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TORREVIEJA

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Torrevieja is located in the Spanish region of Alicante on the Costa Blanca. Beautiful sandy beaches, Europe's biggest salt flats bursting with bird life, historic sites and a huge variety of Spanish and international restaurants.just a very few of the reasons to book a holiday here.

The resort is just 35 kilometres south of Alicante 's international airport, El Altet. Flights from London take about two and a half hours. The easy access to Torrevieja for foreign visitors and its wide range of facilities and attractions make this a popular year-round holiday destination.

The town is located at the southern end of the Valencian community and is famous for the two huge saltwater lagoons which surround it. These "Salterns of Torrevieja" are the second biggest in the world and certainly the largest in Europe . The lagoons have been designated as national parks and are an impressive sight, attracting more than 250 bird species including flamingoes. The flats have been used for salt production since Roman times and still provide salt for export worldwide.
In Roman times this area was well known for its outstanding port. The remains of the "embarcadero romano" (Roman Docks) can still be seen near the ancient watch tower of La Mata .

You won't be short of things to do and places to visit in Torrevieja whether you're a sports lover, food fan, history buff or simply a sun worshipper.

This ancient sea port is steeped in history and you can still see many reminders of its colourful past. There are the "embarcadero romano", the old Roman docks at La Mata and along the coast you'll see the ancient watch towers of La Mata and El Moro - used in the Middle Ages to warn the local inhabitants of impending attacks by Barbary pirates.

Fiestas are held here most months of the year when tourists mingle with the locals to party in the streets in true Spanish-style.

Try to plan your visit around one of the many local fiestas which take place throughout the year so you can party Spanish-style. There's the feast of the Three Wise Men on the night of January 5th, it's carnival time in February, the Holy Week processions in April and the May Fair the following month.

But it's in the summer months that the biggest celebrations take place and the town never sleeps. June sees the burning of huge papier mache effigies in the street for the feast of San Juan . In July there's the feast of the Virgen del Carmen and the election of Torrevieja's "Queen of Salt".

One of the biggest festivals of the year is the "Habaneras" international music contest which takes place in August. Torrevieja swings for a week to the soulful rhythms of the melodies brought back from Latin America in the late nineteenth century when the town's salt trade with Cuba was at its peak. The festival attracts a live and television audience of hundreds of thousands of people. It's a great time to holiday here.but book your accommodation well in advance!

Torrevieja is a tourist town whose life revolves around the sea and the production of salt. Its two huge salt mines, La Mata y Torrevieja , are surrounded by modern housing estates.

Connected with each other, the salt mines were declared a Nature Reserve; they reach the sea through La Mata. Salt mining in this region goes back to the beginning of Christianity, though it reached its peak during the 19th century. Nowadays, Torrevieja 's salt is exported to the whole world, and the annual production exceeds a million tons. A good number of the visitors that come to the Nature Reserve, do so to take mud baths at the designated mud-bathing areas, recommended for their healing properties.

In Torrevieja , seafaring tradition is kept alive by the significant activity of the fishing and trading port, the numerous piers at the Royal Sailing Club, and the International Marina. Towards the end of the promenade we find the wharfs from which ships, loaded with salt, would leave for Cuba . These vessels would bring, on their way back, the popular songs known as "habaneras", which still entertain the popular Coral Competition celebrated every year during the summer .

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