Discover why the Costa blanca north is a Wonderful Place to Live!
Costa Blanca is the coastline on the East of Spain which runs from Gandia in the north down to Murcia in the south, a region blessed by an excellent climate and endless kilometres of golden sands of such well-known resorts as Javéa, Dénia, Calpe and Benidorm. Alicante is the dividing line between Costa Blanca North and Costa Blanca South, but after you pass Benidorm the terrain is flatter and becomes more arid and hot. It also gets more hot.
So, the Costa Blanca has two distinct halves. The north is green and mountainous, with sierras which rise suddenly from the coast and terraced hillsides used to cultivate numerous products including almonds, oranges and olives. It makes for wonderful walking or hiking country, also popular with mountain bikers, nature-lovers and bird-watchers, with 20 natural parks in the region.
This is an area of exceptional natural beauty, punctuated by intended rocky coves and bays, clean white gold beaches, dramatic cliffs, quaint Mediterranean villages and green fertile valleys. This is a land of contrasts quite different to anything you will see anywhere on the coasts anywhere in the world.
There is a big expatriate population, British, Dutch, German and Scandinavian home owners. Alfaz del Pi, Benitachell, Javea, Moraira... are popular places for families to own a second home beside the sea. Jávea more specifically is said to have the healthiest climate in the world.
South of Alicante the terrain is flatter and arid as you head towards Murcia. Here you will find lots of farmland, with large expanses of vegetable crops and orange groves. Now more foreign buyers are starting to explore inland too, buying property in traditional villages set among terraces of olive trees and orange groves.
CLIMATE
The weather is one of the Costa Blanca's great attractions, with more than 3,000 hours of sunshine annually and very little rainfall between April and September. During the summer months, average temperatures are around 30 degrees, and are usually far higher inland as the mountains act as a windbreak. As you head south towards Murcia, the climate becomes drier (along with the terrain) and hotter.
Valencia airport, 10km from Valencia, is a useful alternative if you are flying to Costa Blanca North. Airlines flying there from the UK are Iberia, ThomsonFly, Air Europa and the usual charter airlines.
