Villajoyosa, coloured houses and the smell of chocolate.

Villajoyosa smells of cocoa. Since the 19th century the town has made chocolate: the ships that left its port for America with fabrics and Alcoy cigarette paper came back loaded with cocoa, and at one point there were more than seventy brands. Today three active factories remain that you can visit, a walled old town with brightly painted houses facing the beach and a museum with a Roman ship sunk off the coast. It is half an hour from Alicante by car or TRAM, and it can be toured entirely on foot.

How do I get there from Alicante?

By car, on the motorway towards Benidorm: about 30 minutes. Park outside the old town, which has narrow streets, and bear in mind that the Valor museum has no parking of its own. Without a car, TRAM d'Alacant line 1, from Luceros to Benidorm, stops at La Vila Joiosa. From Murcia it is a little over an hour on the dual carriageway and motorway; from Valencia, about two hours along the coast.

Which chocolate factory can you visit?

Two, Monday to Saturday. The Museo del Chocolate Valor, declared the Valencian Chocolate Museum in 2008, runs a 45-minute guided tour with an audiovisual, museum, a sensory cocoa room, a panoramic view of the factory and a tasting. On weekdays there are sessions in Spanish at 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00 and in the afternoon at 17:00, 18:00 and 19:00. On Saturdays, mornings only and only with online booking, which can be made up to two months ahead. Closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Chocolates Pérez is an artisan factory that has stayed in the same place since 1892. Its guided tour of the museum and factory is arranged by phone, Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00, and on Saturday mornings. The Clavileño museum, the third factory, is closed while it moves to new premises. The chocolate and nougat route links the factories and the shops in an hour.

And on Sunday?

On Sundays the factories close, but not everything else. Vilamuseu is free on Sundays, from 10:00 to 14:00: it tells 3,000 years of history, from the Iberian sanctuary of La Malladeta to the Bou Ferrer, a Roman merchant ship built in Naples and sunk off the coast. In November 2026, because of its reopening, it is free every day. Then the old town, a Historic Ensemble and Site of Cultural Interest, with its 16th-century Renaissance wall and the fortress-church of the Asunción. Go down the Costera de la Mar to Playa Centro and turn round: from the sand you see the row of coloured houses. If you have the late afternoon left, climb to the Malladeta sanctuary, a hill above the sea that the Iberians aligned with the equinoxes.

And on the sea?

Villajoyosa's coast doesn't end at Playa Centro. South of the port there are rocky coves with posidonia; Alicante Aventura leaves from Paraíso beach on a kayak trip to the Torre del Xarco, three hours with a snorkelling stop, for €39 and with children from age 4. To the north, the same company paddles beneath the cliffs to the Torre del Aguiló, and that stretch can also be walked on the Colada de la Costa, a Blue Trail of about 8 km. From the Club Náutico, the Ali Sub centre takes you by boat to Benidorm island for a discovery dive with its own instructor, from age 10. If you only want mask and snorkel, the tourist office suggests six coves for snorkelling, from the Racó del Conill to l'Esparrelló. Inland, the Club Hípico Legend runs horse rides of one to four hours.

Where do I eat?

At the Hogar del Pescador, next to the Club Náutico, opened in 1970 and with a Repsol Guide Sol: rice dishes and fish from the town's fish market, at midday every day, including Sunday; book. On Saturday mornings, the Mercat de La Vila has a canteen that cooks what you buy at the stalls, and servings of cured fish, cheeses and boiled seafood; it closes at 14:00 and does not open on Sundays.

Where do I sleep?

On the front line of Playa Centro, the four-star Hotel Allon Mediterrània, with a pool and rooms with sea views. In the centre, the Hotel Censal, next to the park that runs down to the beach, with a rooftop jacuzzi. With a motorhome or a dog, the Camping El Torres, at Playa Torres, open all year and admitting pets.

When to go

If chocolate is the reason, go on a weekday or on a Saturday morning, with the Valor booking made. Sunday is a day for the museum, old town and beach. From April to June and in September and October you can walk and swim without heat or crowds. The Moros y Cristianos festivities, with their Landing, are the big week of the year: ask for the dates at the Tourist Info.