If you are a follower of our blog, surely you already know many of the most beautiful and secret corners of the Mediterranean, but you probably still do not know that the province of Alicante has a small inhabited island very close to the coast with a lot to offer. So, what are you waiting for? Let's get to know Tabarca.
Only about fifty people live on the island throughout the year. The island of Tabarca is a magical place brimming with nature and tradition, but without roads or supermarkets, which with the arrival of summer becomes one of the most desired destinations on the Costa Blanca.
Can you think of a better excursion to do during your holidays in Alicante? Reserve a day during your stay, embark and discover this maritime jewel where time seems to have stood still.
Although popularly known as Tabarca, it is really a small archipelago in which the main island, called Nueva Tabarca or Isla Plana, is surrounded by the small islets of La Nao, La Cantera and La Galera.
But if interesting is its terrestrial landscape in which the winter wind draws capricious shapes in the bushes and prickly pears populate every corner, its true treasure is hidden in the rich seabed that surround the archipelago, which is the reason Tabarca was designated in the year 1986 as the first Marine Reserve in all of Spain.
It is undoubtedly a paradise for lovers of diving, snorkelling or for all those fans who are content to put on fins, snorkel and goggles twice a year and fall in awe of the immense meadows of Posidonia, an endemic species of the area, inhabited by countless examples of marine fauna that range from small anchovies and squid to the always admired dolphins and turtles. Let's take care of this gift of nature!
But if the surface is your thing, what better plan than to go around the island of Tabarca and enjoy its profile on a paddle surf board? Do not miss all the activities that the island can offer you.
If you are not satisfied with the great white sandy beach that forms the backbone of the island, at the foot of the port, awarded with the Blue Flag then Tabarca has more than 5 kilometres of coastline where it is possible to find your corner in which to disappear and bathe in solitude. What a paradise!
Also, in addition, a multitude of small coves dot the coastline offering fantastic views dominated by the clear, crystalline and transparent water of the island. It is the ideal place to immortalize with your photos, a candidate to become the best day of your summer.
Tabarca has a very ancient origin that dates back to the time of the conquests of the Berber pirates who used the square as a base when attacking the coast of Alicante. Its most recent history dates back to the year 1770 when King Carlos III freed hundreds of prisoners from the Tunisian island of Tabarka and transferred them to our island, then uninhabited, baptizing it as Tabarca.
Thus the town was born, life on the island arose with its white houses, its customs, its charming streets, the entrance gates of the old defensive wall and the church dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the holy fishermen, was built, then becoming a prosperous port.
Although the sea tries to tempt you, do not miss out on its streets and admire the beauty of its monuments and architecture with so much flavour of the Mediterranean as always. A heritage that earned Tabarca its recognition as a Historic-Artistic Complex by ministerial order since 1964.
But what is it to talk about culture without mentioning gastronomy? And again, the sea, with the jigging squid or the fish of the day, always different depending on what was caught the night before, and, of course, the cauldero. The unmistakable star of its gastronomy that is not cooked in any other port and that moulds, like nothing else, the intense flavour of fresh fish, the local stamp of rice and the fresh and unexpected touch of aioli. If you are looking for where to eat, do not worry, in all of the restaurants you can eat as at home, or better.
The experience begins on board any of the boats that link the ports of the province of Alicante with the island of Tabarca. At Servigroup you can choose from a wide variety of hotels located in the most desired destinations on the Costa Blanca.
Think about your destination, choose the hotel that best suits your needs and book one day of your holiday to discover the island of Tabarca.
In the capital of the Costa Blanca we offer up to 9 hotels, Benidorm is an ideal destination to enjoy as a family or as a couple, with a multitude of different plans throughout the year. The visit to the island of Tabarca is one of them!
The boats to Tabarca leave from the port of Benidorm first thing in the morning after an important breakfast that will give you the strength you need for a day full of emotions. After visiting the island, you will be back in Benidorm for dinner, but not before having enjoyed one of the most beautiful sunsets that can be imagined from the boat while the island is left behind and lost in the horizon.
If you stay at the Hotel Montiboli, you can choose to embark in the ports of Benidorm, Campello or Alicante, any option is good, choose the time that best suits your plans!
Known as “The Pearl of the Mediterranean”, this hotel in Villajoyosa is the perfect place for a romantic getaway in which to combine rest by the sea with countless original excursions to discover as a couple.
Orihuela boasts of being the municipality with the largest number of beaches awarded with the blue flag in the entire Valencian Province, the quality of its coasts makes it a perfect and surprising beach destination.
From the Hotel La Zenia, a few minutes by car you can find the port of Torrevieja, from which there are also daily departures to the island to enjoy a perfect day by the sea, gastronomy and Mediterranean culture.
The endless white sandy beaches of the Costa de Azahar often overshadow the many other charms that this incredible area of the Mediterranean coast awaits travellers. This is the case of the Coves de Sant Josep, some very interesting underground caves that hide the longest underground navigable river in Europe and whose walls house cave paintings. Are you going to miss it?
