The Best Day Trips from Calpe: 8 Places Worth Leaving the Beach For

Let me be honest with you — when you're staying in Calpe, leaving feels like a bad idea. You've got the Peñón de Ifach glowing orange at sunset, two brilliant beaches, and a seafood restaurant calling your name. But after ten years living on the Costa Blanca, I can tell you that some of the best days I've ever had started with a 20-minute drive out of town. The best day trips from Calpe don't replace the experience — they make it richer.

June is arguably the perfect month to explore. The roads are quieter than August, the heat is still manageable by 10am, and most attractions have switched to their summer opening hours without the suffocating crowds. Here's where I'd send my own family.

1. Altea Old Town — 15 Minutes South

Altea is Calpe's elegant neighbour and frankly one of the most beautiful villages on the entire Costa Blanca. The old town sits on a hill above the seafront, all whitewashed houses with cobalt-blue ceramic domes on the church. It's genuinely photogenic, not in a filtered Instagram way but in a "stop and actually look around you" way.

Walk up through the narrow streets in the morning before it gets hot. Stop for a coffee at one of the terrace cafés on the main square, Plaza de la Iglesia. There's a small but excellent craft market most mornings in summer. Back down by the seafront, the long promenade has a string of restaurants — I'd head to La Costera for their rice dishes. Give yourself half a day minimum.

Getting there: 15 minutes by car via the N-332. Parking is easiest at the seafront level — don't attempt to drive into the old town itself.

2. Guadalest — 45 Minutes Inland

If you only do one inland trip from Calpe, make it Guadalest. This medieval castle village is perched on a rocky outcrop so dramatically that it looks CGI. You enter through a tunnel carved into the rock, and suddenly you're inside a tiny fortified village with sweeping views of the reservoir below and the mountains behind.

Yes, it gets busy — it's one of the most visited spots in the Valencian Community. But go early (arrive before 10am in June) and you'll have the castle walls almost to yourself. There are several small but genuinely interesting museums, including a miniatures museum and a collection of antique cars. The town also has a string of honey, almond, and local produce shops — I always come back with a jar of honey from the Sierra de Aitana.

Getting there: Take the CV-70 via Benidorm, then follow signs toward Alcoy/Alcoi. Parking costs around €2 and fills up fast after 11am.

3. Dénia — 30 Minutes North

Dénia has a completely different energy to Calpe — it's a proper working port town with a castle, a fish market, and ferry connections to Ibiza and Mallorca. The old Moorish castle sits right above the town centre and you can walk up for free (or a small fee for the museum inside).

The real draw for food lovers is the fish market at the port and the concentration of top-tier restaurants around it. Dénia is famous for its red prawns — gambas rojas de Dénia — and there are several restaurants around the port where you can eat them simply grilled with sea salt. It's worth every cent. The town beach, Les Marines, stretches for kilometres north of the port and is less crowded than Calpe's beaches in June.

Getting there: 30 minutes via the N-332 north. Easy parking near the port or the castle.

4. Villajoyosa — 25 Minutes South

Villajoyosa (La Vila Joiosa in Valencian) is one of those places that people drive past without stopping, which is genuinely their loss. The old town has a row of brightly painted fishermen's houses right on the seafront — pinks, yellows, oranges — that rival anything you'd find in Cinque Terre. There's a chocolate factory (Valor) that does tours and has a café, which is perfect if you're travelling with kids or simply enjoy chocolate (so, everyone).

The beach in the old town is small but lovely, and the Wednesday market is one of the best local markets on this stretch of coast.

Getting there: 25 minutes south via the AP-7 or the slower N-332 coastal road. The coastal road is more scenic.

5. Jávea (Xàbia) — 30 Minutes North

Jávea is Calpe's northern neighbour and a genuine rival for "best small town on the Costa Blanca." It has three distinct areas — the old town inland, the port, and the beach — each with its own character. The old town has a fortified Gothic church and a covered market. The port area has excellent tapas bars. The beach zone, Arenal, is a wide sandy bay that gets extremely popular in summer.

What I love most about Jávea is Cap de la Nau — the dramatic headland to the south of town with clifftop walks, hidden coves, and views back toward Calpe's Peñón on a clear day. The walk from Cala del Portitxol to Cala Granadella is one of the finest coastal walks on the Costa Blanca and only takes about 90 minutes.

Getting there: 30 minutes via the CV-736. Parking at Cap de la Nau is limited — arrive early in June.

6. Polop de la Marina — 20 Minutes Inland

Polop doesn't make it onto many tourist itineraries, which is exactly why I'm including it. This small mountain village sits above the Guadalest valley with views down to the coast and has a remarkable fountain — the Fuentes de Polop — with 221 taps fed by natural springs. It sounds quirky, and it is, but it's also genuinely lovely. The old castle ruins above town are free to explore.

This is the kind of place you stumble through in two hours, eat a good lunch at a local restaurant (try La Xara or one of the terrace places on the main square), and drive back to Calpe feeling like you've discovered something.

7. Benidorm — 20 Minutes South

I know, I know. Benidorm divides opinion. But hear me out: Benidorm in June, on a Tuesday morning, is a completely different beast to Benidorm in August on a Saturday night. The old town (Casco Antiguo) above Levante beach is genuinely charming — the church viewpoint gives you one of the most dramatic coastal panoramas in Spain. The Poniente beach is one of the longest and cleanest sandy beaches on the entire Costa Blanca.

If you're curious about Benidorm but nervous about the crowds, June is the month to go. We've written a full Calpe vs Benidorm comparison if you want the honest breakdown.

8. Sierra Helada Natural Park — 25 Minutes South

Strictly speaking this is between Benidorm and Altea, but it deserves its own mention. The Sierra Helada is a protected headland with walking trails through pine and rosemary scrub, cliffs dropping straight into the sea, and almost zero tourist infrastructure — meaning no cafés, no shops, just stunning coastal scenery. Take water and go early in June when it's cooler.

The trail along the ridge from Rincon de Loix (Benidorm) to the lighthouse takes about 2 hours one way and gives views across to Calpe and the Peñón de Ifach that will make you rethink your entire idea of what this coastline looks like.

Practical Tips for Day Trips from Calpe

Car is king. Public transport connects some of these places but the timetables are infrequent. Renting a car for a day or two unlocks everything.

Start early in June. By 11am many parking areas are full and the heat starts to build. A 9am start means you're done with the main sights by noon and back at the beach by 2pm.

Combine destinations. Altea + Villajoyosa in one day is easy. Guadalest + Polop is a natural pairing. Jávea + Cap de la Nau is a full but brilliant day.

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Basing yourself in Calpe makes all of this ridiculously easy. Everything I've listed is within 45 minutes. If you're still looking for the right place to stay, browse our holiday rentals in Calpe — booking direct through JV Properties saves you up to 18% compared to Airbnb or Booking.com, and you'll speak to a real person who knows this coastline inside out. See all available properties for your dates.

Calpe is the perfect base. Trust me on this one.