Calpe is a municipality located on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. It is famous for its beaches, such as the Arenal-Bol. Not far away is the Roman site of Baños de la Reina, which includes stone-carved sea pools. On a cape to the east is the Peñón de Ifach, a huge limestone formation that rises 332 meters above sea level and is home to a variety of birds. At its feet are the ruins of Pobla de Ifach, a medieval walled city.
Calpe is located approximately 65 km from the capital city of Alicante and about 120 km from the city of Valencia, and is connected to these two cities by the AP7 motorway that runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain.
There are approximately 23,000 people living in Calpe, of which 47% are of foreign nationality.
From www.motion4rent.com, we bring you some important information, places of interest, and tourist offices, as well as accessible beaches, adapted excursions, theme parks, accessible restaurants, and other offers for visitors with reduced mobility. Enjoy your stay!
Calpe has two tourist offices that are open all year round, located in strategic places in the town and two tourist information points that reinforce tourist attention in the summer. Here is more information about the four offices:
The Arenal Information Point is located in Plaza de Colón. This point is a booth that is only open during the summer seasons. The counter is located at a height of 108 cm and there is a parking space for people with reduced mobility (PRM) nearby at Av. Gabriel Miró 1.
The Fossa Information Point is located in Plaza Mediterráneo. This point is a booth that is only open during the summer season. It has two parking spaces for PRM located on Calle Jávea and the itinerary to the booth is 100% adapted. The counter is at a height of 72 cm to serve people in wheelchairs, but there are no bathrooms.
The Tourist Info Calpe center is located in Plaza del Mosquit s/n and is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
These 3 points have the same contact information:
Tourist Info Calpe Peñón is located at Avenida de los Ejércitos Españoles 44. This office is accessible to people with reduced mobility and is open all year round. It has two parking spaces for people with disabilities, and its entrance is adapted with two ramps. The counter is located 80 cm high to facilitate access for people in wheelchairs, but the office does not have bathrooms.
Airport:
Calpe does not have its own airport, so the nearest airport is Elche-Alicante, which is located about 66 km away. Like all airports in Spain, Elche-Alicante offers a free assistance and assistance service for passengers with reduced mobility* in compliance with Regulation (EC) 1107/2006 of the European Parliament.
This assistance service is available to all passengers with reduced mobility or some type of disability, and can be requested at least 48 hours in advance so that your entire trip is prepared from the moment you arrive at the airport. The service is free and can be requested online or by calling (+34) 91 321 10 00.
To get from the airport to Calpe, you can travel by bus, taxi, or private car. Both the bus and taxi have options that are adapted for people with reduced mobility.
Bus:
Calpe has a central bus station located on Avenida Diputación, near the two entrances to Calpe (North and South). Buses leave from this station to many nearby destinations, as well as to the beaches and intercity buses that pass through Calpe. The company that operates the buses is ALSA and it has buses that are adapted for people with reduced mobility.
The entire station is adapted for people with reduced mobility, starting with the car park which has one space for people with reduced mobility (PMR), and including the zebra crossings that have slopes lowered to ground level, access to the platforms, and mobility inside the station.
- Address and contact:
- Telephone: (+34) 807 505 926
Taxi: http://www.taxicalpe.es/
In Calpe, there are several taxi companies, but one company in particular has vehicles that are adapted for people with reduced mobility. Among its vehicles, it has some adapted minivans that can carry 5 people plus 1 wheelchair. The central base of this company is located at Calle Gabriel Miró, 34 in Calpe (Alicante).
- Address and contact:
- Telephone: (+34) 965 837 878
- email: taxalpe@gmail.com
Train – Tram Calpe
Calpe has a train station located in the urbanization of La Estación II. This station is accessible to people with reduced mobility and has two platforms, three tracks, and several buildings.
In addition to the station, all trains have two seats reserved per wagon, and the entrance to the trains is at ground level, so there is no problem accessing them in a wheelchair. The trains also have adapted toilets.
You can get from the center of Calpe to the train station by using an adapted shuttle bus.
Calpe Tourist Train
The tourist train runs through Calpe for about 7 km and allows you to visit the town from a different perspective, with the ability to stop at various specific points. The entire tour takes about 45 minutes.
The three designated stops are located at Plaza Colón, which is the initial stop at the port, and in front of the Hotel Esmeralda. The train passes near the Peñón de Ifach, Las Salinas, the historic center, and the fishing port. By notifying the driver, you can get on and off the train with the same ticket.
The tourist train has a designated area for people with reduced mobility, as the last car of the train has a ramp with a width of 80 cm that allows wheelchairs to be raised onto the train.
- Address and contact:
- Telephone: (+34) 649108558
We propose two beaches in Calpe that are accessible to people with reduced mobility and have various amenities:
Fossa Beach and Arenal-Bol Beach.
Calpe City Council, through the company EULEN, the concessionaire of the town's lifeguard service, has established a system of prior appointments this year so that people with reduced mobility can use the adapted beach facilities. This system is intended to avoid queues and to manage customer service in a safer way.
These accessible beach points are located on the two main beaches of Calpe, La Fossa and Arenal-Bol. These beaches have differentiated bathing areas and are specially equipped to meet the needs of people with mobility problems, the elderly, and people with reduced vision. Specifically, they are located on La Fossa beach at the height of Calle Llevant and on the Arenal-Bol beach at the height of Calle Holanda.
Interested users can request an appointment through the following link on the municipal website: https://www.calp.es/oac/cita-previa. Appointments can be booked for a maximum of two hours, although if there are free places later, users can stay longer. Screens have been installed in the shade to expand the capacity of the facilities.
The accessible points are equipped with amphibious chairs and crutches, adapted toilets, showers, and changing rooms, as well as lifeguards who attend and accompany the users of the service. Users can also opt to have a trained family member accompany them if they prefer. These accessible points are in service from Monday to Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and have reserved car parks nearby. Both beaches also have adapted parking.
Calpe markets:
In Calpe, there are several markets that attract many tourists and onlookers. We suggest two of them that are held weekly from 08:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m., one on Wednesday and the other on Saturday.
The Wednesday market is for antiques, collectibles, and second-hand items. It is located on Avenida del País Valencia.
The Saturday market is a general market where you can find fruits, vegetables, fresh products, clothing, and much more. It is located on Avenida de Rumania.
Both markets are 100% accessible and have adapted parking nearby. Neither of them have bathrooms.
Walk through the Salt Flats:
In the following section, we propose a wheelchair-accessible walk around the Calpe salt flats. This salty lagoon was formed millions of years ago and has been exploited for hundreds of years as a salt industry. It now constitutes one of the most characteristic protected wetlands in the province.
The Calpe salt mine stopped working in 1988 and is now home to numerous animal species, particularly birds. Inside the salt flats, there is a path that leads to different bird observatories, but the itinerary is not accessible to people with reduced mobility. However, it is possible to take a circular itinerary bordering the salt flats, which is accessible for wheelchair users.
The route that we propose is 2.3 km long and can be started at the Peñón de Ifach tourist office. In addition to having two parking spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility, we can also ask for advice or more information about the tour or other activities in the area at this point. At the tourist office, we will also find an information table where we can learn about the history of the salt flats and see photos from past times. The tourist office is accessible for people with physical disabilities.
The itinerary of this route is completely flat, with no differences in elevation, making it suitable for all types of public and physical conditions. Along the route, we will find several benches and rest areas.
Finally, please note that there is a small section on Av Poland where the road narrows a bit and traffic is somewhat more complicated.
Route through the historic center of Calpe
It is important to note that the old town of Calpe is located in the upper part of the city, and this part is not very wheelchair-friendly due to its many slopes. We have prepared a route for you that always descends and begins in the town hall square.
To start the route, you can access it by private car, bus, or taxi. The Calpe tourist train also covers a small stretch of the historic center, but it does not usually stop. If you take this train, you should stop at the Casa de la Cultura to start the route.
This route begins at the tourist office located in Plaza del Mosquit, which is accessible for people with physical and hearing disabilities.
We start walking along C/ Cervantes until we reach C/ Mayor. At this point, you should turn left and walk until you reach the Plaza de España. Continuing in a straight line, you reach C/ Campanar, easily identifiable by its brightly colored houses (purple, green, blue...) and its balconies and windows decorated with a large number of plants and flowers. From there, you reach the Plaza Beato Francisco Sendra and you must turn right until you reach the Torreón de la Peça and the old walls.
Crossing the great arch is the Museum of Collecting, which is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.
From this point, we continue towards the parish church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, which is accessible and from there, we can access the Old Church.
We continue along Calle Vicente Gallart, where we can see murals painted on numerous buildings.
When arriving at C/ Mayor, the normal tourist route would have us turn right, but we will go left and head towards C/ del Santísimo Cristo, where the Museo La Casa de la Senyoreta is located (only the ground floor is accessible). From this museum, we continue towards C/ Soledat, which ends at Plaza Don Manuel Miró.
The accessible itinerary continues by turning left along C/ Pedro García Ortiz until C/ Puchalt. This is undoubtedly the most photographed street in the historic center of Calpe. The colors of the Spanish flag reside in its steps and planters, making a visit to this charming corner more than recommended.
From here, we head towards the Plaza de los Marineros, from where a descent towards the Arenal beach begins.
Capri Restaurant & Bar https://caprirestaurante.es/
With more than 25 years of history, this restaurant right in front of the sea, specializes in fresh fish and shellfish brought from the Calpe fish market every afternoon...
This restaurant is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
- Address and contact:
- Av. Gabriel Miró, 40 , Calpe (Alicante)
- Telephone: (+34) 608 83 56 56 or (+34) 965 83 06 14
- Email: capri.resto@gmail.com
In bocca al Lupo Italian Restaurant:
Located at the end of Fossa beach, this Italian restaurant with beautiful views of the sea will surprise you with its wood-fired oven pizzas and incredible specialty pasta dishes.
This restaurant is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
- Address and contact:
- Partida de la Fosa 3, 03710 Calpe (Allicante)
- Telephone: (+34) 966942953
Audrey's Restaurant: https://www.audreys.es/
The evolution of Valencian cuisine without the loss of gastronomic memory. This Michelin star restaurant is one of the best gastronomic proposals in Calpe and is also accessible to people with reduced mobility.
