Active & healthy
Jávea is built for life outdoors. Hiking on the Montgó, kayaking past caves, cycling up climbs from the Vuelta and yoga with a sea view. These are the activities visitors and locals rate most highly.
The 753-metre mountain that towers over the town, sometimes called the sleeping elephant. The climb to the summit is a serious one and the final stretch goes over bare rock, but on clear days the view reaches all the way to Ibiza. There are gentler routes too, such as the one to the Cova de l'Aigua.
In summer, only set out early and check beforehand that the park is open. It closes temporarily during extreme heat and high fire risk.
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A sea cave at the foot of Cap de Sant Antoni, half natural and half carved out by hand. The stone quarried here once built Jávea's church. The path in is rough and ends with a scramble over rocks, but your reward is a swim in a natural pool inside the cave.
From mid June to mid October a free reservation is compulsory via the Valencia region's parks website, with a maximum of five people per booking, checks at the start of the path and hefty fines if you turn up without one. Bring sturdy shoes and plenty of water.
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Fifteen signposted viewpoints along the entire coast, from Cap de Sant Antoni to the Granadella castle. Cap de la Nau is the best-known stop, but the short walk to Cap Prim, passing the Sardinera bay along the way, may well be the finest of the lot.
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From Granadella or Portitxol you paddle with a guide to caves and coves you cannot reach by land, with snorkelling stops along the way. The town's best-rated operator has more than a thousand glowing reviews, and the trips are also a clever way to dodge the summer crush at the car parks.
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The rocky shores around Cap de Sant Antoni and Cap de la Nau rank among the finest dive sites on the Costa Blanca. There is a dive centre in the port with the highest PADI status, and several schools with strong reviews, including for complete beginners.
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There is a reason professional teams train here all winter. From Jávea it is a twenty-minute ride to the Cumbre del Sol, a Vuelta climb with sections of nearly twenty per cent, or you can do the forty-odd-kilometre loop around the headlands. Bikes can be hired from one of the local rental shops.
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From vinyasa on a rock above the sea to morning classes on the sand of the Arenal: there is plenty on offer, and classes run in several languages. The town's established studios and teachers earn strikingly high ratings from their students.
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Eleven round stone windmills dating from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, on a plateau overlooking the whole bay. The flat walk up leads through pine forest, costs nothing and is manageable for everyone. Combine it with the viewpoint at Cap de Sant Antoni.
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