Towns and Beaches

Gandia is located on the Costa Del Azahar / Orange Blossom Coast, in the province of Valencia. Located 65 km. south of Valencia and 116 km. north of Alicante, Gandia lies in a privileged position between the mountains and the sea.

It's a city with a rich historical heritage, which is reflected in its monumental buildings and in the spirit of the local people. This is just one of the major attractions of this modern city fully prepared to satisfy the demands of even the most sophisticated of visitors.

Gandia is a centre of contrasting landscapes, accompanied by a mild climate that will enable you to enjoy a pleasant stay at any time of the year. Discover the enchantment of its broad, majestic beaches to the north, its rugged hills and mountains overlooking the sea, such as Mount Montduver with an altitude of 841m, or El Barranc de L'Infern and the cirque of La Safor, or the fertile orchard lowlands extending to the banks of the Rio Serpis.

Sports for everyone, Gandia offers extensive sports facilities for practically all tastes. Water sports are of course at the top of the list: sailing, windsurfing and scuba diving.

But the mountains and local terrain also offer activities such as rambling, climbing, mountaineering, pot holing, horse riding and bicycle tours. With an Olympic-size athletics field, a covered sports pavilion, and covered swimming pools, football fields, basketball courts, hockey fields and more. Gandia provides an attractive array of activities for sports lovers. The joc de la pilota (a handball game) is a genuine tradition in the area, and is practiced in the streets and in Triqueta’s (pelota courts). A visit to a pilota game is strongly recommended for those who haven't seen this swift, exciting game played with bare hands.

Gastronomically speaking, Gandia and our area of influence are true to their geographical surroundings. Both the Mediterranean and the local orchards provide a cornucopia of natural ingredients for a magnificent cuisine. A stay In Gandia wouldn’t' be complete without tasting the typical fideua - a kind of paella done with noodles instead of rice, including an array of savoury seafood. Fresh fish and seafood straight from the coastal waters are thoroughly recommended, as are the eels and gamba amb bleda (shrimp with chard) served in the inland towns of the marsh. And to top it off, there's a wide variety of typical desserts and sweetmeats, a heritage of the ancient sugarcane plantations which once thrived in the region

What to do in Gandia?

• Get a good tan on one of the city's broad, white beaches and then cool off in the refreshing Mediterranean.

• Reach back into the past at the Archaeological Museum of Gandia, with its rich collection of prehistoric silex and bone utensils and engraved stone plaques.

• Take in a mid-afternoon auction at the fish market in the port

• Visit the Palace of the Borgias, an outstanding example of 14th-century architecture.

• Sail along the La Safor coastline and discover a continuous panorama of sand dunes. The Gandia Nautical Club provides all the facilities for seafarers.

• Try a fabulous fideua on a restaurant terrace facing the sea.

• Make a visit to the Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, located on a promontory overlooking the road to the town of Albaida. - Admire the Colegiata, a Gothic church constructed over an ancient Moorish mosque.

• Enjoy the hubbub of the city's nightlife along the beach.

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The Area - Oliva - Oliva lies 7kms south of Gandia at a distance of 75 Kms from Valencia Airport and 100 Km from Alicante Airport. Oliva has a typical Mediterranean climate, there are approximately three thousand hours of sunshine each year and the sea temperature ranges from a 13oC minimum in winter to 29oC in summer. These gentle temperatures provide an ideal year-round climate with mild winters and delightful springs, further north the thermometers plummet and further south the summer heat can be unbearable. Oliva's mild weather allows you to enjoy the beach almost all year round.

The Orange Blossom Coast has hundreds of kms of the finest beaches in the country..... Hidden away in coves, or open and majestic, with fine golden sand or smooth shingles, under the shelter of cliffs or open to the coastal plains. With warm water in summer and autumn, and sunny even in winter.

Oliva municipal district has an area of 59,61 km2, so it is second in size to Gandia in orange blossom county. The population of Oliva city and the municipal district is approx. 24.715 inhabitants.
Oliva's mild weather allows you to enjoy the beach almost all year round. The Orange Blossom Coast has hundreds of kms of the finest beaches in the country..................Hidden away in coves, or open and majestic, with fine golden sand or smooth shingles, under the shelter of cliffs or open to the coastal plains. With warm water in summer and autumn, and sunny even in winter.


European Clean Water Blue Flags wave over many of the beaches of the Costa Azahar and the province of Valencia reflecting the quality of the sea and the beach services: play areas for children, sports facilities for basketball, volley ball, diving platforms. Along its entire length the land of Valencia is a major attraction for visitors and residents alike, because local beaches are the ideal place for fun and sun, leisure and entertainment, where everyone can enjoy the sea and the weather.

The Oliva Nautica Club offers moorage to ships and boats as well as sailing courses. The Mediterranean Sea and the rivers Bulent and Molinell make Oliva a privileged place for fishing lovers.

For the latest news and info of what there is to do, where to go, places to visit etc etc in and around Oliva visit the Tourist Information website   https://olivaturismo.com/home/

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Villalonga is a thriving small busy town (4380 population) with many amenities and located at the gateway to the huge national park that houses the Magnificent Safor mountains and the River Serpis. Ideal area to explore the countryside, vast open areas, free flowing rivers, numerous walks and cycle routes

Villalonga is 10kms from the two larger towns of Oliva and Gandia and numerous blue flag sandy beaches are to be found within 15kms, the road access and network is excellent throughout the region. Alicante airport is 1hr 20min drive and Valencia airport 55min drive via the AP7 motorway.

This thriving small town is very busy and lively, thanks to the industry here which is mainly the making of Cakes at the international Dulce Sol factory that originated in the town many years ago. There are a wide variety of amenities including numerous bars and restaurants, Casa Rural, many small shops, large supermarket, butches, bakers, iron mongers, banks, dentist, chemist large health centre, Vets, hairdressers, car garage, twice weekly street market selling locally grown produce and hardware etc etc. The schooling in the town is excellent and there are nursery, infant and a choice of two secondary schools. Sports facilities are also excellent with football, tennis, padel, fronton, swimming pools and riding centre etc.

The magnificent La Safor mountains rise immediately behind the town and are very popular with walkers, hikers, cyclists, etc. At the base of the mountains is the old railway line (Gandia – Alcoi) which follows the free-flowing river Serpis and travels through 5 spectacular tunnels carved out of the mountainside. This travels to the lost inland village of L’Orcha and then onto the huge reservoir at Beniarres. A superb location for a day out with visitors and very popular with the locals of Villalonga, many of who will own a second holiday home at L'Orcha which they move to for weekends, fiestas and the summer months.