Calpe Tourist Information and Calpe Holiday Guide

This page is all about the town of Calpe on the Costa Blanca coast of Spain. It contains useful Calpe tourist information for people intending to visit or holiday in Calpe.

CALPE TOURIST INFORMATION

In this tourist guide to the tourist resort of Calpe on the nortern Costa Blanca in Spain we help visitors who are planning a trip with useful and practical advice on many tourism related subjects such as Calpe car hire, accommodation, hotels, hostels, villa rental, apartment rental, beaches, map, sightseeing, Calpe weather, where to go, where to stay, travel information, airport transfers to Calpe and what to see and do in Calpe.

To make the best of your visit and holiday we cover everything you need to know about Calpe. We also have photos, picture galleries, views, videos and webcams of Calpe.

Calpe Sightseeing

Calpe is a very well known town on the Costa Blanca. There are certainly nicer spots than Calpe but nowhere has the amazing landmark that is the 'Penon de Ifach'. This is a gigantic granite rock towering over 600 metres high. The rock is right on Calpe beach.

It depends on your viewpoint but Calpe is slightly spoilt in our opinion by the high-rise apartment and hotel buildings which mar the sea front views. Just behind these high rise buildings are the Salinas de Saladar are which are salt lakes.

Calpe is definitely a big bustling town far removed from it's origins as a tiny fishing village.

Make sure you visit the local market selling fresh fruits and vegetables as well as other locally-made goods and produce - market day in Calpe is on a Saturday.

The Calpe Oktoberfest is one of the most popular festivals on the Costa Blanca organised by the Carnaval Club Calpe Association and Calpe Town Hall. A traditional German festival this centres around a lot of beer drinking so Brits will enjoy this one too!

Calpe Beaches

Calpe-beach On each side of the rock are two fantastic sandy Calpe beaches and this is the reason why most people come on holiday to Calpe - the beaches are of a very high quality sand and the waters are clean. The beaches are so long and wide that unlike the nearby town of Benidorm, you can always find a spot on the beach. The facilities on the beaches are excellent with many play areas for the children right on the beach itself.

The Calpe beaches are superb and always hold a blue flag which means they are certified as being clean by the European Foundation for Environmental Education. They are surrounded by dozens of restaurants, bars and clubs offering a wide variety of food, drink and entertainment.

Calpe Fish Market

Also to the right-hand side of the rock is the famous Calpe fish market. You may not think it now but Calpe was originally a small fishing village. Even now each day, the fishing boats bring their catch in and you can even watch the fish auctions on the quay and buy the fresh fish yourself. The Calpe restaurants display the raw fish out the front, you point to the plate you want and it then goes back to the kitchen to be cooked.

PHOTOS OF CALPE FISH MARKET

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Photo above - Calpe fish market

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Photo above - Restaurant at Calpe fish market

Calpe History

Calpe's old town still has nice wide avenues where modern buildings and old architecture collide. Calpe is almost three thousand years old and in this area it still retains a sense of history and tradition. The earliest archaeological findings, at the time of the Iberians were found at the Ifach cliffs. Later the Romans established a wealthy colony at the coast whose main activity was the trade of dried and salted fish.

In the Middle Ages, Calpe's local population developed agriculture. Christians and Moslems lived here peacefully together, despite the many attacks from pirates between the 14th and 17th century. In the 18th century this threat was removed and Calpe enjoyed an economic upswing which continues to the day.

CALPE TOURIST INFORMATION VIDEO

This excellent video below shows video images of Calpe featuring the most important tourist attractions of Calpe including the Penon de Ifach (Calpe Rock), Calpe fish market and marina.

PHOTOS OF CALPE

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Photo above - Calpe Rock - the Penon de Ifach

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Photo above - Calpe Bay

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Photo above - Calpe Marina

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Photo above - Calpe beach

To see more photos of Calpe go to our Calpe photo gallery...

Calpe Positives

+ landmark of the giant rock rising from the sea

+ fish market

+ great beaches

+ Bustling town with plenty of shops

Calpe Negatives

- High rise apartment blocks right by the beach

- Feels a little over-developed

- Can be overcrowded in summer

OFFICIAL CALPE TOURIST OFFICE DETAILS

Tourist Info Calpe Centro
Pl. del Mosquit, s/n.
03710 Calpe
Tel: 96 583 85 32

Tourist Info Calpe Peñón
Avda. De los Ejércitos Españoles, 62
03710 Calpe
Tel: 96 583 69 20

IMPORTANT CALPE PHONE NUMBERS

Town Hall: 96 583 36 00
Local Police: 96 583 90 00
Guardia Civil: 96 583 00 80
Fire Brigade: 96 578 00 80
Red Cross: 96 583 16 16
Health Centre: 96 583 50 11
Club Nautico: 96 583 18 09
Post Office: 96 583 08 84

WORKING IN CALPE

If you are coming to the Calpe area to search for work and relocate, then this jobs in Spain for English speakers page is very useful.

MOVING TO CALPE - LIVING IN CALPE

If you have found this guide on Calpe because you are thinking moving to the Calpe area you may also find our moving to Spain section with expat interviews and accounts of how they found their move to Calpe Spain, useful and informative, as well as our living in Spain section which has more tips and advice.

Calpe Tourist Information - Page Summary - This page contains unique content about the beach resort of Calpe, a popular tourist destination on the Costa Blanca coast of Spain. Please help us to make this the number one tourist resource for Calpe by adding any comments, reviews, ratings and feedback on any aspect of Calpe that you know about. We also welcome your photos, pictures and videos of Calpe for posting on our website.

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