Do you know Tabarca Island ?

The Island of Tabarca, the ever popular tourist destination off the coast of Alicante

The good weather arrives, Easter and summer too, when you’re on holiday here on the Costa Blanca don’t forget to visit our Island. With the family, your partner or you alone, come and contemplate the wonders we have to offer and enjoy an unforgettable day.

The island of Tabarca or also known as Nueva Tabarca, it’s a small island located 8 km in front of Santa Pola and 22 km from Alicante. It is the largest island in the Community of Valencia and the only one inhabited.

Its size is 1800 meters long and 450 meters wide. It lacks trees and vegetation is sparse. In the village stands the Governor’s House (now transformed into a hotel), the church of San Pedro and the remains of the wall. Currently there are only a dozen inhabitants who reside throughout the year, although in the summer the arrival of visitors and tourists makes them reach several hundred.

Tabarca Island has its history

The island was used in the fifteenth and sixteenth century as a base refuge for Barbary pirates. These were Muslim pirates who moved around the North African area and used to attack Christian ships.

To put an end to piracy, King Charles III ordered it to be fortified and repopulated with fishermen from Genoa who were held captive in the Tunisian city of Tabarka, hence its name.

From that time there are the remains of the walls surrounding the urban core. They are well preserved, especially the three covers: the door of San Rafael, which is next to Levante; the door of San Gabriel, facing west, and the door of San Miguel, overlooking the city of Alicante, and which flows into a cliff known to the locals as the ‘Puerto Viejo’.

How can you get there?

To get to the island of Tabarca we have to take one of the boats that leave the coast. There are several towns along the entire Costa Blanca that offer the journey. In the summer season the output frequencies increase considerably. Depending on where we are, we can choose the following means of transport:

From Alicante – through Kontiki Cruises. From Monday to Friday departure at 10-11-12.15 hours your return at 17 and 19 hours. The departure is made from the promenade itself where the boats are docked and its duration is 50 minutes.

2. From Torrevieja – they are made by ‘Marítimas Torrevieja’. They have two boats:

• Mirror of Torrevieja: It is equipped with a glass bottom to observe the seabed.

• Super Green Dolphin: they also make excursions through the coastal area.

There are departures every day at 11:00 and return at 19:00, from the port of Torrevieja (in front of the casino)

3. From Santa Pola – ‘Tabarkeras’ organizes daily excursions with a wide schedule of departures. It has catamarans with underwater vision and offers the possibility of food on board. There are daily departures at 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 15:30 and 17:00. Returns from Tabarca are at 10:30, 11:30, 12:45, 13:45, 16:15, 17:45. In summer these hours are extended more, so better to consult them on their official website.

4. From Benidorm – From the Paseo de Colon every day a trip to Tabarca leaves in the morning and returns in the afternoon. The trip is organized by ‘Excursiones Benidorm’. It lasts about an hour and a quarter. Tickets can be purchased at your holiday hotel, your trusted travel agency, at our Calle Gerona office.

The island of Tabarca can be visited in a single day, taking a round trip ticket as most people do. However, there is another option that not everyone knows and only a few enjoy: spend the night in one of its magnificent hotels.

Feeling the tranquility of the island once all the people have taken the boat back is something that is appreciated. The sunset, the sea at night, the starry sky and the calm that is breathed, causes you a total disconnection from the daytime sensations.