Costa del Azahar and its main resorts

Costa del Azahar (English “Orange Blossom Coast”) or Costa dels Tarongers (English: Orange Tree Coast) is the name for the coast of the province of Castellón in Spain, Valencian Community.

It is one of the most popular parts of the Mediterranean resorts of Spain.

The Costa Azahar is the tourist name given to the coast of the Balearic Sea, in the Mediterranean, consisting of about 120 km of beaches and coves. Its name comes from the orange blossom, the province’s quintessential crop. It limits to the north with the Costa Daurada (Catalonia) and to the south with the Costa de Valencia (Valencian community).

The towns located on the Costa del Azahar are: Vinaroz (the northernmost resort), Benicarló, Peñíscola, Alcalá de Chivert, Torreblanca, Cabanes coast, Oropesa del Mar, Benicasim, Castellón de la Plana, Almazora, Burriana, Nules, Moncófar, Chilches, La Llosa and Almenara (the southernmost resort, about 30 km north of Valencia).

Its capitals par excellence are the cities of Benicasim and Peniscola, since these municipalities are the great tourist focus of the coast.

How to get to?

The Costa del Azahar is structured by the A-7 and AP-7 motorways that connect all the main municipalities and connect them with Valencia to the south and Tarragona to the north. The N-340 also runs along the parallel coast.

It is easily accessible by the A-3 coming from Madrid and by the A-23 coming from Teruel and Zaragoza.

By air, the coast is served by the Castellón Airport.

Nature

The Costa del Azahar has as typical natural vegetation the Mediterranean scrub formed among others by the palm heart, (Chamaerops humilis L.) (the only endemic palm tree in Europe); kermes oak, (Quercus coccifera L.); the mastic, (Pistacia lentiscus L.); the juniper of the Miera or broja (Juniperus oxycedrus L. var. macrocarpa); the Albaida, (Anthhylis cytisoides L.); the Black Hawthorn (Crataegus Calpodendron); stone pine, Aleppo pine and fennel, (Foeniculum vulgare).

Currently, the urban development of the coastline has destroyed a large part of this endemic vegetation, replacing it with crops of fruit trees (mainly orange trees) and ornamental specimens of palm.

Main resorts (from north to south):

Vinaròs

Benicarló

Peniscola

Alcossebre

Torreblanca

Oropesa del Mar

Benicàssim

Castellón de la Plana

Nearest international airport is in Valencia.

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