Day trips from Santa Pola: Elche and Alicante
Two very different cities are less than half an hour from Blanca Rosa: Elche, with Europe's largest palm grove, and Alicante, with its castle high above the sea. Both are easy by car or by bus.
Elche: the Palmeral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Elche is surrounded by date palms: more than 200,000 of them, the largest palm grove in Europe. It was laid out about a thousand years ago by the founders of the Islamic city, together with an irrigation system that is still in use, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. It is not a forest but a patchwork of walled orchards (huertos), many of them now parks inside the city.
A good start is the Museo del Palmeral in the Huerto de San Plácido (Porta de la Morera 12), which explains the grove's history and irrigation. It is closed on Mondays, and entry is free on Sundays. The signposted Palm Grove Walk starts and ends here.
Huerto del Cura
A few minutes down the same street (Porta de la Morera 49) is the Huerto del Cura, a garden of 12,000 m² declared a National Artistic Garden in 1943. Besides palms from around the world and a large cactus collection, it has the Imperial Palm, a date palm named after Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who visited in 1894.
Entry is paid (6.80 euros for adults at the time of writing) and includes an audio guide. It is open every day, with shorter hours in winter.
The Basilica of Santa María and the Misteri d'Elx
The Baroque Basilica of Santa María stands where the main mosque once was; the present church was built between 1672 and 1784. It is free and open daily from 7:30 to 12:30 and 17:30 to 20:30. Its bell tower is the highest viewpoint in the city: 170 steps up, with views over the palm grove (small fee).
Every year on 14 and 15 August the basilica hosts the Misteri d'Elx, a sung medieval drama of the death and Assumption of the Virgin Mary performed here since the 15th century. UNESCO proclaimed it a masterpiece of intangible heritage in 2001. Entry on the 14th and 15th is free but people queue for hours; full dress rehearsals with tickets take place on 11, 12 and 13 August.
Getting to Elche
By car: about 20 minutes (16 km) to the city centre and the Palmeral. Allow more time at rush hour.
By bus: Vectalia line 255a (Elx Rodalia) runs from Santa Pola bus station, a 12-minute walk from the apartment, to Elche bus station in about half an hour. On weekdays there is roughly one bus an hour, fewer at weekends. From Elche bus station it is a 14-minute walk to the Basilica. Timetables change by season, so check before you go.
Alicante: Santa Bárbara castle and the Explanada
The Castillo de Santa Bárbara sits on Mount Benacantil, high above Postiguet beach, with walls, towers and dungeons, the city museum (MUSA) and wide views over the city and the sea. Entry is free. It is open every day, closing earlier in winter than in summer, so check the times on the castle website.
The easiest way up is the lift on Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite Postiguet beach (for a small fee). The castle cannot be reached by car, so park in town. From the lift it is a 10-minute walk along the seafront to the Explanada de España, the palm-lined promenade by the port with its famous wavy mosaic of red, cream and black marble.
Getting to Alicante
By car: about 25 minutes (20 km) to the city centre, along the coast.
By bus: Vectalia runs the Santa Pola to Alicante line from Santa Pola bus station via Gran Alacant, Arenales del Sol and El Altet to Alicante bus station. On weekdays buses leave about every hour and take about 55 minutes. From Alicante bus station it is a 17-minute walk to the Explanada. Timetables change by season and at weekends.
Sources: Palmeral, Huerto del Cura, Basilica and Misteri from Elche tourism (visitelche.com) and UNESCO (whc.unesco.org, ich.unesco.org); Santa Bárbara castle from the city of Alicante (alicante.es, castillodesantabarbara.com) and alicanteturismo.com; buses from Vectalia (elxrodalia.vectalia.es, movilidad.vectalia.es); distances from OpenStreetMap routing, checked on 1 October 2026. Opening times and timetables change; please check before you go.