Today we visit La Vila Joiosa (Villajoyosa), a touristic and picturesque town in the Marina Baixa region, in the province of Alicante. Cultural plans, hiking trails, coves and beaches and other plans in nature await us. Read on to discover them… Let’s get started!
Index of contents
CULTURAL PLANS IN VILLAJOYOSA
1. Free-Tour through the old town of Villajoyosa
The first activity we recommend to get to know La Vila Joiosa (Villajoyosa) is a guided tour of the old town. This will allow us to know the history and curiosities of this beautiful town of seafaring and chocolate tradition.
We offer you a free-tour, that is, a guided tour where you decide how much you want to pay. Remember to book in advance, as places are limited. More information below:
2. Visit the Vila Museu
Vila Museum is the archaeological and history museum of La Vila Joiosa. Through its different rooms we can learn about interesting aspects of this beautiful town of the Marina Baixa, from the Iberian culture to its Moors and Christians Festivals, through Roman villas or Berber pirates. Undoubtedly a highly recommended visit. In addition, the museum places special emphasis on its accessibility, both in the facilities and in the “museumized” sites throughout the town.
3. Visiting Chocolate Factories and Museums
Chocolates Perez
This family business has been dedicated to the artisan production of chocolate since 1892. It is possible to take a guided tour of the factory as well as a small museum attached to it. .
Chocolates Valor
Chocolates Valor, one of the oldest chocolate companies in Spain, founded its own Chocolate Museum in 1998. Ten years later, in 2008, the Generalitat Valenciana recognized it as the “Museo Valenciano del Chocolate”.
Chocolates Clavileño
With more than 130 years of tradition in the production of handmade chocolate, this chocolate company from La Vila Joiosa has a small museum next to the factory that is worth a visit.
ACTIVE TOURISM
4. Coast Jumping in La Vila Joiosa
If going to the beach and sunbathing isn’t for you… You might like this activity: Coasteering or Coast Jumping will allow you to discover secret places of the coastline of La Vila Joiosa and snorkel at the foot of the cliffs that shape this beautiful enclave of the Costa Blanca. An activity that will delight the most adventurous people.
CHARMING PLACES TO VISIT
5. La Malladeta: Iberian sanctuary and viewpoint.
On the outskirts of Villajoyosa, in the area known as El Tossal de la Malladeta, we find a small mountainous formation where 2,400 years ago the Iberians built a temple in honor of the “Mother Goddess”, the Tanit of the Carthaginians.
Centuries later, the famous physician Alfonso Esquerdo chose this site to build Villa Giacomina, a historicist mansion that imitates medieval styles, with Christian, Arab and Hebrew symbols, typical of Freemasonry.
Currently, in the area we find a viewpoint with fantastic views of the coastline of the Costa Blanca, from the Cape of Santa Pola to the Serra Gelada. To get here, it is enough to take a simple walk, suitable for everyone.
6. La Cala del Xarco and its watchtower
La Vila Joiosa has one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline of the Costa Blanca, punctuated by small coves of pebbles and crystal clear waters. One of them is the Cala del Xarco, which is located at the southern end of the municipality, 4 kilometers south of the town.
It is a cove with two distinct areas, one of which is the canine beach of Villajoyosa. This cove is very special because next to it we can visit an old watchtower of the sixteenth century, which is part of a defensive system designed to defend the population from attacks by Barbary pirates.
Unfortunately, Cala del Xarco is currently threatened by an urbanization project, which would change forever the natural aspect of this beautiful beach.
7. Excursion to Relleu and its vertiginous footbridge.
Very close to Vila Joiosa we can take the road that leads to Orxeta, Sella and Relleu, three beautiful towns in Alicante.
In this excursion, we will get to know:
The Amadorio Reservoir
The Amadorio Reservoir is located on the bed of the river of the same name, and was built in 1957. As a curiosity, it should be noted that this is the reservoir of the Mediterranean account that is the shortest distance from the sea: 4 kilometers in a straight line.
Shared with the neighboring town of Orxeta The Amadorio Reservoir offers a natural space of great beauty, at the foot of the Serra de Orxeta (it has a marked trail) and the Serra de Relleu. In addition to beautiful views, the area is of high environmental value and an ideal place to enjoy a relaxing walk with views of the reservoir and the Sierra de Aitana as a backdrop.
The Relleu Swamp
Built long before that of Amadorio, and only a few kilometers upstream, the Relleu Reservoir dates back to the 17th century and is among the oldest in Europe. Since 2022, its vertiginous walkway allows people of any age to enter a spectacular gorge that rivals in beauty with the well-known Barranc de l’Infern.
BEST ROUTES IN LA VILA JOIOSA
8. The Aguiló Tower, a defensive watchtower against corsairs.
This route is short and VERY simple and will allow us to enjoy a panoramic view of great beauty and a cultural heritage of great value: the tower built in the sixteenth century had the function of warning of pirate attacks, frequent at that time.
The route begins in the vicinity of Cala Morales or Cala de Finestrat. If this is not enough for you, you can extend the route with the following proposal from our selection…
9. La Colada de la Costa de la Vila Joiosa
This hiking route in Villajoyosa starts at the beautiful Platja del Torres. An excursion with history, as it takes us back in time, when the transhumant shepherds came down to this area looking for a warmer climate and new pastures during the cold winters of the Alicante mountains.
In Playa del Torres we can also admire a unique funerary monument of Roman times: the Tower of Sant Josep or Tower of Hercules, dating from the second century AD.
10. The Serra de Orxeta
The Serra d’Orxeta marks the dividing line between Villajoyosa, Finestrat and Orxeta. It is a mountain with a slight pyramidal shape, with a maximum height of 677 meters. We can reach its summit following a marked trail that starts in Orxeta.
From the top, and thanks to its strategic location, you can contemplate an extensive panoramic view that reaches as far as Torrevieja on sunny days. The influence of the colossal Puig Campana, given its proximity, is also notable.
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