The Daily Costa Blanca: living on the Costa Blanca, the local guide for expats
The people who make the Costa Blanca
Who is Awa Fam Thiam, the Santa Pola player drafted into the WNBA?
Born in Santa Pola in 2006, Awa Fam Thiam was drafted third overall by the Seattle Storm in April 2026, a record for Spain, and is now a WNBA rookie.
Our favourites
Our favourites are in orange. Click a place to locate it.Living the Costa Blanca today
Rice & paella
Restaurants
Almuerzo
With kids
For a drink
Culture
Original-version cinema
Beaches & nature
Going out & discoveringCulture, festivals, agenda and day trips
What's on: the Costa Blanca in August 2026, the month of fireSolar Eclipse on 12 August 2026: What Will the Costa Blanca See?Does the Costa Blanca win Cacau d'Or, the Valencian almuerzo award?What is the best ham and cured meat on the Costa Blanca?Which Costa Blanca food products are legally protected?Why has the village of Agost shaped clay for 800 years?Where can you watch the sunset over the Peñón de Ifach, the symbol of the Costa Blanca?The Misteri d'Elx and theatre on the Costa Blanca: what you need to knowMuseums and street art on the Costa Blanca: what should you know, from the MACA to Sempere?What can you see on the Costa Blanca in the footsteps of Miguel Hernández?Where can you see flamingos at sunset on the Costa Blanca?Monumental trees of the Costa Blanca: ficus, palms and millennial olivesOrxata on the Costa Blanca: where to drink it in Alicante provinceCosta Blanca shoe brands: Pikolinos, Panama Jack, Gioseppo and moreWhat's on: the Costa Blanca in July 2026, town by townDay trips from the Costa Blanca: 8 ideas for a day outWhere to eat a real rice on the Costa Blanca (and why it isn't paella)The almuerzo on the Costa Blanca: the ritual to adopt, from Dénia to AlicanteHogueres de Sant Joan: your survival guide to Alicante's great festival
Sport in Costa BlancaResults, fixtures & sports bars in Valencia
Golf on the Costa Blanca: great courses, green fees, beginners and the good lifeWhere to play football on the Costa Blanca (and where to enrol your kids)?Where to train in combat sports on the Costa Blanca (boxing, judo, MMA)Where can you play basketball on the Costa Blanca (and watch HLA Alicante)?Where to play tennis on the Costa Blanca: courts, clubs and the Ferrero AcademyCycling on the Costa Blanca: greenways, mountain biking and gravelWhich beach and sea sports can you try on the Costa Blanca?Estadio Rico Pérez: the Alicante stadium where Maradona once playedWhere can you go karting or watch a rally on the Costa Blanca?Where can you play football on the Costa Blanca (and sign your kids up)?Where to train in combat sports on the Costa Blanca (boxing, judo, MMA)?Basketball on the Costa Blanca: where to play and watch HLA AlicanteWhere to play tennis on the Costa Blanca: courts, clubs and the Ferrero AcademyWhere to play padel on the Costa Blanca (and make friends)Where can you play squash on the Costa Blanca?Cycling the Costa Blanca: greenways, MTB and gravelWhich beach and sea sports can you do on the Costa Blanca?Where can you play rugby on the Costa Blanca (and where can you watch it)?Where to watch live football in a Costa Blanca pubEstadio Rico Pérez: the Alicante stadium where Maradona playedWhere to go karting or watch a rally on the Costa BlancaCycling the Costa Blanca: the great climbs, greenways and off-road trailsWhere to hike on the Costa Blanca? Mountains, waterfalls and parks
Work & businessJobs, going autónomo, starting a business, networking
What does the Costa Blanca's economy look like for entrepreneurs?Is there an Alicante name among the region's biggest fortunes?Who buys the Costa Blanca's prime property in 2026?Remote work on the Costa Blanca: where do you actually set up?Which foreign entrepreneurs are thriving on the Costa Blanca?How much do Costa Blanca tech firms really pay?How do you find a seasonal tourism job on the Costa Blanca?Alicante startup funding: PLD Space, Elche and the ecosystemBeckham Law & digital nomad visa: the 24% flat tax explainedGoing autónomo in Spain: the guide that untangles it allThe digital nomad visa: your route into Spain if you are non-EUDeclaring foreign income in Spain: becoming a tax resident, and what it means
Everyday lifeTransport, housing, health, neighbourhoods
What's on: the Costa Blanca in August 2026, the month of fireWhere can you service a premium car on the Costa Blanca?How do you buy, register and moor a boat on the Costa Blanca?Where should you not swim on the Costa Blanca in 2026?Where can you find concept stores and designers on the Costa Blanca?Is the Costa Blanca more humid than Valencia, and does it matter?What should you wear as a guest at a Costa Blanca wedding?Where is the premium beauty scene on the Costa Blanca?Where can you find luxury vintage and second-hand on the Costa Blanca?Which day is the street market in each Costa Blanca town?The abanico on the Costa Blanca: why the Spanish hand fan is a real summer survival tool?Shared mobility on the Costa Blanca: what really exists (2026)Moving to the Costa Blanca with your pet: papers, bans, plane and trainDriving a car on the Costa Blanca: licences, registration, low-emission zone, parking and chargingMosquitoes on the Costa Blanca: an investigation into your summer enemyJellyfish on Costa Blanca beaches: spotting them, reacting, staying safeTap water on the Costa Blanca: limescale, desalination and skinThe cucaracha: an (almost) fond ode to the Costa Blanca cockroachSOS, I've had an accident on the Costa Blanca: the guide to the right movesWhat's on: the Costa Blanca in July 2026, town by townGetting around the Costa Blanca: TRAM, bus, train and carThe cost of living on the Costa Blanca in 2026: the real budgetsHogueres de Sant Joan: your survival guide to Alicante's great festival
New to the Costa Blanca?The settling-in path: NIE, visa, paperwork, housing, taxes
Where should you live as a family on the Costa Blanca?Which Alicante district should you live in?How do you get to Alicante-Elche airport from the Costa Blanca?The Bachibac on the Costa Blanca: Elche, Altea and the dual diplomaInsurance in Spain: home, car, liability and health (what anglophones need to know)Documents to prepare before moving to Spain (UK, US and Irish)Renewing your passport from the Costa Blanca: UK, Irish and US guideExchanging your driving licence in Spain: UK, US and Irish rulesDo you need a visa to move to Spain? A guide for non-EU newcomersRenting a flat on the Costa Blanca: the guide to not getting burnedGetting your NIE on the Costa Blanca: offices, fee and appointmentsThe empadronamiento on the Costa Blanca: registering with your town hallBecoming a resident on the Costa Blanca: the green certificate, from NIE to residencyThe SIP card on the Costa Blanca: accessing public healthcare, step by stepBritish, international or Spanish school on the Costa Blanca: how to chooseMoving to the Costa Blanca in 2026: your first 90 daysOpening a Spanish bank account: the express guide
Understanding SpainInstitutions, society and the language
Is smoking on terraces already banned in Spain?What is really changing in Spain's highway code in 2026?Why does the Vega Baja love the Segura so much, a river that has so often drowned it?Alicante's farmland: the Palmeral of Elche, Vega Baja and waterViolence against women and children: Spain's pioneering law and real resourcesThe Spanish healthcare system: how it really worksThe Spanish school system: levels, equivalences and choosing a schoolValencian: should you learn it when you live on the Costa Blanca?9 October and the Mocadorà: the Costa Blanca's regional day, decoded
The Spanish wayA look at how things are done in Spain
Processions and brass bands: the Costa Blanca's endless calendar of fiestasThe Spanish way: the queue, the round and the bill, the little codes that catch you outValencian: the Costa Blanca's other language, a newcomer's viewChildren, noise and late nights: life outdoors on the Costa BlancaKissing, tú and talking loudly: the Costa Blanca's social codesWhat the Costa Blanca teaches you about slowness
CommunityMutual help, meetups and member stories
Alicante's hoguera commissions: festive neighbourhood life all yearRaising kids far from your mother on the Costa Blanca: the expat mental loadMaking friends after 35 abroad: why is it so hard on the Costa Blanca?Leaving it all for the Costa Blanca: Déborah's gambleFinding your community on the Costa Blanca: a guide for English-speakers
Costa Blanca LGBTQIA+Rights, health, nightlife and community
Living LGBTQIA+ on the Costa Blanca: reassuring, with eyes openLGBT-friendly nights out on the Costa Blanca: the practical playbookThe LGBTQIA+ scene on the Costa Blanca: Benidorm, Europe's gay capital by the seaLGBTQIA+ health on the Costa Blanca: testing, PrEP and supportLGBTQIA+ in Spain: your rights, your remedies, the guide to protecting yourself
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