# Tabarca Island

The only inhabited island in the Comunitat Valenciana: boats from Alicante and Santa Pola, 18th-century walls, snorkelling in the marine reserve and caldero.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/tabarca-island · Revisado: 2026-11-13

Tabarca is the only inhabited island in the Comunitat Valenciana: 1,800 metres long and 400 wide off Cape Santa Pola, eleven miles from Alicante. At one end, a white village inside an 18th-century wall; at the other, a scrubland plain with a tower and a lighthouse. All around, the first marine reserve in Spain. You arrive by boat, explore on foot and eat caldero. It is a perfect Sunday from Alicante, Elche or Murcia, and a different kind of night if you stay when the boats leave.

## How do I get there from Alicante?

By boat from the city's port. Cruceros Kontiki leaves from paseo de los Mártires de la Libertad and takes around an hour. The return ticket costs €24, free from ages 0 to 4, and the return leg is open. On Saturdays and Sundays there are departures at 10:45 and 12:15, with returns at 14:30 and 17:00; on weekdays, one boat at 11:30 and a return at 16:30. The boat company warns that the timetable is confirmed when you collect the ticket. You can walk to Alicante port from the centre, so you don't need a car. If you prefer a whole day at sea, from April to October a sailing catamaran also leaves, anchoring for three hours off the island, with paella on board, for €75.

## And from Murcia or Elche?

Drive to Santa Pola: from Elche it is about 20 minutes and from Murcia a little under an hour on the motorway. From the Santa Pola quay, Tabarbus crosses in about 15 minutes, with departures every half hour from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:30, and returns every hour until 21:00. It does not publish prices on its website: book and ask on 687 916 450. From 2 March to 31 October, Viajes Isla Tabarca crosses in a glass-bottom catamaran that stops for ten minutes over the marine reserve: €15 return, with dogs free. Outside the season, Santa Pola is the port with the most boats. Park with time to spare: in summer the area around the port fills up early.

## What is there to see on the island?

It all fits into a walk of two or three hours, flat and car-free. From the quay you reach the Museo Nueva Tabarca, free, which tells how Charles III ordered the island to be fortified and a village built for the Genoese families rescued from the Tunisian port of Tabarka. You enter the walled enclosure through the San Rafael Gate, also called the Levante Gate, and walk along straight streets to the church of San Pedro y San Pablo, from the 18th century, beside the sea. The walls are a Historic-Artistic Ensemble and a Site of Cultural Interest.

Outside the village, a path crosses the countryside eastwards, to the San José Tower and the lighthouse. The tower served as a state prison in the 19th century; the lighthouse has a square plan. If you are interested in birds, Avanzatour runs a guided birdwatching morning through coves, countryside and pinewood, with the boat from Santa Pola. At the eastern end, Punta Falcón, the island is certified as a Starlight site: if you sleep here, at night you see the sky with hardly any light pollution.

## Can you snorkel?

Yes, and it is the best thing on the island. In the inner waters snorkelling is free and needs no permit; recreational fishing is prohibited and scuba diving requires authorisation. Beneath the surface there are meadows of posidonia and rock with fish just a few metres from the shore. If you prefer to go with an instructor, Tabarca Snorkel runs tours of 1 h 20 min from the island for €21, or of 4 h 30 min with the boat from Alicante for €45. To dive with a tank, Scuba Elx sails all year from Santa Pola port to the reserve's dive sites and nearby wrecks: dives from €38 and a discovery dive from age 10 for €110. The rules: don't touch or disturb the animals, don't feed the fish, don't take anything living, carry a buoy and don't go in when there are waves.

## Where do I eat?

The island's dish is caldero: rice cooked in rock-fish stock and served in two parts, first the rice and then the fish with potato and alioli. The official guide lists about twenty places, almost all on the central beach and on calle Virgen del Carmen. Here are three with their address and phone number: Los Pescadores, with which Kontiki puts together its boat-and-lunch package for groups; La Almadraba, inside the village; and Mar Azul, facing the water. None publishes opening hours: call beforehand, especially from November to March, and book in summer.

## Is it worth sleeping on the island?

If you can, yes. After the last boat, around five o'clock, the island empties and the village goes back to belonging to those who live in it. There are small hotels inside the wall: the Hotel Boutique Isla de Tabarca, three-star and open all year; the Hostal Masín, with quadruple rooms; and Cala Tabarca, a six-room bed and breakfast with terraces over the sea.

## When to go

From April to June and in September and October: the water is clear, there are boats every day and the beach doesn't fill up. In July and August the island receives all the boats at midday at the same time; get up early or stay overnight. From 15 June to 15 September there are lifeguards on the beach from 11:00 to 19:00. In winter there are fewer departures and some restaurants close on weekdays. In a strong easterly the boats may not sail: call the boat company that morning.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Elche (a 22.2 km), Villajoyosa (a 43.6 km), Altea (a 60.8 km), Guadalest and the Guadalest Valley (a 61.6 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Boat to Tabarca from Alicante harbour** (1 h · For everyone; free from 0 to 4 · Desde 24 € return): The Cruceros Kontiki boat leaves from the centre of Alicante, on Paseo de los Mártires de la Libertad, and drops you at Tabarca harbour about an hour later. You do not need a car or parking: the quay is reached on foot from the Explanada. It is the most direct way to the island if you are sleeping in the city or arrive by train or plane.
Open ticket at €24
The return ticket costs €24 and is free up to age 4; from age 5 children need their own ticket, and the website does not publish a different children's fare, so ask. You choose the outward time and the return is open: you take whichever return boat you prefer that same day. It is bought on the website, choosing the date and time and downloading the ticket, or at the ticket office at the harbour, which sells until about 40 minutes before each departure. For groups of 20 or more there is a separate offer, requested through the contact form.
November 2026 timetables
From Monday to Friday there is a single departure, at 11:30, and a single return from the island, at 16:30: five hours on Tabarca. On Saturdays and Sundays two boats leave, at 10:45 and 12:15, and return at 14:30 and 17:00. The operator warns that timetables are confirmed when you collect your ticket and may change without notice on the website; in a strong levante (easterly wind), call the operator's numbers that morning (686 994 540 or 695 212 063).
On board and on arrival
Two of the operator's three boats have underwater viewing, which opens when you enter the marine reserve and lasts until you disembark. Pets are allowed and there is space for luggage, so it also works if you are staying overnight: keep your ticket, use the return on the day you come back and tell the crew before getting off so they can confirm the time. When you disembark you have the Nueva Tabarca Museum a few steps away and the San Rafael Gate opposite.
Boat and lunch
For groups of six or more, Kontiki sells a package with the boat and a typical rice dish at Los Pescadores, on the central beach. Prior booking is compulsory, by phone or WhatsApp on 686 994 540; the website does not publish the price.
- **Walls and San Rafael Gate** (45 min · For everyone; flat · Free): What it is
Charles III ordered Tabarca to be fortified in the 18th century and a village built inside for the Genoese families ransomed from the Tunisian port of Tabarka. The walls around the old town are a Historic-Artistic Site and a Site of Cultural Interest. You enter through the Levante Gate, also called San Rafael, and inside you walk along straight streets of low houses, with the church at the far end. It is a short, flat walk that is best done on arrival, before the beach fills up.
The three gates
The San Rafael Gate, or Levante, is today the main entrance; formerly it was reached by crossing the moat. It is flanked by the bastions of San Pedro and San Pablo and is Doric in order, with pilasters. The San Miguel Gate, also called North, Land or Alicante, was the main entrance in the 18th century, from the small quay now called the old harbour, and is flanked by the Príncipe bastion. The San Gabriel Gate, or Poniente or Trancada, gives access to the islet of La Cantera, from where the stone to build the village was quarried; it has Tuscan pilasters and the inscription "CAROLVS III HISPANIARUM REX FECIT EDIFICAVIT". From it you can see the islet well, but you should not go across because it is a bird breeding area.
Bastions and coves
The Princesa bastion and the wall-walk of the north wall are among the best preserved; beneath them are large chambers that were used as artillery stores. The Tenaza Grande of the Count of Aranda, a badly deteriorated angle of the wall, can be seen from the beach. Between the wall sections open the cove and cave of the Birros and the Guardia cove, with the Llop Marí cave, one of the last refuges of the monk seal in these waters.
Walking them
Alicante City Council proposes a 1,575-metre Monumental Trail, about two hours at an easy pace, easy and flat, linking the gates, the bastions, the church of San Pedro y San Pablo and the Governor's House. The ensemble has been a Historic Site since 1964.
- **Boat to Tabarca from Santa Pola** (15 min · For everyone): Santa Pola is the port closest to Tabarca, right opposite the cape, and from its quay Tabarbus crosses in about 15 minutes. It is the departure to choose if you are arriving by car from Elche, Murcia or the south of the province, and the one with the most boats when the other operators cut services.
A boat every half hour
Tabarbus works with a fast boat-taxi and publishes a very dense timetable. From Santa Pola it leaves every half hour from 9:00 to 14:00 and again from 16:00 to 20:30. From the island it returns every hour, from 9:30 to 13:30 in the morning and from 16:30 to 21:00 in the afternoon. Between 14:00 and 16:30 there are no boats, so if you eat on the island, the first afternoon return is the 16:30. The last one, at 21:00, lets you watch the sunset from the harbour before boarding.
Price and booking, by phone
The Tabarbus website does not publish fares or distinguish seasons. You book by calling 687 916 450, and it is on that call that they give you the price and confirm the day's timetables. The company advertises discounts at some of the island's restaurants and group prices for the boat and the meal: ask about them when you book, because the website does not detail them. It also says nothing about dogs or pushchairs; if you are travelling with either, ask on the same call.
Getting to the quay
Boarding is at the Santa Pola quay. Park around the harbour with half an hour to spare: in summer it fills up early. If you do not have a car, from Alicante city it is simpler to take the direct Kontiki boat, which leaves from the centre.
Out of season
In winter it is the safest option. The Alicante Tourism Board states that out of season the usual connection to the island is from Santa Pola. The Nueva Tabarca Museum opens in the morning with the arrival of these boats, Wednesday to Sunday. Between March and October you have another option from the same harbour: the glass-bottom catamaran, which takes longer but stops for ten minutes over the reserve.
- **Church of San Pedro y San Pablo** (15 min · For everyone · Free): What it is
The church of San Pedro y San Pablo is the largest building in the village, built in the 18th century inside the walled enclosure, at its western end. Its stone façade closes off the main street and is the best place to understand the layout of the village. The official guide does not publish visiting hours for the interior: if it is open, go in; if not, the walk is worthwhile anyway.
History
The church was blessed in 1775, a few years after some 300 people of Genoese origin arrived on the island in 1770, former captives ransomed by the Crown in the time of Charles III, who had lived on the Tunisian island of Tabarka. The walled citadel of San Pablo was built for them, a project driven by the Count of Aranda as part of the new Enlightenment settlements. The church is one of its most representative buildings and one of those that organise the layout of the village.
What it is like
It has a rectangular plan, with a single nave and the canonical east-to-west orientation. The portico and the large windows are Baroque in inspiration, with curves and warped surfaces. It is worth walking round it: from its sides you can see how the straight streets of the enclosure fit between the walls.
On the walk
It is stop 7 on the Monumental Trail suggested by Alicante City Council: 1,575 metres, about two hours and easy difficulty. It leaves the harbour, passes the Nueva Tabarca Museum, the San Rafael Gate, Plaza de Carloforte, the San Miguel Gate and, after the church, the Princesa bastion, the San Gabriel Gate, Plaza Mayor and the Governor's House, now a hotel, before ending at the beach. In Plaza Mayor, look at the four cistern wells at the corners. If you only have time for one walk, combine the church with the walls and the San Rafael Gate.
- **Nueva Tabarca Museum** (30 min · For everyone; a good option if it is windy · Free): What it is
Beside the harbour, facing the Grande beach, the Nueva Tabarca Museum tells the island's story: the Barbary pirates, the founding of the village with the Genoese families and the life of the fishermen. Entry is free. It opens Wednesday to Sunday: in winter from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 15:30 to 16:30; in summer from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:30. The council warns that the hours may change because of the weather.
Before you go: the state of the museum
The council's page for the museum warns that the exhibition room is being refurbished and that only the audiovisual room can be visited; the same page also shows a notice of closure until further notice. Before counting on it, call 965 960 175 or write to museotabarca@alicante.es. In the meantime, the full text of the exhibition can be downloaded as a PDF in Spanish, Valencian and English from that same website.
What it tells
The museum opened in May 2004 in the former tuna-trap store, refurbished as a services building, on Paseo Miguel Ángel Blanco. It has two rooms. The audiovisual room welcomes visitors with backlit historic photographs, the display case "An Island in a Display Case" and an audiovisual on the islanders' relationship with the sea. The exhibition room covers the island's geography and geology, its marine biodiversity, its ethnographic heritage and its history, and has a raised space for school activities and talks.
Hours and groups
According to the council, it opens Wednesday to Sunday with hours adapted to the boats: in the morning from 10:45, with the arrival of the boats from Santa Pola, and in summer from 11:45, with those from Alicante. Group visits are requested in advance by phone or at conserjeria.museotabarca@alicante.es. If it is closed, the walk along the walls tells much of the same story in the open air.
- **Walk to the San José Tower and the lighthouse** (1 h · 1.5 km · For everyone; no shade · Free): What it is
Outside the wall, the island is a plain of low scrub without trees. A path leads from the beach eastwards, first to the San José Tower, a watchtower that in the 19th century was a State prison, and then to the lighthouse, with a square plan. From the village to the lighthouse is a little under a kilometre; there and back, with stops, an hour. At the eastern end, Punta Falcón, the island is certified as a Starlight site for night-sky viewing.
The tower and the lighthouse
The San José Tower rises almost in the middle of the Isla Plana. It is a military tower with a square plan and truncated-pyramid elevation, built around 1791 by the engineer Francisco Gilve Federichi, according to Alicante City Council; Turisme Comunitat Valenciana dates it to 1790. The lighthouse, further east, dates from 1854 and was built to plans by Agustín Elcoro Berocíbar. It was the first in the Levante area in the wave of lighthouses of the mid-19th century, designed to prevent shipwrecks among the island's reefs.
The El Campo Nature Trail
The council proposes a circular route of 2,800 metres, about two hours and easy difficulty. It starts at La Purissimeta, climbing from the beach along the south edge towards the Menaca cove, and continues with views of the islet of La Galera, good for birdwatching, and of the Roig and Negre reefs, with outcrops of volcanic rock. It passes the tower, the farmhouse called El Cortijo and the lighthouse, reaches Punta Falcón, opposite the islet of La Nao, a plant micro-reserve, and returns along the north coast, looking towards Cape Santa Pola, as far as La Mina, next to the harbour.
Walk on the marked paths, do not pick plants, keep your dog on a lead and take your rubbish with you.
At night
From Punta Falcón you can see Orion, Taurus, Auriga and Gemini in winter, and Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, Scorpius and Sagittarius in summer. To stay and watch the sky you will have to sleep on the island: the last Tabarbus boat to Santa Pola leaves at 21:00.
- **Guided snorkelling in the Tabarca marine reserve** (1 h 20 · For confident swimmers · Desde 21 € per person): Tabarca's waters were declared a marine reserve in 1986, the first in Spain, and all it takes is looking in with a mask and snorkel a few metres from the shore to see posidonia, rock and fish. Tabarca Snorkel runs guided tours on the island with an instructor who leads the group, the equipment and photos. There are no departures until next season: the company has closed its 2026 season and says on its website that it returns next year.
Two ways to do it with the company
The tour on the island lasts 1 h 20 min and costs €21. It includes instructor, all the equipment, insurance and photos, but not the boat: you get to Tabarca on your own, with the boat from Alicante or the one from Santa Pola. On the booking form you choose a time from three sessions, at 12:15, 13:45 and 15:30.
The tour with a boat from Alicante costs €45 and takes 4 h 30 min in total, with the return ferry from the city harbour. The company asks you to choose the ferry departure at least an hour before the tour time. Its office is at the Muelle de Tráfico Interior in Alicante harbour, on Paseo de Tomás y Valiente.
If you prefer to go your own way, they rent equipment for the whole day from €9, with pick-up at Alicante harbour.
What is under the water
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the reserve covers 1,754 hectares, with depths from 0 to 40 metres and posidonia meadows in very good condition. The Alicante Tourism Board mentions groupers, gilthead bream, sea bass, sargo and octopus; the company adds lobsters, starfish, underwater caves and loggerhead turtles.
The reserve's rules
In the inner waters snorkelling is free and needs no permit. Recreational fishing is prohibited and scuba diving needs authorisation. Do not touch or disturb the animals, do not feed the fish and do not take anything living from the seabed. The Board recommends carrying a buoy, better with a life jacket if you are not a confident swimmer, not entering in swell, currents or murky water, and watching for boats in summer.
What the company does not publish
Neither a minimum age, nor the swimming level required, nor what happens if the sea does not allow departures. The form asks whether any children under 13 are coming: say so when you book and ask about the rest there, on 622 208 127 or 622 321 801.
- **Tabarca Beach** (2 h · For everyone; coarse sand, bring water shoes · Free): What it is
Tabarca beach opens out in front of the harbour, on the isthmus between the village and the countryside. It has coarse sand and very clear water. From 15 June to 15 September there are lifeguards from 11:00 to 19:00 and, in season, an assisted bathing service for people with reduced mobility. In summer it fills up at midday with the boats; out of season it is a quiet walk.
Where it is
The beach occupies the isthmus in the middle of the Isla Plana, between the inhabited part and El Campo, and faces south. It is a couple of minutes from the quay, and is the end of the Monumental Trail that runs through the village. From the sand you can see the Tenaza Grande of the Count of Aranda, an angle of the village wall.
Other coves
If the beach is full, the island has smaller corners, most of them rocky. On the south edge of the inhabited area open the cove and cave of the Birros and the Guardia cove, with the Llop Marí cave, with very clear water. Behind the present harbour is La Mina, a tiny beach with a rock in the middle that was used to hide contraband. All the water around is a marine reserve: if you bring a mask and snorkel, check the rules in the entry for snorkelling in the marine reserve.
Tips
The Alicante Tourism Board recommends not swimming in murky water, swell or currents, carrying a buoy and, better, a life jacket, not feeding the fish and not taking living things from the seabed. In summer an information point operates on the island (965 177 201). To get there, see the boat from Alicante or the boat from Santa Pola.
- **Scuba Diving in the Tabarca Marine Reserve from Santa Pola** (3 h · Dives for certified divers; introductory dive with no experience from age 10 · Desde 38 € per dive): Beneath the boats that come and go from Tabarca there is rock, posidonia and big fish that are not afraid. To see them up close, with a tank, you set out from Santa Pola.
What is underwater
The Tabarca marine reserve was created in 1986 and was the first in Spain. It protects 1,754 hectares around the island, with seabeds from 0 to 40 metres and healthy posidonia meadows. Recreational fishing is prohibited, and underwater you can tell. Outside the reserve, the seabed off Santa Pola holds several wrecks, from sunken wooden boats to steel First World War cargo ships.
Scuba diving inside the reserve needs authorisation and has set sites and days, so the simplest way is to go with a centre that handles it. Scuba Elx, a PADI centre based in the port of Santa Pola, sails all year to the island, about twenty minutes by boat. The water runs from 14 °C in winter to 28 °C at the end of summer.
The dive sites
Inside the reserve, the basic-level ones are Escull Negre and La Nao, between 2 and 13 metres: the first with holes in the rock where you should bring a torch, the second with rock formations and two arches. The Artificial Reefs, between 20 and 24 metres, and Merolandia 24, with caves, are intermediate level; Merolandia 28, advanced, is descended by the anchor line. El Claro 10, a sandy bottom, is used for introductory dives and courses. For the deepest sites the centre recommends nitrox.
Outside the reserve are Tabarca Reef, a rock barrier at 10–14 metres, Wreck 19, the Cuca, a wooden one, at 24 metres, and for advanced divers the Congrios wreck, the Cardi boat and the Anchor, an old anchor of more than six metres, at over 30. The cargo ships Mardinian and Ville de Verdun, between 42 and 56 metres, are technical dives with a surcharge.
When you can dive
The inner waters of the reserve are dived all year. From 1 October to 31 March, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; from 1 April to 30 September, also on Tuesdays. The outer waters, with La Nao and Merolandia, are not dived in January, and from April to September there are departures every day. Places are limited, so book in advance. You no longer need to process the reserve permit a week ahead, but on the day of the dive you must have your certification, ID and diving insurance with you, and the insurance can be taken out that morning at the centre.
How much it costs to go down
A dive without equipment costs €38; with tank and weights, €43; with full equipment, €63. The double dive with full equipment is €106 and the night dive, from €42. For those who dive often there are passes of 6 dives, for €236.50, and of 12, for €430, tank only. If you want to get certified, the PADI Open Water Diver costs €449.
The introductory dive, if you have never dived
The introductory dive costs €110 and is from age 10; under-18s need parental permission. You do not need to be able to swim, because you only kick with your legs. It starts with a short theory class at the centre, continues with about twenty minutes by boat and a dive with an instructor just for you, with all equipment, insurance and a soft drink. The centre does it from a boat near the coast; ask when you book whether that day goes to Tabarca. Afterwards there are showers in the changing rooms, and if you do the Open Water in the following six months, they discount part of it.
Before and after
The centre is on avenida Jesús Astondoa Santamaría, on the Santa Pola port promenade. If you want to set foot on the island the same day, the boat from Santa Pola crosses in a quarter of an hour, and the caldero at Mar Azul waits on the central beach.
- **Glass-Bottom Catamaran from Santa Pola to Tabarca** (40 min · For everyone; baby buggies fit · Desde 15 € return per adult): If you want to see the Tabarca seabed without getting wet, this is the boat. Viajes Isla Tabarca crosses from Santa Pola to the island in glass-hulled catamarans and, on the outward trip, stops for about ten minutes in the marine reserve so you can look down through the four viewing windows. The crossing is about 25 minutes; with the stop, 35 to 40 from port to port.
What you see through the glass
The boat stops over the reserve, the first in Spain, with posidonia meadows and rock. You go down to the viewing windows in the hull and see the seabed and the fish without equipment or goggles. What you see depends on the state of the sea that day. If you then want to see it up close, on the island there is the guided snorkelling.
Tickets and times
The ticket is return and open: no fixed time to come back and valid all season. Bought online it costs €15 for over-8s and €12 for ages 4 to 8; with the QR you board through the priority queue. Under-4s do not pay, and neither do dogs, with no ticket needed. In July and August it leaves Santa Pola at 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 15:30 and 17:00, and returns from Tabarca at 10:45, 12:15, 13:45, 16:15 and 17:45. The company gives 17:00 as the last return somewhere on its website, so confirm it. It operates every day, public holidays included, from 2 March to 31 October; in winter there is no regular service.
How to get to the port
It leaves from the Santa Pola Fishing Port, at avenida de los Baños, 1, where the ticket office is, open from 9:00 to 20:30 in season. In summer, leave plenty of time to park. If the sea does not allow sailing, the company notifies anyone who bought online and changes the date or refunds the money; for the day, call or write to 623 526 591.
- **Day Sailing on a Catamaran from Alicante with Paella at Anchor off Tabarca** (6 h · For everyone who enjoys boats; children aged 4 to 12, reduced fare · Desde 75 € per adult): This is the slow way to get to Tabarca: under sail, from the port of Alicante, on a maxi catamaran from Alicante Catamarán. It is six hours: an hour and a half sailing along the coast, three hours at anchor off the island to swim, snorkel and eat, and an hour and a half back. It suits those who want a day on a boat more than a day in a village; if what you are after is walking the walls and eating on the island, the regular boat from Alicante gives you more hours ashore.
The day on board
You board at 10:45 on the pontoon of Alicante port and set off at 11:00. Around 12:30, the catamaran anchors off Tabarca. From the stern ladder you dive into the water with the mask and snorkel the crew lend you, leaving a photo ID; the snorkelling is not guided, but the sailor-lifeguards keep watch. If you want to set foot on the island, an inflatable boat takes you to the beach and you can stroll round the village. From 13:00 to 14:30 lunch is served on board. At 15:30 the anchor is raised and at 17:00 you are back in Alicante.
Food and drink
The menu is mixed salad, chicken, vegetarian or fish paella, and fruit salad with homemade syrup. The paella is prepared by the island's restaurant Gloria and brought up to the boat. Water, soft drinks and juices are included without limit, plus a beer, a wine or a tinto de verano. You cannot bring food or drink from outside; there is a bar on board for anything else, preferably with cash, because by card the minimum is €10.
Prices and season
€75 per adult and €45 for ages 4 to 12. Groups of ten or more get 10% off in low season, which in 2027 runs from 10 April to 16 May and from 13 September to 17 October. It sails on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from April to October, and also on Thursdays in July and August, days the company gives as indicative. It is now stopped for the winter: it returns in April 2027. Book on 694 443 820 or at info@alicantecatamaran.com.
- **Guided Birdwatching on Tabarca Island** (5 h · 4 km · For anyone who can walk 4 km without shade · Desde 105 € per person): Almost everyone who goes to Tabarca looks down, at the water. This outing looks up. Avanzatour runs a five-hour morning with an ornithologist guide: a boat from Santa Pola, about 4 km on foot around the island and stops at observation points to see the seabirds that live here or pass through.
Which birds you look for
The island is small, but brings together different habitats: rocky coves, the open ground of the east, with the San José tower and the lighthouse, and pine areas. The guide looks for terns, gulls and shearwaters over the sea, and the shag, which is resident. On migration passes, waders also appear on the shores along with small birds, passerines, which stop to rest in the scrub before continuing. Each stop is used to show how to tell one from another with binoculars.
What the morning is like
You meet at the port of Santa Pola and cross by boat to the island, a short crossing. The walk is about 4 km and low difficulty, along the paths that lead from the walled village into the countryside. There is a picnic break in a quiet corner; the listing does not make clear whether it is included, so ask when you book. At the end you return by boat: the company gives Santa Pola as the departure point, but its text at one point mentions the return to the port of Alicante, so confirm that as well.
Price and booking
From €105 per person, with the ornithologist guide, the return boat and civil liability insurance. The published schedule is 9:00 to 14:00, although the company adjusts it by time of year. The transfer to the port is not included: without it, you need your own car. Book on 622 202 210 or at turismo@avanzatour.es.
Afterwards, if you stay on the island for lunch, the caldero at La Almadraba is inside the village; and if you stay overnight, at nightfall the east end, at Punta Falcón, has the dark sky that gave Tabarca its Starlight certificate.

## Dónde comer
- **Los Pescadores Restaurant** (Restaurant, Tabarca, €€). Qué pedir: the caldero, which serves the rice first and then the fish with potato and alioli.
- **La Almadraba Restaurant** (Restaurant, Tabarca, €€). Qué pedir: caldero or a fish rice dish; ask about the fish of the day.
- **Mar Azul Restaurant** (Restaurant, Tabarca, €€). Qué pedir: the soupy rice with lechola, or the chopped tomato with capellán to start.

## Car-free: Without a car, by boat from Alicante harbour
Tabarca is an island without cars, so travelling without a car is the natural way: you walk to Alicante harbour from the centre and an hour by boat later you are at the island's quay. There, everything is done on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Boutique Hotel Isla de Tabarca** (Small hotel): Staying overnight on Tabarca changes the island: from the last afternoon boat, the village goes back to belonging to those who live in it. The Boutique Hotel Isla de Tabarca is an independent three-star hotel with 14 rooms at Calle Arzola, 2, inside the walled village. Turisme Comunitat Valenciana lists it as open all year.
Thirteen doubles and a junior suite
The hotel has 13 double rooms, bright and colourful, and a Family Junior Suite. The doubles take two adults and one child; some have sea views, which the hotel allocates according to availability, so ask when you book without taking it for granted. The Junior Suite is larger and set up for four people. All have free wifi, air conditioning, heating, a Smart TV with satellite channels and a safe. If you need a cot or an extra bed in a double, the hotel asks you to check directly.
Breakfast and the café
Breakfast is among the room services and the hotel has a café with views of the Mediterranean. The website does not say whether breakfast is included in all rates or what time it is served: ask when you book. There is no restaurant for lunch and dinner, but on the same Calle Arzola, at number 27, is the Nou Collonet, and on the central beach you have, among others, Mar Azul and Los Pescadores.
Arriving with luggage
You can only reach Tabarca by boat and no cars circulate on the island: from the quay you walk to Calle Arzola. The hotel does not say it collects luggage at the harbour. Kontiki, from Alicante, accepts suitcases on board and lets you use the return part of the ticket on the day you come back; Tabarbus, from Santa Pola, has its last return boat at 21:00. The car stays on the mainland.
What to do when the boats leave
As evening falls the wall and the harbour can be walked without crowds. At night, the path to the tower and the lighthouse leads to Punta Falcón, the eastern end, certified as a Starlight site: in winter you see Orion and Gemini; in summer, Scorpius and Sagittarius. And first thing in the morning, before the boats arrive, the beach is almost empty.
Dogs and children
Pets are not allowed. With children, the double works for two adults and one small child; for four, the Family Junior Suite.
- **Hostal Masín** (Small hotel): Simple rooms in the middle of the village
The Hostal Masín is at number 22 Carrer d'Enmig, the central street of Tabarca's walled enclosure. It is a family business: two brothers opened it in 1998 and they present it as a home more than a hotel. It has one-star status and a nearby annexe, the Nuevo Masín, on Calle Virgen del Carmen, which the island's official guide lists as a guesthouse.
The rooms
At the Hostal Masín there are three types. The double with a double bed has a balcony onto the main street, a desk and a marble floor; the double with two beds overlooks an inner terrace; and the quadruple has four single beds. All have a private bathroom, air conditioning, wardrobe, fridge, television and free wifi.
At the Nuevo Masín the rooms have a sitting room: a double with a sitting room on the ground floor, a quadruple with a sitting room with a double bed and two singles, and the superior quadruple, with the same layout and a balcony with sea views. They also have a private bathroom, air conditioning, television and wifi.
Practical rules
According to its FAQ, check-in is from 16:00, as an approximate time, and check-out until 12:00. When you arrive on the island you can leave your luggage at the guesthouse even if the room is not ready, and the same on the day you leave until you catch the boat. As a general rule pets are not allowed; if you are travelling with one, call and ask. Bookings made on its website are paid in full in advance.
They answer by phone on 676 974 423, from 9:00 to 13:00, and on 639 122 618, from 17:00 to 20:00, or by email at info@hostalmasintabarca.com. The website does not publish prices or whether it opens all year: availability is checked by dates in its search tool.
Getting there
You reach Tabarca by boat from Alicante or from Santa Pola. From the quay to the guesthouse you walk, in a few minutes, because no cars circulate within the village.
Who it is for
For families and groups who want to stay a night on the island without paying for a hotel: the quadruples allow four people to sleep in one room. From the door you are a few minutes from the church of San Pedro y San Pablo, the Nueva Tabarca Museum and the beach.
- **Cala Tabarca B&B** (Small hotel): Six rooms named after sea animals
Cala Tabarca is a small bed and breakfast on Calle Pascual Ros Aguilar, inside the island's walled village, with breakfast included in the stay. It has only six rooms and each is named after an animal of the sea around the island, which is a marine reserve. Its motto is the true spirit of Tabarca: sleeping on the island once the day-trippers' boats have gone and the village goes back to belonging to those who live in it.
The rooms
There are three pairs of rooms, according to its website:

Pulpo and Estrella de Mar: doubles with a patio. Pulpo has a double bed and Estrella de Mar a large double bed.
Medusita and Caballito de Mar: doubles with a terrace and sea views, with a large double bed and a sofa bed.
Suite Deluxe Caracola: with a sea terrace, one large double bed and two single beds, for four people.
Suite Deluxe Medusa: with a sea terrace, a double bed and a single bed, for three.

The website does not detail equipment such as air conditioning, television or wifi, nor check-in and check-out times, nor its policy on pets or children. Ask before booking on 691 228 811 or at info@calatabarca.com.
Direct booking
Booking is through its online engine, which gives prices and availability by date. Its website offers, for direct bookings, a best-rate guarantee, free cancellation within the period stated on each booking and late check-out at no cost when available. It also sells gift cards.
Getting to the island
You cannot reach Tabarca by car: you go by boat from Alicante or from Santa Pola, and from the quay to the B&B you walk through the village. Travel light: no cars circulate within the village and the suitcase goes by hand. If you leave the car at the departure port, expect to pay for parking for every day of your stay.
What to do from here
The B&B itself suggests what makes sleeping on the island worthwhile: snorkelling in the marine reserve over the posidonia meadows, kayaking or paddle surfing around the island, the walk round Tabarca, a tour of the walls, gates, squares and church, the coves and caves when the sea allows and, above all, the evening stroll when the last boats leave.
For that, on the island you have snorkelling in the marine reserve, the walls and the San Rafael Gate, the church of San Pedro y San Pablo and the San José tower and the lighthouse. It is accommodation for couples or small families looking for calm more than hotel services.

## By car: By car to Santa Pola and a short boat trip
If you are coming by car from Murcia, Elche or the south, drive to Santa Pola harbour and leave the car there: the crossing to the island takes about 15 minutes and leaves every half hour. From Alicante, the direct boat saves you driving.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Boutique Hotel Isla de Tabarca** (Small hotel): Staying overnight on Tabarca changes the island: from the last afternoon boat, the village goes back to belonging to those who live in it. The Boutique Hotel Isla de Tabarca is an independent three-star hotel with 14 rooms at Calle Arzola, 2, inside the walled village. Turisme Comunitat Valenciana lists it as open all year.
Thirteen doubles and a junior suite
The hotel has 13 double rooms, bright and colourful, and a Family Junior Suite. The doubles take two adults and one child; some have sea views, which the hotel allocates according to availability, so ask when you book without taking it for granted. The Junior Suite is larger and set up for four people. All have free wifi, air conditioning, heating, a Smart TV with satellite channels and a safe. If you need a cot or an extra bed in a double, the hotel asks you to check directly.
Breakfast and the café
Breakfast is among the room services and the hotel has a café with views of the Mediterranean. The website does not say whether breakfast is included in all rates or what time it is served: ask when you book. There is no restaurant for lunch and dinner, but on the same Calle Arzola, at number 27, is the Nou Collonet, and on the central beach you have, among others, Mar Azul and Los Pescadores.
Arriving with luggage
You can only reach Tabarca by boat and no cars circulate on the island: from the quay you walk to Calle Arzola. The hotel does not say it collects luggage at the harbour. Kontiki, from Alicante, accepts suitcases on board and lets you use the return part of the ticket on the day you come back; Tabarbus, from Santa Pola, has its last return boat at 21:00. The car stays on the mainland.
What to do when the boats leave
As evening falls the wall and the harbour can be walked without crowds. At night, the path to the tower and the lighthouse leads to Punta Falcón, the eastern end, certified as a Starlight site: in winter you see Orion and Gemini; in summer, Scorpius and Sagittarius. And first thing in the morning, before the boats arrive, the beach is almost empty.
Dogs and children
Pets are not allowed. With children, the double works for two adults and one small child; for four, the Family Junior Suite.
- **Hostal Masín** (Small hotel): Simple rooms in the middle of the village
The Hostal Masín is at number 22 Carrer d'Enmig, the central street of Tabarca's walled enclosure. It is a family business: two brothers opened it in 1998 and they present it as a home more than a hotel. It has one-star status and a nearby annexe, the Nuevo Masín, on Calle Virgen del Carmen, which the island's official guide lists as a guesthouse.
The rooms
At the Hostal Masín there are three types. The double with a double bed has a balcony onto the main street, a desk and a marble floor; the double with two beds overlooks an inner terrace; and the quadruple has four single beds. All have a private bathroom, air conditioning, wardrobe, fridge, television and free wifi.
At the Nuevo Masín the rooms have a sitting room: a double with a sitting room on the ground floor, a quadruple with a sitting room with a double bed and two singles, and the superior quadruple, with the same layout and a balcony with sea views. They also have a private bathroom, air conditioning, television and wifi.
Practical rules
According to its FAQ, check-in is from 16:00, as an approximate time, and check-out until 12:00. When you arrive on the island you can leave your luggage at the guesthouse even if the room is not ready, and the same on the day you leave until you catch the boat. As a general rule pets are not allowed; if you are travelling with one, call and ask. Bookings made on its website are paid in full in advance.
They answer by phone on 676 974 423, from 9:00 to 13:00, and on 639 122 618, from 17:00 to 20:00, or by email at info@hostalmasintabarca.com. The website does not publish prices or whether it opens all year: availability is checked by dates in its search tool.
Getting there
You reach Tabarca by boat from Alicante or from Santa Pola. From the quay to the guesthouse you walk, in a few minutes, because no cars circulate within the village.
Who it is for
For families and groups who want to stay a night on the island without paying for a hotel: the quadruples allow four people to sleep in one room. From the door you are a few minutes from the church of San Pedro y San Pablo, the Nueva Tabarca Museum and the beach.
- **Cala Tabarca B&B** (Small hotel): Six rooms named after sea animals
Cala Tabarca is a small bed and breakfast on Calle Pascual Ros Aguilar, inside the island's walled village, with breakfast included in the stay. It has only six rooms and each is named after an animal of the sea around the island, which is a marine reserve. Its motto is the true spirit of Tabarca: sleeping on the island once the day-trippers' boats have gone and the village goes back to belonging to those who live in it.
The rooms
There are three pairs of rooms, according to its website:

Pulpo and Estrella de Mar: doubles with a patio. Pulpo has a double bed and Estrella de Mar a large double bed.
Medusita and Caballito de Mar: doubles with a terrace and sea views, with a large double bed and a sofa bed.
Suite Deluxe Caracola: with a sea terrace, one large double bed and two single beds, for four people.
Suite Deluxe Medusa: with a sea terrace, a double bed and a single bed, for three.

The website does not detail equipment such as air conditioning, television or wifi, nor check-in and check-out times, nor its policy on pets or children. Ask before booking on 691 228 811 or at info@calatabarca.com.
Direct booking
Booking is through its online engine, which gives prices and availability by date. Its website offers, for direct bookings, a best-rate guarantee, free cancellation within the period stated on each booking and late check-out at no cost when available. It also sells gift cards.
Getting to the island
You cannot reach Tabarca by car: you go by boat from Alicante or from Santa Pola, and from the quay to the B&B you walk through the village. Travel light: no cars circulate within the village and the suitcase goes by hand. If you leave the car at the departure port, expect to pay for parking for every day of your stay.
What to do from here
The B&B itself suggests what makes sleeping on the island worthwhile: snorkelling in the marine reserve over the posidonia meadows, kayaking or paddle surfing around the island, the walk round Tabarca, a tour of the walls, gates, squares and church, the coves and caves when the sea allows and, above all, the evening stroll when the last boats leave.
For that, on the island you have snorkelling in the marine reserve, the walls and the San Rafael Gate, the church of San Pedro y San Pablo and the San José tower and the lighthouse. It is accommodation for couples or small families looking for calm more than hotel services.

## As a family: A boat, a car-free village and clear water

Tabarca works well with children: the boat is already an adventure, there are no cars on the island and everything is less than a kilometre away. With a mid-morning boat and the return at five, the day fits in without rushing.

### What works best
The boat from Alicante or Santa Pola; ages 0 to 4 free with Kontiki

Looking at fish with a mask in the inner waters, with no permit needed

The flat walk to the San José Tower and the lighthouse

The museum beside the harbour if it is windy

### Sleep
Quadruples at the Hostal Masín

Family room at the Boutique Hotel Isla de Tabarca

Caracola Suite at Cala Tabarca, for four

### Eat
Caldero or rice on the central beach; book in summer

### Bear in mind
There is no shade outside the village: hat, water and sun cream

The sand is coarse: water shoes

Pushchairs are fine in the village; on the lighthouse path, a backpack carrier is better

### Qué hacer as a family
- Boat to Tabarca from Alicante harbour
- Walls and San Rafael Gate
- Boat to Tabarca from Santa Pola
- Church of San Pedro y San Pablo
- Nueva Tabarca Museum
- Walk to the San José Tower and the lighthouse
- Guided snorkelling in the Tabarca marine reserve
- Tabarca Beach
- Glass-Bottom Catamaran from Santa Pola to Tabarca
- Day Sailing on a Catamaran from Alicante with Paella at Anchor off Tabarca

## Consejos

### Take the first boat
On Sundays, the 10:45 from Alicante gives you five hours on the island.

### Bring snorkelling goggles
The inner waters are free to look at fish without a permit.

### Water, a cap and water shoes
There is no shade outside the village and the beach sand is coarse.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does the boat to Tabarca take?
Around an hour from Alicante port and about 15 minutes from Santa Pola.

### How much does the boat cost?
From Alicante, with Cruceros Kontiki, €24 return, free for ages 0 to 4. Tabarbus, from Santa Pola, does not publish prices: ask when booking.

### Can you go with a dog?
Kontiki admits pets on board, and the Viajes Isla Tabarca catamaran carries dogs free. On the island, in the streets and on paths, always on a lead. The accommodation does not publish that it admits them; the Hotel Boutique Isla de Tabarca says no.

### Are there cars on the island?
No. Everything is done on foot: from the village to the lighthouse is less than a kilometre.

### What do you eat on Tabarca?
Caldero: rice in rock-fish stock, served with the fish separately, potato and alioli.

### Are there boats in winter?
Yes. Kontiki publishes departures every week and Santa Pola has boats out of season. Confirm the timetable on the day.