Guadalest

The town of Guadalest lies on both sides of a tremendous rock that looks like a knife sitting on top of the ground. The valley to the northern part of “the knife” is covered in spectacular vegetation. The “knife” serves as protection for the southern side, which is rugged, rocky, and even tropical in some places, where palm trees and cactuses grow.

Walking down the streets we enjoy a unique experience. The views are diverse depending on the direction you head: on one side there’s the lush forest, on the other there’s the sea, suddenly there’s a bell tower on top of the highest rock, the views of the valley, etc. Sometimes it looks like a medieval sight. Nature has been generous with man and has spread its infinite beauty all over the place.

Although its difficult to leave the pretty town of Altea even for a little, one cloudy day I decided to go to Gaudalest, a town with a complex fortresses and fortified buildings is quite striking because of its specatular location in the valley, surrounded by the imposing Sierra mountains.

The Sierra imposes over you the second you leave you car and quickly becomes the protagonist of the landscape. It's highest peaks hang in the background at all times. Citris and almond trees grown on its terraced sides. The road to cross Algar river borders the Gaudalest river vally and takes you to Callosa d'en Sarria. Then you continue along the coast, surrounded by pine forests and palm trees, until arriving at the Castell de Gaudalest mideival fort.

Guadalest is an example of the beautiful landscapes to be found in Alicante. It’s a wonderful mixture of green palms, tree-lined hills, the precious blue sea, and the strong Alicante sun.

It’s lovely to walk around the area and visit the castle and historic homes. The cobblestone streets and white houses invite you to step in out of the heat, and are welcoming throughout most of the year.
The two micro-sculpture museums are also impressive and you’ll see things there that you didn’t even know were possible!

Guadalest is town on the interior of the Marina Baixa in Alicante. It's 15 minutes from Benidorm and Altea.

It's mainly known for its castle that dominates the entire valley, the Gaudalest castle. In the old quarters of town, there's quite an array of handicraft shops.

In Guadalest you'll find the following museums: The Instruments of TortureMuseum, the Casa Orduna Municipal Museum (17th century building of a noble family), Microminiatures Museum, Guadalest Ethnology Museum, microgiant museum (of miniatures and gigantic sculpture) and the Museum of nativities and Dolls.