Denia Gebietsführer

Denia is a historical coastal city in the province of Alicante, Costa Blanca North that was dedicated to the goddess Diana by the Romans. It is the capital of the Marina Alta region and considered to be one of the most beautiful and culturally rich cities in Spain.

It has an ancient castle that rises majestically, overlooking the city and harbour, and located inside the castle is a wonderful Archaeological Museum. The museum shows the past through exhibitions and history of a city linked to the sea by the great civilisations that have passed there. The different rooms show you the story of Denia from its beginnings to the eighteenth century, dividing it into 4 areas: Iberian, Roman, Muslim and Christian Periods.

Dénia is viewed as one of the municipalities with the most holidays in all of Spain. Every season of the year there are holiday festivities, amongst those are the "Festa Major" in July, with the celebration of "els Bous a la mar" (declared as being a Festival of National Tourist Interest), and the "Desfile de Carrozas" (declared as being a Festival of Provincial Tourist Interest), as well as the " Fallas "in March and" Moros y Cristianos "in August.

It is a cosmopolitan and modern city. The main shopping street, Calle Marques de Campo is a wide, tree-lined boulevard with pavement cafes, restaurants, bars and a variety of shops and boutiques. The delights of Denia have also inspired dozens of writers and it is here where you will find a bust to Miguel de Cervantes, probably Spain’s best-known author for his intriguing work about Don Quixote. It is a tribute to the time when the author landed in Denia in 1580 following his imprisonment in Algiers. In Plaza de la Creu you will also find a rather comical little character which looks like a Playmobil figure but actually commemorates the making of the Hollywood movie John Paul Jones in Denia in the 1950s. There is also a beautiful old fishermen neighbourhood, Baix la Mar, which is a gorgeous, historic maze of narrow streets and little squares with cosy cafes, bars and restaurants.

In Dénia, the best seafood and the Valencian fruit and vegetable products merge, resulting in a clear example of the rich variety and deliciousness of the Mediterranean diet. The famous red prawn of Dénia, or the exceptional “arròs a banda” (seafood paella), are among other culinary specialties which blend tradition and quality, dishes than can be tasted in more than 400 restaurants in the city, which produce the most varied local, national and international recipes. Denia also boasts Quique Dacosta, one of only nine 3 Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain and ranked 68 of the best restaurants in the world. Without a doubt, Denia stands as a true gastronomic environment in which emerge with force new trends of the cuisine. Dénia was awarded the "Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO" in 2015 putting this Mediterranean city of Costa Blanca North on the world map of gastronomic culture. In 2019 Denia has been selected, along with five other European cities, to draw up a map of its cultural and gastronomic heritage that will be part of a project of shared identification of the values ​​of the European Union.

Dénia has a wonderful climate and has an extensive 20 kilometres of coastline providing blue flag sandy beaches, caves with diving opportunities, and natural sea reserves teeming with marine life. El Montgó (the Montgo Mountain) is a major landmark of the area, a nature reserve rising up, as Blasco Ibáñez said, like “a giant hand”, has served as a watchtower for this diverse and cultural place which has been inhabited for over 4.000 years. If you are looking for Golf then Spanish world class golfer Jose Maria Olazabal designed Club de Golf La Sella Denia in 1990 which offers a challenging 18 hole golf course and a driving range with over 20 bays.

It is a city very involved with its sea, due to the important fishing activity, whose main product is the famous Denia red shrimp; to its marinas, the largest in the province. With a strong international flavour deriving from its history as a Mediterranean port Denia is the closest mainland point to the Balearic Islands and you can make a ferry trip to one of the nearby islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. As well as being the main ferry port for the Balearics, Denia has easy access to both Alicante Airport (one hour drive) and Valencia Airport (one hour 10 minutes).

Denia combines the old and new with its lavish nightlife, monuments, cosmopolitan shops, a plethora of diverse and award winning restaurants, tapas bars, bars with live music and trendy marinas with outdoor cocktail bars overlooking the sea. It has something for all tastes to enjoy and the World Health Organisation has proclaimed that the Denia, Javea, Moraira peninsula has “one" of the most environmentally perfect climates in the world”.

Highlights and attractions

Visit the Castle

Denia Castle is the most important heritage site in the municipality and is perched atop the highest point in the city. Pass through its modest entrance to enjoy a visit to the fortress, originally a Moorish structure that was built between the 11th and 12th centuries. It played a vital role as a defence mechanism against pirate attacks, and over the centuries new architectural elements were added in accordance with the historical period until it finally fell into disuse at the end of the 19th century.

Today, Denia Castle has conserved several points of interest such as towers and doors that help visitors to appreciate its original purpose. An archaeological museum is housed inside with fascinating Iberian, Roman and Moorish pieces. The castle also has a wonderful viewpoint that looks out over the city and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Castle of Dénia opens its doors at variable hours throughout the year, depending on the hours of sunshine:

• Between the months of November and March, from 10:00 am to 18:00 pm
• April and May from 10:00 am to 19:00 pm
• June from 10:00 am to 19:30 pm
• July and August from 10:00 am to 20:30 pm
• September from 10:00 am to 20:00 pm
• October from 10:00 am to 19:30 pm
• In summer, without an exact date, there is a period when you can visit the castle until 00:30 at night, in the so-called “Visit the Castle by night”

The information telephone number is +34 966420260.

There is a small entrance fee, and you can take a guided tour to find out more about its rich history.

The entry of private cars is prohibited to go up to the castle to ensure preservation, however in the summer months there is normally a tourist train to take you from the centre of Denia up to the Castle.

The Castle Tunnel

Beneath Denia castle is a pedestrian walkway tunnel about 200m long. It was built between 1937 and 1938 as an air raid shelter during the Spanish Civil War to protect the civilian population from the bombardments of the La Pava aviation. Once the war was over, it remained open, thus linking two parts of the city, the Plaza del Consell with Ronda de las Murallas. The tunnel was remodelled in the year 2011 with iron panels and enhanced lighting.

Walk the Baix la Mar district

A beautiful old fishermen neighbourhood, Baix la Mar, which is a gorgeous, historic maze of narrow streets and little squares with cosy cafes, bars and restaurants. In Plaza de la Creu you will also find a rather comical little character which looks like a Playmobil figure but actually commemorates the making of the Hollywood movie John Paul Jones in Denia in the 1950s.

Shop in Calle Marqués de Campo.

The Marques de Campo street of Dénia, locally known as “Calle Campos”, is since its construction in the late nineteenth century the heart of the city.

This is Dénia’s main street, a street which reflects the city’s dynamic and bustling nature with major banks, shops, cafes, restaurants and even a gastro show/theatre/restaurant/nightclub called Condado. The street is closed to traffic on weekends to allow citizens and tourists to freely stroll this avenue, under the special trees located on both sides which lend it a wonderful charm.

The “Calle Campos” hosts the majority of the major events and festivals which are celebrated in Dénia, the famous “entrà of the “bous a la mar", (the entry of the bulls to the sea) the decorative floats and processions celebrated during their main fiesta, the “festa major” as well as the colourful gala parades of the Moors and Christians fiestas plus various other fairs that are held throughout the year.

The Beaches and Coastline

Denia the capital of our Marina Alta area has a stunning coastline of more than 20 kilometres with many blue flag beaches. It is also a snorkeler’s paradise with coves and crystal-clear water, caves with diving opportunities, and natural sea reserves teeming with marine life. It is without doubt blessed with some of the most spectacular beaches and the clearest water in the whole of the Costa Blanca. You have the headland of Cabo de San Antonio where migrating whales and dolphins are not an uncommon sight as they make their way to other destinations, and the southern of the shore is known as “Las Rotas” and contains stony and rocky beaches in the shadow of the Montgó Mountain. Two of the beaches in the “Las Marinas” area of Denia, Los Deveses and Punta del Raset, are also among the most popular in Europe for windsurfers all year round. Denia is the municipality of the Marina Alta with the most beaches with the distinctive Blue Flag Award which includes:

• Les Bovetes
• Les Marines
• Molins
• Punta Raset
• Marineta Casiana (With Special Disabled Bathing Facilities)
• Deveses

The Marina de Denia also holds a Blue Flag Award for the second year running. The Blue Flag is sought for beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators as an indication of their high environmental and quality standards.

The Comunidad de Valencia (Valencian Community) where our Costa Blanca North Region is continues to lead with the highest number of Blue Flags in Spain.

The Montgó Mountain & Nature Reserve

El Montgó, the Montgo Mountain, is a major landmark of the area, a nature reserve rising up, as Blasco Ibáñez said, like “a giant hand”, has served as a watchtower for this diverse and cultural city of Denia. It rises to an altitude of 753 metres just half a kilometre or so from the Mediterranean. On a clear day it is possible to see the island of Ibiza, almost 70 kilometres away, from the peak of the Montgó, as well as the large extent of the plain of Denia which lies to the north of Montgó.

Formed some 70 million years ago, the massif of Montgó forms the last spur of the huge Cordillera Prebética mountain range that runs across southern Spain from Andalucia to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It rises to 753m and dominates the skyline for miles; from the south it is often said to resemble the head of an elephant with its trunk extending out into the sea. Its steep cliffs host some of the most unusual flora and fauna in Spain and the Parque Natural del Montgó was created in 1987 to protect them. There are more than 650 species of flora, including the Carduncellus Dianus, a small thistle-lile flower which is only found on the slopes of Montgó and on the island of Ibiza and there are eight species of bird of prey recorded to be breeding in the area, including the Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, Eagle Owl and Goshawk. Therefore, it is very important that visitors respect the natural habitat of the mountain, keeping to official paths and avoiding taking short-cuts through the undergrowth, especially on the descent. The actual Nature Reserve contains archaeologically important items, such as paintings, Phoenician amphoras and the remains of Iberian settlements.

This ability to impose itself on the landscape has earned it a local reference for thousands of years. About 30,000 have the first evidence of population in the Montgó, in the homonym cave. Meanwhile, another in the barranc Mig shows cave paintings. Later, more advanced civilizations made good use of the slopes of the massif. Several Iberian settlements are scattered around the place, highlighting the Benimaquia one.

Its name has also varied throughout history. For example, the Romans called it Mons Agonum while the Arabs chose Jabal Qaun or Monte Caon. Although remains have been obtained from both, it is believed that it was with the latter that it took on a more important role. It is noticeable the defensive capabilities they had, since they allowed to watch the coast. Because of this, and being Christian, the Gerro tower was erected in the 16th century, near the sea and Dénia. Its mission was to warn of Berber attacks and was part of a network that covered, like the A-7, the entire Spanish Mediterranean.

At the top of Montgó on the Denia side a cross stands, "La Creueta", a symbol for the “Dianenses” and a place much visited by hikers. The current cross has been on the top of Montgó since 1999, when a helicopter lifted it there. But before this, there is evidence of several crosses: in the Municipal Archive a memory of the placement of the cross in 1951 is kept. Thanks to this organisation, we also know that much earlier, in 1895, a cross was erected in the same location. There are routes where you can climb to the cross.

Beach Clubs

Zensa Marina located on the same marina as our Regional office is a trendy stylish rooftop chill-out bar with pool and lifestyle boutique.

It has an elegant but cool ambience where you can enjoy cocktails created by their mixologist, an extensive range of drinks or from the menu snacks and Mediterranean and Spanish dishes while taking in the fantastic views over Denia to include the Castle, the Montgó and the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Have a dip in the pool, relax on a day bed, drinks and food brought at your leisure with waiter service and VIP packages.

At night, Zensa Marina is transformed into one of the reference clubs of the city with a vibrant party atmosphere, a sanctuary of good music with resident DJ’s who take it from a relaxed chill-out throughout the day to soft deep-house at sunset to the more modern house late at night. Saturdays and Sundays you can enjoy pool parties and sunset parties dancing to great music until the setting of the sun.

Purobeach Dénia offers the possibility of living the “puroexperience” in front of the sea. Enjoy a comfortable hammock by the pool, discover the international gastronomic offer, relax with the wellness treatments, savour the signature cocktails and let yourself be carried away by the rhythm of Puro MUSIC.

Up to 250 people can enjoy Purobeach. The beach club creates and promotes an elegant lifestyle, working with a smart luxury concept in mind which includes all necessary treatments to live a quality wellness experience. The guests who visit Purobeach will find an elegant and discreet ambient away from flashy, over the top stereotypes that are prevalent in other places. Designed with simplicity and in all whites with Puro’s signature style, the place is set to resemble a purely Mediterranean experience thanks to its many facilities. Restaurant, pool, bar, terrace, sunbeds, Balinese beds all accompanied by the best live music from their resident DJ, who plays deep house from morning to sunset.

Chiringuitos

Chiringuitos arriving on our beaches are the sign that summer has arrived.

Chiringuitos are beach bars and have an interesting history dating back to the 1920s. it is widely believed chiringuitos originated in the 1950s when forward thinking fishermen’s wives realised there may be a demand for fresh fish and cold drinks as foreign tourists began to trickle onto the beaches of the fishing villages of Spain. The early day chiringuitos were very often nothing more than an overturned boat used to serve up tapas and drinks. As business increased the shrewdest fishing families decided to build wooden kiosks.

Depending on the weather they are normally set from May through to October and whilst you can still get wooden style beach bars, they can come in variety of guises, but all offer the same concept as place to sit on the beach sipping a cocktail, beer or sharing a bottle of wine whilst enjoying a lunch of fresh fish or seafood caught the same morning and listening to the sound of the sea and some music. In Denia the locals often have breakfast at the chiringuito and consider it normal to do so. You can enjoy from sunup until the sundown relaxing, chilling and in some listening to live music on an evening.

Lifestyle

In Denia the mood shifts into a vibrant and buzzing atmosphere during the evening and with over 400 restaurants, and new ones popping up all the time, in this vibrant and cosmopolitan coastal city you are certainly spoilt for choice for sampling fine cuisine from Michelin-starred restaurants to traditional bustling tapas bars, enjoying fresh food from the sea or the mountains with views over the Mediterranean or the beautiful Montgo nature reserve. Numerous bars to, too many to count, including trendy cocktail/champagne bars, rooftop chillouts with DJ´s, pubs with live music and if you want to go to a nightclub then the two most popular in the area are Condado in the centre of Denia and Sounders on El Portet Marina.

Golf

La Sella Golf part of the 5-star Hotel Denia La Sella Golf Resort & Spa is one of the best golf resorts in the area. Designed by internationally renowned famous Ryder Cup and major winner, Jose Maria Olazabal this 27-hole layout with the 18-hole championship course of 6,113 metres (6,724 yards) is located within a 2-minute walk from the hotel reception. La Sella Golf has hosted many prestigious tournaments including the European Nations Cup and Ladies European Cup. With three different courses, the "Llebeig", south orientated and with fantastic pine trees and mighty views of the Montgo, the "Gregal", a flatter 9-hole course with challenging water hazzards and the "Mestral", north orientated 9-hole with spectacular sea views. The 5 Star Hotel Denia La Sella Golf Resort and Spa is surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the Montgo Natural Park in the middle of orange groves and on to the coastline with an array of wonderful beaches. The resort offers a fully equipped Spa with a variety of personal treatments, a winter garden, large outdoor swimming pool, restaurants and bar facilities.

Commuting

The road network is serviced by the AP7 motorway, which runs right along the coastline, making Denia highly accessible.

Denia is the closest mainland point in Spain to the Balearic Islands and you can make a ferry trip to one of the nearby islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. As well as being the main ferry port for the Balearics, Denia has easy access to both Alicante Airport and Valencia Airport.

In 2021 The world's first fast ferry with natural gas engines, the Eleanor Roosevelt of Baleària began offering its route from Denia to Ibiza in only 2hrs, 30 minutes less than the normal ferries that provide the same service route.

• Ibiza 2 hrs on the Fast Ferry
• Alicante Airport 1 hour drive.
• Valencia Airport 1 hour and 10 minutes drive

Cuisine

Denia stands as a true gastronomic environment in which emerge with force new trends of the cuisine. Dénia was awarded the "Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO" in 2015 putting this Mediterranean port city of Costa Blanca North on the world map of gastronomic culture. In 2019 Denia was selected, along with five other European cities, to draw up a map of its cultural and gastronomic heritage that will be part of a project of shared identification of the values of the European Union. Dénias vision of gastronomy particularly focuses on the emergence of innovative models of local food ecosystems. The gastronomic sector draws inspiration from the Mediterranean diet and concepts such as Slow Food by promoting healthy food based on local resources and products with the goal of ensuring more sustainable development. Dénia also emphasizes the importance of transversal approaches, as well as multi-stakeholders’ co-operation, to promote gastronomy by developing a wide range of activities and events involving both local and international actors, such as the International Creative Cuisine Competition of the Red Prawn of Dénia, which has an annual participation of 50 chefs Worldwide. Dénia is committed to sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices, especially in the framework of the Open Africa programme, an initiative undertaken by the Balearia Cultural Foundation, thanks to which it has launched a fruitful relationship with Tangier (Morocco) as twin cities. Through this programme, Dénia intends to spread the actions and objectives of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network to Africa and Arab States to encourage more cities from these regions to join in the future, for further fostering multilateral cooperation.

In 2019 the first D*na Festival Dénia, an international gastronomic and leisure festival organized by the City of Denia and Turisme Comunidad Valenciana, with chef Quique Dacosta as spokesperson and gastronomic commissioner took place where according to official estimates, more than 22,000 people passed through the venue. Parallel to the event and integrated into it, chefs, and representatives of 17 of the 18 Creative Cities of Gastronomy that then made up the UNESCO network met in Dénia. The second D*na Festival took place in 2018 where thousands of people gathered again in the same area around Paseo de la Marineta Cassiana on the weekend of September 29 and 30. Again with Quique Dacosta at the helm. A total of 36 chefs and speakers paraded through the stages, including chefs Pepe Hernández, Elena Arzak, Pepe Solla and Dani García. The cities Bergen (Norway) and Parma (Italy), belonging to the Unesco network of Creative Cities of Gastronomy. The festival was unable to take place due to Covid in 2019 so the third D*na Festival Dénia, hand in hand with the City Council of Dénia, Turisme Comunitad Valenciana, and Quique Dacosta , as gastronomic commissioner, called D*na Restaurant took place from the 3rd to the 6th of December 2021 D*na Festival 2021.

The best seafood and the Valencian fruit and vegetable products merge, resulting in a clear example of the rich variety and deliciousness of the Mediterranean diet. The famous red prawn of Dénia, or the exceptional “arròs a banda” (seafood paella), are among other culinary specialties which blend tradition and quality, dishes than can be tasted in more than 400 restaurants in the city, which produce the most varied local, national and international recipes.

Quique Dacosta

One of only nine 3 Michelin-starred restaurants in Spain, “Quique Dacosta” ranked 68 of the best restaurants in the world. Owned by one of Spain´s most famous chefs Quique Dacosta who is also recognised by the prestigious list Opinionated About Dining as the fourth-best restaurant in Europe, placing it amongst the ten best restaurants on the continent for the 5th year running. In March 2022 this 3 Michelin star chef received the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts from the King and Queen of Spain.

Marina Fuego Grill & Restaurant

“Fuego” is a lifestyle restaurant situated on the heart of the Marina de Denia where our regional office is based. Fuego is the perfect place where you can relax with stunning views over the marina to Denia castle enjoying delicious food, colourful cocktails, live music, party nights and private events.

Els Magazinos

Els Magazinos is a gastronomic and cultural market with restaurants and stalls, with a common spirit: the good life, the good food. Paying tribute to the award Denia received for "Creative City of Gastronomy" by UNESCO in 2015. You can find a wide variety of food here, from Mediterranean food to Asian or Italian food.

Peix & Brases

Restaurant located in the heart of the city awarded with a michelin star, its food is the sum of tradition and vanguard. With the Mediterrasian variety, a fusion that unites dishes from the Valencian culture with others from the East. Mediterranean philosophy and Asian influence.

Events

Les Falles

The Falles is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, while the Mascletà, a pyrotechnic spectacle of firecracker detonation and fireworks display, takes place every day from 1 to 19 March. The term Falles refers to both the celebration and the monuments burnt during the celebration.A number of towns in the Valencian Community, one of them Dénia, have similar celebrations inspired by the original Falles de València celebration. The Falles festival was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity list on 30 November 2016.

Festa Major

The Festa Major of Denia fills the month of July with an extensive program of festive activities in honor of the Holy Blood that consists of religious events and other activities such as sports championships, children's activities, concerts and much more...
Among them are the "Bous a la mar", declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest, with two daily sessions. In addition, the parade of floats, troupes and music, declared a Festival of Provincial Tourist Interest, which takes place on the last Saturday of the festival. The fireworks display that takes place on the last day at night as a climax and closing of the festivities.

Moors and Christmas

The streets of Denia are filled with Moors and Christians in mid-August. They are the participants in the embassies, the parades and the raising of the flag.
In the program highlights the disembarkation and reveille, as well as above all, the Gala Parade, where Moors and Christians look their luxurious costumes to the sound of music and festive step. The Moors and Christians festival is complemented by the festivities in honor of Sant Roc.