Moraira: castle, rocky coves and a Friday market in Teulada-Moraira

Moraira is the coastal village of the municipality of Teulada-Moraira, on the northern Costa Blanca, about 80 km north of Alicante. It suits visitors who want a small harbour village with rocky coves and a few sandy beaches, and who are happy to use a car. It is a poor fit if you want nightlife, a long surf-and-sand promenade or easy public transport. Teulada, the old town, lies inland a few kilometres away. Moraira is part of our Costa Blanca guide.

Quick facts

• Where: Moraira is the coastal centre of the municipality of Teulada-Moraira, Alicante province, in the Marina Alta. Teulada is the inland centre; the two are a few kilometres apart, according to Turisme Comunitat Valenciana.
• Residents: 12,912 for the whole municipality of Teulada-Moraira (1 January 2025, INE). Moraira alone is smaller.
• Altitude: 17 m in Moraira, 185 m in Teulada (Macma).
• Beaches: yes. The municipality has 8 km of coastline with beaches and rocky coves (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana).
• Airport: Alicante–Elche, about 94 km by road to Teulada, roughly an hour by car according to Rome2Rio.
• Language: Valencian and Spanish; the tourist trade works in English as well.
• Market: Moraira on Fridays, Teulada on Wednesdays (Spanish Fiestas market list).
• Tourist office: Avinguda Santa Caterina 2, Teulada-Moraira (Macma).

Where to base yourself

Moraira is small, and the real choice is between three settings. The right one depends on whether you want to walk to the sea, to the coves, or to a quiet inland town.

Moraira village and the bay

The old centre sits around the harbour and the l’Ampolla beach, with the castle right beside the sand. This is the best base if you want to leave the car parked and walk to a beach, a bar and a meal. It is also where the Friday market takes place, so expect more traffic that morning.

The cove side

Further around the bay are the coves: L’Andragó, in the inner part of the large bay between Punta de Moraira and Cabo Blanco, Cap Blanc, El Portixolet and Llebeig. Some of them still have old fishing houses, according to Turisme Comunitat Valenciana. Staying near them suits swimmers and snorkellers, but you will want a car for shopping and evenings.

Teulada inland

Teulada is a walled Gothic town with a fortified parish church, about 185 m above sea level, and it feels more like a working Valencian town than a resort. It is a calmer, more local base, with its own Wednesday market, but you are a drive from the sea.

Things to do

Moraira’s sights are small-scale. A day covers the village; a few more days let you explore coves and walks.

Castell de Moraira

The castle stands on Calle Castillo, next to l’Ampolla beach. It was built in the 18th century against Barbary pirate and corsair attacks. Sources give slightly different completion years: Macma says 1744 while Wikipedia says 1742, so treat the exact year as uncertain. It has a horseshoe-like floor plan, a semicircular front facing south and a single door on the north side under a Bourbon coat of arms. It was restored in the early 1980s, with the exterior following an approximation of the original. Inside there is a permanent exhibition on watchtowers from the time of Philip II and an audiovisual about the sea and piracy, according to Turisme Comunitat Valenciana. The official page gives no opening hours, so check with the tourist office (+34 965 745 168) before you go.

Watchtowers and history

Barbary pirate attacks marked the coast from the 15th to the 17th century, and the Torre del Cap d’Or dates from that period (Macma). Later, a raisin economy at the end of the 18th century produced the dry-stone terraces and the riuraus, the raisin-drying buildings that still mark the inland landscape.

Teulada

Turisme Comunitat Valenciana lists Teulada’s Gothic walled core, the fortified parish church of Santa Catalina Mártir, the chapel of La Divina Pastora and the Sala de Jurats i Justicies. Les Sorts, a protected valley, and a recreation area near the springs of Font Santa and Font de la Jana are reached from the inland side.

Snorkelling

Macma lists snorkelling routes at El Portet, Cala Portixol, Cala Andragó and Cap Blanc. Les Platgetes, two small coves, are described by the regional tourism body as rich in marine life.

Beaches and places nearby

Moraira is better for coves than for one big beach. Wikipedia describes three sandy beaches popular with families, plus rocky coves and inlets, and that matches what the official pages list. L’Ampolla is the village beach beside the castle. L’Andragó is a cove inside the large bay; the regional page lists a restaurant and parking there, but gives no length or sand description, so check conditions on the day. El Portet is another cove used for snorkelling.

Skip Moraira if you want a wide, flat, lifeguarded urban beach with long promenades. The coves are small and can fill quickly on summer weekends, though the official sources do not give visitor numbers, so this is a practical warning rather than a measured one.

Within reach by car are Calpe, Jávea, Dénia and Benissa. Nearby places on CostaMap include Cala del Moraig and Cap de la Nau.

Other town guides nearby: Altea (about 18 km in a straight line), L’Alfàs del Pi (about 24 km in a straight line), Benidorm (about 28 km in a straight line).

On CostaMap near Moraira: Cala del Moraig (El Poble Nou de Benitatxell) (3.7 km) · Cap de la Nau (Cabo de la Nao) (9.7 km).

Food and drink

The Turisme Comunitat Valenciana page for Teulada-Moraira names rice dishes, fish and muscatel wine. Macma adds arròs a banda, a sardine and spinach paella, “bull” (preserved tuna offal) and dames, sweet pastries eaten on Sant Blai’s day. Muscatel also has its own fiesta, the Fiesta del Moscatel, according to the regional page.

The Friday market in Moraira is the easiest way to buy local produce. Sources disagree on its exact site: Spanish Fiestas gives the Carretera Moraira–Calpe, while Wikipedia says the main car park. Ask at the tourist office for the current location. Teulada’s Wednesday market is on Calle Alicante, according to Spanish Fiestas.

For a meal by the water, the harbour and bay side of the village is the natural place. We do not name individual restaurants here because we have no source that rates them.

Where to stay

Moraira has a mix of village apartments, houses around the bay and rental homes, and its stays are usually built around a car. Teulada offers the quieter inland option. We have not verified current price levels, so compare dates and areas yourself on the booking sites you trust.

When you choose, decide first how far you want to be from the sea and from parking. Near the castle and l’Ampolla you can walk to the sand; near the coves you gain quiet and swimming but lose walkable shops. Campsites and camper areas are listed in the wider area, but check each one’s distance to Moraira itself.

Getting there and around

By air, the main airport is Alicante–Elche. By car it is about 94 km to Teulada, roughly one hour, according to Rome2Rio. Moraira is about 80 km north of Alicante and 100 km south of Valencia, according to Wikipedia.

Public transport is thin. Rome2Rio lists ALSA bus 562 from Alicante airport to Cruce de Teulada four times a day, taking 1 h 35 min, and a Beniconnect shuttle on demand taking 1 h 28 min to Moraira. Its listing shows no scheduled bus direct to Moraira from the airport, so confirm with ALSA or the shuttle before relying on either. A rental car makes the area far easier, especially for the coves.

In the village you can walk between the harbour, the castle and the beach. Parking near the coves in summer is limited, so go early.

Best time to visit

Summer is the beach season. Wikipedia reports sea temperatures up to 25 °C in summer, little rain in July and August, and about 442 mm of rain a year. For a quieter visit, check the AEMET forecast and plan around the sea rather than the calendar.

Turisme Comunitat Valenciana lists Holy Week, Corpus Christi, the Fiestas de San Antonio, the Fiestas de la Divina Pastora, the Fiesta del Moscatel and a Moors and Christians festival among the local events. Macma places the Moraira Moors and Christians in early summer and the Moraira patron festivities in July. We give no dates, because they change each year; confirm them with the town hall for the year you travel.

FAQ

Is Moraira the same as Teulada?

They are two centres of one municipality, Teulada-Moraira. Teulada lies inland and Moraira is the coastal village a few kilometres away, per Turisme Comunitat Valenciana.

Does Moraira have beaches?

Yes. The municipality has 8 km of coast with beaches and rocky coves; l’Ampolla is the village beach next to the castle.

How do I get to Moraira from Alicante airport?

By car it is about 94 km to Teulada and roughly an hour. ALSA bus 562 runs to Cruce de Teulada four times a day and a Beniconnect shuttle runs on demand, according to Rome2Rio.

What day is the market?

Moraira’s market is on Fridays and Teulada’s on Wednesdays. Check the exact site and hours locally.

When was the castle built?

In the 18th century. Macma gives 1744 and Wikipedia gives 1742 for completion.

Sources and freshness

Checked October 2026 · 9 sources Show

Last checked: October 2026. Sources:

• INE, population of Alicante municipalities
• Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Teulada-Moraira
• Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Castillo de Moraira
• Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Cala l’Andragó
• Macma, Teulada-Moraira
• Rome2Rio, Alicante airport to Moraira
• Spanish Fiestas, Costa Blanca markets
• Wikipedia, Moraira (distances, market hours, climate figures)
• AEMET (forecast)

Main photo: Luciamaldofer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.