Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
Costa Blanca holiday rentals and villas: which town to choose and how to book legally
Where the Costa Blanca is, how its northern towns compare on beaches and coast, and the checks that tell you a holiday rental is registered.
Last verified: 23 September 2026
Photo: Dan4708, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where the Costa Blanca is and how it relates to Valencia
The Costa Blanca is the coast of the province of Alicante, not of Valencia. It begins where Valencia province ends, in the Marina Alta around Dénia, and runs south to Pilar de la Horadada.
The Diputación de Alicante counts 20 coastal municipalities with 224 km of coast between them in its 2024 table. The name is also the tourism brand of the whole province, inland towns included, so you will see it used more widely than the shoreline.
Costa Blanca towns within reach of Valencia, compared
The northern towns are the ones closest to Valencia. The figures below come from the Diputación's 2024 table, and the last column shows only what each town's own tourist office publishes.
Dénia's tourist office gives about an hour and a quarter by car from Valencia on the AP-7. Xà bia's council gives 97 km from Valencia on one page and about 100 km on another, without calling either a road distance. We do not add travel times that no official source states.
| Town | Beaches | Km of coast | Blue Flags (2024) | From Valencia, per the town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dénia | 13 | 19 | 6 | About 1 h 15 by car |
| Xà bia / Jávea | 11 | 25 | 2 | 97 km (council page, not a road distance) |
| Teulada (Moraira) | 5 | 8 | 2 | Not published |
| Benissa | 5 | 4 | 2 | Not published |
| Calp | 14 | 11 | 3 | Not published |
| Altea | 10 | 7 | 3 | Not published |
| L'Alfàs del Pi (Albir) | 4 | 4 | 0 | Not published |
How to check that a Costa Blanca holiday rental is legal
The Costa Blanca is in the Valencian Community, so the regional tourism law applies. A tourist home is a whole property let for 10 days or fewer, and it must be entered in the regional Registro de Turismo.
Ask for the registration number before you pay anything, then check it in the Generalitat's open register of tourist homes. Our holiday rentals guide explains the checklist and what the 2026 Supreme Court ruling on the national registry changed.
Photo: Donarreiskoffer, CC BY-SA 4.0
Town rules that limit Costa Blanca holiday rentals
Councils can restrict new tourist homes through planning rules, so the position differs from town to town and changes often. We only state a rule once it is confirmed on the council's own site or in the provincial bulletin.
Xà bia is covered in its own guide: in September 2025 its planning committee proposed extending a suspension on new tourist homes in apartment buildings. Dénia, Calp and Altea, plus Benidorm further south, now have their own guides with the rules we could confirm for each. Teulada (Moraira), Benissa and L'Alfàs del Pi have not been checked yet.
Getting to the Costa Blanca from Valencia without a car
Dénia's tourist office describes the rail and bus route: a CercanÃas train from Valencia to Gandia, then an ALSA bus to Dénia.
XÃ bia's council lists ALSA bus services linking the town with Valencia and Alicante. Timetables change by season, so check them with the operator before you travel.
Costa Blanca town guides
Villa rentals in Jávea (Xà bia)
Areas, coves, summer access limits and the town's rules on tourist rentals.
Calpe (Calp)
Two sandy town beaches either side of the Penyal d'Ifac, with a TRAM stop on the coast line.
Altea
The hilltop old town, pebble beaches and a TRAM line along the coast.
Dénia
Port town with the sandy Les Marines to the north and the rocky coves of Les Rotes to the south.
Benidorm
Two long urban beaches, the old town between them and the TRAM to Alicante.
Official sources
- Diputación de Alicante: coastal municipalities, beaches, km of coast and Blue Flags, 2024 (Spanish)
- Dénia tourist office: how to get there
- XÃ bia Town Council tourism site: geographical location
- Ley 15/2018 de turismo de la Comunitat Valenciana, consolidated text (BOE, Spanish)
- Generalitat Valenciana open data: tourist homes register (Spanish/Valencian)
Costa Blanca holiday rentals: common questions
Is the Costa Blanca in Valencia province?
How long is the Costa Blanca coastline?
Which Costa Blanca town is closest to Valencia?
Do Costa Blanca holiday rentals need a registration number?
Resident in Valencia since 2016. Founder of BeTranslated. 25+ years in translation, interpretation and multilingual SEO.
Reviewed 23 September 2026 by Michael Bastin