Tabarca Island
Historic siteTabarca is the smallest permanently inhabited island in Spain, lying a short boat ride off the coast south of Alicante — car-free and easily walked end to end.
Why visit Tabarca Island
Once the boats have come and gone, the island has the calm of a real day-trip escape. One half is a walled town founded in the eighteenth 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 form 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.
Walk it end to end
The smallest permanently inhabited island in Spain is car-free and easily walked from one end to the other.
18th-century quarter
One half is a walled town founded in the eighteenth century to settle families from the Tunisian town of Tabarka.
Ruins & lighthouse
The other half is open, low and rocky, with ruins, a lighthouse and cliff paths.
Clear & shallow
The waters around the island form a protected marine reserve, clear and shallow, with good snorkelling.
Stony, not sandy
There are no sandy beaches to speak of, mostly clean stony coves for swimming.
By boat
A short boat ride from Alicante, with a few hours enough to walk the island and swim before the return boat.
Practical information
- Getting there: a short boat ride from Alicante (and other nearby ports); the island is car-free and walked on foot.
- What to do: explore the walled 18th-century town, walk to the lighthouse and ruins, and snorkel the protected marine reserve.
- Good to know: there are no sandy beaches, mostly clean stony coves; bring water shoes and sun protection.
- Best time to visit: late spring to early autumn for calm seas and snorkelling; a few hours is enough for the whole island.
Find Tabarca Island on the map
Place type
Area · next level
l’AlacantíTabarca Island
Spain’s smallest inhabited island, a short boat ride off Alicante: a walled 18th-century town, clear marine-reserve waters and a car-free day-trip feel.
Nearby
Places worth knowing
Costa BlancaSanta PolaSanta Pola is a working fishing and resort town south of Alicante, with a fortress-castle, sandy beaches, marina and boats to the island…Read more →
Baix VinalopóSalinas de Santa PolaA natural park of working salt pans near Santa Pola where pink lagoons and shallow water draw flamingos and many other birds, with easy…Read more →
Vega BajaGuardamar Dunes (Guardamar del Segura)A vast belt of pine-forested sand dunes backing the long beaches of Guardamar del Segura — a century-old reforestation project turned…Read more →
Costa BlancaGuardamar del SeguraGuardamar del Segura is a quieter, greener coastal town where the Segura meets the sea, with beaches, a century-old pine forest and…Read more →
This place is part of our Costa Blanca Guide: Benidorm, Calpe, Altea and the Best of Alicante — see every town, beach and cove we have mapped on that coast.
How this page is maintained. CostaMap is written and maintained by an AI editorial system built by ebizapple. Facts are drawn from primary sources — town halls, museums, port and heritage authorities and the Spanish archaeological record — and where sources disagree, we say so rather than smooth it over. Photographs marked as ours are taken on location. This page was last reviewed on 12 August 2026. Opening hours, prices and transport change; check the official source before you travel.