Many visitors to the Alicante province of the Costa Blanca will see little more than the beaches, bars and restaurants of the complex in which they are staying. The Costa Blanca tourism industry thrives in an idyllic climate, and cities like Benidorm are incredibly popular with tourists from all over Europe seeking sun, sea, sand, and a reasonably priced summer vacation. Along the coast of the Costa Blanca, this is exactly what you will get.

Just 15 km inland and a few km from Alicante airport is the historic city of Elche (Elx in Spanish). Today Elche is a very busy industrial city, with a range of products such as rubber, footwear, olives, dates and other agricultural products, in addition to tourism.

Elche was previously occupied by the Romans, the city is most famous for its palm plantations (Palmeral de Elche), which is the largest palm plantation in Europe. The area covers around 3.5 km / sq. Of palm trees with more than 11,000 palm trees, and many new ones germinate each year. In the center of Elche is the Municipal Park (Parque Municipal) which contains a museum and amazing subtropical gardens. These gardens are carefully managed and very popular with visitors. The hot and dry climate of the Costa Blanca region allows the growth of a wide variety of subtropical plants, including some very large cacti that are displayed in the gardens. For more information on the opening hours of the Municipal Park, consult the Elche Tourism website.

From the Municipal Park it is possible to walk to the less managed areas of the plantation, which have not changed much in the last two thousand years. The plantations date back to Roman times, and possibly even earlier, as the area was developed as early as the 5th century BC. C. by the Carthaginians. Some of the individual palms are up to 300 years old. Most palms are date palms (Phoenix dactylifera)), which were collected for the fruit (the date), which was a staple of the Roman diet. The date fruit was also used to make wine. Walking through the palm grove of Elche, it is easy to forget that you are in Europe, it is easy to imagine that you have been transported to a subtropical humid forest.

There is a regular bus service from Alicante to Elche, so if you are on vacation on the Costa Blanca and would like to visit a place of great beauty and close to the main tourist centers, Elche is definitely worth a visit. In summer, temperatures can be warmer inland than on the coast, so pack plenty of water or stop at one of the many cafes and restaurants Elche has to offer.