Costa Blanca North: Which Town Should You Actually Stay In?

Zoom out on a map of the Costa Blanca and every town looks close together, a thumb's width apart, all sharing the same Mediterranean coast. Zoom in and they are radically different in character, pace, and who they suit. This post is about the northern section, from Denia down to Benidorm and Villajoyosa. For the full picture of the whole coast, beaches, interior villages, the south, and living here, see the main Costa Blanca guide.

Featured in our Month by Month series: October

The Two-Part Town Trap

Before anything else: more than one town on this coast is effectively two towns wearing one name, and booking blind can put you somewhere you didn't mean to be.

Calpe has three distinct zones: the historic old town, set back on a hill away from the coast; the modern beachfront resort strip, right at the base of the Peñón de Ifach; and the port. If you see the Peñón from the highway and think that's "the town," it isn't, that's the beach zone. The old town is a separate, uphill experience. Always check which zone a listing is actually in before you book.

Getting Around: The Tram, Not a Metro

A lot of people expect a metro system up this coast. What you actually get is the TRAM d'Alacant, a light rail line that runs from Alicante city north to Denia, stopping at most of the towns described here. It is slow, scenic, and genuinely useful if you want to explore multiple towns without a car. For booking trains across Spain more broadly, this is the tool we use.

Choosing Your Base by Vibe

Quiet nights and mountain lovers: Finestrat. Sitting at the base of Puig Campana, Finestrat is genuinely mountainous and quiet, but only 10-15 minutes from Benidorm, so you're not sacrificing access for peace. One thing to know: you'll need a car here, there's no easy bus or tram connection. If you want to go further into the mountains for a day, Guadalest, with its castle built into the rock face over a reservoir, is worth the trip, and it's actually reachable by bus from Benidorm if you'd rather not drive, treat it as a day trip, not a base.

Cala lovers: Xàbia. This is where you go if you want Mallorca-style beaches on the mainland, but don't overlook the old town itself, it's genuinely beautiful in its own right, built in unusual Gothic stone for this part of Spain. Just know upfront you'll be driving to most things rather than walking, Xàbia sits out on its own point, and the beach areas are a real drive from wherever you're staying (and possibly a hike as well). People with accessibility concerns should do thorough research before choosing which cala to go to.

Island hoppers: Denia. The ferry connection to Ibiza and Formentera makes Denia the obvious base if you want to combine mainland and Balearics. It also has a castle, a working port with excellent fish restaurants, and record whale and dolphin sightings offshore — fin whales pass through these waters in summer.

Multi-town explorers: Calpe. Central to the whole northern coast, with the trenecito, the Peñón, and easy day-trip access to everywhere else on this list. Just remember the old town/beach zone split above when you're booking.

Another option is Altea, known as Santorini in Spain and voted the most beautiful town in Spain. Altea may be for you if you want a cute town with a lot of history and only explore other towns as a secondary priority, as it is quite a ways off the highway. People with accessibility problems will want to make sure they stay as close to the beach or marina as possible because of the hills, or choose Calpe.

The person who wants to stay put in paradise: Moraira. Smaller, quieter, and more upscale than its neighbors, Moraira rewards people who don't need a different town every day. Good food, a nice marina, and genuinely less crowded than Calpe or Altea.

Those who thrive in the chaos: Benidorm. High-energy, English-speaking, all-inclusive-friendly, and unapologetically built for exactly this. If constant activity and nightlife are the point of your trip, Benidorm delivers better than anywhere else on this coast.

As close to the city as possible without being in it: Villajoyosa. Closest to Alicante of the towns on this list, with its own real identity, painted houses, a working fishing fleet, chocolate history, without feeling like a satellite of the city.

If you'd rather build a trip around the vineyards inland, see our Jalón Valley wine route guide

See It All at a Glance

This map covers the northern towns. For accommodation on the southern Costa Blanca and Alicante city, see the full Costa Blanca guide.

Affiliate disclosure: this map contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Bottom Line

There is no single best town on this stretch of coast, there is a best town depending what you are actually after. The guide above should make that clearer. If you are still unsure, Calpe is the most central and flexible base. For the full picture of the whole Costa Blanca, the interior, the south, and living here, the main Costa Blanca guide has it all.

More Valencia Train Guides

Day Trips Within an Hour | Beach Train Trips | Long Weekend Trips | Cheapest Routes | Hidden Gems | 10 Overnight Trips

Written by Sherri: an American who spent years traveling solo, including time living in Peru, before settling into a full-time digital nomad life with her husband and young kids for over four years. She's now been in Europe for 3.5+ years, most of it in the Valencia area of Spain. Everything on Travel-Casa is written from firsthand experience or knowledge picked up along the way.

Spain Has Many Versions. Find Yours.

Mediterranean Spain: Catalonia | Comunitat Valenciana | Murcia | Andalucia

Northern Spain: Pais Vasco | Cantabria | Asturias | Galicia | Navarra | Aragon

Inland Spain: Madrid | Castilla y Leon | Castilla-La Mancha | Extremadura | La Rioja

The Islands: Balearic Islands | Canary Islands

Planning and Living in Spain: Moving to Spain, But Where? | Living Abroad: The Real Pros and Cons | Slow Travel in Europe | What to Know Before You Drive in Spain | Towns Offering Incentives to Move | What Is Empty Spain?