The 10 most beautiful villages on the Costa Blanca
White mountain villages, old fishing towns and streets that pull you away from the coast. These ten are worth a day trip.
MILO SCHUIJT · 19 August 2026 · 8 min readThe Costa Blanca is known for sun, sea and beaches. But drive fifteen minutes inland and the coast gives way to old villages with narrow streets, white houses and mountain views. Some you may already know; most tourists skip the others. These are ten villages that will keep you off the beach for a day.
1. Altea
Altea has the best-known white village square on this coast. On top of the hill stands the church with its blue dome of glazed tiles; around it, cobbled lanes wind past galleries and small terraces. Climb the steps to the square towards sunset, when the light falls low across the sea.
Below lies the promenade with fish restaurants and a pebble beach. Park at the bottom and walk up; you will not meet a car in the old centre.
Read more about Altea →2. Guadalest
El Castell de Guadalest sits against a rock face some 20 kilometres from Benidorm. You enter the old village through a tunnel in the rock; on the peak stands a bell tower you can see from far away. From the castle you look out over the turquoise reservoir in the valley.
The village counts more museums than houses, including a collection of miniatures. Go early: around midday the narrow streets fill with coaches from Benidorm.
Read more about Guadalest →3. Villajoyosa
In La Vila Joiosa the fishermen’s houses along the beach come in bright pink, blue, ochre and green. Fishermen once painted their house in its own colour so they could pick it out from the sea when sailing home.
Walk through the old quarter behind the quay and finish at the Valor chocolate factory, here since 1881. The town beach is wide and sandy, welcome after the walk.
Read more about Villajoyosa →4. Polop
Polop sits on a hill with a castle ruin on top. From the viewpoint by the cemetery you can see the coast all the way to Benidorm. Down in the village stands a wall with 221 taps, the Font dels 221 Xorros, where the mountain water comes out.
It is a quiet village without many tourists. Come for the walk up and lunch on the little square.
Read more about Polop →5. Finestrat
Finestrat clings to a rocky ledge below the Puig Campana, the mountain with the striking notch in its summit. The white houses stand right above a ravine; from the little church square you look straight into the depth.
It is a short climb through the village, but the view at the top makes up for it. Combine it with a hike up the mountain if you want more.
Read more about Finestrat →6. Bocairent
Bocairent lies further inland, in the mountains towards Valencia. The medieval core is carved into the rock: narrow stairways, houses stacked on top of each other and a bullring partly hewn from the rock face.
Outside the village lie the Covetes dels Moros, dozens of cave chambers high in a cliff. Count on an hour’s drive from the coast, but it is another world from the beaches.
Read more about Bocairent →7. Xàbia (Jávea)
Xàbia’s old centre lies a few kilometres from the beach, around the fortified church of Sant Bertomeu. The church is built of tosca, the pale local stone, and once served as a refuge against pirates.
On Thursdays there is a market on the square. If you want to escape the marina crowds, you will find narrow streets and local bars here.
Read more about Xàbia →8. Tàrbena
Tàrbena lies high in the mountains between Callosa and the Vall de Gallinera. The village has Moorish roots, visible in the layout of its lanes and the surrounding terraces.
It is known for sobrassada, a spreadable sausage you can taste in the village bars. Drive up via the winding road; the bends are half the outing.
Read more about Tàrbena →9. Sella
Sella is a small mountain village at the foot of the Puig Campana and the Aitana. It is a place for hikers and climbers: trails run around the village and via ferratas hang from the rocks.
The village itself is quiet, with a few bars and an old core. Come for the nature, not the nightlife.
Read more about Sella →10. Xaló (Jalón)
Xaló lies in the Jalón wine valley, among almond groves and vineyards. On Saturdays a large flea market runs along the dry riverbed, popular with locals and expats alike.
In January and February the almond trees blossom pink and white; in autumn you pick up sweet mistela and muscatel at the cooperative. Drive on through the valley past the other wine villages.
Read more about Xaló →Ten villages, ten reasons to turn off the coastal road. Start close by with Altea or Villajoyosa, and save mountain villages like Bocairent and Tàrbena for a full day. Whichever you choose: bring good shoes, because a climb awaits everywhere.
Milo Schuijt is an entrepreneur and DJ on the Costa Blanca. He writes about the places where he lives, works and plays: from beach bars to the housing market.
Image credits
- Altea (header): photo diego_cue via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Altea: photo Cristobalfdez via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Guadalest: photo PiotrMig via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Villajoyosa: photo Jaume Meneses via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Polop: photo Werner Wilmes via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
- Finestrat: photo Joanbanjo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bocairent: photo Superchilum via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Xàbia: photo Espencat via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
- Tàrbena: photo Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sella: photo Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Xaló: photo Joanbanjo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0