TORREVIEJA, COSTA BLANCA - COMPLETE GUIDE

About Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, Spain

Many things could be said about Torrevieja, most of them favourable, but the most symbolic is that it is one of the jewels of tourism on the Spanish Costa Blanca.

Vibrant and intense, the city of Torrevieja is a modern town that enjoys an enviable location in front of the sea and has managed to perfectly blur the lines that separate the life of permanent residents and the Mediterranean style beach life like few European cities.

A walk through the centre of Torrevieja any day of the week, in the late afternoon, is enough to witness how its permanent residents, at the end of their working day, go home, while, perhaps in the same street, complete families and couples relax on its well-kept white sandy beaches and enjoy the transparent waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

The sun is the fundamental soul of this city whose motto is "white of salt and brown of suns", where a rich social calendar of events of all kinds rivals Rio de Janeiro itself for its joy, with spectacular parties and one of the most important carnivals of the Mediterranean basin. To all this, we have to add the character of a culturally diverse and overwhelmingly welcoming city that is home to more than 80,000 thousand regular residents from 180 different nationalities.

To come to Torrevieja is to enjoy a pleasant Mediterranean climate, its beaches and the caress of its crystalline waters, to practice the national pastime of eating out, enjoying international dishes, a tasty "Paella" or some good tapas in a bar, long romantic walks along the beach promenade, to discover the secrets of ancient navigation, to delight in a good music concert or to practice with your family water sports, among other endless possibilities.

Location

How to get to Torrevieja by road?

Torrevieja is very well connected by road and you can get there by N-332 road towards Cartagena if you are coming from the coast from Valencia or Alicante and the other way around if you are coming from the Cartagena area or the Mar Menor, there are multiple exits depending on your final destination. You can also access by the AP-7 motorway, where there are also multiple exits and you should look for the one that best suits your final destination, the exits are (745, 751, 754, 758). Torrevieja has a bus station with many arrivals and departures, both national and international.

How far is Torrevieja from the airport?

Torrevieja is very well connected either with the airport of Alicante-Elche (44 km) or the airport of Corvera, in Murcia (61 km).

Can I get to Torrevieja by train?

The Orihuela train station is 33 km away and the Balsicas-Mar Menor train station, in the region of Murcia, is 37 km away

Weather in Torrevieja

The city enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate, with mild and fortunately short winters, combined with long, warm summers that extend from April to November most years, with an average annual temperature of +19.5ºC.

Geography and history of Torrevieja.

The Torrevieja Salt Flats were built before the 13th century and were a royal possession from the very beginning, where until 1802 there was only one old watchtower of the many that existed on the Costa Blanca to prevent attacks by Berber pirates. This old tower is where it takes its name from, and some of the houses of the salt workers employed there.

It is from the year 1803, after King Carlos IV decreed the transfer of the administration of the Royal Salt Mines from La Mata to the current location in the centre of Torrevieja and the construction of houses was authorised.

The production and trade of salt was a determining factor in the organization of life in this town, which already in 1931 became a city by the privilege granted by King Alfonso XIII. During the nineteenth century the export of salt was directed primarily through Swedish and Dutch flag ships, while in the domestic market was directed mainly to Galicia and, to a lesser extent, Valencia.

Meanwhile, the craft production was limited to the manufacture of flax, hemp and cotton for popular consumption and although the dock was difficult to load the salt, the port was not completed until 1954.

The importance of Torrevieja in the foreign market for salt has been maintained throughout the twentieth century, a quarter of this salt is consumed in Spain and the rest is exported, being the Torrevieja salt factory one of the most important in Europe.

It has a mostly flat, low-lying orography, characteristic of the marshes and brackish lagoons near the Mediterranean, with the only exception of the west of the San Miguel de Salinas mountain range. Especially rich in flora and fauna, the salt flats of Torrevieja are one of the main enclaves on the migratory routes of many African and northern European birds, such as flamingos, avocets and common terns, among others. The flora is represented by several specimens typical of the environments of the salt marsh where we can find a species of the orchid family that is native and moving away a little from the lagoons, to the south, typical vegetation of the Mediterranean basin with Aleppo pine, thyme and albardín.

Facilities in Torrevieja

In Torrevieja you can find all the modern amenities and services that residents and tourists expect from a modern 21st century city.

It is not necessary to leave the city to do your shopping as Torrevieja has several shopping centres, such as the Las Habaneras Shopping Centre, a multitude of supermarkets and the town centre has a wide variety of shops and stores of all kinds.

As far as restaurants are concerned, Torrevieja has 570 restaurants, which means, for example, that there are one hundred more than in the English city of Oxford, despite the fact that the city of Torrevieja is almost half of the aforementioned British university population. Twice a year, the famous "Ruta de la Tapa" is celebrated and attracts a multitude of curious customers to the city, where up to 50 restaurants participate and offer more than 170 different “tapas” to choose from.

There is a scheduled local bus service that runs throughout the city and the urbanizations, the bus station connects with neighboring towns and also has a regular service to several provinces of Spain and many cities in Europe.

Being a modern city, broadband services or super-fast fiber optic internet are available throughout the city and there are several providers that perform the service effectively, either for residents or tourists, at the same time, most bars and restaurants offer free shared WI-FI connections while you are in their facilities.

What to do in Torrevieja

The city of Torrevieja has a wide range of possibilities for the enjoyment and recreation of residents and tourists.

It has a total of more than 4,500 meters of coastline distributed among its 9 beaches, most of them selected with a blue flag and distinguished with the "Q" for quality, from the loneliest and wildest coves, to the quietest where you can take a bath safely in the company of the children.

It has the best cultural offer in the south of the Costa Blanca, where you can visit museums, such as two floating museums in front of the port or the Sea and Salt Museum. The Torrevieja Theatre offers an extensive calendar of performances and shows throughout the year. In addition, every year the Habaneras and Polyphony Contest is held at the International Music Conservatory and Auditorium.

A usual meeting point for all tourists or residents who are worthwhile is the flea market, open all year round, which is located on the main avenue of the city and ends just where the fairground begins, which is also open all year round.

The nightlife of Torrevieja is vibrant with a multitude of Pubs and night clubs, some with a long tradition in the area, where you can enjoy music of all styles and the lively atmosphere of its terraces next to the beach.

Large shopping centers, two water parks and a multitude of sports activities on the beach, as well as a wide and more than generous range of restaurants, complete the menu of options for the most demanding.

Properties in Torrevieja

The central area of Torrevieja and the surrounding area of the port is dominated by apartment blocks that normally do not exceed seven floors, but if you look a little more carefully it is easy to find single or double floor houses. The urbanizations of Los Frutales, Calas Blancas del Mar II and Los Olivos are quite central and also offer options of spacious townhouses and villas for sale.

The prestigious tourist areas, in the northern and southern parts of the city, in Torre LA Mata and La Caleta, tend to have properties with higher prices, even elevated, however, the areas of the urban periphery such as El Limonar, El Chaparral and La Siesta offer a wide variety of properties at more affordable and reasonable prices, The latter, which are located around the lagoons, are characterized by a more peaceful lifestyle along with the beauty of these natural jewels and it is still possible to find homes at prices more than affordable under 70. 000 euros.

There is no doubt that the most demanded are the apartments in the centre of the city, the prices of a centrally located apartment at a short distance from a beach usually start from 50,000 euros and represent excellent investment options for buyers since they have a relatively low cost, which, together with the low operating costs and ease of renting throughout the year, reap excellent returns on rent.

Torrevieja, due to its size and the urban variety it has, offers a rich diversity for potential property buyers in Spain and a detached single-family villa could be yours for as little as 220,000 euros.

However, after more than 50 years of uninterrupted urban development, Torrevieja has little room for future development, currently only one open area remains undeveloped, between the El Chaparral Urbanization and the N-332 corridor next to the city's auditorium.

Summary

Torrevieja is super popular with tourists all year round and has a large population of permanent residents of all possible nationalities who provide a rich cultural variety, and in turn cause the shops, bars and restaurants, as well as the other services, to be always in full swing regardless of the seasons.

The privileged location in front of the coast attracts a constant and prolonged variety of visitors during the summer season and they also come to Torrevieja for breaks and sunbathing out of season, as it is a city full of history, culture and high-quality services with relative proximity to the area's airports.

Due to the possibility of finding a perfect property for sale in Costa Blanca, Torrevieja is a great choice for its location and the quality of its services.

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