Albatera
Albatera guide, holiday rentals, property, map, weather, car hire, airport transfers, golf.
Costa Blanca Towns - Albatera
Albatera is a medium sized town in the Vega Baja region of the Costa Blanca in the Alicante province. It has a population of around 9,000 and its inhabitants speak mostly Spanish with a smattering of Catalan.
Albatera lies north of Cox on the N-340 and is within easy reach of both Alicante and Murcia airports (41 km and 60 km respectively). Albatera sits on the banks of the River Segura, a beautiful spot with spectacular views of the surrounding Sierra de Crevillent mountains - though the town itself has a very level aspect. The area has a wonderful Mediterranean climate with the Segura river basin having the lowest rainfall in the whole of Spain. The average temperature ranges from 11 degrees centigrade in January to 28 degrees in August.
Artefacts found in the area give testimony to its being inhabited in pre-historic times. The Romans invaded in the 3rd century BC and left their mark with a system of irrigation channels. The Arabs invaded in the 5th century and held control until it was re-conquered by Alfonso the Wise (Alfonso X) in 1266. In 1296 Jaime II King of Aragon integrated Albatera along with Cox and Crevillente into the kingdom of Aragon and granted the Moors of these 3 villages safe conduct to return to their former places of residence.
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The agreement of Elche 1305 set the boundaries of Castilla and Aragon as north and south of the Segura river - the southern area including Albatera and Crevillente going to Aragon and Cox going to Castilla. In 1609 the Moors were finally expelled and the language and writings of the region became exclusively Castillan. In 1833 Albatera became part of the province of Alicante. From these early days the economy of the area was dependant almost entirely on agriculture, irrigated by the waters of the River Segura, and formerly dry land was brought into use by the irrigation channels. Pig farming also constituted a large part of the area’s economy up until recent times, when industry and commerce became of equal importance to that of agriculture and farming.
Modern Albatera consists of wide, palm tree lined streets with attractive white-walled houses. At the centre in the plaza is a beautiful parochial church, dedicated to the apostle Santiago and built in 1729. The church is famed for its elaborate baroque doorway, intricately carved in stone. Also in the plaza is the town hall and the old casino.
Albatera is surrounded by natural areas of plains, wetlands and mountains. One of the most impressive of these areas being the municipal park - Parque de la Huerta (Park of the Orchards) consisting of 30,000m2 of gardens, with a lake, a fountain and a variety of marked out walking routes. Some musical events also take place here.
Albatera has an intricate network of canals and irrigation channels, many dating from Roman times, these support the areas agricultural needs where the main produce is fruit (mostly lemons and dates) and vegetables.
The historic city of Orihuela is just 12 km away with its countless fine churches. Albatera is just 30 minutes away from some of the best beaches in the area. Close to Albatera is the small village of San Isidro which was only founded in 1959 after a law was passed to encourage settlement of the marshy areas. It’s white houses are built in a grid system of identical streets. To the east lies the agricultural town of Catral, also the Hondo Reservoir with its enjoyable trails and walks through interesting and scenic countryside.
One of Albatera’s best known festivals is in July and honours Saint James the Apostle - a whole week is given over to the celebrations which includes novilladas where novice bullfighters challenge young bulls. Another major celebration is the Moors and Christians festival.
Just 6 km north of Albatera town is the Albatera Golf and Country Club - one of the top golf courses in the area. Apart from golf, a range of other activities are available including tennis, shooting and riding.
Albatera has good Spanish schools and good motorway access, it is within easy driving distance of the beaches of the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida. Albatera can be easily reached by motorway via exit 78 (both north and south) of the A-7. Albatera is a truly traditional Spanish town with good Spanish values.
Albatera Links: Albatera Map - Albatera Weather
Nearby Places: Rafal - Benferri - San Bartolome - Dolores - Callosa de Segura
Golf Courses: Villamartin - Lo Romera - Las Ramblas - Campoamor Golf - La Finca - La Marquesa - Spain Golf Courses
Related: Torrevieja - Alicante - Murcia - Orihuela Costa - Ciudad Quesada - Builders
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