Torrevieja is one of Spain’s most beloved cities for holidays and buying property. Thousands of Northern-Europeans and Spanish have built their homes here. It is not hard to see why. There are city life, sea, beach, nature and a fabulous lively night scene. Torrevieja provides you with a Mediterranean lifestyle, excellent amenities, and all the best in Spain when it comes to peaceful living. The tempo is calm, living is cheap, and the people are happy. There is a familiarity among the people of Torrevieja, even though the city counts approximately 83.000 residents.
Its history goes back to the early 1800s when the salt and sea provided just the perfect climate for fishing and salt-mining. An old tower and a few houses grew out into Europe's largest salt producer, and a cosmopolitan city full of tourism, gastronomy, and business. These days its most famous for its blue flag beaches, booming property market, healthy climate, and countless things to do in and around the city. From restaurants with sea view, people catching up on the promenade, to the harbour and salt lakes, Torrevieja is a must-see for people that want to experience Spain, but mostly just want to enjoy their calm days in this Mediterranean paradise.
Where is Torrevieja Located?
It is situated on the Costa Blanca, 44 kilometres from the Alicante/Elche airport. Benidorm is one hour North and the famous Mar Menor only 30 minutes South. Thanks to the good infrastructure and public transport system it is effortless to manoeuvre around in Torrevieja. Important amenities as the hospital are minutes away. Moreover, the connection to towns nearby is fantastic. For example, neighbour Orihuela Costa provides the largest shopping centre on the Costa Blanca and also 4 award-winning prestigious golf courses at only 20 minutes driving. Its accessible location makes Torrevieja popular among tourists, families with children, and pensioners.
What to do in Torrevieja?
Beaches
The first thing to do for many visitors is to go to the beach. Torrevieja counts 5:
- Playa la Mata
- Playa Cabo Cervera
- Playa de Los Locos
- Playa del Cura
- Playa de los Naufragos
These beaches are praised for their safety and cleanliness. During the summer months, there is always lifeguard services present. Furthermore, sun chairs and other equipment are offered for a low fee. The beaches are connected by the palm-tree-lined promenade, which makes for an excellent walk and social gathering spot. During the evenings you’ll see the Spanish families gather here to walk or go to one of the many restaurants on the promenade.
Pier, Harbor & Boat clubs
Following to promenade down South, you’ll find the pier, harbour, and boat club. The pier, also called ‘the cholesterol route’, is a popular daily walk for many citizens. It’s a scenic stroll in over 1600 meters past the boats and clubs. It’s a real recommendation to walk to the lighthouse at the end during sunset. To add some good feelings, this is also the home to many street cats. They live in healthy colonies and are being fed, sterilized, and taken care of by volunteers. It’s a real heart-warmer to see how Torrevieja deals with their animals. During your walk, you’re likely to see them play together and snooze in the sun.
The marina Salinas is another one of Torrevieja’s points of pride. The water is of great quality, full of fish. The harbour provides exceptional services, such as French restaurant Les Planches, boat club Nautico, waters ports, rental boats, and even a fuel supply station. Next to the harbour is also a paddle tennis court.
Salt lakes of Torrevieja
The Salinas de Torrevieja are what made this city grow. They are Europe’s largest salt provider and have created a great economy for the city. For over 200 years, thousands of tons of salt has been won from here. This is all sustainable since the sea constantly replenishes the salty water. The 2000 flamingo’s living here are well protected, and make a pretty landscape while bathing with their young.
Not only have the lakes brought in jobs, but they also create a unique microclimate for Torrevieja and the surrounding areas. Combined with the mountain range, and the absence of heavy traffic, The WHO has gone out to say this is one of the healthiest climates in the world. Therefore, it is understandable many people with skin-, lung-, and autoimmune diseases take refuge here. The high concentration of salt and iodine in the air benefits sufferers from asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, etcetera. Mud baths, or even just living in the proximity of these lakes has been proven to improve general wellbeing.
Besides their health benefits, the lakes are also just unbelievably stunning. The rare algae living in the water give it a pink hue. Especially during sunset, this is a sight you should not miss. Tours are running all year when you can learn everything about these lakes and see them from up close.
Gastronomy
Torrevieja has a diverse cuisine. In the many restaurants all over the city, you’ll find everything from authentic Spanish tapas, to dishes from home. Some of our recommendations are:
1. El Meson de la Costa for authentic Spanish cuisine. They serve lovely seafood and tapas.
2. J. Mullin’s Irish Pub for great quality lunch and drinks. Their hamburgers are one of the best in town.
3. Senap och Ketchup for the best traditional Swedish food. Their daily menu is cheap and the quality is fantastic.
4. Oh My Sushi for the freshest, best prices and tastiest sushi in the city. The staff is very friendly, and they make everything from scratch. The portions are big and for the amount that you pay, this is a great deal.
5. Svensken på hörnet for more well-priced Scandinavian food in a cosy environment.
6. Henrik Ibsen, for possibly one of the best restaurant experiences in Torrevieja. They serve beautiful Norwegian food that is prepared by the head-chef himself in an open kitchen, so everything is open to see. The chef and staff are incredibly friendly and service-minded, while the atmosphere reminds you of a warm, cosy dining room on a winter night.
7. La Fusión Restaurant & Music Club for great Mediterranean / sushi fusion style food with sea views.
8. El Parking area, a recently developed area in the outskirts of town, designated to nightclubs and restaurants. Next to it is water park Aquopolis, and the Friday market.
Also, try the daily menus for lunch. The Spanish tend to eat later, so many restaurants have special offers to get their lunch tables filled up to 16:00/17:00. In many places you can find this menu del dia: 1 starter, 1 main course, 1 drink, and in some places dessert or coffee, for €9 — €15. It won’t get cheaper than that.
How is Torrevieja's Nightlife
Nightlife in Torrevieja happens in two main places: the harbour area and further inland at Parking area. In the harbour, you’ll find ‘Marina Niki’, ‘Bacanal Puerto’, ‘Bianco sea club’, and ‘Discotheque OMERTA’. For more parties, go to the earlier mentioned El Parking area. Here are the nightclubs/restaurants: ‘Velice’, ‘Disco Torrevieja’, ‘Genius’, ‘Parking’, and ‘ULTRA’. These clubs are beloved by the locals and parties are frequent.
Sightseeing
The city centre offers some beautiful places to visit. Visit for example:
1. Iglesia de La Inmaculada Concepción: the Catholic Church on the Constitution Square park. This neoclassical style church is open to the public. This is also close to the Hansson & Hertzell office.
2. The Vista Alegre Boulevard is a popular gathering place for young and old. It’s a pedestrian promenade with sunscreens and benches.
3. The countless monuments and statues, such as the Torrevieja musicians at the beginning of the Vista Alegre Boulevard, and the Habaneras' monument at the end.
4. The salt museum, free entrance, for culture and history. One of the most important attractions of this museum is the Delfin S-61 submarine, given by the Spanish Ministry of Defence to the town of Torrevieja.
5. Parque de las Naciones is a beautiful family park with a lake, lots of green, and where chickens, geese, and ducks wander around freely.
6. Teatro Municipal de Torrevieja, where you can enjoy theatre and expositions.
7. Habaneras shopping centre is a leisure area where you can find anything, from clothing to furniture.
8. Torrevieja markets. The craft market is next to the pier and consists of about 100 open stalls every night. Then there is the main market every Friday morning from 8 am to 1 pm on La Avenida de Delfina Viudes (behind Torrevieja Aqua park). This is the big market with about 700 stalls, where you can easily find bargains for clothing, fruit, vegetables, leather, shoes, handbags, bedding, curtains etc.
How is the property market in Torrevieja?
Since the 1980s Torrevieja has become a popular place of second residence. The properties are cheap compared to similar cities. These low prices and high rental possibilities due to tourism make it attractive to investors. This resulted in a booming market and new construction in the area.
Torrevieja consists of multiple areas: Torre La Mata, Playa Del Cura, Playa de Los Locos, Punta Prima, Acequión, Centro, Los Frutales, Torretas, Aguas Nuevas, Los Balcones, and La Siesta. All these areas have their own charming aspects. We will explain them with more detail in their descriptions.
There are plenty of resale properties here. These are usually cheaper, close to the sea, and good to rent out. They vary from 1-bedroom flats to family town houses, to villas.
If you are looking to spend a bit more, Torrevieja also offers a rich supply of new build properties. These properties are more luxe, sleek and modern. Hansson & Hertzell have since 2009 helped clients from all over Europe make great investments into the Spanish property market and can help you with the whole process of buying a new home in Spain.
What makes it easy to own a property in Torrevieja as a foreigner, is that people speak English. Thanks to the melting pot it’s easy to move around here without mastering fluent Spanish. Also, you will find communities of Scandinavian, British, French, Russian, Belgian, and many more nationalities. These communities set up their parties and get-togethers, like the St. Patrick's Day celebration that colours whole streets green. You will feel at home here.
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