Torrevieja

A short drive from Guardamar is Torrevieja, locally known as the City of Salt it is primarily a tourist resort, but it's also a vibrant working town. The salt it extracts from the La Manta and Torrevieja salt flats now listed as a nature park dominates its history.

The Torrevieja salt flats have a perimeter of 15 miles and are connected to the La manta lagoon. From the lagoon, the Acequin canal runs to the sea. Salt has been mined here since the middle ages, although the area saw its greatest glory during the 19th century. Salt from the lake is exported worldwide and production now exceeds a million tonnes a year.

Today in Torrevieja are residential estates which have been sympathetically on the surround hills, but the salt flats have been preserved as parkland and is the home nesting area for thousands of flamingos. Visitors to the park include those who come to take mud baths reputed to have therapeutic value for skin conditions and aching joints.

Torrevieja means 'old tower' in Spanish and the basic attractions are sun, sand and salt. The redevelopment of the esplanade and the Port of Torrevieja area has proven to be an enjoyable tourist attraction and the town has a large number of independent shops providing some interesting browsing and subsequent purchases. The town has a number of excellent beaches, Los Locos, El Cura and Los Naufragos; all have been awarded the coveted European Blue Flag standard for cleanliness and water quality.

Torrevieja’s distinctive low-level houses and wide streets are a feature of its rebuilding following an earthquake although older buildings do remain including the remains of a Roman fort. With its beaches, sports facilities, restaurants, summer nightlife, port, promenade and all year around funfair it is a popular holiday destination, particularly with the Spanish themselves. Spanish music fans flock here in August for the Habanera festival - a celebration of the lilting music brought to the town by Cuban salt exporters in the 19th century.