Part of the Costa Blanca guide · North-centre: Marina Baixa, Altea to Villajoyosa · Interactive map of the comarca →

The Marina Baixa is the comarca in the middle of the Costa Blanca, in Alicante province, whose coast runs about 20 km in a straight line from Altea in the north to Villajoyosa in the south, through L’Alfàs del Pi, Benidorm and Finestrat. The cliffs of the Serra Gelada split the bays of Altea and Benidorm, and Puig Campana, Bèrnia and Aitana rise close behind (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Below: each town north to south, Benidorm district by district, beaches, things to do, where to stay, transport and a two-day route.

Updated 7 November 2026 · How CostaMap researches its guides

At a glance

• Where the coast of the Marina Baixa in Alicante province, between the Mascarat cliffs under the Serra de Bèrnia north of Altea and the beaches south of Villajoyosa; Altea and Villajoyosa are about 20 km apart in a straight line (OpenStreetMap).
• Towns Altea, L’Alfàs del Pi and L’Albir, Benidorm, Finestrat and La Cala, and Villajoyosa on the coast; Polop, La Nucia, Callosa d’en Sarrià, El Castell de Guadalest, Sella, Relleu and Orxeta inland.
• Best for city beaches and theme parks in Benidorm, the old town of Altea, Serra Gelada cliff walks, the painted houses of Villajoyosa, and mountain villages and waterfalls inland.
• Getting there Alicante airport is about 48 km from Benidorm in a straight line, with hourly ALSA buses; the TRAM links Alicante with Benidorm and runs on to Altea and Dénia, and the N-332 and the AP-7 run behind the coast.
• On CostaMap every coastal town, Levante, Poniente and Albir beaches, the Serra Gelada, Guadalest, the Algar falls and the five Benidorm parks.

Map of the Marina Baixa coast

Places in the Marina Baixa with a CostaMap page. Tick a type to filter; click a marker to see the place. Also see the interactive map of the Marina Baixa.

Towns and villages

North to south along the coast, then the villages inland.

Altea

Altea’s white houses and the blue-tiled domes of Nuestra Señora del Consuelo earned it the nickname “dome of the Mediterranean” (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Walk the walled old town from the Portal Vell along Calle Salamanca to the Portal Nou and up to the church, rebuilt in Neo-Baroque style in 1900–1910 and free to visit (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Below lie the port and about six kilometres of pebble beaches and coves (Spain.info). Read our Altea guide, the old town walk and the Altea place page; the Marina Greenwich lies under Mascarat.

L’Alfàs del Pi and L’Albir

L’Alfàs del Pi has an inland centre with the 18th-century church of San José and the Delso Museum, and a seaside district, L’Albir, facing Altea (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). L’Albir has a half-kilometre pebble beach, the Paseo de las Estrellas for the town’s annual film festival, a Roman villa with an open-air museum and the accessible trail through the Serra Gelada to the lighthouse. Read our L’Alfàs del Pi guide, Albir Beach and Faro del Albir. Campers have Orange Grove Camper Park and Camping La Media Legua towards Benidorm.

Benidorm

Benidorm, the largest resort on the Costa Blanca, has about five kilometres of coast, an old town on a promontory between two long beaches and avenues of hotels on either side (Spain.info). It is flat enough to cross on foot, and Llorente Bus runs 18 city lines linking beaches, hotels and theme parks (Benidorm tourism). Choose your district before you book. Read our Benidorm guide and the Benidorm place page.

Benidorm: Levante and the Rincón de Loix

Levante has more than two kilometres of fine sand between Punta Canfali and Punta Pinet, the busiest promenade and the nightlife (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). The Rincón de Loix at its north-eastern end has its own tourist office and many of the hotels. Beyond it, the Tío Ximo and Almadrava coves under the Serra Gelada are reached on foot from the Punta de l’Escaleta viewpoint (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). See Levante Beach, Aqualandia and Mundomar, both on this side of town.

Benidorm: the old town

The original fishing village keeps narrow streets around the 18th-century church of San Jaime Apóstol, with its blue domes and the image of the Virgen del Sufragio, said to have been found in a boat adrift (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Next to it, on the site of a 14th-century castle, the Balcó del Mediterrani looks out to the island. Below, the 120 m Mal Pas beach faces the island’s marine reserve (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana), and boats leave the port for it. See the Balcó del Mediterrani and Benidorm Island.

Benidorm: Poniente and the Tossal de la Cala

Poniente, south-west of the port, is 3,100 m of fine sand with a calmer promenade, two accessible bathing points and the Blue Flag since 1987 (Benidorm tourism). At its far end the Tossal de la Cala holds a Roman fort from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, open to walk round or by guided tour booked by email (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Inland are the parks. See Poniente Beach, the Tossal de la Cala, Terra Mítica, Terra Natura and Aqua Natura.

Finestrat and La Cala

On the coast, La Cala de Finestrat is a 270 m sandy bay between La Barreta and the El Xoriguer ridge, with a cliff path to a watchtower (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Up the hill, the old town stands on the foundations of an Arab castle, with a viewpoint over the comarca and the church of Sant Bertomeu; from the beach to the top of Puig Campana you climb to about 1,400 m (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Read our Finestrat guide, La Cala de Finestrat and Puig Campana.

Villajoyosa (La Vila Joiosa)

The capital of the Marina Baixa is known for its painted fishermen’s houses. The listed old town keeps a Renaissance wall on Costera de la Mar, with the church of the Asunción built into it (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Valor’s Museu Valencià del Xocolate, opened in 1998, ends with a tasting (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana), and Vilamuseu shows Iberian, Roman and Islamic finds. Read our Villajoyosa guide, the painted houses and the place page.

Polop and La Nucia

Polop grew up around its 12th-century castle; in the Plaça dels Xorros the fountain of 1885 has had 221 spouts since 1947, and the Gabriel Miró house museum is nearby (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). La Nucia, near the Guadalest valley, has a large international community, the Favara fountain and waterfall, and Fiestas Mayores from 14 to 18 August (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Read our Polop guide and La Nucia guide.

Callosa d’en Sarrià and the Algar falls

Callosa d’en Sarrià, below the Serra de Bèrnia, is known for its loquats, its last town gate, El Portal, and an 18th-century wash house with twelve spouts (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). The Fonts de l’Algar, 3 km from town and 15 km from Benidorm, is a Protected Water Area with a 1.5 km riverside path past waterfalls and swimming pools (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Read our Algar Waterfalls guide and Camping Fonts de l’Algar.

El Castell de Guadalest

Guadalest is listed among the most beautiful villages in Spain. Its historic centre sits on a sheer rock, topped by the ruins of the 11th-century San José castle, damaged by two earthquakes and an explosion; there is an ethnological museum, several small collections and an easy walk round the reservoir below (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Read our Guadalest guide.

Sella, Relleu and Orxeta

Three quiet villages behind Villajoyosa and Finestrat. Sella has the easy Water Route and climbing on the Aitana slopes (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana); Relleu has the El Figueret via ferrata (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana); Orxeta has a castle ruin 45 minutes’ walk away and a viewpoint over the Amadorio reservoir (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana).

Beaches and coves

From north to south. Lengths and services are as the official tourist boards list them, checked November 2026. North of Benidorm the beaches are mostly pebble; Benidorm, Finestrat and the centre of Villajoyosa have sand.

Things to do

Where to stay by town

The towns we would base a trip in, north to south. We name no hotels; compare licensed accommodation on the regional tourist board’s search.

Getting there and around

A two-day route

By car, based in Benidorm or L’Albir. Day 1 needs a car; day 2 can be done by TRAM and on foot.

FAQ

Other areas of the Costa Blanca

Just north of Altea, the Mascarat cliffs mark the start of the Marina Alta and Calp; just south of Villajoyosa, El Campello begins L’Alacantí.

Sources and freshness

Checked 9 November 2026. Turisme Comunitat Valenciana pages for every town, beach, monument, museum and festival linked in the text above, starting from Altea, L’Alfàs del Pi, Benidorm, Finestrat, Villajoyosa, Polop, Callosa d’en Sarrià and El Castell de Guadalest, plus La Solsida, Bol Nou, El Paraíso and La Almadrava. Benidorm tourism (visitbenidorm.es) on beaches, Poniente, buses, airport transfers, getting around and the Low Emission Zone, as linked. Spain.info on Benidorm and Altea. Background: Wikipedia on the Alicante TRAM. Map data and distances: OpenStreetMap. Photos (Wikimedia Commons): hero Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0; other photos as credited on the linked CostaMap pages; area cards as credited on the hub. Not confirmed: 2026 Blue Flags, TRAM timetables and line 9 works, festival dates after 2026, car park prices; costablanca.org could not be reached from here, and the town hall websites were not consulted. Corrected 9 November 2026: this note previously said the town hall websites could not be reached; they were not tried.