Villajoyosa: the most colourful city in Spain.
Spanish towns and cities aren’t known for colour, most of Spain’s prettiest towns and cities are actually painted white (you’ll often hear about Spain’s “Pueblo Blancos” which refers to many of them).
That’s what makes Villajoyosa so different and so special. It is widely considered the most colourful city in Spain. It has also been declared a Site of Cultural Interest due to its special identity among seaside towns (ie. due to the uniqueness of its colourful houses) and because of its good state of preservation.
A bit of History
The city has a long history dating back to the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and the Romans. In the 16th century, Villajoyosa played an important role in countering the attacks from pirates, and King Philip II ordered the construction of the defensive walls and towers around the coast. Today you’ll still see remains of these walls in the old town.
So why did the townspeople here start painting their homes in different colours? There are stories that it was done for fishermen to better guide their way home. That doesn’t really make sense though. Most likely, it had to do with the combination of its function as a town and the construction of its buildings: Villajoyosa was a town of fishermen, sailors and merchants. It is thought that some of those fishermen and sailors may have brought the practice of painting their homes from some of the places they sailed to in northern Italy and southern France. Places where they already had colourful towns. And since their homes in Villajoyosa were built of plastered masonry (and not stone), they were perfectly conducive to being painted in this manner.
From its origins, the tradition has been maintained until today.
What to do in Villajoyosa
Walking the Old Town
It’s not the whole town that’s colourful. The modern town isn’t. So if you’re walking in from one of the tram stops you’ll be wondering where the colours are.
The colourful homes are located in the Old Town by the promenade and beach (if you google “Les Cases de Colors” you’ll be led straight to the Old Town). Start by admiring the colourful buildings from the promenade, you’ll see the colours all the way down the coast. It’s very impressive.
The Old Town is actually quite small and if you wander around you can see everything within an hour or two.
But a few highlights:
- The Church of the Assumption and the pretty square it’s on (Plaza Iglesia).
- The significant defensive walls on Costera de la Mar (as mentioned previous, built in the 16th century)
- Carrer Major, where you’ll find the Ayuntamiento (Town hall)
- “Estatua de la antigua explanada del Castillo de Villajoyosa”, the site of where Villajoyosa castle once stood. Also known as El Castell Cultural Park. The castle fell into ruin and residents used the stones to build their homes. Today there’s a model of the fortress and a mirador where you get some views of the town.
- From the above, you´ll see steps going down to the river. From there, you can walk up the river, looking at the homes on the precipice of the cliffs. They call them the “Cases Penjants de Vilajoiosa” or “Hanging houses of Villajoyosa”. It’s not as impressive as it sounds but as I say the Old Town in small and it is worth having a look.
But really, the highlight is just walking around and admiring the colours which really make Villajoyosa a beautiful place.
The Promenade
As mentioned higher, it’s a great place to get an appreciation of all the colourful buildings lining the coast. Villajoyosa’s promenade is beautiful, a place to walk (1.2 km I read), have a drink and just people watch. You won’t be the only person, Villajoyosa is well-known and there are lots of tourists. And the prices at some of those restaurants along the promenade are high.
But again, Villajoyosa is just beautiful and it has a quieter, more refined air than Benidorm. If you’re with family or even as a couple you might prefer Villajoyosa to Benidorm as a base along this stretch of coast.
A few other things you can do
- The Valor chocolate factory is located in Villajoyosa and you can take a tour. It’s free but you have to schedule your tour (there are 8 tours per day but the English ones are at 10 am and 4 pm. Best to check their website).
- Towers. There are a few towers along the coast if you enjoy views. The Torre de Sant Josep is about an hour walk from the center of Villajoyosa and has views looking back towards the city. Further, the Aguiló Tower is out of town along the coast (about 1 hr 30 min walk), on a bluff looking over both Villajoyosa on one side and Benidorm on the other.
Getting to Villajoyosa
There are 2 tram stops in Villajoyosa: “La Vila Joiosa” and “Creueta”. Both are about the same distance from the old town although which you get out from may depend on which direction you are coming from. If coming from Alicante, best to get out at La Vila Joiosa. We came from Benidorm and the tram line from Creueta to/from Benidorm was closed due to construction – replaced instead by a bus which dropped us off at Creueta station. From there it was an about 12 minute walk to the old town.
You can also take the bus to Villajoyosa, the bus stop is very close to the old town (at Av. del País Valencià, 22). Alsa has about 6 buses/day from Alicante (about an hour away).
Some closing thoughts on Villajoyosa
We visited various places along the coast: Alicante, Benidorm, Altea, Calpe and Dénia. We thought Villajoyosa was the jewel among all these towns. It’s just a beautiful place. While you might not want to necessarily use it as a base (some might prefer Benidorm which is more happening) you should at least pay Villajoyosa a visit.
Related: Benidorm as a base on your Costa Blanca vacation
Related: What to Do in the City of Almeria
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