Altea Tourist Information including Rent a Car in Altea and Altea Villa Rental
This page is all about the town of Altea on the Costa Blanca coast of Spain. It contains useful Altea tourist information for people intending to visit or holiday in Altea.
Altea is one of the best places to visit on the Costa Blanca. It has retained it's beauty and charm unlike many other former fishing villages.
Altea is located south of Calpe and about 15 kilometres north of Benidorm. This makes it a great location to live or visit. Altea has a quiet charm yet is close to bigger more vibrant towns with good shopping and nightlife.
Altea has a population of 20,000 but in the summer tourist season this swells to 50,000. The name Altea comes from the Greek: Altahia (I heal) and from the river Algar (the river of the health). Numerous groups of people settled in Altea, including the Iberians, Greeks, Romans and Moslems.
Altea prospered due to it's strategic importance because the city lies in the vicinity of the mouth of the river Algar. Altea harbour was perfect for supplying the sailors and fisherman with fresh drinking water. Under the Greek and Roman leaderships, the region became an important trade centre. Many factories sprung up producing dried salt fish. The production was also improved by the Arabians however Altea was hit badly at the beginning of the 17th century due to attacks by pirates, what led to a dramatic decline of the population numbers and the guns to fight the pirates off are displayed in the town.
Altea is famous for the landmark church of Nuestra Senora del Consuelo or Virgen de Consuelo with its fantastic looking blue roof. This is set up on a hill and can be seen for miles around. The old town part of Altea is set on a steep hillside and the streets are littered with small designer shops and is popular with artists. Amongst the narrow streets with their scenic white houses, orange trees and geraniums you'll find painters, potters and many other traditional craftsmen's studios. There is a real authentic Spanish feel to Altea town, often missing from others on the coast.
The harbor and marina of Altea are also noteworthy. It is very pretty and scenic and a great place to eat or drink. The beach of Altea is over 5 km long and is divided into the stoney Cap Negret beach to the north of Altea, followed by the La Roda beach next to the old town and the largest beach the Cap Blanc to the south which blends into the coast of Albir.
Along Altea's yacht harbor you will find the beaches of Pueblo Macarat. Unusually for the Costa Blanca this is not your typical sandy beach but primarily pebble. Despite this, Altea offers so much ambience that it just doesn't matter, this is definitely a place worthy of visiting.
Altea is surrounded by mountains making it is a very scenic place. The Sierra de Bernia reaches up to 1130 metres. Altea Hills is one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive place to buy property on the Costa Blanca.
If you are visiting Altea on holiday or if you live in Altea or are thinking of moving to Altea we hope this page on Altea tourist information has been useful.
Other useful Altea pages:
Altea Property Guide | Altea Hotels | Altea Webcams | Altea Car Hire | Estate Agents in Altea | Altea Villas For Sale | Altea Apartments For Sale | Altea Apartments For Rent | Altea Villas For Rent | Altea Weather | Long Term Lets Altea
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