Asking yourself “Is Elche worth visiting?” Short answer yes! But that’s my subjective answer and I’m sure you want to find out whether you agree with me or not, that’s why you’re here.
First of all, what experience do I have with Elche to even have an opinion? Over the last few months, I’ve been going back and forth to Elche, spending a few days at a time.
I’ve explored different things to do in Elche from visiting the museums, walking in the parks, climbing to the best views, and checking out the hiking routes.
There are many reasons to visit Elche from the UNESCO-listed palm groves to the genuine Spanish feel that you don’t get down the coast.
Read on to find out if the city is a good destination for you to spend your vacation or if you prefer going on a day trip to Elche, or simply skipping it all together.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hi, I’m Linn Haglund, the face behind Brainy Backpackers. I’ve been based in Spain for the last 10+ years, and travel locally and abroad whenever I have a chance. I’m passionate about responsible travel, slow and off the beaten path travel, and outdoor activities, especially hiking. I’m currently slow traveling in my van Persistence (Persi among friends) with my fiancée Mohammed and rescue puppy Atlas. I’m excited to help you explore this planet responsibly!
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Is Elche worth visiting?
Before you start reading the entire lengthy post, I’ll list the pros and cons of visiting Elche here, so you can decide if it’s worth reading further or not.
Pros
- Plenty of historical places to visit
- UNESCO-listed palm groves (the largest in Europe)
- Interesting museums
- Municipal museums are free on Sundays (and very affordable the rest of the week)
- Spanish vibes – you truly feel like you’re in a Spanish city
- Great shopping
- Fantastic hiking opportunities within walking distance from the city (and a short drive)
- Moros y Cristianos festival is celebrated in August
- Plenty of free parking opportunities around the center with easy walking access to tourist attractions
Cons
- No beach (a 25-minute drive to Santa Pola where you can go to the beach)
- Gets very hot in the summer
- No international community like you find on the coast
- Parts of the city look a bit “abandoned” and not well-maintained
- A pain to drive inside the city center
Reasons to visit Elche
Now that you have a bit more of an idea of what to expect from Elche, I’ll go through the reasons why Elche is worth visiting.
Home to Europe’s largest palm grove
Yes, you heard me right. Elche is home to the largest palm grove in Europe which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The large park is a true oasis in the middle of the city and home to 45000 date palms covering a total of 144 hectares of land.
I can’t count the times we’ve walked our fur baby Atlas in the park and every time it impresses us with the fountains and statues in the shade of tall palm trees planted by the Moors.
The city’s river goes through the park too. It’s channeled into a narrow canal with large paintings you can see from the edge above.
Walking in the Palmeral de Elche is a great way to wind down after hours of museums and churches.
They celebrate the epic Moros y Cristianos festival
Last October, we celebrated the Moros y Cristianos festival in Crevillente, a small town next to Elche. It was during a visit to Elche at the beginning of February that I learned that Elche also has its own version of this epic festival.
In August every year, they have processions through the streets showcasing Christian warriors and Moorish warriors.
We found out because, on the 6-month mark, they have a light celebration with music bands parading the streets and small processions where they practice their walk.
That was really cool to see. If you happen to go to Elche in August, make sure you check the dates for the Moros y Cristianos festival, because it’s one of the coolest fiestas I’ve been to in Spain (and they’re adding up to a few over the years!)
Municipal museums are free on Sundays
It’s pretty cool that you can enter the municipal museums for free on Sundays. But even the rest of the week they’re really cheap and I haven’t come across a single museum that has been more than a couple of Euros.
Among my favorites are the Archaeological Museum (come on, I can’t be the only history buff here?), the Paleontological Museum (I’ll translate that into Dinosaur Museum for us normal people), and the Torre de Calahorra y Casa Señorial (the painted walls and ceilings are stunning!)
You actually feel like you’re in Spain
Alright, so I’m the kinda person looking for authenticity when traveling, and in all honesty, there’s a huge lack of that on the Spanish coastline, Costa Blanca being no exception.
It’s really nice to go to Elche from touristy beach towns nearby like Torrevieja and Altea because you really feel the authentic Spanish culture around every corner.
There’s no gloss and no tourist traps. There are just locals going about their daily routines and mostly Spanish tourists visiting the museums too.
I’m not saying there are no foreign tourists around, but they don’t dominate the streets like they do on the coast.
Plenty of history
Elche is steeped in history with a strong Moorish heritage which you can see in the Palm Garden, but also in sites like the Torre de Calahorra.
You can also explore Arab Baths beneath Convento de la Merced which is pretty cool.
In the Archaeological Museum, you can learn more about the city’s history back to the Iberian settlements that ruled the area as well as the Romans.
Close to nature
If you’ve hung around this site for a while, you know I’m an avid hiker and wherever I can find hiking trails are a big hit.
Elche is one of those places that has stunning nature around and so many epic hikes – some even within walking distance from the city.
If you’re going to do just one hike in Elche, make sure you hike Pantano de Elche. If this is too long for you, hike to the big waterfall at the electricity plant, and if you have the time, climb up above it to see the lake before you turn around.
There are several viewpoints
Elche is not very hilly, but there are a few places you can climb up for city views. The best views are from the church tower in the Basilica de Santa Maria and the Torre de Calahorra next door.
I especially love the latter as you get a view of the blue domes of the basilica and the building across the road which I really love (it’s got a dome too!)
It’s also possible to climb Torre dels Vaïllos for views of the palm grove, but I haven’t found it open yet.
Great shopping
I also found Elche great for shopping. Throughout the city center, there are basically all kinds of niche shops, boutiques, and high-end brand stores.
Just outside the city center, there are some shopping malls, like l’Aljoub, where you find all the trendy shops you can imagine like Pull & Bear, Zara, and Bershka, as well as budget stores like Primark and Lefties.
Fantastic food scene and cute cafés
Elche has plenty of restaurants and cafés where you can savor local food. We were even surprised by the places where we could grab a vegan bite to eat. If it wasn’t on the menu, they made something for us.
While I can’t say every place in Elche will accommodate outside of what’s on the menu, we’ve had a great experience wherever we’ve gone.
Our favorite little café is nestled in a side street just a couple of minutes from the Basilica de Santa Maria and has lovely brunch and pastries (including several vegan ones.)
Plenty of free parking
Finally, if you’re traveling in Spain in a campervan or going to Elche on a day trip from Alicante by car, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of places to park for free within a short walk from the city center.
I don’t recommend driving into the center. The roads are narrow and there isn’t much parking. But just a 10-15-minute walk from the tourist attractions you can find plenty of parking both along the roads and on dedicated free parking lots.
We’ve stayed the night in the van in some of these. However, if you plan to stay in your van or motorhome, I highly recommend the parking area by the Pantano de Elche and the electricity plant.
It’s spacious and surrounded by beautiful nature. It’s hard to imagine a better place to wake up in the morning and have a coffee before heading out to explore the city.
Summing up: Is it worth visiting Elche?
Summing up, there are so many reasons to visit Elche Spain, but if you’re looking for an international vibe, this is not the right place to go.
Being so far from the beach, I probably wouldn’t recommend visiting Elche in the summer, unless you go to experience the Moros and Cristianos festival in August.
Except for that, there are so many reasons why Elche is a fantastic place to visit. For me, it’s one of those cities that gives more every time I go and it feels more and more like home. I must admit, the insanely beautiful hikes around the city are a big draw for me!
Happy travels!