València
1València
Base · 3–4 days
The region’s best first base: a Gothic and modernist centre, the Turia park, serious rice cooking and the City of Arts and Sciences in one highly walkable, bike-friendly city. Stay here for the urban experience rather than treating it as a launchpad to rush through.
first-timersfoodiesdesign and architecture fans
Albufera and El Palmar
2Albufera and El Palmar
Short stop · 1 day
The rice lagoon and wetlands south of València explain where paella comes from better than any city restaurant can. Make time for a proper rice lunch in El Palmar and stay through the late-afternoon light rather than dropping in only for a boat photo.
foodiescouplesphotographers
Xàtiva
3Xàtiva
Short stop · 1 day
A substantial inland old town beneath one of the region’s best castle complexes, stretched along a hilltop ridge. It is the worthwhile history-and-walking break from València, not just another fortress stop.
history loverswalkersValència-based travellers
Requena–Utiel wine country
4Requena–Utiel wine country
Short stop · 1 day
High, dry Bobal country west of València, with cellar visits and a noticeably more continental landscape than the coast. Requena’s old quarter gives the wine stop enough texture to justify an overnight.
wine loversdriversreturn visitors
Peñíscola and the north coast
5Peñíscola and the north coast
Base · 2 days
Peñíscola’s castle and old town rise straight from a rocky headland between broad beaches, making it the Valencian Community’s most dramatic historic coastal stop. Give it a night or two; a rushed detour from València misses the point.
couplesfamiliesphotographers
Alicante
6Alicante
Base · 2–3 days
A compact port city with Santa Bárbara Castle above it, a lively centre and an urban beach at Postiguet. It is the right southern base for travellers who want a real city alongside easy Costa Blanca access.
short breakscar-free travellersnightlife
Elche, Santa Pola and Tabarca
7Elche, Santa Pola and Tabarca
Short stop · 1 day
This southern triangle combines Elche’s vast palm grove, Santa Pola’s fishing-town edge and tiny walled Tabarca for a boat-and-swim day. It works best from Alicante, with Tabarca treated as an early-start excursion rather than a secluded-island fantasy.
familiescultural travellerssnorkellers
Benidorm
8Benidorm
Spain’s unapologetically vertical beach resort has genuinely excellent sand, vast accommodation choice and a nightlife-and-family infrastructure few towns can match. Go for convenience and energy, not village atmosphere.
familiesmultigenerational groupsnightlife
Altea, Calpe and Guadalest
9Altea, Calpe and Guadalest
Base · 2 days
The central Costa Blanca’s strongest scenery: base in atmospheric Altea, see Calpe’s Peñón de Ifach, and visit Guadalest for its mountain-and-reservoir views. A car makes this cluster far more satisfying, especially outside the coach-tour hours.
couplesscenic road tripswalkers
Dénia and Jávea/Xàbia
10Dénia and Jávea/Xàbia
Base · 2 days
Montgó divides food-focused Dénia—best for seafood, red prawns and rice—from Jávea’s cove-cut, headland-heavy coast. This is the Costa Blanca for travellers willing to slow down, eat well and use a car rather than chase a checklist.
foodieshikerskayakers
Sample routes
València first-timer
5 daysValència (3 days) → Albufera and El Palmar (1 day) → Xàtiva (1 day)
The right five-day plan for a first visit: use València as the sole base, then break up the city with the region’s essential rice-country excursion and its best castle-and-old-town day trip. Skip the temptation to split south to Alicante.
Plan this routeClassic Valencian Community
9 daysValència (4 days) → Alicante (2 days) → Elche, Santa Pola and Tabarca (1 day) → Altea, Calpe and Guadalest (2 days)
The best first region-wide route without turning the trip into a transit exercise. València covers the city and its inland or wetland side; Alicante handles the southern coast; Altea is the more appealing final base for central Costa Blanca scenery. Treat Elche, Santa Pola and Tabarca as an Alicante-based excursion.
Plan this routeCoast, wine and food road trip
12 daysValència (3 days) → Requena–Utiel wine country (1 day) → Peñíscola and the north coast (2 days) → Altea, Calpe and Guadalest (2 days) → Dénia and Jávea/Xàbia (2 days) → Alicante (2 days)
For drivers who want the region’s full range rather than just its famous cities: rice and urban life, Bobal wine country, Peñíscola’s castle, then the Costa Blanca’s best scenery and seafood. It is deliberately one-way, avoiding backtracking; keep the Requena-to-Peñíscola and Peñíscola-to-Altea travel days light.
Plan this routeCosta Blanca without a car
7 daysAlicante (3 days) → Altea, Calpe and Guadalest (2 days) → Dénia and Jávea/Xàbia (2 days)
A workable car-free southern-coast progression using Alicante as the urban anchor and the coastal TRAM as transport between bases. It is slower than driving, so build in proper stays rather than trying to tick off coves, villages and beaches in day trips.
Plan this route