Just under forty kilometres from Jávea lies Altea, the hilltop village with the blue dome above its rooftops. It is smaller than Jávea and laid out differently: a single old centre set against three centres of its own along the coast. Anyone torn between the two, for a holiday or a longer stay, will find an honest comparison here of character, beaches, culture, walking, food, fiestas and the practical side, without one being placed above the other.
What is the difference in character between Altea and Jávea?
Altea is an artistic village on a hill, with the blue dome of its church as a permanent landmark and an old centre you explore on foot. Jávea is larger and spread across three centres of its own: the historic centre, the harbour and the seaside resort around the Arenal. Altea has almost twenty-five thousand inhabitants, Jávea around thirty thousand, on the same reference date.
The difference in numbers says little; the layout says a great deal. Altea is built around a single hill that everything climbs towards, with the square by the church as the heart of the village. The municipality also has two further historic centres, Altea la Vella and Bellaguarda, of which Altea la Vella lies inland. Jávea has no such fixed focal point: the town divides itself between the centre on a hill, the harbour and the Arenal.
Altea also has a pronounced artists' character. According to the municipality's tourist office, the village became a meeting place and home for the bohemian set in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Facultad de Bellas Artes of the Universidad Miguel Hernández is based there. The faculty itself calls Altea a cradle of artists.
Which beach suits you better, Altea or Jávea?
Anyone who wants sand should choose Jávea, with the Arenal as its broad sandy beach. According to the municipality itself, the beaches of Altea are made of shingle rather than sand, spread over roughly six kilometres of coast. In terms of awards they are evenly matched: Altea has four Blue Flag beaches, Jávea three.
Altea's Blue Flags go to Cap Blanch, El Bol, La Roda and L'Espigó. The tourist office also names L'Olla, Solsida, Cap Negret and Mascarat, among others. They are shingle beaches, not sandy ones.
Jávea offers a more varied palette in return: the sand of the Arenal, the harbour district of La Grava and the bay of Granadella, which together carry the three Blue Flags. Anyone who prefers to move between bays rather than stay on one long stretch has more to choose from in Jávea.
Where do you find the finest old centre and culture, in Altea or Jávea?
Altea has the most recognisable village profile: an old centre on a hill, crowned by the church of Nuestra Señora del Consuelo with a blue dome of glazed ceramic tiles, which the municipality itself calls one of the icons of the Costa Blanca. For culture there is also the Palau Altea. Jávea has a compact centre, built around the church of San Bartolomé.
Altea's present church dates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Around the square in front of it lies the old centre, with a mirador and the Baluarte, dating from 1617. The view from the old centre is reason enough in itself to climb up.
According to the municipality, the Palau Altea Centre d'Arts is one of the most dynamic cultural centres of the Marina Baixa, with theatre, classical music, opera, dance and exhibitions. Jávea has its own old centre, with the Soler Blasco museum and the church of San Bartolomé, but the stage programme of the Palau Altea is an argument in itself for anyone who wants plenty of culture.
Where is the better walking, in Altea or Jávea?
Both have mountain scenery on the doorstep. Altea has the Serra Gelada, a coastal nature park, and the Bernia, with the PR-CV 7 walk past the fort and the Forat de Bèrnia. Jávea has the 753-metre Montgó and the fifteen miradors along the coast.
The Serra Gelada lies within the territory of Benidorm, l'Alfàs del Pi and Altea and is the first marine and terrestrial nature park in the Comunitat Valenciana. The Bernia is a mountain ridge that falls partly within Altea. According to Altea's tourist office, the PR-CV 7 is one of the most emblematic and spectacular routes on the whole Costa Blanca: a circular walk past the Fort de Bèrnia and the Forat de Bèrnia, a natural tunnel you cross almost on hands and knees.
On the Jávea side stands the Montgó: a Parc Natural with a route to the summit, 753 metres up. Anyone who would rather not climb has the miradors in Jávea, viewpoints spread along the coastline.
Where is the food better, in Altea or Jávea?
In the current Michelin Guide, Altea has no starred restaurant, while Jávea has two: BonAmb with two stars and Tula with one. Anyone travelling for stars will therefore find them in Jávea. That is a fact about the guide, not a verdict on Altea's cooking.
The difference therefore lies at the top end. For a special dinner at a high level, Jávea is the obvious choice, with BonAmb as the heavier of the two houses. For an ordinary evening out the number of stars says little; what matters then is where you sit and what you feel like eating.
Which fiestas make the difference, Altea or Jávea?
In August Altea has the Castell de l'Olla, a large firework display set off from platforms in the bay, and in late summer the Fiestas Mayores. Jávea celebrates its Moros i Cristians in July in the harbour district. Both towns therefore have a highlight of their own, and they fall at different times.
The Castell de l'Olla takes place on the Saturday closest to Sant Llorenç, on 10 August, so in mid August. The fireworks are launched from platforms at sea in the bay of L'Olla. The Fiestas Mayores in September are recognised as a festival of regional tourist interest and likewise include Moros i Cristians.
Jávea holds its Moros i Cristians in the third week of July, with the landing in the harbour district. Anyone who wants to experience the summer in both towns can easily combine the fiestas.
How do you get from Jávea to Altea, and what is useful to know?
Altea lies just under forty kilometres from Jávea, around forty minutes by car via the AP-7. Altea has several TRAM stops on line 9, but Jávea has no station of its own. The same line does stop at Teulada and Gata de Gorgos, the nearest stops.
Each town has its own market day: Altea holds its weekly market on Tuesday, Jávea on Thursday on the Plaça de la Constitució.
As a day trip, Altea works well from Jávea: a morning in the old centre, lunch by the sea, and back again at the end of the afternoon. It works just as well the other way round.
Altea or Jávea: which place suits you?
Choose Altea if you want a village on a hill, with art and culture close by, Blue Flag shingle beaches and the Bernia and the Serra Gelada as walking country. Choose Jávea if you want sand, bays, the Montgó and the miradors, and three centres rather than one hill, with two starred restaurants thrown in.
There is no wrong choice: anyone coming for longer can make one village home and the other a regular day trip. At forty minutes by car they are close enough together to use both.