Part of the Costa Blanca guide · North: Marina Alta · Interactive map of the comarca

The Marina Alta is the northernmost comarca of Alicante province and the first stretch of the Costa Blanca coming from Valencia. Its coast runs from the long sandy beaches of Els Poblets and Dénia round the Montgó massif and the capes of Xàbia, then south past the cliffs and coves of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, Moraira and Benissa to Calp and the Peñón de Ifach. This guide covers each town from north to south, the beaches and coves, what to do, where to base yourself, how to get there and a two-day route.

Updated 7 November 2026 · How CostaMap researches its guides

At a glance

• Where the coast of the Marina Alta, from Les Deveses beach on the Oliva border through Dénia, Xàbia and Moraira to Calp, about 23 km from Dénia to the Peñón de Ifach in a straight line.
• Towns Els Poblets, Dénia, Xàbia (Jávea), El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, Teulada-Moraira, Benissa and Calp (Calpe), with Pego, Xaló and the Vall de Laguar inland.
• Best for snorkelling coves, cliff walks and viewpoints, the climb up the Peñón de Ifach, Dénia’s food, and family beaches at Dénia, the Arenal and Calp.
• Getting there Alicante–Elche airport is about 68 km from Calp and 85 km from Dénia in a straight line, Valencia airport about 88 km from Dénia; trains from Alicante reach Calp, Benissa and Dénia.
• On CostaMap guides to Dénia, Xàbia, Moraira, Benissa and Calp, more than a dozen coves, capes and walks, two marinas and four campsites and camper areas.

Map of the Marina Alta

The map shows the places in the Marina Alta that have a CostaMap page. Tick a place type to filter, and click a marker to see the place in the panel. For the full-screen version, open the interactive map of the comarca.

Towns and villages

From north to south. Dénia, Xàbia and Calp have distinct districts, so each gets its own sub-sections.

Els Poblets

Els Poblets, on the river Girona just north of Dénia, joins three old farming hamlets, Setla, Mirarosa and Miraflor. It lay on the Roman Via Augusta, and the Almadrava site by the coast road was a Roman pottery, active between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, that made roof tiles and amphoras for wine, oil and salted food (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). In Mirarosa a 15th- and 16th-century watchtower now stands among houses, and the Almadrava beach runs for about 1,000 m (Comunitat Valenciana tourism).

Dénia: castle, old town and the port

Dénia is the largest town of the stretch, and the regional tourist board calls it a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, known for arròs a banda, espencat salad, dried octopus, red prawns and suquet fish stew (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). The castle on the hill in the centre was built in the 11th century in rammed earth and altered in the 13th, 16th and 18th centuries; it holds the Archaeological Museum (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). Below it, Les Roques was the walled Arab suburb, and Baix la Mar is the old fishermen’s quarter of low painted houses. The commercial port sits beside the marina (spain.info). Our Dénia place page and castle guide have more.

Dénia: Les Marines and Els Molins

North-west of the port the coast is a long run of sand. Les Marines beach is almost 3 km long, with lifeguards in summer, walkways and adapted bathing, and a bus stop beside it (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). Further out along the Les Marines road, between km 5.4 and 7.8, Els Molins is 2,700 m of wide, quieter sand with parking and good conditions for windsurfing (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). The 6 km Vía Verde de Dénia, on the old Carcaixent–Dénia railway, runs through orange groves to this coast and suits walkers, bikes and wheelchairs (Comunitat Valenciana tourism).

Dénia: Les Rotes and Cap de Sant Antoni

South of the port the shore turns to rock. Les Rotes is a string of rocky coves with Posidonia meadows; Arenetes, at the far end, is 300 m long and ends at a lookout towards the cape (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). The Les Rotes to Torre del Gerro walk climbs from here. Offshore, the Cabo de San Antonio marine reserve covers some 900 hectares under cliffs about 150 m high; fishing and diving in the fish reserve off Les Rotes need authorisation, and entry to the Cova Tallada sea cave is regulated (Comunitat Valenciana tourism).

Xàbia: the old town

Xàbia (Jávea) sits between the Cap de Sant Antoni and the Cap de la Nau, with three distinct districts. The old town, inland, keeps its medieval street plan in golden tosca sandstone around the church of San Bartolomé, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, the Abastos market (1946) and the Soler Blasco archaeological museum. A street market fills the Plaza de la Constitución on Thursday mornings (Xàbia tourism). Our Xàbia place page covers the town as a whole.

Xàbia: the port (Duanes de la Mar)

The port grew on the raisin trade in the 19th century and later lived from fishing. Around it, the Duanes de la Mar district has whitewashed fishermen’s houses, the modern church of Nuestra Señora de Loreto (1967) and a fish market where the catch is auctioned when the boats come in; the Loreto fiestas are in the first week of September (Xàbia tourism). La Grava, the pebble town beach here, is 290 m long and holds the Blue Flag every year (Xàbia tourism).

Xàbia: the Arenal and the southern coves

The Arenal is Xàbia’s only sandy beach, about 480 m of shallow water with a promenade, bars and the town’s assisted bathing point (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). South of it the coast rises to cliffs: Cala Barraca (Portitxol) faces the Illa del Portitxol below the Creu del Portitxol viewpoint, and Cala Granadella (see also our Granadella guide) is 160 m of pebbles under pine woods. Wecamp Jávea is the campsite here.

El Poble Nou de Benitatxell

Benitatxell’s coast is all cliffs, protected with Xàbia’s and Moraira’s as the Penya-segats de la Marina; it is one of the best places for the endemic Silene hifacensis (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). Cala del Moraig, behind the Puig de la Llorença, has a Blue Flag; Cala Testos is reached only by sea or a path, and Cala Llebeig, with old fishermen’s houses, only on foot along the cliff route (SL-CV 50) or by boat (Comunitat Valenciana tourism).

Teulada and Moraira

The municipality has two halves: Teulada, a Gothic walled town inland with the fortified church of Santa Catalina, and Moraira on the coast, with about 8 km of Blue Flag beaches and coves (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). Moraira’s castle, an 18th-century fort against pirates restored in the 1980s, holds an audiovisual museum on the sea and piracy; L’Ampolla beach, 250 m of sand at its foot, is accessible (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). El Portet, 300 m long under the Cap d’Or, starts a coastal walk past viewpoints (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). More in our Moraira guide.

Benissa

Benissa‘s old town stands back from the sea: its town hall of 1790 was first the hospital, and the Casa Museo Abargues shows an 18th- and 19th-century noble home (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). Its coast is followed by the Paseo Ecológico Litoral, an easy linear path with 93 m of climbing from the Benissa Playa tourist office to Cala Advocat (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). On the way is Cala de la Fustera. See also our Benissa place page.

Calp: the old town

Calp (Calpe) has an old town ringed by walls built against pirate raids, next to the old Moorish quarter, with the tower of La Peça; spain.info describes the 15th-century parish church of the Virgin of the Snow as the only Gothic-Mudéjar church in the Region of Valencia (spain.info). Local dishes include arròs del senyoret and llauna de Calp fish stew.

Calp: the beaches, the salt flats and the Peñón

Below the old town lie two sandy bays: Arenal-Bol, 1.2 km long with a full adapted bathing area (Comunitat Valenciana tourism), and La Fossa (Levante), more than a kilometre long facing the north side of the rock (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). Between them are the Salinas de Calp, a former salt lagoon with flamingos, and on the seafront the Roman Baños de la Reina. The Peñón de Ifach, 332 m high and about a kilometre long, is a natural park; the summit path needs a booking (Calp town council). More in our Peñón de Ifach guide; the port of Calp sits at its foot.

Inland: Pego, Xaló and the Vall de Laguar

Behind Dénia, Pego keeps its medieval street plan and pieces of its walls, and its natural park, the Marjal de Pego-Oliva, is a wetland of rice fields and springs called ullals, rich in water birds (Comunitat Valenciana tourism). In the Jalón valley, Camper Park Xaló is a base for the vineyards, and in the Vall de Laguar the Barranc de l’Infern is a demanding gorge walk.

Beaches and coves

Sand in the north (Dénia, Els Poblets) and in Calp; pebbles, rock and cliff coves in between. Lengths are as the tourist board or the town gives them.

• Les Marines and Els Molins (Dénia) – almost 3 km and 2,700 m of fine sand, with lifeguards and adapted bathing at Les Marines and windsurfing at Els Molins.
• El Arenal (Xàbia) – 480 m of coarse sand and shallow water, the town’s assisted bathing point.
• L’Ampolla and El Portet (Moraira) – 250 m and 300 m of sand, both with lifeguards in summer.
• L’Andragó (Moraira) – a 150 m rocky cove with deep, clear water for snorkelling, under a viewpoint on the coastal route (Comunitat Valenciana tourism).

Things to do

Where to stay by town

North to south. We name no hotels; compare locations on the map.

Getting there and around

A two-day route

Based in Xàbia or Dénia, with a car.

FAQ

Other areas of the Costa Blanca

North of Els Poblets and Pego the coast continues into Valencia province as La Safor; Oliva is the next town.

Sources and freshness

Checked 9 November 2026. Official: Comunitat Valenciana tourism pages on each town (Dénia, Els Poblets, Xàbia, Benitatxell, Teulada-Moraira, Benissa, Calp, Pego) and the beaches, monuments and natural areas linked above; Xàbia tourism (old town, port, beaches, 2026 cove access); Calp town council (Peñón de Ifach, salt flats); spain.info on Dénia and Calp. Distances: OpenStreetMap. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, as credited on the Costa Blanca guide. Not confirmed: train timetables and stations, ferry routes from Dénia, 2027 cove access rules, museum hours; the Dénia and Teulada-Moraira tourism sites and costablanca.org could not be reached from here.