Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
Villa rentals in Altea: where to stay and how to book a legal holiday rental
The old town and the seafront compared, Altea's pebble beaches, the town's rules on tourist rentals and how to reach it from Valencia.
Last verified: 24 September 2026
Photo: Bic, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where Altea is on the Costa Blanca
Altea sits on the coast of the Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, on the TRAM line that runs between Benidorm and Dénia. The Diputación de Alicante gives the municipality 7 km of coast.
The town's tourism office puts Altea 130 km from Valencia and 60 km from Alicante by the AP-7. INE counted 24,592 residents on 1 January 2025.
Altea areas for a holiday rental, compared
The old town climbs the hill around the Plaza de la Iglesia, where the parish church of the Virgen del Consuelo has its blue and white tiled dome. The tourism office describes its streets as uneven, so it suits people who do not mind slopes and steps.
Below it, the seafront along La Roda beach is flat and close to the centre, with the TRAM station a few minutes' walk from the old town. North of the centre, the coast towards Cap Negret, La Solsida and the Mascarat is quieter and needs a car or the TRAM for most errands.
Altea beaches: pebbles rather than sand
The Diputación de Alicante lists 10 beaches in Altea, three of them with a Blue Flag in 2024. The tourism office names L'Olla, La Solsida, Cap Negret, the Mascarat, El Bol and La Roda among them.
Altea's beaches are pebble rather than sand, the tourism office notes. Pack water shoes if you find stones uncomfortable underfoot.
The best months for a holiday rental in Altea
AEMET has no climate station in Altea. Its nearest reference station, in the city of Alicante about 60 km south, averages 11.7 ºC in January against 25.5 ºC in July and 26.0 ºC in August, over 1981 to 2010.
By those figures June, at 22.9 ºC, and September, at 23.5 ºC, are almost as warm as high summer. They are the months to look at if you want sea weather with fewer people on the beaches.
Photo: Joanbanjo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting to Altea from Valencia and from the airports
By car, the tourism office sends you down the AP-7 towards Alicante to exit 64. It also lists regular ALSA buses to Valencia, Alicante, Benidorm and Madrid, with the bus stop near the TRAM station.
By rail, Altea is on line 9 of the TRAM d'Alacant, between Benidorm and Dénia. The closest airport is Alicante-Elche at 65 km, and Valencia's Manises is 140 km away, per the same page. The Costa Blanca guide compares Altea with its neighbours.
Altea's rules on tourist rentals
On 4 January 2024 the full council of Altea suspended, for one year, the granting of new planning compatibility reports for tourist homes across the whole municipality. The decision was published in the regional gazette, the DOGV, on 11 January 2024.
That one-year term has run out, and we could not confirm on the council's site which rule applies today. Ask the Ajuntament's planning department about a specific building before you rely on it.
How to check that an Altea holiday rental is registered
Altea is in the Valencian Community, so every tourist home must be entered in the regional Registro de Turismo. Ask for the number before you pay a deposit.
Then look it up in the Generalitat's open register of tourist homes, which lists each home's number and municipality. The full checklist is in our holiday rentals guide.
Official sources
- Altea tourism office: how to get there (Spanish)
- Altea tourism office: beaches of Altea
- Altea tourism office: old town
- DOGV, 11 January 2024: Altea suspends new planning compatibility reports for tourist homes for one year (Spanish/Valencian)
- INE: population by municipality, Alicante province, 1 January 2025
- Diputación de Alicante: coastal municipalities, beaches, km of coast and Blue Flags, 2024 (Spanish)
- AEMET: climate normals, Alicante station, 1981-2010 (Spanish)
- Generalitat Valenciana open data: tourist homes register (Spanish/Valencian)
- Ley 15/2018 de turismo de la Comunitat Valenciana, consolidated text (BOE, Spanish)
Holiday rentals in Altea: common questions
How far is Altea from Valencia?
Are Altea's beaches sandy?
Can you reach Altea without a car?
Can new tourist lets open in Altea?
Resident in Valencia since 2016. Founder of BeTranslated. 25+ years in translation, interpretation and multilingual SEO.
Reviewed 24 September 2026 by Michael Bastin