Altea is the prettiest of the northern Costa Blanca towns — a tumble of whitewashed houses climbing a hill to the church of Nuestra Señora del Consuelo, whose blue-and-white tiled domes are the signature image of this stretch of coast.
The old town rewards slow wandering: steep cobbled lanes, flower-filled corners, artisan shops and small galleries open onto the Plaza de la Iglesia, where café tables look out over the sea. Altea has long drawn painters and musicians, and that bohemian streak still shows in its workshops and summer evening markets.
Down at sea level the seafront is pebble rather than sand, with a long promenade of seafood restaurants and a small marina. It makes an easy half-day: climb for the views and the domes, then drop back down for a long lunch by the water.