Tiny Tabarca Island is one of the Costa Blanca's best-kept secrets and a daytrip here is an unmissable experience. It's just a 20-minute boat ride from the mainland but once you get there, you'll feel like you've travelled back in time – there are no cars for a start. But this trip is more about what Tabarca does have.
There's the walled town covering the western half of the island. It's home to about 60 residents – a century ago, there were more than 1,000 – and has just a handful of streets. Then there's the recently restored baroque church over by the sea – there can't be many prettier churches in Spain. And then there are the gorgeous little coves and beaches with crystalline waters lapping against them.
And then there's the rest of the island – an expanse of bushes and cactus punctured only by an old prison and lighthouse, with tracks leading to cemetery in the eastern tip. To walk from tip to tip takes about half an hour – so it's very doable as well as enjoyable.
Return boat trip
