Elche is the third biggest city in the Valencian Community, right after Valencia and Alicante, and it is the twentieth most populated city in Spain. it has 230 thousand permanent residents. The city is located not far from Alicante- El Altet airport and Murcia San Javier airport. It is also close to the motorway linking Torrevieja and Cartagena. We recommend that you use the Elche map to find out about Elche location and directions. The weather here is very good with over 300 sunny days a year.
Elche's economy is not based on tourism or construction but on shoes production. In Elche there are over 1000 shoe factories that produce shoes exported by Spain. A part of the municipality is situated on the coast but main part of the city is 15 km from the Mediterranean Sea. Agriculture still plays an important role here producing olives, cereals and pomegranates. 20 % of Elche inhabitants are employed by the rubber trade.
When you are in Elche, make sure to visit the local market, where you can buy fresh fruit, vegetables and other local produce. The market day is Monday. Elche is famous for palm trees. The Elche Palm Grove has over 200 thousand trees and has been proclaimed a UNESCO heritage site in 2000.
Huerto del Cura or Priest's Garden is a hidden gem, very popular on hot days, as hundreds of palm trees provide shade from the sun. Although the place is surrounded by crowded streets, you may say it is a peaceful spot, the stone walls encircling it, block out the city noise. Inside there are hundreds of species of palm trees in different sizes including the eight armed Imperial Palm, the pride of the garden, which is 170 years old and is supported by metal straps which keep it from collapsing.
When you are in Costa Blanca, a great idea is to spend time on a trip to Rio Safari Park. It is a family zoo offering many attractions such as a "train" ride or animal shows including an elephant, a parrot or a sea lion shows. Feeding the animals is something that children and parents will surely enjoy. Peanuts or carrots can be bought in the zoo shop. Make sure your children feed the giraffes and the hippo. You can also go on a ride on a camel or a donkey and visit the farm section with animals such as cows, pigs, goats, horses and sheep.
The climate is very dry. Winters are very mild and summers are very hot. The lowest temperature in winter is 100 C and in the summer temperatures may reach up to 40 0C.
The nearest beaches are: El Atet, Arenales del Sol and El Carabassi in the north and in the south- El Pinet, La Marina, Les Pesqueres and El Rebollo which is only a few minutes' drive away.
