Author Dmitry Sheynkman Residence permit expert, tax adviser Updated 16 September 2026 7 min read Message the author

Costa Blanca: where it is, towns, beaches, climate and what to see

The Costa Blanca (“White Coast”) is the tourist name for the coastline of the province of Alicante in eastern Spain. It is not a separate region but a brand promoted by the provincial tourism board: more than 200 km of shoreline from Denia in the north to Pilar de la Horadada in the south, with more than 170 beaches and coves. The province has 2,030,037 residents, one in four of them a foreigner, and its Russian and Ukrainian community is one of the largest in Spain. Below: where the Costa Blanca is, which towns stand on it, what the climate, beaches and sights are like, how to get there and which language is spoken. If you are thinking of living on this coast, go to the article moving to Alicante.

What the Costa Blanca is and where it is

The Costa Blanca is the Mediterranean coastline of the province of Alicante, one of the three provinces of the Valencian Community. There is no administrative unit with this name: the Costa Blanca brand is promoted by the Patronato Provincial de Turismo, an autonomous body of the provincial council (Diputación de Alicante). According to the board, the coast stretches for more than 200 km. How the country is divided into provinces and communities is shown in our overview of Spain’s provinces and autonomous communities.

Country — Spain.
Autonomous community — Valencian Community; province — Alicante.
Main city — Alicante, 366,221 residents.
Population of the province — 2,030,037 at 1 January 2025, up 1.9% in a year.
Foreigners — 24.5% of the province’s residents; the largest groups are British, Colombian and Moroccan nationals.

The Costa Blanca is the coast of the province of Alicante, from Denia to Pilar de la Horadada. Each town shows its share of foreign residents from the INE annual census on 1 January 2025; dot size reflects the population register. Boundaries: Natural Earth. Town points: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).

Costa Blanca towns from north to south

The coast runs through five comarcas — the province’s historical districts.

Chart of the Alicante coast by comarca, as defined by the Valencian Community’s statistics portal. Terracotta marks the comarcas with the highest share of foreigners.

Population is from the INE municipal register (padrón) at 1 January 2025; the share of foreigners is from the INE annual census:

Town	Comarca	Population	Foreigners
Denia	Marina Alta	47,261	29.1%
Javea	Marina Alta	30,642	47.5%
Teulada (Moraira)	Marina Alta	12,912	56.4%
Calpe	Marina Alta	27,616	54.1%
Altea	Marina Baja	24,592	39.1%
Benidorm	Marina Baja	77,327	34.8%
Villajoyosa	Marina Baja	37,449	24.5%
El Campello	L’Alacantí	31,419	22.5%
Alicante	L’Alacantí	366,221	21.0%
Santa Pola	Baix Vinalopó	39,709	24.5%
Elche	Baix Vinalopó	245,557	14.4%
Guardamar del Segura	Vega Baja	18,564	38.5%
Torrevieja	Vega Baja	98,533	49.5%
Orihuela	Vega Baja	84,560	36.7%
Pilar de la Horadada	Vega Baja	24,316	40.0%

Foreigners make up more than half of residents in Benitachell, Teulada, Calpe, Finestrat and L’Alfàs del Pi, and almost half in Torrevieja. Their share is lowest in Elche and Alicante.

Climate of the Costa Blanca

The climate is Mediterranean and dry. According to AEMET normals for 1981–2010, Alicante averages 18.3 °C over the year, 11.7 °C in January and 26 °C in August, with just 311 mm of rainfall and 2,851 hours of sunshine. At Alicante-Elche Airport it is drier still: 277 mm of rainfall and 2,953 hours of sunshine. The wettest month in Alicante is September, with 56 mm.

Beaches and Blue Flags

In 2026, 77 beaches and 17 marinas in the province received the Blue Flag — 94 flags in total. The municipalities with the most Blue Flag beaches:

Orihuela — 10, all on the Orihuela Costa: Cabo Roig — La Caleta, Campoamor — La Glea, La Zenia — Cala Bosque, Mil Palmeras, Punta Prima and others;
Denia — 7: Les Marines, Les Deveses, Punta del Raset and others;
Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada and Villajoyosa — 6 each;
Calpe, Elche, Guardamar and Santa Pola — 5 each;
Alicante — 4: Postiguet, Saladar-Urbanova, Sant Joan and the beach on Tabarca Island.

Sant Joan beach in Alicante, La Fossa in Calpe and Carrer la Mar in El Campello have held the Blue Flag without a break since 1987.

What to see on the Costa Blanca

Peñón de Ifach in Calpe — a 332 m rock joined to the mainland by a narrow isthmus; a natural park since 1987.
The Palmeral of Elche — more than 45,000 date palms, the largest palm grove in Europe; a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000.
Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante — on Mount Benacantil above the city, reached by a lift opposite Postiguet beach.
Tabarca Island — a marine reserve since 1986 with Posidonia seagrass meadows; boats go there from Alicante and Santa Pola.
The La Mata and Torrevieja lagoons — a natural park since 1996.
Montgó between Denia and Javea — a mountain and natural park since 1987.

How to get there and get around

Alicante-Elche Airport handled a record 19.95 million passengers in 2025, the fifth highest figure in Spain’s airport network.
The TRAM d’Alacant runs along the coast: line L1 from central Alicante to Benidorm (44.6 km) and line L9 from Benidorm to Denia (50.9 km). The network has six lines and 71 stops in total.
Roads. The AP-7 motorway from Tarragona to Alicante has been toll-free since 1 January 2020, and since December 2025 the AP-7 Alicante bypass has been toll-free too.
Trains. AVE high-speed trains have linked Alicante with Madrid since 2013.

There are no direct flights from Russia; entry rules are described in the article on the Spanish visa.

What language is spoken on the Costa Blanca

There are two official languages: Spanish and Valencian (Article 6 of the Statute of Autonomy of the Valencian Community). Under Law 4/1983 the province is divided into language zones: Valencian predominates in Denia, Javea, Calpe, Benidorm, Alicante, Elche, Santa Pola and Guardamar, while Spanish predominates in Orihuela, Torrevieja and most of the Vega Baja. This determines the rules for studying Valencian at school — details in the article moving to Alicante.

Living on the Costa Blanca

The Russian and Ukrainian community of the province of Alicante is one of the largest in Spain: 22,979 Russian citizens and 32,831 Ukrainian citizens. Most live in Torrevieja (5,343 Russians and 8,191 Ukrainians) and Alicante (4,068 and 7,019); more than half of them live in the five largest towns on the coast.
Taxes in the Valencian Community. The regional income tax scale in 2026 runs from 8.8% to 29.35%. Transfer tax on resale homes is 9% for transactions from 1 June 2026 (11% for properties worth more than €1 million). Wealth tax has a tax-free allowance of €2 million, and inheritance and gifts to close relatives get a 99% rebate.

Which residence permit to choose, where to live in and around Alicante, how much housing costs and what schools are like is covered in the article moving to Alicante. For the town with the largest Russian-speaking community, see the article on Torrevieja.

Frequently asked questions about the Costa Blanca

What is the Costa Blanca?

The tourist name for the coastline of the province of Alicante in Spain: more than 200 km of shoreline from Denia to Pilar de la Horadada. The Costa Blanca is not a separate region.

Where is the Costa Blanca?

In eastern Spain, on the Mediterranean, in the province of Alicante in the Valencian Community. The main city is Alicante.

Which towns are on the Costa Blanca?

From north to south: Denia, Javea, Calpe, Altea, Benidorm, Villajoyosa, El Campello, Alicante, Santa Pola, Elche, Guardamar del Segura, Torrevieja, Orihuela and Pilar de la Horadada.

How many Blue Flag beaches are there on the Costa Blanca?

In 2026, 77 beaches and 17 marinas. The municipalities with the most Blue Flag beaches are Orihuela (10), Denia (7), and Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada and Villajoyosa (6 each). How to charter a boat and which licence you need is covered in our guide to yachts in Spain.

Which airport serves the Costa Blanca?

Alicante-Elche: in 2025 it handled 19.95 million passengers. A tram runs from Alicante along the coast to Benidorm and Denia.

Are there many Russians on the Costa Blanca?

Yes: at 1 January 2025 the province of Alicante had 22,979 Russian citizens and 32,831 Ukrainian citizens. Most live in Torrevieja and Alicante.

What language is spoken on the Costa Blanca?

Spanish and Valencian, both official. In the north and in Alicante the law designates Valencian as predominant; in the south, in Orihuela and Torrevieja, Spanish.

Costa Blanca or Costa del Sol: which to choose?

The Costa Blanca is drier — 311 mm of rainfall in Alicante against 534 mm in Malaga — it has more Blue Flag beaches (77 against 45 in the province of Malaga), and its Russian-speaking community is larger: 22,979 Russian citizens against 9,867. The Costa del Sol is sunnier in winter and has a bigger airport. More in the article Andalusia and the Costa del Sol.