Many people who have been holidaying in Spain for years have not heard of Elche. Yet Elche is a unique and fascinating city which is very easily reached from Alicante or Murcia airports, and is perfect for a short break.
Palmeral of Elche
What makes Elche such a unique place to visit is its Palm Grove, which is estimated to contain over 200,000 protected palm trees. That’s a lot of trees, and the palms not only surround the city, but are found in peaceful parks and gardens within the city itself, providing a haven from the heat and traffic. The site was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
View over a small area of the city’s palms
Getting to Elche
Elche is approximately 20 km away from Alicante airport, and an easy drive (see Holiday Autos for great low-cost car hire in Spain). There are also regular buses and trains between the two cities, and from Murcia – see bus timetables and train timetables.
Where to Stay
There are two super hotels that are actually situated within the palms. These are Jardin Milenio and Huerto del Cura. We have stayed in both of these hotels, and can highly recommend them. Both have extremely good restaurants, and are a very pleasant walk through the palm trees into Elche centre.
Huerto del Cura consists of separate accommodations scattered around lush gardens with a pool and water features. Jardin Milenio is a little cheaper but still beautifully situated with a lovely courtyard and fountains. Half board is available at both hotels, but you get a better menu if you stay B&B and eat a la carte. This also gives you the option of eating at both hotels if you are staying more than one night.
For more accommodation options in Elche you can search on booking.com.
Peaceful strolling
The centre of Elche is a busy city, but you are never far from a park with pleasant paths, palm trees, and often sculptures and water features.
One of Elche’s parks
Peaceful path through the trees
A (usually) small stream dissects the town in a deep channel, which also has paths and bridges which are great for strolling.
Stream in a channel through the centre of the city
Huerta del Cura (Priests Garden)
Particularly special in Elche is the Huerta del Cura garden (entrance fee). This is an idyllic garden containing many species of palms as well as flower beds, sculptures, peacocks and beautiful ponds occupied by basking terrapins.
Lady of Elche
One of the ponds in the garden
In the centre of the garden is the remarkable Imperial Palm with eight arms coming from a central trunk. The ancient tree is carefully supported to prevent collapse.
Magnificent eight-armed Imperial Palm
There are also impressive cacti in the gardens.
Cactus garden
Other Attractions
Other things to do in and around Elche include
- an award winning Archaeological and History Museum
- the Basilica where you can climb to the bell tower for an excellent view over the palms
- a Roman Bath museum
- a Museum of Contemporary Art
- a Palaeontological Museum
- an Agricultural Museum
- the nearby Rio Safari animal park
There is also good shopping, including an absolutely enormous shoe factory outlet (there are numerous shoe factories in and around Elche).
If you fancy a short break with a difference, or want a stopover close to the nearby airports, you can’t beat Elche.
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