If you are planning to come to Denia and need some practical
information, you have arrived at the right web page!
Travelling to Denia
The travel directions given below focus on travelling from Holland to
Denia.
By Car
Driving to Denia is easy. From Amsterdam it takes two days (approx. 22
hours of driving) to get here. There are two major routes through
France:
- The "route du soleil"
Drive Amsterdam, Maastricht, Liege, Luxembourg, Metz, Nancy, Dijon,
Lyon, Valence (*), Nimes, Montpellier, Perpignan, Barcelona, Tarragona,
Castellon, Valencia, Alicante.
- Through the central massif
Drive Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Lille, Paris, Orleans,
Clermont Ferrand(*), Millau, Bezier, Perpignan, Barcelona, Tarragona,
Castellon, Valencia, Alicante.
Denia is an exit on the A7 halfway between Valencia and Alicante.
Valence and Clermont Ferrand are nice midway locations to spend the
night. An interesting diversion on the second route is to go from
Clermont Ferrand to Toulouse, through Andorra to Barcelona. Be careful
with that tax free shopping because the Spanish customs have a gigantic
hall at the Andorran/Spanish border where every car is taken apart and
searched...
By Air (Alicante & Valencia)
The two major airports near Denia are in Alicante and Valencia. Alicante
is frequented by holiday carriers whereas Valencia is operated by the
major carriers (like Alitalia and Iberia). Searching for the least
expensive airline ticket is somewhat of a black art though...
Ebookers
First of all I would like to point you to the web site of EBookers (in
Holland and in
Spain). In my experience it's a
pretty good web site and they are usually able to come up with the
cheapest regular alternative. You probably have more luck with Ebookers
if you're flying to Valencia, since that's the airport that is operated
on most frequently by larger carriers.
Transavia
Transavia operates regular flights
out of Amsterdam and Rotterdam to Valencia and Alicante. From Holland to
Spain you might be able to book a special discounted fare. The other way
round (return tickets that start in Spain) you usually pay the full
fare. That's why I usually fly from Valencia to Amsterdam, making
connections in unlikely places like Milan and Munich.
LTU
German carrier LTU operates daily
flights from Duesseldorf to Alicante and back. Duesseldorf airport is
just across the Dutch border and easily reached by car or train (there
are several international trains a day from Amsterdam to Cologne. Switch
trains at Duesseldorf Hbf (head station) to a smaller train to the
airport. Long parking at Duesseldorf airport is also relatively cheap.
Other carriers
Other carriers you might want to look into (flying out of Germany) are
Air Berlin and Hapag Lloyd.
From the airports to Denia
It's by far the easiest to have yourself be picked up at the airport by
friends or relations. From both airports it's about 100km to Denia,
making for a stiff taxi ride.
From Alicante airport to Denia
I have no personal experience with getting from Alicante airport to
Denia with public transport, but there are mainly two ways: bus and
train.
To take the bus you have to get from Alicante airport to the Alicante
bus station (taxi?) and take the Alsa
bus to Denia.
To go by train you have to get to the small train station of the Lemon
Express (be sure to get there; it's not at the Alicante central
station!). There are several scenic trains a day from Alicante to Denia.
From Valencia airport to Denia
There is a complete public transport connection from Valencia Airport to
Denia, but it's not quick.
From the airport, walk to the train station (follow the road; there's a
small sidewalk next to the road; cross over, down the side,
through the bushes, across the track and you're at the train station).
Board the train heading for Valencia. There are no ticket machines at
the station so you have to pay at the exit ("solo ida", no return ticket
required). At the main station leave the station, cross the road and
take bus 8 to the main bus station. Once there buy a ticket at the Alsa counter for the bus to Denia. You'll
end up in the center of Denia after a comfy two hour bus ride...
Alternatively from Valencia station you could take another train to
Gandia (20km from Denia) and have yourself be picked up there or take
the Alsa bus (actually the same one that leaves from Valencia) to Denia.
The Alsa office in Gandia is close to the train station.
By Air (other connections)
Other ways of reaching Denia partly by air are flying into Barcelona or
Madrid and making other connections to Denia. Flying to Barcelona/Madrid
can be cheap with Basiq Air or EasyJet. Then, from these two cities, take a train to
Alicante or Valencia and follow the directions outlined above.
Alternatively you could take a bus from these two cities to Denia (Alsa runs regular services). When taking a
bus from Barcelona, be sure to watch your belongings because I had my
backpack taken from me by a fellow human being when I dozed off for a
couple of minutes at Barcelona Sants station!
By Bus
Several international bus companies operate services on Denia. I have
never used them, but the ride is long and arduous... Check the web site
of EuroLines.
Staying in Denia
If our modest appartment can not accommodate your party you will have to
rent a room or apartment/villa. We would like to point you to two
friends of ours who might be able to help you:
- Mattie and Douglas run the very fine Hostal Loreto, located in a
beautiful 14th century convent smack in the centre of Denia.
- Jonquil and Lorraine operate Casa Care; they rent out holiday
villas and apartments throughout the region.
The two sites above also contain interesting links on what to do in and
around Denia.
Last update
Tue Jan 14 18:15:12 CET 2003
by josv@osp.nl