38.79° N · 0.17° E
Kayak and snorkelling from Granadella, a trial dive, a boat trip round the bay, the Cova Tallada and the Cap de Sant Antoni lighthouse, with how to park at the coves.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Guided double-kayak route with snorkelling from Cala Granadella to the Cova del Llop Marí and Cala Ambolo · 2 h 30 · from age 14 · €50.
Guided double-kayak route through the Cap de Sant Antoni marine reserve into the Cova Tallada, with torches and snorkelling · 2 h 30 · from age 14 · €50.
First dive with an instructor, by boat down to 12 m with Buceo Cabo la Nao (€150, from age 10) or at shallow depth with Diving Javea (from €90).
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
May, June, September and October: warm water, boats and kayaks running and coves without a full barrier. In July and August Granadella and Portitxol close access when the car park is full. In winter, the lighthouse and the Montgó, with fewer activities at sea.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Xàbia is covered by car: the old town, the port and the Arenal are separate, and the southern coves are reached along the Cabo de la Nao road. In summer, the car has a limit: the Granadella and the Portitxol close with a barrier when their car parks fill up.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
With children, Xàbia works best on the quiet side: the Arenal has fine sand and shallow water, the bay boat stops at a cove for a swim and the Cap de Sant Antoni lighthouse has outdoor panels. The rocky coves are beautiful, but ask for water shoes and an early start.
For teenagers, Xàbia is real sea: kayaking beneath cliffs, a cave in the rock and a first dive with a tank. The minimum ages fit: 14 for the kayak and 10 for the boat introductory dive.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: 150-room hotel with a terrace facing Arenal beach, with a 25 m pool, buffet and entertainment; paid parking and no pets.
Why we like it: A 24-room hotel on Calle Pío X, beside the harbour and 100 m from the sea, open all year, with breakfast in the Attico rooftop restaurant.
Why we like it: Family hostal in Xàbia's old town, open since 1970: simple and double rooms from €35 to €75, own parking and an eatery with no dinners.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: rice with market cuttlefish, monkfish and artichokes, or the soupy one with cuttlefish, prawns and spring garlic
What to order: a paella del senyoret or with octopus, something from the grill to share and, if you are only nibbling, a vermouth with anchovies on the terrace below
What to order: a vine-shoot wood-fired paella ordered in advance or, without an order, the arroz del senyoret or the paella morena
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
In summer, before 10:00 there is still room at Granadella and Portitxol.
The coves are gravel and rock, and the water invites you to look.
In season, the Granadella groups fill up.
The Cap de Sant Antoni space closes at 17:00; the view carries on afterwards.
Xàbia lies at the tip of the Marina Alta, between Cap de Sant Antoni and Cap de la Nau, at the foot of the Montgó, which rises to 753 metres above the sea. It has three faces: the old town; the port of Duanes de la Mar, with its fish market and the church of Loreto; and the Arenal, the beach of fine sand and shallow water. What sets it apart lies away from the big beaches: coves of rock and gravel with very clear water, a marine reserve beneath the cape and caves you can see from a kayak. That is why here the plan is to get into the water with a mask.
The most complete is the kayak and snorkel from Granadella: two and a half hours with Kayak Javea to the Cova del Llop Marí and the Isla del Descubridor, for €50 and from age 14. The same company runs the kayak to the Cova Tallada, the cave beneath the cliffs of Cap de Sant Antoni. To breathe underwater for the first time, the trial dive is done from a boat with Buceo Cabo la Nao, from age 10, or with Diving Javea, at Portitxol. If you are with small children, the boat trip round the bay with a swim by Mundo Marino leaves the harbour for €12 and stops for a swim in a cove.
To Granadella and to Cala de la Barraca or Portitxol, with conditions. In 2026, from 2 June to 6 September, their car parks were paid every day, from 9:00 to 19:00, at €9 per car per day and with no booking: 130 spaces at Granadella and 59 at Portitxol. When they fill up, a barrier closes the road. From 3 July to 13 September, a tourist train goes up to Granadella from the La Guardia estate car park for €6 return. No public transport reaches Portitxol. You have everything in access to the coves in summer.
Go up to Cap de Sant Antoni: next to the lighthouse there is an open-air interpretation space, open every day from 9:00 to 17:00, with the marine reserve at its feet. Then go down to the port of Duanes de la Mar, to watch the boats come in to the fish market. Cala Granadella and Cala de la Barraca are for swimming, but also for walking: from the first, the path to Granadella castle leaves; the second is reached on foot from the Creu del Portitxol viewpoint.
For rice, La Perla de Jávea, on Avenida de la Llibertat, with a menu of dry and soupy rices from €19 to €36; at the port, the Noray, for rice and grilled dishes; and on the Cabo de la Nao road, Mezquida, with wood-fired rices and a €25 weekday menu. To sleep facing the Arenal, the Hotel VillaNaranjos; next to the port, the Hotel Jávea; and in the old town, the five-room Hostal Carrió.
Questions
In summer 2026, €9 per car per day, from 9:00 to 19:00 and with no booking. When the car park is full, access is closed.
In 2026, yes, in three periods: from 28 March to 13 April, from 28 April to 5 May and from 15 June to 15 October.
With Kayak Javea, from age 14 and able to swim.
With Buceo Cabo la Nao, from a boat and from age 10, or with Diving Javea, at Portitxol.
Yes, Mundo Marino leaves the harbour: an hour and a half with a stop for a swim, from €12 and free up to age 3.
753 metres above sea level.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/xabia-javea
