Map - Javea, Costa Blanca, Alicante
Javea post code: 03730
Information about Javea, Costa Blanca
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Xàbia (Spanish: Jávea) is a coastal town located in the comarca of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. Situated behind a wide bay and sheltered between two rocky headlands, the town has become a very popular small seaside resort and market town. Flat agricultural land stretches for miles inland, cut by small streams and used primarily for growing citrus & olive trees. The Natural Park of Montgo was declared in 1987, dominated by the 753 m peak of Montgo, the second-highest peak so close to the sea in the whole Mediterranean. The park stretches across the area of La Plana to the Cape of Saint Antoni.
Xàbia is protected from harsh winter winds of the north by the massif of Montgó (753 m / 2,471 ft) and it enjoys a unique micro-climate that the World Health Organisation named as one of the healthiest in the world.[1] There are more recorded hours of sunshine per year in Xàbia than in any other place in Spain, making it a popular destination for Northern Europeans during the cold winter months.
Since the 1970s Jávea / Xàbia has become a popular place for affluent northern European expatriates to purchase retirement villas and the town has a very active and contentious property industry. Around 12,000 British people now live in the area, as well as many Germans and some Dutch. The British have brought with them their traditional zeal for voluntary & charitable work, and they run or support many local charitable causes. In 2003 two Brits Tony Cabban ( since resigned ) and Amanda Dean were elected to the local council. The town's population is now around 28,500; but this is greatly swelled to over 100,000 by the annual influx of summer tourists, with Spanish tourists predominating at the height of August.
Average maximum temperatures
Jan 16 °C
Feb 17 °C
Mar 22 °C
Apr 22 °C
May 26 °C
Jun 29 °C
Jul 30 °C
Aug 32 °C
Sep 30 °C
Oct 25 °C
Nov 22 °C
Dec 17 °C
Since 2000, Xàbia's infrastructure has been undergoing significant expansion and improvement work, but the local government has successfully restricted the height and types of new buildings and thus helping to retain as much of the town's character as possible. Many new estates of villas have been built in the wooded hills around the bay whilst many apartment complexes are being constructed along the coastal strip between the port and the Arenal. The plain remains largely untouched and the groves still produce many tonnes of oranges each year.
Agenda 21 is a UN-sponsored non-political initiative in which the inhabitants of Jávea can have a say in plans for the long-term sustainable development of the town.
Tourism
Xàbia has good road connections to regional capitals and both Alicante and Valencia airports are just over an hour's drive away. There are regular and direct coach links to both Alicante and Valencia as well as a daily service to Madrid. The nearest rail station is at Gata de Gorgos, about 10 km inland, with a regular service to Alicante.
The town can be split into three distinct areas: the old town, the port and the Arenal.
Old Quarter The old town was once a walled town to protect the inhabitants from marauding pirates that once sailed this coast and there is still evidence of the presence of these fortifications; stone crosses mark the original gates in three locations. In the centre of town, sits the impressive Church of Sant Bartolomé which dates back to the late 14th century but there is evidence that some of the structure may date back a further 300 years. It was listed as a National Historic and Artistic Monument in 1931 and remains a centrepiece of Xàbia's 'old quarter'.
The modern municipal market sits opposite on the northern side of the church and stands on the site of the convent of "Agustinas Descalzas" (the barefoot Augustine nuns). Built in 1946, the market retains the style of the area and is a popular place with locals and tourists for fresh fruit and vegetables, locally-caught fish, and meat from the local area.
There is also a historical and ethnographical museum ("Museo Historico y Etnografico Municipal J.B. Soler Blasco Javea") and an established art gallery in the old town, Atelier 1 with regular art exhibitions are held in the gallery at the town's library.
Hidden within its narrow streets are a wide range of bars and restaurants in which one can sample both local and international cuisine.
Puerto - Aduanas del Mar The port is a favourite with tourists with a range of restaurants, safe gravel beach and marina. The modern harbour was built in the 1950s and 1960s. The nautical club has been in the central area of the harbour since 1963. The landmark is the church of Nuestra Señora del Loreto, built in 1967 to represent the heart and feelings of Xàbia's fishing quarter. Its shape is that of an oval boat keel and it was built to resemble a fishing vessel bursting through the waves.
Arenal The busy sandy beach area is an arc of wide white sand flanked by a promenade of shops, bars and restaurants. During the summer evenings there are a number of stalls selling handmade crafts. Many of the bars offer live music and one can party away until the very early hours. Many accomplished 'sand artists' work along the Arenal beach during the summer months as well as a wide range of street entertainers. The 'Punta del Arenal' behind the Parador Nacional Hotel was once an important Roman settlement. On the other end of the small bay once stood the Fontana Castle, built in 1424 and destroyed by the English during the Peninsular War in the early 19th century; the ruins of the castle now lie under modern apartment buildings but some of the castle's surviving cannons sit outside the Church of Sant Bartolomé in the old town.
The Montgó National Park was declared on 16th March 1987. It covers approximately 21.5 km² situated between Xàbia and its neighbour Dénia. The summit of Montgó is the second highest peak so close to the sea in the whole of the Mediterranean; on a clear day the island of Ibiza can be seen on the far horizon.
The town's market day is on Thursdays, except when there is a local or national holiday. There are also three main fiestas: the Fogueres de San Juan (June) are pagan in origin, commemorating the arrival of the summer solstice, and are widespread throughout the Valencian Community, the Moros y Cristianos (July) parades, noisy and colourful, take place in the port area and celebrate the defeat of the Moors by Christian forces in the 13th Century, and the Nuestra Señora de Loreto (September) with the bull-running on the harbour walls and a firework display.
A large range of sports and hobby activities are catered for in the area, including cycling, diving, fishing, golf, horse-riding, mountain-biking, photography, bowls, sailing, trekking; there are many shops & rental centres that serve these pursuits.
Xàbia is protected from harsh winter winds of the north by the massif of Montgó (753 m / 2,471 ft) and it enjoys a unique micro-climate that the World Health Organisation named as one of the healthiest in the world.[1] There are more recorded hours of sunshine per year in Xàbia than in any other place in Spain, making it a popular destination for Northern Europeans during the cold winter months.
Since the 1970s Jávea / Xàbia has become a popular place for affluent northern European expatriates to purchase retirement villas and the town has a very active and contentious property industry. Around 12,000 British people now live in the area, as well as many Germans and some Dutch. The British have brought with them their traditional zeal for voluntary & charitable work, and they run or support many local charitable causes. In 2003 two Brits Tony Cabban ( since resigned ) and Amanda Dean were elected to the local council. The town's population is now around 28,500; but this is greatly swelled to over 100,000 by the annual influx of summer tourists, with Spanish tourists predominating at the height of August.
Average maximum temperatures
Jan 16 °C
Feb 17 °C
Mar 22 °C
Apr 22 °C
May 26 °C
Jun 29 °C
Jul 30 °C
Aug 32 °C
Sep 30 °C
Oct 25 °C
Nov 22 °C
Dec 17 °C
Since 2000, Xàbia's infrastructure has been undergoing significant expansion and improvement work, but the local government has successfully restricted the height and types of new buildings and thus helping to retain as much of the town's character as possible. Many new estates of villas have been built in the wooded hills around the bay whilst many apartment complexes are being constructed along the coastal strip between the port and the Arenal. The plain remains largely untouched and the groves still produce many tonnes of oranges each year.
Agenda 21 is a UN-sponsored non-political initiative in which the inhabitants of Jávea can have a say in plans for the long-term sustainable development of the town.
Tourism
Xàbia has good road connections to regional capitals and both Alicante and Valencia airports are just over an hour's drive away. There are regular and direct coach links to both Alicante and Valencia as well as a daily service to Madrid. The nearest rail station is at Gata de Gorgos, about 10 km inland, with a regular service to Alicante.
The town can be split into three distinct areas: the old town, the port and the Arenal.
Old Quarter The old town was once a walled town to protect the inhabitants from marauding pirates that once sailed this coast and there is still evidence of the presence of these fortifications; stone crosses mark the original gates in three locations. In the centre of town, sits the impressive Church of Sant Bartolomé which dates back to the late 14th century but there is evidence that some of the structure may date back a further 300 years. It was listed as a National Historic and Artistic Monument in 1931 and remains a centrepiece of Xàbia's 'old quarter'.
The modern municipal market sits opposite on the northern side of the church and stands on the site of the convent of "Agustinas Descalzas" (the barefoot Augustine nuns). Built in 1946, the market retains the style of the area and is a popular place with locals and tourists for fresh fruit and vegetables, locally-caught fish, and meat from the local area.
There is also a historical and ethnographical museum ("Museo Historico y Etnografico Municipal J.B. Soler Blasco Javea") and an established art gallery in the old town, Atelier 1 with regular art exhibitions are held in the gallery at the town's library.
Hidden within its narrow streets are a wide range of bars and restaurants in which one can sample both local and international cuisine.
Puerto - Aduanas del Mar The port is a favourite with tourists with a range of restaurants, safe gravel beach and marina. The modern harbour was built in the 1950s and 1960s. The nautical club has been in the central area of the harbour since 1963. The landmark is the church of Nuestra Señora del Loreto, built in 1967 to represent the heart and feelings of Xàbia's fishing quarter. Its shape is that of an oval boat keel and it was built to resemble a fishing vessel bursting through the waves.
Arenal The busy sandy beach area is an arc of wide white sand flanked by a promenade of shops, bars and restaurants. During the summer evenings there are a number of stalls selling handmade crafts. Many of the bars offer live music and one can party away until the very early hours. Many accomplished 'sand artists' work along the Arenal beach during the summer months as well as a wide range of street entertainers. The 'Punta del Arenal' behind the Parador Nacional Hotel was once an important Roman settlement. On the other end of the small bay once stood the Fontana Castle, built in 1424 and destroyed by the English during the Peninsular War in the early 19th century; the ruins of the castle now lie under modern apartment buildings but some of the castle's surviving cannons sit outside the Church of Sant Bartolomé in the old town.
The Montgó National Park was declared on 16th March 1987. It covers approximately 21.5 km² situated between Xàbia and its neighbour Dénia. The summit of Montgó is the second highest peak so close to the sea in the whole of the Mediterranean; on a clear day the island of Ibiza can be seen on the far horizon.
The town's market day is on Thursdays, except when there is a local or national holiday. There are also three main fiestas: the Fogueres de San Juan (June) are pagan in origin, commemorating the arrival of the summer solstice, and are widespread throughout the Valencian Community, the Moros y Cristianos (July) parades, noisy and colourful, take place in the port area and celebrate the defeat of the Moors by Christian forces in the 13th Century, and the Nuestra Señora de Loreto (September) with the bull-running on the harbour walls and a firework display.
A large range of sports and hobby activities are catered for in the area, including cycling, diving, fishing, golf, horse-riding, mountain-biking, photography, bowls, sailing, trekking; there are many shops & rental centres that serve these pursuits.
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