38°42′52.2″N0°3′9.8″E / 38.714500°N 0.052722°E
Benissa | |
---|---|
| |
Coordinates: 38°42′54″N0°03′00″E / 38.71500°N 0.05000°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Autonomous community | ![]() |
Province | Alicante |
Comarca | Marina Alta |
Judicial district | Dénia |
Government | |
• Mayor | Arturo Poquet (2019) (PP) |
Area | |
• Total | 69.71 km2 (26.92 sq mi) |
Elevation | 254 m (833 ft) |
Population (2018) [1] | |
• Total | 10,768 |
• Density | 150/km2 (400/sq mi) |
Demonym(s) | Benissenc, benissenca |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 03720 |
Official language(s) | Valencian |
Website | Official website |
Benissa (Valencian pronunciation: [beˈnisa] , Spanish : Benisa) is a small town in Spain in the province of Alicante, 275 m above sea level, and one of the oldest towns on the Costa Blanca.
The municipality of Benissa has 4 km of coastline linking the towns of Moraira and Calp. The scenery of the area includes cliff tops, rocky coves, sandy beaches and tiny bays along the Benissa Costa. The territory of Benissa also contains terraced vineyards, mountains and palm trees. Spanish village houses, with doorsteps directly onto the street, internal courtyards and deceptively spacious inside. Old finques (a farm or country estate) sit on large plots amongst vineyards with panoramic views to the sea.
Nearby towns along the Costa Blanca are La Fustera, Cala dels Pinets, Cala de La Llobella, Cala l'Advocat, Baladrar and Cap Blanc before reaching Moraira.
The toponym of Benissa comes from the Arabic tribal name Beni-Hisa or Beni-Eyce (sons of Christ). After the Christian reconquest (1248) by the troops of James II of Aragon, the town was settled by people from the Pyrenees, Catalonia and Aragon along with the former inhabitants, although the majority of the population remained Muslim for centuries. The last Muslim citizens were expelled in 1609.
Benissa, together with Altea, Calp and Teulada, formed a lordship, whose rulers included the Sicilian admiral Roger of Lauria. In the 15th and 16th centuries it suffered numerous attacks by African pirates.
The medieval town centre has been largely preserved with its town square, narrow streets, churches. Ironwork balconies and heraldic shields decorate the historic buildings. The Palace of Torres-Orduña is open to the public as a cultural centre and library. Benissa also has a strong Catholic tradition with a Franciscan seminary that has educated many Franciscans followers throughout Spain and a large Neo-Gothic church, the "Catedral de la Marina".
Travel to Benissa is easily made from Alicante or Valencia, through the highway A-7 or the N332. The closest airport is the Alicante airport, located 70 km to the south-west. The closest RENFE (Spanish mainline) railway station is in Alicante. There is an Alicante TRAM station in Benissa, connected to the network via Benidorm, though the service between Teulada and Dénia has been suspended since 2016, due to a line upgrade and is currently replaced by buses.
Alicante is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 as of 2020, the second-largest in the Valencian Community.
Alicante is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community are located in this province.
La Vila Joiosa is a coastal town and municipality in the Province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. The town is known to the locals simply as La Vila.
Mijas is a municipality in the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Located on the southeastern coast of Spain, Mijas belongs to the region of Costa del Sol Occidental. Its center is a typical Andalusian white-washed village, Mijas Pueblo, located on a mountainside about 430 metres or 1,476 feet above sea level, in the heart of the Costa del Sol region.
Altea is a city and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain, on the section of Mediterranean coast called the Costa Blanca.
Moros y Cristianos or Moros i Cristians literally in English Moors and Christians, is a set of festival activities which are celebrated in many towns and cities of Spain, mainly in the southern Valencian Community. According to popular tradition the festivals commemorate the battles, combats and fights between Moors and Christians during the period known as Reconquista. There are also festivals of Moros y Cristianos in Spanish America.
Calpe or Calp is a coastal municipality located in the comarca of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of 23.5 km2 (9.1 sq mi) and a population density of 990 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,600/sq mi). The city lies at the foot of the Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park. In 2022 the population was 24,096 inhabitants.
The Costa Blanca is over 200 kilometres (120 mi) of Mediterranean coastline in the Alicante province, on the southeastern coast of Spain. It extends from the town of Dénia in the north, beyond which lies the Costa del Azahar, to Pilar de la Horadada in the south, beyond which lies the Costa Cálida.
The Alicante Tram, trademarked as Alicante Metropolitan TRAM, operates in the Spanish city of Alicante and its surrounding area. Like other narrow gauge railways in the Valencian Community, it is run by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV). It was inaugurated on 15 August 2003 replacing narrow-gauge diesel trains between Alicante and El Campello.
Moraira is a small upmarket Spanish coastal town, part of Teulada municipality, in the Marina Alta comarca, 80 km north of Alicante and 100 km south of Valencia.
Teulada is a small coastal town on Spain's Costa Blanca, located 3 km north from Junction 63 of the A7 E-15 toll motorway on the N-332 coast road.
Castelló de Rugat is a municipality in the comarca of Vall d'Albaida in the Valencian Community, Spain.
La Marina is a coastal village administered by the city of Elche, in the province of Alicante on Spain's Costa Blanca. Nearby inland is a large urbanisation built from the mid-1980s onwards confusingly also called La Marina: more correctly called Urbanisation La Marina. The village is on the Costa Azul bus route providing access northwards to Alicante and southbound to Torrevieja and ultimately Cartagena.
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with more than five million inhabitants. Its homonymous capital Valencia is the third largest city and metropolitan area in Spain. It is located along the Mediterranean coast on the east side of the Iberian Peninsula. It borders Catalonia to the north, Aragon and Castilla–La Mancha to the west, and Murcia to the south, and the Balearic Islands are to its east. The Valencian Community is made up of three provinces: Castelló, Valencia and Alicante.
Cercanías Murcia/Alicante is a commuter rail service (cercanías) in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia. The line connects Alicante and Murcia with San Vicente del Raspeig, Elche, Orihuela, Totana, Lorca, and Águilas. It runs through 200 km of railways with a total of 26 stations.
Redován is a municipality in the comarca of Vega Baja del Segura in the Valencian Community, Spain.
Llíber is a village in the province of Alicante and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain. The municipality covers an area of 21.9 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi).
Senija is a village in the province of Alicante and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain. The municipality covers an area of 4.8 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi) and as of 2011 had a population of 661 people.