Torrevieja

Torrevieja (Valencian: Torrevella) is a coastal town and center of tourism in the south of Alicante province in Costa Blanca, Spain. It is situated within the district of Vega Baja and has a population of 90,000 inhabitants. Torrevieja is 41 km away from Alicante to the north, 23 km from Elche to the northwest, and 53 km from Murcia in the southeast.

Understand
The name Torrevieja literally means 'old tower'. Torrevieja as a town dates from the early 18th century when it was a fishing village built around one of the watchtowers that flanks the Costa Blanca coastline. Today it's one of the fastest growing cities in Spain due to tourism. Many Spanish and other European citizens have a holiday home in the city.



By plane
El Altet airport, about 40 km north in Alicante, and San Javier airport, some 25 km south in Murcia, are the closest airports to Torrevieja.

By train
The nearest Renfe train station is in Orihuela, with connections to Murcia, Elche, and Alicante. From any of these cities you'll have to take the bus.

By car
National mainroad 332 Alicante-Cartagena, Levante motorway Madrid-Alicante, Mediterranean motorway Alicante-Murcia, A-37 motorway Alicante-Cartagena, regional mainroad CV-90, provincial road 3321.

By boat
Torrevieja has a large harbour for private yachts and small sight-seeing boats offer cruises around the coastline and to the nearby island of Tabarca, but there are no passenger ships which sail to Torrevieja. The nearest passenger port is in Alicante.

Get around
Due to its small size it's easy to walk around the city. Costa Azul operates few bus lines connecting most important parts of Torrevieja. Taxis are plentiful and also plentiful are car rentals, alltough during peak tourist season it might be very difficult to find free parking places anywhere close to center.

Beaches
Torrevieja has a protected Natural Park with two salt lakes, and 20 km of coastline containing six large beaches - La Mata, Cabo Cervera, Los Locos, El Cura, Los Náufragos and Ferris - and about 20 coves with an abundance of cliffs.

Work
Jobs are mostly available in summer due to the city's huge surge of tourists. However, smaller towns around Torrevieja such as La Zenia and Playa Flamenca both have an abundance of jobs in both the bar and restaurant industries and accept English speaking applicants.

Buy
Torrevieja offers a wide range of shopping opportunities. It contains about 2,500 shops dedicating to fashion, furniture, accessories, the home, buying and sale of property, textile, leather, interior design, electronics and gifts. The main national and international brand names in fashion, design and electronic technology are well established in Torrevieja. Opening times range between 10:00-22:00 from Monday to Saturday, although a number of shops are open every day of the week.



Stay safe
The Friday Market (like most crowded places) abounds with very clever pickpockets. Make sure that any valuables you have with you are absolutely unreachable by anyone but yourself. If you are unlucky, you will need to report it to the Guardia Civil and not the Policia Local. Keep a copy of the report (la denunciación), as you will need the incident number for any insurance claim or for a replacement driving licence (if that was stolen too). The thieves often work in pairs. One will shield the other from view while the other is dipping into your bag or pocket.

Cope
There are many English-language newspapers including The Leader, RTN (formerly Round Town News), Euro Weekly News and the regional Costa Blanca News, all with online editions. There are also numerous magazines, several radio stations and even a TV station.

Go next

 * Murcia is a nice city half hours drive away.
 * Cartagena is an old city a short motorway drive away.