Marina Alta
Explore the dramatic coastline, vineyards and mountain villages of the Marina Alta comarca on the northern Costa Blanca.
What is plotted on the Marina Alta map
The map carries 15 places on this coast: 4 towns, 3 beaches, 3 hiking trails, 2 natural parks, 2 viewpoints, 1 historic site. They span roughly 23 km in a straight line, from Dénia Castle in the north to Peñón de Ifach (Calpe) in the south.
The Marina Alta coast, north to south
Every marker on the map, in the order you would meet it driving south. The distance is a straight line from the place above it.
| Place | Type | From previous |
|---|---|---|
| Dénia Castle The hilltop castle crowning Dénia, with Islamic and medieval layers, an archaeology museum and sweeping views over the old town, | Historic site | — |
| Dénia Dénia is a coastal town and ferry port below a hilltop castle, with a long marina, old fishermen’s quarter and | Town | 0 km |
| Cala Les Rotes (Dénia) A rocky cove and snorkelling spot along Dénia’s Les Rotes coast, with clear water, natural pools among the rocks and | Beach | 5 km |
| Cova Tallada (Dénia) Cova Tallada is a large sea cave between Dénia and Jávea, accessible via a scenic coastal hike. | Natural park | 1 km |
| Cap de Sant Antoni (Jávea) A clifftop cape and lighthouse between Jávea and Dénia, with sweeping views over Xàbia’s bay and, on a clear day, | Viewpoint | 3 km |
| Jávea (Xàbia) Jávea (Xàbia) on the northern Costa Blanca: old town, fishing port, the Arenal beach, Cala Granadella cove and the Montgó | Town | 3 km |
| Montgó The “sleeping elephant” — a 753 m limestone massif and natural park between Dénia and Xàbia. | Hiking trail | 27 km |
| Barranc de l’Infern One of the Costa Blanca’s most famous hikes: a circular trail through a deep gorge on 6,800 Moorish stone steps, | Hiking trail | 2 km |
| Cap de la Nau (Cabo de la Nao) Cap de la Nau is the closest point on the Costa Blanca to the Balearics — a lighthouse headland where | Viewpoint | 32 km |
| Cala Granadella (Jávea) A pine-framed pebble cove south of Jávea with crystal-clear turquoise water — regularly ranked among Spain’s most beautiful beaches and | Beach | 3 km |
| Benissa Benissa is an old town in the Marina Alta with a preserved stone centre, a neo‑Gothic church, a covered market | Town | 13 km |
| Cala del Moraig (El Poble Nou de Benitatxell) A dramatic pebble cove between high cliffs near Benitatxell, with vivid turquoise water, a sea cave and a scenic clifftop | Beach | 10 km |
| Moraira (Teulada) A low-key, upmarket coastal resort between Calpe and Jávea, with a small marina, a seafront castle, sandy and rocky coves, | Town | 4 km |
| Sierra de Bernia A craggy limestone ridge between Altea and Calp, famous for a circular hike that passes through a tunnel bored clean | Hiking trail | 16 km |
| Peñón de Ifach (Calpe) The Peñón de Ifach: a 332-metre limestone rock rising from the sea at Calpe, with a chained summit trail and | Natural park | 11 km |
By what you are looking for
Town (4): Dénia, Jávea (Xàbia), Benissa, Moraira (Teulada)
Beach (3): Cala Les Rotes (Dénia), Cala Granadella (Jávea), Cala del Moraig (El Poble Nou de Benitatxell)
Hiking trail (3): Montgó, Barranc de l’Infern, Sierra de Bernia
Natural park (2): Cova Tallada (Dénia), Peñón de Ifach (Calpe)
Viewpoint (2): Cap de Sant Antoni (Jávea), Cap de la Nau (Cabo de la Nao)
Historic site (1): Dénia Castle
How to read the map
Each marker is coloured by place type, so a glance tells you whether a point is a beach, a town or a natural park. Clicking a marker opens its name, type and a link to the full page. The checkbox bar above the map filters by type: untick everything except beaches to see only the coastline, or leave only historic sites to plan a day inland. Markers cluster when zoomed out, so a number in a circle means several places sit close together — zoom in and the cluster splits.
For the coast written up as a single read, see the region page.
The rocky north
The Marina Alta is where the Bétic ranges meet the sea. The coastline is rock, cove and headland rather than long sand, and two landmarks dominate it: the Montgó massif above Jávea and Dénia, and the Peñón de Ifach at Calpe. Dénia is the ferry port for Ibiza and Formentera, which makes this the natural jumping-off point for the Balearics.
Town guides in this comarca
- Dénia — ferry port for the Balearics, with its castle over the old town
- Jávea (Xàbia) — three distinct centres: old town, port and Arenal
- Moraira — the low-rise exception on a high-rise coast
- Calpe — apartment blocks running up to a protected natural park
For the coast as a whole, see the full Costa Blanca map or the Costa Blanca guide.
Every place we have mapped on the Marina Alta
12 towns, beaches, coves and landmarks, kept up to date automatically.