El Campello is a coastal town on the Costa Blanca, 10 km north of Alicante. Quiet life, seafood cuisine, 23 km of coastline and an established international community. Here is the essential guide to know it, written by someone living in the area for years.
El Campello combines the best of two worlds: you are 25-30 minutes by TRAM from the old town of Alicante with its Michelin stars and nightlife, but you live in a town of 30,000 where you still see fishing boats coming into the port every afternoon. Calmer in winter than Benidorm, less touristy than Calpe, and with infrastructure that perfectly handles all year round.
The local specialty is arroz a banda and caldero, heritage from fishermen. Some classics: Brel (centre, signature Mediterranean), L'Amerador (port, pure seafood), La Posada del Mar (fresh daily catch), Andra Mari (quality Basque). The central market opens Tuesday to Saturday mornings: there you buy Mediterranean fish freshly auctioned at the port fish auction every afternoon from 5pm.
The two main beaches are fine sand with blue flag. But El Campello has 23 km of coastline and there are quieter rocky coves: Cala del Lanuza, Cala Almadrava, Cala dels Caps. If you enjoy snorkelling, the best area is the tip of Illeta dels Banyets (Iberian-Roman archaeological site visitable on the surface).
TRAM Line 1 crosses the municipality with 5 stops: Venta Lanuza, El Campello, Salesians, Amerador, Poble Espanyol. Takes you to central Alicante in 25 minutes, and north up to Benidorm in 1h 20. Free municipal city bus connects the neighbourhoods with the centre. Bicycle: continuous bike lane from Alicante to El Campello along the coast (15 km, 1 hour easy ride).
Moors and Christians in October (declared regional tourist interest). Sant Vicent pilgrimage in April. Festes del Carme in July (port patron). Artisan market on the promenade every Thursday. The Banyets festival in August recreates the Moorish landing on the Illeta.