Tabarca Island

The Island de Tabarca is 2 km long and lies about 11 sea miles off the coast, south of Alicante. One of the reasons why it is considered to be an ideal place for spending your holiday, is the perfectly clear water you can find in the various bays. In addition to the high-quality water, the island also offers a number of exquisite restaurants. Since there are no cars on the island, it still a relatively untouched island where you to relax.

A long time ago, pirates made use of the island as a refuge. In order to drive them away and finally banish them, Carlos III fortified the island in 1760. He established a village, which initially consisted of 600 fishermen Carlos had bought free from Genoa. This is the reason why Italian names like Parodi, Ruso or Chacopni are still common on the island today. The whole area is enclosed by the city wall, which was proclaimed a national monument in 1964.

The historical relics are also worth a visit such as the entrance gates, the Torre de San José, a building which was constructed in a pyramid shape and which was in former times used as a prison, and the church of San Pedro and San Pablo (1779).

The former house of the governor is also a remarkable building, partly, because it was converted to the first and only existing hotel on the island. The total number of inhabitants does not exceed 40.