Tabarca is the smallest permanently inhabited island in Spain, lying a short boat ride off the coast south of Alicante. It is car-free and easily walked end to end, which gives it the calm of a day-trip escape once the boats have come and gone.
One half is a walled town founded in the 18th century to settle families from the Tunisian town of Tabarka, with narrow streets, a church and small boutiques and seafood restaurants. The other half is open, low and rocky, with ruins, a lighthouse and cliff paths.
The waters around the island are a protected marine reserve — clear and shallow, with good snorkelling — which is the main reason to come. There are no sandy beaches to speak of, mostly clean stony coves, and a few hours is enough to walk the island and swim before the return boat.