El Campello’s and its inhabitants history are closely linked to the sea. At the end of the 18th Century, when it was still a rural part of Alicante, the Pious Prince of Saboya, Mr. Antonio de Valcarcel, who lived in the “Mussey” estate, currently occupied by the Salesianos School, set up the first shipyard which would lead to, during the course of the 19th Century, the creation of the fisherman’s area known as “Carrerlamar”. This event developed a significant fishing industry, which became the main economic activity of the town. In fact, the El Campello fleet was considered, at the beginning of the 20th Century, to be the leading wood fleet of the Mediterranean, with 200 vessels and 1000 crew. 

 
LA ILLETA DELS BANYETS. This important site has the remains of the main cultures which inhabited Spain.
The first indications of occupation date back to the prehistoric age, more than 5.000 years ago, with remains of the Chalcolithic and Bronze ages. The majority of the Site is taken up by the Iberian population, a settlement which stands out due to the abundance of warehouses which formed, in that period, a significant commercial port. From the Roman era, small thermal baths have been found, and the fish farms which have given their name to the place which, through popular tradition, is known as “Els Banyets de la Reina”. It is believed they were the bathing pools of a Moorish queen.

LA ILLETA WATCHTOWER The constant invasions of the coast by Berber pirates during the 16th Century led to the construction of a line of defence towers which warned the people of their arrival. These held two men in the interior and two on horseback outside. They communicated between themselves through smoke signals by day and fires by night. In El Campello two towers were erected between 1554 and 1557: The Barranc d’Aigües Watchtower and the Illeta Watchtower.
The Illeta Watchtower is unique due to its dimensions and its type of construction. It was restored in 1991 - 1993 and is an authentic symbol for the El Campello people. 

 

THE MARINA. managed by the Club Nautico Campello it was inaugurated in 1990 and has around 400 moorings with 200 hardstandings. It is the centre of different water sports activities such as sailing and rowing regattas, local and national fishing championships, … as well as having a sailing school which teaches all levels.

THE FISH MARKET The history of El Campello has always been linked to the sea, with fishing being the main economic activity of the town during the 19th and first half of the 20th Centuries.
The fishing port has around 30 moorings and the Lonja del pescado (fish market) stands out, where, through Monday to Friday, a fresh fish auction and sale to the public is held. This is a unique activity in the town which attracts a multitude of buyers and interested people.

THE PROMENADE Inaugurated in 1964 and completely refurbisahed only a few years ago, it is one of the main attractions of the town, ideal for a walk, it has become the centre of tourism and leisure today. The hotel and commercial infrastructure allow us to taste the rich gastronomy, enjoy refreshing ice-creams and drinks with music in enjoyable open air get-togethers at any time of the year. It also holds, among others, the majority of events programmed in the summer festivals in honour of the Virgen del Carmen (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) around the 16th of July.

THE FISHERMAN’S MONUMENT A work of art by the sculptor Arcadí Blasco, it consists of two parts, one on the land, and the other on the beach, and symbolises the union and dependence that the town and its people have maintained with the sea throughout history

Linked to route 1, we join San Bartolomé street, one of the main arteries of the town with an extraordinary commercial life, the starting point of route 2 which will allow us to get to know both the most recent present of the town as well as its origins. 

 
SAN BARTOLOMÉ STREET If the promenade is the leisure centre, San Bartolomé street is the street on which the highest number of businesses congregate, offering all kinds of goods and services.

CARMEN CHAPEL We head towards the urban area of the town, travelling up Avda. del Mar, in which we have the opportunity to pause to admire the Carmen Chapel, the Virgen of the fishermen, of great tradition and devotion as seen in the summer festivals held in her honour. The Carmen Fiestas take place during the first half of July and culminate on the 16th with the most emotional events: the fisherman’s procession and singing the Hail Mary in the chapel

CONSTITUTION SQUARE AND THE CULTURE AND ARTS CENTRE. The Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square), more commonly known as the “Plaza de la Rana” (Frog Square), given that for many years it had a fountain which housed the sculpture of a frog which is today in the gardens of the Rafael Altamira school, is the fruit of the expansion of the urban centre during the 50’s due to housing needs.
This square houses buildings as important as the “El Casino”, a place where the most illustrious personalities of the town gather, and the centre of various local associations.
The “Casa de Cultura” (Culture and Arts Centre) stands out as a building of 5,000 m2 with an open air amphitheatre for 800 people and an auditorium for 500 spectators, 2 exhibition halls, rehearsal rooms. It has a continuous programme throughout the year with more than 1,000 highly successful acts and events from theatre, dance, cinema, exhibitions, concerts, recitals, etc. and which have made it worthy of numerous awards. It also houses the museum –FAMEC “Municipal Artistic Funds” collection (See photo gallery), which brings together a large part of the paintings and sculptures donated to the consistory. (Arranged visits Telephone: 965-636491).

CANALEJAS SQUARE. The Parish Church, dedicated to the worship of Saint Theresa and the Virgen de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Forsaken) was built in 1849 to substitute the first temple from the 18th Century, is the meeting point for most of the fiesta events, in particular the Moors and Christians from the 11th to the 15th of October.
The Parish Church, dedicated to the worship of Saint Theresa and the Virgen de los Desamparados (Our Lady of the Forsaken) was built in 1849 to substitute the first temple from the 18th Century, is the meeting point for most of the fiesta events, in particular the Moors and Christians from the 11th to the 15th of October
The Cultural Centre “The Library”, has 3,000 m2 of usable space distributed over 5 floors and has a multitude of study rooms, the “Sala Ramón Llull” room with a capacity for 180 people, a large hall which is used as the exhibition hall as well as official reception hall, and houses, as well as the Municipal Library, other municipal services, such as the Local Development Agency "CADEM" or the municipal School Psychology Department…

PAL STREET It is one of the original streets of the town, and preserves some examples of traditional architecture, such as No 51 which stands out due to its balconies with modernist embellishments.

SAN CHRISTOL LEZ ALES SQUARE. The Town Hall building leads on to this modern built square which receives the name of the twinned French town. It presides over the covered sports pavilion, which, together with the “El Vincle” sports centre, complete the sports installations of the town. They offer a multitude of activities and are the centre for many and varied sports events.
This square holds the “mercadillo” street market on Wednesdays which offers all kinds of products to townspeople and visitors and which is a unique sight. 

 
AVENIDA GENERALITAT This avenue is one of the main shopping arteries. We can find some very beautiful houses here, due to their ornamental characteristics. At number 6 we find a mosaic of tiles on the house front representing the family’s fisherman origins. No 9 also stands out due to its windows with stone ledges and the ceramic tiles on the window sills. At numbers 37 and 39 we can witness the typical style of two storey houses with wrought iron and modernist balconies 

THE "TRENET" TRAIN STATION. The la Marina train reached El Campello on the 28th of October 1914 and its station, located at that time on the outskirts of the two centres of the town, originally separated by a ravine, were joined together by a road which are today the Generalitat and Del Mar avenues. This train line contributed greatly to the economic and urban development of the municipality.
Today, this line links El Campello to Alicante and to the main coastal towns as Benidrom and Altea by a modern tram which passes every 30 minutes,. The tram travels to one of the most important beaches of the municipality, "Muchavista" beach, which has several stops, one of them near to the Villa Marco estate. Thanks to a connection with the train this line arrives to the top north of the province in Dénia.

VILLA MARCO. On the outskirts of the centre of town, this estate is of great importance to the history of our municipality. It consists of a small modernist style palace with clear colonial French art influences and some beautiful Versailles inspired gardens which differentiate it from the other estates which remain in the region. This is due, to a great extent, to one of its last owners, the honorary French consul, Mr. Renato Bardin, who at the beginning of the 20th Century purchased it as a summer home. In its gardens we can find two groups of sculptures by the Alicante sculptor Vicente Bañuls which stand out due to their French culture inspiration: "La Noche" and "La Marsellesa".

In addition to its long coastline of beaches and coves, the municipality of El Campello is surrounded by natural mountain areas, of unquestionable interest due to their lush flora and fauna. In El Campello it is easy to get in touch with nature. Discover Mother Nature on foot, by bike or on horseback.
The area of les Puntes de Gosàlvez, a genuine vantage point over the sea with spectacular views of the coast, is a beautiful landscape and ethnological legacy of the municipality. The Local Walk SL-CV 93, which runs along it, brings us closer to the rich variety of species of our lands as well as to the evidence of our ancestors’ way of country living 

In addition, the maritime area of El Campello offers scuba-diving enthusiasts the possibility of interesting underwater routes, such as the "baños de la reina" route which starts in the extreme north of the Illeta del Banyets (where the archaeological site can be found).