Ibi: Toy Museum, Enfarinats Flour Battle and Font Roja Park

Ibi is an inland town of about 24,500 people in the Alcoià mountains, roughly 43 km by road from Alicante and the sea, so it suits visitors who want a toy-making town, a quirky winter festival and a natural park on the doorstep rather than a beach holiday. Most people come for a day from the coast. Stay overnight if you are here for the 28 December flour battle, the Christmas programme or a hiking weekend. It is part of our Costa Blanca guide.

Quick facts

• Where: Ibi, in the comarca of l’Alcoià, province of Alicante. The larger city of Alcoy (Alcoi) lies on the other side of the Font Roja mountains.
• Residents: 24,500 (1 January 2025, INE).
• Beach: none. Ibi is inland. The nearest city coast is Alicante, 43.4 km by road, about 36 minutes by car (distanciaentre.org).
• Airport: Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández. We found no confirmed direct airport service to Ibi, so plan on a hire car, a taxi, or a change in Alicante.
• Language: Valencian and Spanish; Spanish works everywhere.
• Known for: toy making. The regional tourism site places Ibi in the Toy Valley.
• Nature: Carrascal de la Font Roja Natural Park, 2,298 hectares, lies between Ibi and Alcoy.
• Big day: Els Enfarinats on 28 December.

Where to base yourself

Ibi is a compact working town and there is no tourist district as such. The choice is between staying in town, staying outside it, or not staying at all.

The town centre

The town hall, the Payà brothers’ former factory that now holds the toy museum, the church on Plaza de la Iglesia and the Christmas events are all in the centre. For a visit built around museums, the festival and the family train and market programme, this is the obvious base, and you can do most things on foot.

Near the park

If hiking is the point, the Font Roja park is described by the regional tourism site as just a stone’s throw from town. A short drive puts you at the trailheads, and the park has an information centre at the Font Roja sanctuary. Accommodation near the park is limited; most visitors sleep in Ibi or Alcoy.

The coast instead

If you need the sea, sunset dinners and a wide choice of rooms, base yourself in Alicante and come to Ibi as an outing. The drive is 43.4 km by road. If you have only one day, this is the sensible choice.

Things to do

Ibi’s sights are a short walk apart, so a museum visit, a stroll through the centre and a lunch fit into half a day. A walk in the park turns it into a full one.

Museu Valencià del Joguet (toy museum)

The museum occupies the former premises of the Payà brothers’ factory, one of the town’s main toy makers, at Glorieta D. Nicolás Payá Jover 1. The regional tourism site describes about 450 toys of all kinds and origins, among them aeroplanes, boats, cars and trains, with some pieces more than a century old. It also shows the machines and tools used at the start of the 20th century to make the first toys, and has a room for temporary exhibitions. According to ValenciaBonita the museum opened in 1990. The same blog notes that up to about 70 toy factories once operated in Ibi and that the sector has since declined, which is what the museum is really about: an industrial town explaining itself. Opening hours and tickets change, so confirm them on the official museum site before you travel.

Other museums and toy-themed sights

The Museo Arcade Vintage, on Carrer Les Eres, is a video game museum with playable arcade machines from the 1970s to the 1990s. The tourism site also lists a toy train ride through the City of Toys, a school-trip style visit and a guided excursion on the history of toys for adults. Ibi has a monument to the festival figure known as the Fester, a monument to the tartana (a traditional cart) and a monument to the ice-cream makers, the Geladors, all listed by the regional tourism site. If you want a child-friendly town and have no need of a beach, this is where Ibi earns its place on a Costa Blanca itinerary.

Els Enfarinats

On 28 December, the Day of the Innocents, the town holds a battle with flour, eggs and gunpowder petards. ValenciaBonita and the regional tourism site both describe a festival with more than 200 years of tradition. Expect flour and eggs everywhere and wear clothes you do not mind losing; if you only want to watch, stay at the edge of the crowd. The tourism site also lists the Tapats, figures in traditional dress who walk the streets with their faces covered by pillow cases.

Three Kings

Ibi takes Epiphany seriously. ValenciaBonita lists two parades, the Cabalgata del Heraldo on 4 January and the main Cabalgata de Reyes on 5 January, plus a nativity village in late December. The Asociación Reyes Magos de Ibi has organised the events since 1930. Programmes change from year to year, so check the town tourism site before you plan around a specific event.

Skip Ibi if you want nightlife, a seafront or a large historic quarter. It is a small industrial town with one very good museum, one very odd festival and good walking, and little else.

Beaches and places nearby

Ibi has no beach. The usual way to reach the sea is to drive to Alicante and use the city beaches; allow more than half an hour each way by car.

The better local reason to stay inland is the Carrascal de la Font Roja Natural Park. According to spain.info it covers 2,298 hectares between Ibi and Alcoy, with a Levantine Mediterranean forest of kermes oak, flowering ash, maple and gall-oak. The regional tourism site lists hiking and cycling routes, including routes to the Molí de Paper and Los Llavadors, and mentions the Pou del Barber and several hermitages. The Estación Biológica de Torretes, a botanic garden of the University of Alicante, is on the edge of town, and ValenciaBonita says entry is free. The same blog describes the Barranc dels Molins, a route past old paper and flour mills including a 16th-century mill. Alcoy (Alcoi), on the far side of the park, is the nearest larger town and the natural pairing for a second day.

Other town guides nearby: Cocentaina (about 17 km in a straight line), Petrer (about 23 km in a straight line), Villena (about 25 km in a straight line).

On CostaMap near Ibi: Font Roja Natural Park (Alcoy) (5.1 km).

Food and drink

The regional and local sources we read do not list particular dishes, so we do not invent a menu. Ibi is an inland Alicante town, and the safe approach is to order the daily set lunch that bars serve to local workers, ask what the kitchen is proud of and eat where the room is full of residents. At the Christmas events there is a food area at the nativity village. A local ice-cream industry is part of the town’s story, and the monument to the Geladors is a nod to it. We name no restaurants because we could not verify any.

Where to stay

Choice is small. The one themed address is the Hotel del Juguete, a 4-star family hotel in the town centre with 21 rooms decorated with toys or cartoons, according to ValenciaBonita. Beyond that, expect a few town guesthouses and rural lodging in the hills. Prices run below coastal levels, but festival and Christmas periods fill the available rooms, so book early for 28 December and the Epiphany parades. For variety, nightlife and flexibility, stay in Alicante and come up for the day.

Getting there and around

By air, fly to Alicante–Elche airport. We found no confirmed direct link from the airport to Ibi, so the practical routes are a hire car, a taxi, or a bus to Alicante and a change there. By road, Alicante is 43.4 km and about 36 minutes away (distanciaentre.org). A second source gives 51 km for a different starting point in Alicante, so treat the figure as roughly 45 to 50 km depending on where you begin.

Bus aggregators list connections from Ibi to Alcoy, Castalla and Alicante, but we could not confirm operators or frequencies; check the timetables of the bus companies before you travel. We found no confirmed rail service to Ibi.

In town, everything central is walkable. For the park trailheads and for Alcoy you will want a car or a taxi.

Best time to visit

Ibi is at its busiest at the end of December and in early January, with the Enfarinats on 28 December, the nativity village and the Three Kings parades, and Christmas is when the town leans into its toy identity. For walking in the park, spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons; the mountain park is cooler than the coast but summer afternoons inland are hot, so start early. Check the local forecast before any hike.

FAQ

Is Ibi worth visiting?

Yes, for a half day or a full day if you are interested in toys, the Enfarinats festival or walking in the Font Roja park. It is not a beach or sightseeing destination.

Does Ibi have a beach?

No. It is inland, 43.4 km by road from Alicante.

When is the Enfarinats festival?

On 28 December every year, the Day of the Innocents.

How far is Ibi from Alicante?

About 43 km by road and 36 minutes by car, according to distanciaentre.org.

What is the Valencian Toy Museum?

A museum in the former Payà brothers’ toy factory, with about 450 toys and the tools used to make early toys, according to the regional tourism site.

Sources and freshness

Last checked: October 2026. Sources: Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Ibi; Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Museu Valencià del Joguet; ValenciaBonita, what to do in Ibi; ValenciaBonita, Ibi at Christmas; Spain.info, Font Roja Natural Park; Distanciaentre, Alicante–Ibi; INE, municipal population figures.