We stayed near Alicante in an apartment last summer vacation. We then went to explore which beautiful cities are in the area to make a day trip to. Calpe stood out. We saw beautiful pictures on the internet and wanted to make a trip there ourselves.
Go on a trip to the beautiful city of Calpe in Spain!
The drive
We found the drive there already beautiful. You drive at considerable height through the mountains, and sometimes even through them. This provides a beautiful view of the sea with all the houses and villages in between. You drive past Benidorm into the mountains, past Altea, then you pass villages like Pueblo Mascarat and Maryvilla, and then you are in Calpe! Our advice is therefore to enjoy the journey there.
The Beach
We parked our car in an underground parking lot at the beach, which was a fine place, just a bit tight. So we walked straight onto the boulevard overlooking the beach. When we looked to the left, we saw a large rock at the end of the beach, and when we looked to the right, we saw a beach with a hill at the end with all white houses on it. It was both a beautiful view. It should be noted, however, that the beach was packed with people. We were there during the high season, but still.
We looked for a beach bar to have a drink. For this, we went to Tango Arenal, where they had happy hour for cocktails and we also ordered nachos. With a view of the beach, we could enjoy this. The beach was very nice to see, but for us, it was too crowded to lie on. After the drinks, we walked along the boulevard to the left towards the big rock.
The Nature
We decided to walk to the rock, as you can walk through part of it, providing a magnificent view over the whole of Calpe. We had already walked quite a bit uphill until we came to a small waiting room where you had to go through to continue.
There we found out that you had to reserve for a walk further on the rock. Unfortunately, we hadn’t done this, and we weren’t the only ones. So BE AWARE: If you want to go up the rock in Calpe, which we highly recommend, it’s best to reserve a few days in advance (reservation is free but fills up quickly). It was already fully booked for the whole week for us; again, this was during the high season. We then walked down via another path along the rock, where you still had a very nice view. Here we took our time to take photos and videos.
The City
Once down, we passed a beach on the other side of Calpe. We walked along this to the center to see the city. Our conclusion is that there isn’t a lot to do in the city. Everything is very steep, so it’s a steep climb to get through the city. There were shops, and the buildings were typically Spanish. We had gone to the famous Spanish steps in Calpe, but it wasn’t very special. Then we went in search of a place to eat.
The Food
There are a few places that were recommended to us, but unfortunately, you had to reserve well in advance, and it wasn’t cheap. However, the food there looked very good online. We walked past these restaurants, and the outdoor terrace looked very cozy and atmospheric, so maybe we’ll come back here again. These restaurants are: El Arco and Lapsus Bistro. It should be noted that if you look around on Google Maps, you’ll find many more nice places to eat, such as on the boulevard. Plenty of choice!
Overall
All in all, we definitely recommend making a day trip to Calpe! If you like nature, the beach, and good food, you will definitely enjoy yourself. If you want to spend a day shopping, then maybe go to another place!
Go on a trip to the beautiful city of Calpe in Spain!
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