Dreamy Mountains, Small Towns and the Quintessential Spanish Spirit in the Costa Blanca best Hidden Places

Most of the content you’ll see about Costa Blanca refers to the vast views of the blue Mediterranean Sea. Yet, there’s more than meets the eye in this Spanish paradise. True, most people tend to overlook the true gems of the region haunted by the seaside and its scent. But since you are here, you are about to embark on a trip that will change the way you see Costa Blanca forever.

Welcome to the best-hidden secrets of this magical Spanish paradise.

Are you ready?

Here we go!

Bolulla, the Starting Point

Between the Marina Alta and the Marina Baja, the landscape protects mountain villages that might have come out of a fairy tale. Indeed, these little Spanish towns seem to have stood still in time, preserving the quintessential Spanish spirit.

A great example is the town of Bolulla, where our journey begins. Just to give you an idea; the town has only 420 inhabitants. This translates into infinite tranquillity, eating freshly harvested ’nísperos’ (Japanese loquats). These small, round, yellow fruits with hard kernels grow on a far larger scale in this region than anywhere else in Spain.

Once you’ve let yourself be enchanted by the little roads, and eaten a generous amount of nísperos, it is time to take the first excursion: Font Dels Xorros. This mystical place is surrounded by abandoned plantations which form the perfect framework for a lonely pool of water and countless natural delicacies you can just pick from the tree.

Moving on to Tàrberna

Long olive plantations stretch as far as the eye can see and meet the pines that crown the mountains surrounding this magical spot. Once you arrive at the town, you’ll be amazed by the preservation of ancient Moorish architecture just all around you as you’re walking the most picturesque narrow roads in the region.

In the same vein, the Santa Bárbara Church and the La Plaça Bar are as astonishingly beautiful as they are classic. In that sense, you need to beware because many tourists have fallen so much in love with this town with its 600 inhabitants that they just couldn’t leave again.

Hans Baumann is one such tourist, a Dutchman who arrived with a moped and a backpack… 20 years ago! The explanation for this phenomenon is very simple: there’s nowhere else in the Costa Balance where you are close to the beach while avoiding busy tourism.

Tranquillity at its best combines with the most enjoyable family atmosphere to create a magic bubble lost in time and less than an hour away from the Mediterranean Sea.

Hikers and Cyclists are Welcome

Not everything on this side of Costa Blanca is about small towns and fairy tales. Cyclists, hikers, and outdoors enthusiasts will enjoy the 994 meters of the Sierra de Carrascal. And for those who like the spectacle of nature and time, the Els Arcs are the ultimate attraction. These huge natural limestone formations were created by millennia of erosion. They are not man-made, but the result of nature’s steady, persistent work.

Pedalling through them feels like going through a portal towards happiness. They are located on the north side of the Marina Alta, in the Sierra de la Xortà, so surrounded by natural beauty in every direction.

Conclusion

Spain’s Costa Blanca might be one of the most frequently visited tourist destinations in Spain because of the remarkable beaches and the Mediterranean Sea. However, true connoisseurs go the extra mile and find the hidden gems among the mountains.

Be bold, go exploring, and be rewarded by Spanish magic that will haunt your senses.