... a beautiful typical mediterrean fisher place, still lives at the rythm
of its surrounding nature and sea. Dénia is situated at less
than 100 km from Valencia in the
North and Alicante in the South. The town lies at the foot of a
nearly 800 meter
high mountain, el
Montgó
ElMontgó is like a giant watching over Denia on one side and
Javea on its other side. The inhibitants of
Denia are proud of their mountain, and they should.
It's
the highest mountain of Spain so closely situated to
the sea. Also, it's recognised by the Valencian
Comunity as a natural reserve.
Fortunately
I would say, as like this it has stopped the further
development of villas getting to close to the
mountain fauna and flora. Below some extra
information for the nature belovers:
Brochure
Montgo nature reserve
Promotional video
from the Comunidad Valenciana
Denia also accommodates 20
kilometers of beautiful white sand beaches (“Las
Marinas or Les Marines”) on one
side, and the famous “Las Rotas or
Les Rotes” rock beaches, a sea natural
reserve, on the
other side. The town itself is centralised around its historical castle on a
hill,
now an archeological museum with excellent views.
History
Denia is a modern, cosmopolitan town
offering a full range of amenities, that is a
firm favourite for those with second homes in
Spain. The town was founded as Hemeroskopeion by
the Greeks, later taking the Spanish property for sale name Dianium
under the Romans, named after the Goddess Diana.
Today it is known by its Moorish name. After the
disintegration of the Caliphate of Cordoba in
the eleventh century, Denia existed for a
time as an independent kingdom.
The port flourished commercially and culturally, at one
point controlling Majorca.
Fiestas
The town's most
important festival take place at the
beginning of July where young bulls are let
loose close to the sea ("Bous
a la Mar" fiestas). The festivities usually
end with either the bull or the young braves
falling into the sea. Other festivals include Moors
and Christians celebrated from 14th to the 16th
of August, and the Fallas celebrated from the
15th to the 19th of March.
Castle
Dominating the town is the old castle, which
today houses a small archaeological museum.
Other notable buildings include the Baroque
church of Santa Maria, was built in 1734, and
the eighteenth century Church of the Assumption.
Beaches
Denia has two outstanding beaches, both of
which have been awarded the blue Europa flag. Les Rotes (or Las Rotas) is situated to the south of the town
and is where
many of the exclusive villas
have been built. It is made up of rocky coves,
fantastic for diving into the water. La Marineta to the north is a long safe stretch of sandy
beach which is suitable for children. The other
beaches are Les Bovetes, Les Deveses and L'
Almadrava. Although a lot of holidaymaker's has
bought second homes in
Denia, it is less crowded than many of the
more touristy resorts.
Economy
There is a regular ferry service to Valencia and
San Antonio Abad on Ibiza. The main sources of
employment are
tourism and fishing. It is a short trip from
town to visit the mountain villages at Vall de
la Gallinera and the historic town of Xativa.
Rising behind
Denia is the impressive Montgo park, and to
the east is the Cape of San Antonio.
... the temperature hardly ever
drops below 18°C during day time, even in the middle of
the winter ! Summer
temperatures vary around 30°C. See the table below for the average
temperatures and hours of sun in Denia as compared to
London :
In fact, many doctors all over
Europe recommend a stay-over in Denia and its
surroundings (the Marina Alta) for its
relaxing properties.
The WHO even declared this to be
a region with one of the healthiest climates in the
world: not too cold in winter nor too hot in summer.
There are plenty of sport facilities all-round and all year round available, i.e. fishing, surfing, diving,
waterskiing, sailing, boat-renting, several tennis courts, horse
riding, 2 golf courses nearby (La Sella golf and Oliva Nova golf), water scooters, mountain hiking, you name it.
Denia offers the possibility to get on
a day-trip to Ibiza, either with one of the daily ferries or the
catamaran ferry. The crossing only takes about 2 hours with the
catamaran or about 4 hours by ferry. Definitely recommended
!
If Ibiza might seem to far for you, then take a
boat-excursion along the coast
on one of the tourist boats to Javea / Xabia, the nearby
village on the other side of the Montgo mountain. Or why not
just a stroll along one of the luxurious yacht ports of Denia?
Day
excursions with the ferry from Denia to Ibiza, Formentura,
Palma or San Antonio.
Check out on-line prices of all ferries from Denia, and book your
day-trip or through the below tools.
Bookings go directly through the travel agency of AFerry :
Denia,
heart of the Marina Alta
UP
