What to do with kids in Calpe

**Collaborative post**

We may not be travelling right now but it doesn’t stop us from planning and looking forward to our next holiday, in stressful times like we are currently in it always helps to look forward and to plan something exciting.

Spain has always been a very popular choice for families, but with it being such a vast area where to go is always tricky to decide upon. Madrid and Barcelona are popular choices in that they are in the heart of the action, easy to get to and you have everything on your doorstep easily accessible, but when holidaying with the family we prefer quieter places seeped in local history but not to overrun with tourists.

Nestled in heart of Costa Blanca, within the region of Valencia lies the ancient fishing village of Calpe. Popular with tourists but not yet too overrun by them, a beautiful location which is easily accessible being around an hour’s drive from Alicante Airport.

Clickstay has lots of beautiful Villas in Calpe, which you are able to hire for your holiday.

What to do with kids in Calpe

Photo credit: Clickstay, one of their villas available to rent in CalpeCalpe has a wonderful mixture of old Valencian culture and modern tourist facilities and makes a perfect base for exploring the local area or enjoying the sandy beaches. Calpe alone has three of the most beautiful sandy beaches on the coast.

Calpe is a town rich in history and culture. Remains of Iberian tribes have been found around the town. Later, the Romans founded Calpe as a prosperous colony, whose main activity was drying and salting fish. Calpe is still renown as a fishing village and visitors can watch the fishermen on their boats doing what they do best, or you are even able to hire fishing boats for the day and try your hand at fishing (don’t worry, life jackets are provided just in case the kids get a little too near the edge. It makes for a great day out if you’ve older children). For those without their sea legs, you can fish from the shore, go crabbing or even chance your hand at catching an octopus or two – I am assured by my Nephew who caught this one that once cooked up it was delicious.

As well as fishing on/near the beach you are also able to hire snorkels and flippers in many of the shops and explore the clear waters and many rockpools. There are also local places which hire out kayaks, canoes and speed boats so you can spend a day having fun in the sea (a guaranteed way of ensuring the children sleep well – fresh sea air and plenty of exercise is always a winner).

Calpe has a wonderful modern marina that sits alongside the old fishing port; from here it is possible to take boat rides around the rock of Ifach and to the nearby resort of Benidorm. There really is loads to do on your doorstep and with loads of Villas in Spain to hire, you can pick one close to the beach if you wanted – I can not wait to plan my next holiday with the children, we all need something to look forwards to.

One of the best ways to enjoy the local coastline is by means of the narrow-gauge railway that runs from Alicante to Denia, stopping at Calpe.

Calpe Rock or The Rock of Ifach dominates Calpe, it reaches an impressive 332m rising almost sheer above the sea and is a nature reserve. The summit of the rock is reached after a tough climb up a footpath, by means of a short tunnel through the upper part of the rock. A word of warning though – the path above the tunnel has almost no safety features and isn’t recommended you climb is you have a fear of heights or are unfit. Older children and adults have great fun climbing the rocks though, just be sure of your own abilities. From the top, on a clear day, the island of Ibiza is visible.

You can try your hand at yachting, windsurfing and water skiing at the nautical club at the port, or at certain times of the year there are inflatables in the sea – this is great fun for all ages, you can go head to head on the obstacle course, you could even set a family challenge of the loser has to pay for the ice-creams!

Not everything involves getting wet though, you can hire bikes and explore, relax and catch some sunny rays – Afterall, it’s one of the reasons we all love Spain so much, and while us adults enjoy the sun the kids can enjoy the playgrounds found on the beach.

In the summer there is a funfair in Calpe which provides great entertainment for children of all ages, or in the winter there is an ice skating rink and Christmas activities to enjoy.

There are plenty of bars, restaurants and cafes which are child friendly and ice-creams almost as big as your head – what isn’t to love about staying in Calpe?

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