Guide to Denia

A town sometimes overlooked in Costa Blanca is Denia and in this weeks blog I thought it would be good to do a piece on Denia. Also home to some of the water sports of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Denia has a lot to offer.

Denia is situarted on the east coast of Spain, along the stretch known as the Costa Blanca. Denia is very much a family resort. A quiet little town that was once the centre of the region's raisin growing industry. Although tourism has taken over, raisins are still grown here and remain to be a local delicacy. The main avenue in Denia is the Marques de Campo where you can sit and watch the world go by. In the Plaza de Constitucion you will find a wonderful 17th century church. The area around Denia has been voted the third healthiest place to live by the World Health Organisation.

Denia is right on the coast and the 20 km of beaches are of very high quality with lots of brightly coloured restaurants and bars by the sea. Denia's beaches are very wide with great watersports such as windsurfing. Every year the beaches are awarded the European Blue Flag for their water quality and clean fine sand.

To the north of Denia there are the fine sand beaches of Les Marines. To the south of Denia the rocky area of Les Rotes with its spectacular coves of transparent waters which are ideal for those who enjoy diving or snorkeling.

The town of Denia is large with a real Spanish feel. It's a working town unlike Javea (for example) which is very much more a tourist town. The main street in Denia has shady plane trees, loads of cafes and designer shops. It's almost like being in a big city. Denia's facilities are excellent - a modern hospital, spas, two high quality golf courses in La Sella and Oliva Nova.

At night Denia buzzes with nightlife, not necessarily discos but more with the hundreds of bars, live entertainment and restaurants, many of which are right on the sea front. There is charm and atmosphere. If you are looking for a younger more happening place, packed with clubs you would be better off trying Benidorm.
Many parts of Denia are quite industrialised, this is not your typical fishing village turned tourist resort however it does appeal to some people because of this. Whereas many other towns empty for the winter with many restaurants and bars shuttered up, Denia hustles and bustles all year round with a good variety of amenities and facilities.

Another significant landmark in Denia is the old 16th century castle right in the middle of Denia on the hill which gives spectacular views.
Denia has a large and cosmopolitan port and a large marina. From here you can get to the Baleric islands such as Ibiza.

The name Denia came from the Romans, who named the coast Dianum and developed it as an important base on the way to North Africa. Around the 5th century the cathedrals, which were dedicated to Western Gods were removed. Around 713 the followers of Islam took power and re-named it Deniya. In the year 1036 it was recovered by the Spanish and was given the name Taifa de Deniya. When Jaime I seized the city in 1244, he named it Denia.

Denia experienced a major upswing in the middle of the 19th century for the manufacturing and processing of raisins. When dealing with raisins was no longer as profitable, Denia turned its focus to tourism, which has been its main industry since the early 1960’s.

Denia is close to the A7 motorway and is about midway between Alicante airport and Valencia airport - travel time approx. one hour 15 minutes to each.