The coastal town of Albir Spain is affectionately known as the ‘Little Gem of the Costa Blanca’.
The town consists of broad tree lined avenues that has created a sense of space and an unhurried atmosphere makes a visit here a pleasure.
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Where is Albir Spain?
The small coastal resort of Albir is located on the Costa Blanca in the south east of Spain, it is very close to the town of Alfaz del Pi and is part of that towns municipality.
The N-322 divides Albir from its neighbour Alfaz del Pi, this national route offers very good links both locally and nationally, including to two international airports within a short driving distance of Alicante to the south and Valencia to the north.
In addition, the N332 national road leads south to Alicante city, Santa Pola and Torrevieja.
(Albir Spain – Google Maps)
Other resorts in the area include Guardamar, Orihuela City and La Marina.
Around one hour away, you will find the towns:
You will love Albir Spain
What is the History of Albir?
There is not too much history of this area with the exception of the ruins of a Roman villa, now a museum.
What is now Albir was once owned by Cid-Cid, or Lord Cid, before it was then conquered by King James I to become part of the then Kingdom of Valencia.
The town was then incorporated into the province of Valencia in 1244, before being part of the newly formed province of Alicante during the 18th century.
General Information about Albir Spain
Albir, also known as El Albir or L’Albir is a carefully planned community with very few of its buildings being greater than five storeys in height.
There is a high percentage of foreign residents in the town with only about 50% of the homes being under Spanish ownership, similar to Orihuela Costa.
The beach side promenade known as the Paseo de Las Estrellas contains plaques in a similar style to those found in Hollywood, USA, and these plaques honour the stars that have won awards at the Albir Film Festival held each July.
With such a high number of overseas residents there are plenty of options for buying those essential items you miss from home in the local supermarkets, as well as several international restaurants.
Only 14 minutes away from Benidorm and 20 minutes away from Finestrat, Albir Spain is also very close to other towns and cities of the region including Denia.
The historical city of Cartagena is almost 2 hours away.
What is the Weather like in Albir?
Albir’s climate is a Mediterranean one with August being the hottest month when the average temperature is just over 25C.
The coldest month being January when the monthly average is just below 12C.
The month with the most hours of sunshine is July when you can expect around 12 hours of sun each day.
October is annually the wettest month when Albir receives on average a little over 60mm of rain.
August is the best time of year for swimming in the sea when the water temperature rises to a little over 25C (warmer than Alcoy).
What Architecture can be seen in Albir Spain?
Unlike historical towns such as Guadalest, there is not too much historic architecture to be found in Albir, with the exception of the remains of a Roman villa which can be visited free of charge with information boards written in several languages.
For a more detailed visit, you can hire a tablet for three Euros.
There is also an indoor museum which offers a video of villa as if you were visiting during the Roman era.
The ruins of nearby ochre mines are another indicator of life here during the Roman occupation, particularly that of a miner, amid the colourful hues of the landscape.
In the Sierra Helada Mountains there is a national park with lots of hanging fossil dunes, while not exactly architecture it can be of some local historic interest.
Gastronomy
You will not be short of food options in Albir, the restaurants here offer lots of Asian food options from Thai, Chinese, Indian, Nepalese and Indonesian.
There are also local options include tapas, paella and fideuas, a dish similar to paella, but pasta is used in place of rice. Bon appétit!
Paella is a local delicacy from this region of Spain and another option not to be missed, similar to Villajoyosa.
How much does it cost to rent or buy property in Albir?
Detached houses are available in Albir from 600,000 Euros for 4 or 5 bed villas, with a luxury five bed villa available for 1.6m Euros.
Three bed apartments cost from 220,000 Euros
One bed apartments begin at 90,000 Euros.
I could only find one development of newly built properties with apartments of 1-4 bedrooms costing from 333,000 Euros.
There is quite a good market here for long term rentals, some properties are only available out of season and expect to pay 750 Euros per month for a one bed apartment, and 900 for two beds.
The prices for house rentals began at 1,200 Euros per month for a number of three bedroom properties.
What are the most Interesting Attractions I should visit in Albir?
Sierra Helada National Park
The Sierra Helada National Park has been described as being history and nature intertwined.
The park is home to some amazing hanging fossil dunes, caves you can visit as well as the ruins of some abandoned ochre mines, the area around the mines which are easily accessible from a coastal path has a distinctive red colour.
There are also many beautiful coves and bays you can explore, although many are not easily accessible and are best visited by boat or you can hire a kayak and explore them yourself.
Playa de Raco de L’Albir
At almost 600 metres in length the beach at Albir is renowned as being a clean and safe environment with plenty of room for everyone to enjoy their time here.
It has held its Blue Flag classification every year since 2001, there are lifeguards on duty every day during the summer months.
Albir Market
Every Sunday there is a large market held in the car park located on the High Street.
An additional market known as the Artisan Market is held daily from late June until early September close to the main beach area which is open from 6pm until midnight, selling an assortment of interesting items.
Festivals in Albir
There is an active year round programme of leisure and cultural activities to be found in Albir.
The Casa de Cultura is open all year and hosts a concert hall, exhibition space as well as a TV studio.
Here you will find the Film Festival held in early July, a Jazz Festival that takes place each October in addition to concerts, international dance performers and orchestras that are performed throughout the year.
The Ruins of a Roman Villa
The open air museum is of the ruins of a Roman villa that was believed to have been in use up until the 6th century AD.
This museum opened in 2011 and is one of the best examples of a preserved traditional Roman villa and baths.
The system of hot water heating is still evident.
Visitors have use of virtual reality headsets to see how things would have looked during the period of Roman life in this part of Spain.
Walking route to Albir Lighthouse
This walk follows the coastline where you can find splendid viewpoints of features such as Calpe Rock, and the bays of Albir and Altea.
The route of the walk features a slight uphill gradient over the course of a distance of 5.4km.
Begin your walk from the car park located at the entrance to the Sierra Helada National Park, and then simply follow the well signposted walking route to the lighthouse.
Along the way you will discover lots of wildflowers in addition to the stunning views.
There are lots of information boards giving you details of the plants on the route.
You will pass the entrance to the abandoned ochre mines in use from Roman times, through the Middle Ages up until the early part of the 20th century.
Further along the walk you will discover the entrance to a large cave, ‘la Boca de la Ballena’ which means whale’s mouth, this cave was once used as a shelter.
Further long you will find a footpath leading off to the right which leads to a viewing point and information listed as to the fauna and flora that exists here.
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