Can I see all five historic towns on one trip?

Not on a day trip, but on a 4–5 day inland loop yes: Elche (day 1) → Orihuela (day 1 pm) → Villena (day 2) → Alcoy (day 3) → Dénia (day 4). All have boutique hotels in restored historic buildings.

Which is the best historic town for an overnight?

Dénia for food and atmosphere; Villena for castle drama; Elche for UNESCO depth. Orihuela has the fewest tourists and the most impressive religious architecture for its size.

Are the towns walkable?

All five have compact, mostly pedestrianised historic centres. Villena and Dénia involve a climb up to the castle (steep cobbled streets). Park outside the historic core in every case.

Best month for visiting historic towns?

April–June and September–October. Inland temperatures climb above 35°C in July–August. Festival weeks (Alcoy April, Orihuela Holy Week, Elche August Misteri) add a layer but bring crowds.

Do the historic towns have good restaurants?

Excellent. Elche (Mesón El Granaíno, Datil de Oro), Dénia (the whole city), Villena (Restaurante Sevilla for Vinalopó cuisine), Orihuela (Casa Corro). Almost every town has a 1-Sol Repsol or Michelin-listed restaurant within 10 minutes.

When is the best time to visit the Costa Blanca?

May, June, September and October.

Recommended for inland trips and beach-hopping.

Is the Costa Blanca family-friendly?

Yes — shallow beaches and family-orientated towns.

Culture

Historic Towns of the Costa Blanca

The coastal resorts get all the attention, but inland Alicante hides some of the most atmospheric historic towns in the Spanish Mediterranean — UNESCO-listed Elche, fortified Villena on its limestone crag, baroque Orihuela in its river valley, and the Moros-y-Cristianos heartland of Alcoy. Each is a half- or full-day excursion from the coast and adds the depth most beach holidays miss.

Last updated 1 June 2026

The five essential historic towns

Town	Key sights	From Alicante	Best with
Elche	Palmeral (UNESCO), basilica, MAHE, L'Alcúdia	25 min	Lunch at Datil de Oro
Villena	Castillo de la Atalaya, Tesoro de Villena	55 min	Tasting at a Vinalopó bodega
Orihuela	Cathedral, episcopal palace, Hernández house	45 min	Holy Week or summer evening
Alcoy	Modernista bridges, Moros y Cristianos roots	55 min	Visit in April for the fiesta
Dénia	Castle, Las Roques fishermen's quarter, lonja	1h 10	Combine with Montgó hike

Pick by interest

Architecture & UNESCO — Elche. Castles — Villena. Baroque & Holy Week — Orihuela. Modernismo & fiesta culture — Alcoy. Maritime old town — Dénia.

Elche — the UNESCO town

200,000 date palms planted by the Phoenicians and irrigated by the Moors make Elche unique in Europe. The combination of working medieval irrigation, baroque basilica and the August Mystery Play (a separate UNESCO Intangible listing) is found nowhere else in Spain. Walk the Huerto del Cura, climb the basilica dome and eat arroz con costra at Mesón El Granaíno.

Villena — the castle on the crag

The 9th-century Castillo de la Atalaya rises sheer above the Vinalopó valley, with views across the wine country towards Yecla and Jumilla. In the town museum below sits the Tesoro de Villena — 60 pieces of solid gold from the late Bronze Age (around 1,000 BC), the second most important prehistoric gold treasure in Europe after Mycenae. Free entry to the museum.

Orihuela & Alcoy — baroque and modernismo

✦Orihuela — Gothic cathedral, episcopal palace, the Universidad Histórica de Santo Domingo and the modest birthplace of poet Miguel Hernández. The Holy Week processions (March/April) are National Tourist Interest.
✦Alcoy — capital of the inland industrial revolution, with modernista bridges, the Sant Jordi parish church and the museum dedicated to the Moros y Cristianos festival. Best visited around April 22–24 when the town transforms.

Dénia — maritime old town

More than a beach resort, Dénia is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy with a 12th-century hilltop castle, the Las Roques old fishermen's quarter, the working lonja fish auction and one of the most distinguished restaurant scenes in Spain (3-star Quique Dacosta, two-Sol Repsol BonAmb nearby).

Culture overview

Full cultural cluster.

Fiestas & festivals

When the historic towns come alive.

Museums

MAHE, Tesoro de Villena, and more.

Archaeology & Roman sites

L'Alcúdia and Lucentum.

Day trip — Elche

Full day with palm groves and basilica.

Food

Where to eat in each historic town.