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What to Do in Xàbia (Jávea): The Best Activities this part of the Costa Blanca North

Sep 26
6 min read

Updated: Oct 4

October is our favourite month in Xàbia, and we're not saying that to be charming about it. We live close enough that we notice what changes: the German tourists head home, the restaurants stop being packed by noon, the sea is still 24°C and genuinely swimmable, and the light does something different to the cape at Cabo de la Nao that doesn't happen the rest of the year.

We picked Xàbia as our October recommendation in the Where to Go in Spain in October guide for all of those reasons. But a destination recommendation and an activity guide are different things. This one answers the follow-up: okay, you've decided on Xàbia — now what do you actually do there?

The short answer is: go in the water and out into the hills. October is ideal for both — warm enough that neither is a hardship, cool enough that neither is exhausting. Here's what we'd book.

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Best for First-Timers: Cala Portixol Kayak, Snorkel & Cliff Jumping

If you're only going to do one thing in Xàbia, this is the one. Siesta Advisor runs the highest-rated tours on this stretch of coast and the Cala Portixol route covers everything that makes Jávea's coastline distinctive: hidden sea caves, clear water with real marine life, the limestone cliffs that drop straight into the Mediterranean, and cliff jumping if you want it — demanded by the kids, politely declined by most adults.

The tour runs about 2.5 hours, no experience needed, all equipment included. Guides speak English, Spanish and French. Multiple reviewers specifically mention how well the guides handle families with mixed ages — kids and teens and parents all finding their level. It's earned those reviews.

In October you get the sea conditions that summer visitors pay extra for but don't always get: calm water, good visibility, fewer people in the caves. Book the morning slot.

Best for Families & Kids: Guadalest & Algar Waterfalls Day Trip

This one pulls you inland, which sounds counterintuitive when you're on the coast, but Guadalest is one of those places that gets people every time. The village sits on a rocky spike above a reservoir — one of those Andalusian-looking hill towns that you'd expect to be hours away, not 45 minutes from the beach. The 11th-century castle, the tiny streets, the views down to the water. Kids who are bored by towns are generally not bored by Guadalest.

The combo tour from Jávea adds the Fonts d'Algar waterfall pools after Guadalest — natural swimming holes fed by mountain springs, with a series of rope swings and easy scrambles between the pools. In October the summer crowds are gone and the water is still warm enough to swim. This is the one that comes home in the photos.

Pickup is from Jávea and Moraira. Small group, air-conditioned transport, Jay (the guide) is consistently praised by name in reviews for local knowledge and making it fun without making it a forced march.

Best if You Only Have a Few Hours: Cala Tango Marine Reserve Kayak

Cabo de San Antonio is a protected marine reserve — one of the few genuinely protected stretches of the Costa Blanca — and the water clarity inside it is noticeably different from anywhere else along this coast. The Cala Tango kayak tour runs about 2.5 hours and gets you into the reserve without needing a boat, a diving certification, or half a day.

The route goes from Cala del Pope through Cala Tango — known for slanted rock formations that create natural cliff-jumping platforms — and into the caves along the cape. Snorkeling stops in the calmer coves. It's a tight, high-quality two hours that works perfectly as a morning activity before lunch at the port.

Siesta Advisor runs this one too. 4.9 stars from 8 reviews, which at this point on the Costa Blanca means you can trust it.

Most Unique: Guided Coastline Tour — Vantage Points & Off-Road Trails

Most visitors see Xàbia from the beach or the port. This two-hour guided tour takes you to the parts of the cape that don't have parking — the viewpoints above Cabo de la Nao and Cabo de San Antonio that you can only reach on foot or off-road, the lookouts that face south toward Ibiza on a clear day, and the trails through the maquis scrubland that runs along the clifftops.

It's not a hard walk. It's more of a curated orientation — understanding why this particular piece of coast looks and feels different from everywhere else on the Costa Blanca (the answer involves the cape jutting east into the Mediterranean in a way that no other point on this coast does). For October specifically, the light from the south and the reduced haze makes the Ibiza sighting reliably possible. On a summer day it's usually too hazy.

Small group, private option available, pickup included. Good for people who want context for a place, not just activities in it.

Best Guided Experience: Sunset Catamaran with Cava

This is the one that looks like a tourist trap and isn't. A 90-minute catamaran cruise out of Jávea port, heading toward Cabo de la Nao as the sun drops behind the mountains, with a glass of cava. It sounds like every other sunset cruise on every other coast in Spain — but the specific geography of Jávea makes it different.

The cape faces east-southeast. The sunset hits the cliffs from behind and lights the water in a way that faces you toward the open Mediterranean with nothing between you and the Balearics. Dolphins are genuinely common on this stretch — they follow the boats out of habit by now. And because the cape blocks the wind from the northwest in October, the sea is usually flat calm for the evening.

90 minutes. Cava included. Not a lot of explaining required. Works for couples, families, anyone ending their last evening in Xàbia.

A Note on Timing

October is genuinely the sweet spot in Xàbia — warm sea, empty roads, restaurants with availability, lower prices than July or August. The kayak and marine reserve tours run through October without issue. The Guadalest and Algar Waterfalls trip is better in October than summer because the pools aren't packed. The cliff jumping has a narrower window — water temperature starts to drop from mid-October.

Most of the tours here run with free cancellation and flexible rescheduling. That matters in October because the Levante wind can come up without much warning and make the sea choppy. Book what you want, hold it loosely, and check conditions the night before.

Where to Stay in Xàbia

The town has three distinct areas with very different characters. The old town (Poble) is inland and medieval — the best base if you want to feel like you're actually in Spain rather than a resort. The port area is where most of the restaurants and nightlife concentrate, and has its own beach. The Arenal is the main tourist beach zone, most convenient if you're prioritizing sand time. For October, any of the three works — the town is quiet enough that nothing feels too far. Browse hotels in Xàbia →

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