Top Things to do in Costa Blanca
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What to do and see in Costa Blanca, Valencian Country: The Best Museums
Costa Blanca is the name given to Alicante's coastline in Spain, which stretches over 200 kilometers. It is an incredibly popular holiday destination for tourists, because of the marvelous weather and beaches. Costa Blanca is family friendly, thanks to the huge range of activities available there from beaches and golf to museums and parks. There are the beaches, such as Los Náufragos in Torrevieja with its volleyball nets, golden sands and Blue Flag status, or smaller beaches like Serragrosa with its crystal waters, ideal for swimmers. But there are also golf courses (particularly the Villaitana club de golf near Benidorm) and watersports facilities and cultural sites like museums and galleries, such as the La Asegurada Municipal Museum in Alicante which has extensive collections of Spanish art. You will need a couple of weeks on the Costa Blanca just to scratch the surface of its entertainment potential.
Restaurants in Costa Blanca
1. Museo Escolar de Pusol
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 69 reviews
Fifty years preserving traditional culture and giving rise to a unique school project. You have much to discover School Museum of Pusol.
2. Museo Casa Estudio Enrique Lledo
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Located in Busot, near Alicante´s famous beaches, and only a few kilometers from Cuevas de Canelobre, this museum is in a traditional house preserved as in the 19th century. Enrique Lledo, well known artist in the region, used it as his studio until his death in 2013. His paintings and studio are integrated in the building. It is FREE to enter the first Sunday of every month or by reservation.
3. GUDZGALLERY Art gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
4. MARQ Museo Arqueologico de Alicante
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,003 reviews
MARQ is an archaeology museum which is dedicated to displaying its collection in a traditional way; as a collection of classified and catalogued finds. MARQ is a project faced with the challenge of being the first archaeological museum of the 21st century.
Reviewed By Photofanatic7 - Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Known as the MARQ this very modern museum displays many archeological artefacts in different, themed areas. From prehistory to contemporary there are many audio-visual and interactive displays with plenty of space to move round so that everyone can see everything. The lighting is (deliberately) dim which lends something to the atmosphere. Hang on to your little ones if you take them because I think they could easily get lost in this museum. There is an entry fee but it was only €1.50 each. Be aware that, like most museums in Spain, it's closed on Mondays.
5. Museo Paleontologico de Elche
6. Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Alicante (MACA)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 510 reviews
Set in the ancient heart of the city, opposite the monumental Basilica of Santa María, this imposing new building takes up an entire city block and encompasses the oldest civil construction in the city: the venerable Casa de La Asegurada, an outstanding example of Valencian baroque architecture built as a public wheat granary in 1685. Known as the MACA, the Alicante Museum of Contemporary Art is owned by the City Council and is one of Alicante's leading cultural venues. The construction and refurbishment project was designed by the architectural firm Sancho-Madridejos and funded by the Valencian Regional Government. It boasts a total floor space of 4680 m2 spread across four storeys and two basement levels, and features one temporary exhibition hall, four exhibition halls for the permanent collections, a library, teaching venues, an events hall, storerooms, workshops, plus quarters for security, administration and the like. The Museum's diaphanous spaces showcase its rich and varied collections of contemporary art according to highly rigorous museum programming in which conservation and education are given top priority.
Reviewed By AriHelsinki - Helsinki, Finland
This is a must in Alicante. Located partly in Alicante's oldest building. Free entrance. The highlight of the museum is the great collection of Eusebio Sempere's works. Magnificent artworks.
7. Museo Vehiculos Historicos Valle De Guadalest
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 206 reviews
Reviewed By 734colinh - Aylsham, United Kingdom
A must for motorcycle enthusiasts and others, A great well maintained collection of motorcycles. only 3 euros entrance. There is a cafe / restaurant for refreshments whether that is just a coffee or food cooked over the wood barbecue. Also an interesting market style shop selling local produce and wined and interesting gifts
8. Museo The Ocean Race
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 640 reviews
The Ocean Race Museum is a modern installation where visitors can enjoy a close-up view of the world's longest and toughest professional sporting event and learn about the heroes who battle the oceans in this race around the world. Take a trip through the history of the regatta and the marine world in this state-of-the-art interactive space. The only museum in the world dedicated to a race considered the Everest of Sailing.
Reviewed By Bev082 - London, United Kingdom
And yet another awesome free museum to visit in Alicante ….. The Ocean Race Museum, a modern exhibition space that opened in 2012 with the aim of sharing the rich heritage of the history of the Ocean Race (one wants to say Great!!). The exhibits within educate the visitor all about ocean currents, the wildlife the crews get to see on route, the equipment on board and the construction of these magnificent boats. You get to learn all about the technological innovation and human effort that the challenging race demands. You can enjoy first hand through the high-tech 3D simulators and interactive touch-screen panels what life is like on board, plus about marine life and ecosystems and of course of the competitors of the maritime race. Its technology lets visitors learn both about the race and the environment in which it takes place. Its an opportunity to get a close-up view of the world's longest and toughest professional sporting event and learn about the heroes who battle the oceans in this race around the world. It also presents the history of the regatta, it is the only museum in the world dedicated to the most demanding nautical challenge of our times, a race considered the Everest of Sailing. The museum aims to attract landlubbers and sailing enthusiasts alike, with its presentations about life at sea, sailing and sports. Rather than being a simple repository for artifacts (although there are a number of small items on display), the museum is an interactive institution. Housed in the museum are state-of-the art interactive installations allowing visitors to experience the wonders of the thrilling ocean race and get a glimpse of the challenges that the competitors have to face. The Ocean race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, the British brewing company Whitbread. However in 2001 it’s name changed to become the Volvo Ocean Race after the Swedish automobile manufacturer Volvo took over the sponsorship, in 2019 the name changed again, it is now known as The Ocean Race. Since 2008, Alicante has been the start Port of the race, races being held in 2011, 2014, 2017 and the next race in 2022. Although the route changes each race to accommodate various ports of call, the race typically departs from Europe in October, and in recent editions has had either 9 or 10 legs, with in-port races at many of the stopover cities. The most recent race, the 2017-2018 race started in Alicante and concluded in The Hague in the Netherlands, with stopovers in Lisbon-Portugal, Cape Town - South Africa, Melbourne -Australia, Guangzhou -China, Hong Kong, Auckland -NZ, Itajai -Brazil, Newport and Cardiff in Wales and Gothenburg -Sweden. The race takes nine months to complete with sailors battling to be the fastest around the world, facing high seas, fierce winds and the most challenging conditions. Each of the entries has a sailing crew who race day and night for more than 20 days at a time on some of the legs. To minimize the boat's weight, crews rely on freeze-dried fare for sustenance, throughout the race they are exposed and subjected to temperature variations from −5 to +40C (-23 to 104F) and will often only take one change of clothes! Since the 2008–2009 race there has also been a dedicated media crew member called the On Board Reporter (OBR), who does not contribute to the sailing of the boat, but is responsible for sending images and videos to race headquarters via satellite from the middle of the ocean. In the 2017–2018 race the number of crew ranged between 7 to10 (plus the OBR) depending on the gender ratio, with the rules providing an incentive to having women sailors on board. The Hall of Fame is pretty impressive with video screens in the museum showing footage and interviews with the heroes of ocean sailing such as Sir Peter Blake NZ, Torben Grael Brazil and Tracy Edwards UK. The museum is build on the site of the former naval station, it has two floors, the main exhibition hall, including a simulator where visitors can experience some of the sensations of ocean racing, plus a library, fill the ground floor. Upstairs is a large multipurpose space for educational workshops, temporary exhibitions and maritime conferences, along with a cafeteria with a large terrace overlooking the harbor (currently closed due to Covid restrictions). As mentioned entrance to the museum is free, taking Covid precautions once inside its mandatory to wear a mask (which it is in general everywhere here), at the entry your hands are sprayed with a sanitizer spray then you are issued a pair of rubber gloves to wear so that you can touch the buttons, panels etc and enjoy the interactive exhibits which are quite serious and not just for kids! I had so much fun playing with the various exhits learning how the boats work and perform even to getting to steer one, however i’m not quite ready yet to compete in the next 2022 race!! Located outside in front of the museum is a hull of a competition boat, the Brasil 1, that participated in the 2005-06 ocean race coming in third. The first Brazilian boat to take part in the Volvo Ocean Race. Brasil 1 is made up of parts and materials from ten different countries, NZ, Australia, US, Italy, Finland, Sweden, France, UK and Denmark, in addition to Brazil of course, where the boat was built. Prior to Covid it was possible to board the boat to see and experience the cramped living conditions of the crew …. but for now folks you’ll just have to enjoy its colourful exterior!
9. MAHE - Museu Arqueologic i d'Historia d'Elx
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 193 reviews
Reviewed By R4935FDdavidb - El Barco de Avila, Spain
Another impressive museum in Alicante province presenting the history of the region. This museum preserves a large collection of remains found in the excavation of the many sites in the region, including the Venus found in a water tank on the Alcudia site. Presentation is clear and well documented, but most impressive is the way the museum uses historic spaces. You enter through a modern building and then go through an underground passage under the square to see the Arab walls and towers and then into the castle where the final rooms are to be found. There is also a cafe and a public car park beneath the building.
10. Micro-Gigantic Museum
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