Torrevieja - Spain​

Torrevieja is a coastal city. It is located on the Costa Blanca, south of Alicante Province in southern Spain. The name is because the place until 1802 was just an old guard tower. "Torre" means a tower in Spanish and "vieja" means old. Salt is the main industry in Torrevieja as the city lies between the sea and two major salt lakes, Las Salinas. The location means that Torrevieja has a very healthy climate, which is the main reason for the city's popularity among Norwegians, Swedes and other northern Europeans who seek Spain for health reasons. Torrevieja was originally a small coastal town. For those who do not know the local environment so well, both are mentioned as part of Torrevieja.

 

As a destination, Torrevieja is extremely convenient to visit. There are only 30 minutes drive from Alicante airport and 15 minutes from Murcia airport. This makes the place easily accessible from most European cities. Murcia airport will be closed at the 15 of January 2019, as Corvera opens. The drive from there will be aproximately 30 minutes.

 

In recent years, the local economy has grown dramatically due to tourism and Torrevieja has become a very international city. In addition to Spanish, there is a large number of Scandinavians, British, Irish, and German people in the area. Also Eastern Europeans have found their place in the local community here. Very many have settled here on a permanent basis, and live here all year around.

 

Beaches

There are several beaches in Torrevieja. Besides the city beach, located on the south side of the city, you also have La Mata Beach, located in the north end of Torrevieja. This is a 2.5 km long beach that has been named Blue Flag for several consecutive years because of its quality, cleanliness and accessibility. The beach is directly connected to the Laguna de la Mata nature reserve which is a great recreation area with a bustling birdlife, grassy areas and hiking trails.

 

Restaurants

There are plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants in the area, and you can find an internatioal cuisine in the area. Due to cultural diversity, the gastronomic selection is more like a big city than a medium-sized resort. Many of the tapas bars in Torrevieja offer tapas and caña for 1.5 €. There are also a few bars that follow a tradition from Granada, by offering a small tapas or a «montadito» when ordering beer or wine.

Some of the specialties in the Torrevieja food route are Arroz, better known as Paella in other parts of Spain, as well as Sobresada best described as butterable salami.

 

Attractions

There are many things to view in the Torrevieja area. The beautiful «Parque de las Naciones» located in the city center is open all year and is a great place to bring the kids. There is a big market every Friday. In the summer there is an evening market and a mini-golf near the harbor and boardwalk.

 

Torrevieja has two salt lakes. One is used for salt production while the other has become a veritable natural reserve where you can go or cycle along the sea and enjoy nature. Both of these salt lakes have channels where seawater flows. In other words, Torrevieja has two rivers running the opposite way, which is quite special. Torrevieja has a beautiful walkway along the beach where you find livelyness throughout the year. Aquapolis, the swimming park, is open from June to September. The Salt Museum, can be visited all year long. If you are in Torrevieja in December, you must see Belen, the Christmas crib, installed in the church square and which is a fascinating sight in its complexity and ingenuity.

 

Activities

There is always plenty to do in Torrevieja. It abounds with bars, cafes and restaurants and you can find food from virtually any country in the world.

 

For those who like to dance through the night, nightlife takes place until 7 in the morning in the many bars and discos. For those who like the sun and beach there are many beaches in the city center and along the Orihuela coast. There are gyms offering vacation memberships, different spa-facilities, pools, go-kart courses and many shopping opportunities.

 

Car hire

When you rent a car on the Costa Blanca there are many car rental companies to choose from, ranging from small local businesses to big chains.

 

A great place to look for a car hire in Torrevieja is www.rentalcars.com where you often find car hire at a nice price. The advantage is that they compare prices from many different car rental companies at the same time, so you can choose from the cheapest. If you travel by plane to Torrevieja you can pick up the rental car on arrival at the airport.

 

Travel and transportation

Torrevieja has good bus links that take you to all surrounding cities and also to major cities like Alicante, Benidorm, Murcia, etc. It's easy to find Taxi and they are not very expensive. There are many local travel agencies that offer regular trips to surrounding places that are especially interesting to visit. Car hire is easy to find, but if you are looking for a rental car in high season, such as in summer or Easter, it is recommended to book early as prices increase as demand.

 

Festivals and festivals

"Fiestas" usually have a religious context in Spain and can last for many days. Of course you have national fiesta, celebrated all over the country, and local celebrations celebrated only in some areas or cities. During the celebrations, there are usually processions or parades, and all are beautiful country draws while the entire city is steeped in a general party atmosphere.

 

The Carnival is celebrated in February, followed by the Easter Celebration, a local fiesta in April, the Feria in Mai, the Music Festival in July and August. Furthermore, the celebration of Torrevieja's patron saint, Virgen del Carmen, on July 12, is celebrated in San Emigdio and on 9 October, the whole Valencian region of El Día de la Comunidad Valenciana celebrates.

 

If you add "national fiestae" as Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Holy Thrones Day (Día de los Reyes) on January 6th, Father's Day (Día del Padre) on March 19th, International Workers Day 1. May, Spain's National Day, October 12th All Saints Day 1st November, Constitution Day 6th December and Dia de Immaculata Conception December 8th plus some, you'll see that whenever you visit Torrevieja, there will be some kind of party there.

 

Shopping

Shopping in Torrevieja Center is versatile and fun, with many different stores selling everything you could imagine. There are large shopping malls like Carrefour and many supermarkets such as Iceland, Mercadona, Lidl and Aldi in the city and in nearby areas.

 

Norwegian school

The Norwegian school in Torrevieja is located in Rojales only 10 minutes drive from Torrevieja. They have all grades at elementary school level and even 3 grade at high school. Read more on the school's web pages: www.dnsr.no

 

Spanish Courses

If you want to learn Spanish from scratch or if you want to improve your Spanish knowledge, Torrevieja is a great choice. The advantage of taking a Spanish course in Torrevieja is that you get practiced your Spanish skills in your spare time.

 

At http://basicspanishclasses.com you will find Spanish courses in Torrevieja and many other cities in Spain.