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About Torrevieja
Torrevieja is a seaside city and municipality located on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante, on the southeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain.
Torrevieja lies about 50 kilometres south of the city of Alicante and had a population of 105,000 (2012). Torrevieja was originally a salt-mining and fishing village as it is located between the sea and two large salt lakes (Las Salinas), which give Torrevieja healthy microclimate.
It isn’t a resort in the package holiday sense, there are only a few hotels and the area is much loved by the Spanish who flock here during the summer months for their holidays. The town is surrounded by excellent urbanisations, all with pools and beautiful gardens and the whole area enjoys fabulous beaches with fine sand and crystal clear waters.
Thousands of people from the north of Spain and northern Europe have set up home permanently in the town. The local people, are friendly and welcome both national and international tourism. English is widely spoken.
Beaches
All of the local beaches hold the European Blue Flag for ‘Clean Sea’ and excellent facilities. La Mata, Los Locos, El Cura, El Acequión and Los Náufragos together make up the beaches of the Torreviejan coast.
There are marvellous coves in the northern part, as well as the saline swimming pools, which can be found beside the Juan Aparicio promenade right in the centre of the town.
The promenades and the fishing port are attractions in their own right for visitors to this part of the Southern Mediterranean.
Daytime Activities
During the day Torrevieja offers a range of leisure and entertainment areas.
Fantastic beaches and terraces along the promenade have numerous playgrounds and areas of interest for the little ones.
The aqua park (Aquópolis) is a popular destination during the summer months, catering across the board for all types of visitor.
Excursions
You can enjoy the local coastline from the sea by going on a trip on the Tabardo cruisers equipped with catamarans in which you can observe the sea bed.
Excursions to the island of Tabarca and trips all along the coast of southern Alicante are available.
Torrevieja is also surrounded by two large natural saltwater lagoons, which form the well-known “Salterns of Torrevieja”.
Open Air Markets
Every Friday Torrevieja holds one of the largest open-air markets in Spain and sells all kinds of food, textiles, clothes and accessories. A smaller market can be found at La Florida on a Saturday. Street markets can be found every day of the week in different areas.
Shopping
The town has a good shopping area with lots of independently owned shops selling a variety of goods. An indoor market is open daily where you can buy fresh produce; fish, meat, fruit and vegetables.
Bars and Nightlife
Torrevieja has a variety of entertainment for the young and the young at heart. There are more than a hundred night bars. Most of these are concentrated in the El Baluarte area in La Punta. This area has become a major attraction for thousands of people from all over the world.
A truly cosmopolitan variety of bars appealing to different tastes can be found. Try the Casablanca, Bésame Mucho, Pata Palo, Tía Roqueta, Tirachinas, Iris Pub, La Cantina or Correcaminos, you are sure to find the place that suits your taste.
The internationally renowned macro-discotheque Pachá, as well as the historic Look and KKO clubs are the obvious climax to the famous nocturnal pub-crawl (La Ruta Del Bakalao).
Dining out
Torrevieja has a wide variety of restaurants catering to all tastes. You can try traditional Spanish, German, English and Italian fare.
From fast food, right up to fine dining, there is a choice to suit your budget. Try the famous “Barlovento”. A traditional fish restaurant with seafood you can choose from the aquarium inside the restaurant.
Culture
The town square is very picturesque. At Christmas it hosts a magnificent Nativity scene, which covers a large proportion of the square.
Golf
The Costa Blanca offers a variety of golf courses. The three closest to the town are Villamartin, Las Ramblas and Campoamor. All three courses offer a different challenge. Villamartin, built in 1972, was the host for the European Tour 1994.
Countryside
The surrounding countryside has an abundance of orange and lemon groves. Distant mountain ranges with vines growing in the valleys, and ventas (roadside inn/restaurant) serving traditional fare at great value. All in all, an ideal holiday destination for the whole family, at any time of the year.
Climate
An ideal location for a summer or winter sun holiday with an average of 320 days sunshine each year. The area is regarded by the World Health Organisation as having the healthiest climate in Europe.
La Siesta (and El Chaparral/San Luis)
La Siesta is part of an urbanisation built around 1980/90 it is situated off the CV905, the main road from the AP7 motorway into Torrevieja town.
The area comprises El Chaparral, La Siesta and San Luis.
There are five small shopping centres but they are mainly bars and restaurants and there is a small water park, private and a health service clinics, a barbers, several hairdressers, a bank, a craft shop, a petrol station, a car hire company and a pharmacy.
There is an area which has been planted out and provides a pleasant place for a walk or a sit down at the top of Calle Granados, in time there will be a park at the La Siesta entrance to the urbanisation but work has been stopped by the mayor of Torrevieja.
A bus service runs a circular route from the urbanisation through the Torretas, by Carrefour supermarket into Torrevieja town.
Generally a quiet place to live apart from August when the Madrileños arrive for their vacations and the place comes alive. There is one multi faith church near the water park.
Natural Park La Mata
The Lagoons of Mata and Torrevieja.
The Nature Reserve’s fauna is distinguished by the presence of invertebrates, such as the crustacean Artemia salina. As for vertebrates, the bird life is worthy of note, especially the flamingo.
Information for visits:Unrestricted access to the Nature Park.
Environmental information:This nature reserve is extremely interesting due to its botanical diversity, comprising shrub and tree vegetation typical of the salt marshes. Other species include the salicornia, tamarix gallica and rushes.
La Mata-Torrevieja park, one of the Wetland variety, nestles into an area of 3,700 hectares (1 hectare = 10,000 m2) between the expanding N332 motorway and the surrounding urbanisations.
The two lagoons cover around 60% and originally it was planned to use them for fishing when the Crown gave them to Orihuela in 1321.
However the high salinity of the water meant this idea had to be abandoned. Ownership reverted to the state in 1759 following which tests were made as to the viability of salt extraction, which proved successful and so salt extraction began.
Seawater enters the La Mata lake and is pre-heated by the sun before it transfers into the Torrevieja lagoon where the salt is harvested.
The characteristic pink colour of the water is caused by its mineral content and salinity.
The newly refurbished visitor centre is open daily, except Monday, and has informative displays with interesting guidebooks.
It is best to follow the signed yellow route for walkers which will give you a good idea of the main features including the bird watching hides, beautiful shady picnic area with tables and also the best views of the park.
There is also a red route for bikers.
Special bird life found in the park is of international interest and features over 100 species including: flamingo, eared grebes, Montagu’s harrier, and avocet. A conservation project for the rare Audouin’s gull is one of the park’s priorities.
This area along with El Hondo, near Elche and the Santa Pola salt lakes forms an important habitat for wintering and nesting birds as well as those seeking refuge in the hunting season.
The vast lagoons provide ideal feeding grounds from invertebrates and mosquito larvae.
Naturally what you see depends upon the time of year you visit, but you are sure to see something around the waters edge.
For those interested in flora there is one of the most important stocks of wild orchids in the Valencian province.
The salinity limits the growth of aquatic vegetation but the reed and rush beds thrive in the wet salt marsh environment.
Also you will find hill vegetation including Mediterranean kermes oak brushland, Aleppo pine, thyme and mat-weed growing in abundance.
This glorious park is a wildlife haven where you can stroll along the gentle paths, sandy in places, thinking that you are miles from any civilisation, enjoying the views and occasionally stopping to take a photo or a look through your binoculars.
There are no steep ascents, which is probably another attraction for many people.
