and care for animals that have been miss treated in their earlier life.

Just an hours drive down the A7 south will take you to Alicante or head north to Valencia. These two provincial capitals are both worthy of a day's visit. Alicante, the capital of Costa Blanca attracts a cosmopolitan crowd, especially along the Explanada de Espana. The splendid waterfront promenade that stretches alongside the harbour. The city is home to some of the best restaurants and Tapas bars in the region. A prominent site is the Castillo de Santa Barbra perched 350 feet above the city on mount Benacantil.

A stroll around the capital of Costa del Azahar, Valencia, will allow you to sense the power of many centuries of history. We found one of the best ways to see the sights was by the tourist bus, taking us past many historic building and churches and onto the modern futurist science park including the L'Oceanografic aquarium. You can hop on and off at various points and enjoy the sights at your leisure.




Some of the great places to visit easily accessible from Oliva:

  • Alicante
  • Valencia
  • Benidorm
  • Gandia
  • Denia
  • Guadalest
  • Murcia
  • Albacete
  • Elda
  • Xativa
  • Majorca *
  • Ibiza *

  •  *via ferry from Denia, visit useful info page for links to timtables

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