Located where the River Segura meets the Mediterranean Sea, Guardamar del Segura is a beachside town on the Costa Blanca. It was established as the Phoenician colony of Alonis and renamed Guald-a-amar by the Moors, featuring sweeping stretches of sand, pink-hued salt lagoons and Spain’s tallest structure.
Things to do in Guardamar del Segura
Spend your days relaxing on Playa Centro, a golden beach that stretches along the length of Guardamar del Segura and is backed by a breezy promenade. To the north lies beautiful Playa Els Tossals, which is fringed by palm-dotted dunes, while to the south is the pristine Playa Les Ortigues.
Just a stone’s throw from Playa Les Ortigues is Parc Natural de Las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja, which centres around two pink-hued saltwater lagoons. They play an important role in supporting native plant species and attract a variety of birdlife that includes flamingos. Keep your eyes peeled for black-necked grebes, shelducks and marsh harriers, as well as little terns and Kentish plovers.
On the northern edge of Guardamar del Segura is Parque Reina Sofía, a leafy green space with shaded walking trails and turtle-filled ponds. Watching over the town is the tallest architectural structure in the European Union, the Torreta de Guardamar, which rises to 380 metres in height. Constructed in 1962 by the United States Navy, it is used to transmit information to submerged submarines.
Getting around Guardamar del Segura
Guardamar del Segura is about an hour’s drive from Murcia and 40 minutes from Alicante. Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport is 30 minutes away and has flights to destinations across Europe and North Africa. Buses are the main means of getting to Guardamar del Segura and the town is compact enough to explore on foot.