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The capital city of the Baix Vinalopo District as well as
the second largest city of the Alicante Province, Elche is
a charming tourist destination, situated within the
Valencian Autonomous Community, in the Costa Blanca Spanish
region. Elche has a prosperous history dating back to the
times of Iberian, and hence it is home to a plethora of
historical sites.

Acknowledged as the ‘The City of Palms,’ Elche
is much famed for its expansive palm tree grove, also known
as the Palmeral of Elche, which is credited to be the only
Palm forest in Europe, consisting of over 10,000 palm
trees, of which majority of them are date palms. Covering
an area of more than 3.5 sq km, the grove is believed to
have been planted by the Phoenicians during the 6th century
BC, although cultivated and designed by the Moors between
8th and 13th century. Most spectacular of the
forest’s sight is the Imperial Palm, boasting seven
stems and taking after the shape of a Candelabra. Further,
many of the areas within the grove have now been developed
into beautiful gardens and parks. Another interesting thing
regarding this grove is that it is still watered by the
irrigation system of the River Vinalopó, devised
during the 10th century. The forest has been now declared
as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

Equally fabulous is the Mystery Play of Elche, which is
conducted annually. Declared as the masterpiece of the Oral
and Intangible Heritage in 2001 by the UNESCO, the play is
a sacred cum lyrical program dating back to the 15th
century. Further, it is the only proof of the medieval
religious European theatre.

Apart from these, Elche boasts a continuum of museums, such
as the Municipal Festa Museum, Pucol Agricultural Museum,
and La Alucida, all of them housing a range of rare
artifacts. Popular among the city’s monuments are
Torre de la Calahorra, Basilicca de Santa Maria, Town Hall,
and Torre de Calendura. In addition, excellent options are
available for nature as well as wildlife lovers, such as El
Honda Nature Park and Clot de Galvany.

Attractions in Elche also cover some fabulous white beaches
like La Marina, El Carabassi, L’ Altet, Arenals del
Sol, and El Penet, each of them coupled with excellent
facilities for a range of water sport activities. Further,
Elche hosts a variety of fiestas, including Palm Sunday,
The Hallelujas, Fiestas of the Virgin’s Arrival, and
Nit de l’Alba.

Besides being home to a range of stunning as well as
historically significant places, Elche is one of the
leading producers of footwear in Europe.

The city’s gastronomy is usually Mediterranean in
style, al though a continuum of restaurants serving
international cuisine such as Valencian, European, and
Spanish can be seen here.

Elche is within easy reach of almost all popular tourist
destinations in Costa Blanca. For instance, Elche is only
an hour’s drive from Alicante, which is at its
northwest and half an hour drive from Benidorm – one
of the most prominent tourist resorts across the shorelines
of the Costa Blanca.

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Lee Smith writes about Elche in Alicante
http://www.lovealicante.com/areas/elche/index.html

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