Finestrat

Finestrat, two villages in one between mountain and sea

Finestrat is a municipality in the Marina Baixa with an unusual split personality for the Costa Blanca. On one side there is the old village, a cluster of whitewashed houses climbing the slope at the foot of Puig Campana, the 1,406 metre mountain that towers over the whole district. On the other there is the coastal strip of Cala de Finestrat and the Sierra Cortina residential area, right next to Benidorm. Just a few kilometres separate the stone lanes of the old town from the Mediterranean, and all of it sits within the same municipality, 41 kilometres from the city of Alicante.

The white old town below Puig Campana

The old quarter keeps its medieval layout: narrow lanes that climb steeply, whitewashed façades and the so called hanging houses, built directly on the rock at the edge of the ravine. At the top stand the remains of an old Almohad castle, mentioned in thirteenth century documents and taken by King James I. The parish church of San Bartolomé, from 1751, presides over the square. From the village viewpoints Puig Campana rises close by, with the distinctive notch that legend attributes to Roland. This is a place to explore slowly, on foot.

The old town of Finestrat. Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Cala de Finestrat and Sierra Cortina, the seaside side

Down towards the coast Finestrat changes completely. Cala de Finestrat is a sheltered cove beach between Villajoyosa and Benidorm, with a promenade, fish restaurants and calm water protected by breakwaters. A little higher, on the hills of Sierra Cortina, a residential area of chalets and villas has grown up, with views over the sea and the bay of Benidorm, close to golf courses and to the large shopping and leisure centres. It is here, in Sierra Cortina, that much of the municipality's newer housing is concentrated.

Sierra Cortina, Finestrat. Photo: PiotrMig / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Festivals, water and inland cooking

The patron festivities take place around 24 August, in honour of San Bartolomé, with Moors and Christians parades through the old town. Winter keeps the bonfires of San Antonio Abad and the traditions of San Blas, and June brings the night of San Juan. Water has a role of its own here: the Font del Molí, with its fifteen spouts, supplied the village for generations. At the table the inland dishes lead, such as arròs amb fesols i naps (rice with beans and turnip), coca girada and tarongetes, hearty recipes closer to the vegetable garden than to the beach.

The Font del Molí, Finestrat. Photo: Triedros / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Getting there and around

Finestrat is well connected. The AP-7 motorway and the N-332 run alongside the municipality and link within minutes to Benidorm, Villajoyosa and the rest of the coast. Alicante is 41 kilometres away and Alicante-Elche airport less than an hour by motorway. In neighbouring Benidorm you can take the TRAM, the light rail line that follows the coast to Alicante. For daily life, the commercial area next to Sierra Cortina covers almost everything without leaving the municipality.

Buying in Finestrat

Finestrat lets you choose between two ways of living the Costa Blanca: the quiet mountain village or the convenience of the coast in Sierra Cortina, a step away from Benidorm. In this area we work mainly with residential property, from chalets to recently built villas with sea views. If Finestrat appeals to you and you would like us to explain how the market works around here, let's talk.