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On our way to Valencia, we took a detour to spend a day at the beach in Denia. This picturesque town on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante is built around an 11th-century castle overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Our previous experiences with touristy towns on the Costa del Sol of Spain had us prepared for disappointment, so we only scheduled one day here. Denia turned out to be different.

It didn’t take long to fall in love with this town. We were seeking the sun and spent most of the day in and around the port. Kitesurfers jumping waves on the Punta Del Raset beach just next to the port peppered the sky. Denia’s frequent winds make this a very popular spot for kitesurfing.

The Marina El Portet separates the marina from the Mediterranean Sea. Large restaurants and discos look back over the city, ready for evening crowds. The floating deck at Zenza is a great spot for a cocktail with a view of the castle.

The Balearia Port sits at the center of the harbor, with ferries departing to the Balearic Islands. We hopped on the free ferry that runs back and forth across the harbor. Anything to get out onto this beautiful water for a few minutes.

Restaurants of the Puerto Deportivo flank the southern side of the harbor inlet. We spent much of the afternoon soaking up the warm sun on the chill-out terrace of Isla Tortuga, sipping cold Albariño and snacking on salmon carpaccio.

Later that evening, we strolled through the old town sampling local specialties like red prawns sprinkled with baby eels. We realized that we need much more time here to explore the more than 400 restaurants and tapas bars in Denia.

The next morning, I caught a glimpse of this curious little train off of our balcony at the Hotel El Raset. On this Tourist Train, you can take a 20 minute tour of Denia port for 3 euro or a 60 minute tour that includes old town and castle for 6 euros. If you’re not to proud to be seen riding a tiny red train, this could be a great way to get a quick tour of the city. Maybe on our next visit. Denia is an easy day trip only one hour from Valencia, so we will definitely be back.