Guardamar del Segura is a small old resort town on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. It is located in the province of Alicante (Costa Blanca), the comarca of Vega Baja, between Torrevieja and Santa Pola.
Distance to the nearest transport hubs and cities is the following:
- Elche-Alicante International Airport – 35 km,
- Valencia International Airport – 213 km,
- Murcia International Airport – 73 km,
- Train station and the center of Alicante – 41 km,
- Torrevieja – 11 km,
- Santa Pola – 23 km,
- Elche – 29 km,
- Orihuela – 32 km.
Guardamar del Segura is not one of the most popular resorts on the Costa Blanca, which is an exceptionally big plus: even in the highest season, the city is not crowded with tourists, and one can always find a free place on the beach. By the way, magnificent sandy beaches are the hallmark of the city.
Guardamar del Segura is often compared to neighboring Torrevieja, and the comparison is not in favor of the latter. In addition to the chic beaches, Guardamar del Segura boasts with vast parks, picturesque sand dunes overgrown with pine trees, as well as the remains of an old fortress towering on a hill above the city.
Guardamar del Segura: Сlimate and a bit of History
The southern part of the Costa Blanca is famous for its climate. The sun shines here almost all year round, there is very little precipitation, the average annual temperature is kept at the level of 17-19ºС. The hottest period lasts from mid-July to mid-September, the coolest and windiest one is from February to March.
The off-season and early summer are the golden time for holidays in Guardamar del Segura: it is still or not too hot, and the sea has already warmed up or has not yet cooled down. The swimming season here lasts from April to November, and the most comfortable periods for a beach holiday, when there are few tourists in the city, are June and early July, and then – the end of September and October.
The Torrevieja-Guardamar zone is distinguished by a special microclimate, for which the salt lakes of Torrevieja and La Mata, as well as pine parks, are responsible. No wonder that people with asthma tend to move to the south of the province of Alicante for permanent residence – because here they literally coming back to life and begin to breathe deeply.
Settlements on the territory of modern Guardamar have existed since time immemorial. Archaeological monuments of antiquity have survived in the city to this day: the remains of the port of La Fonteta, once built by the Phoenicians, of the ancient settlement of the Iberians Cabezo Lucero, as well as the remains of the Muslim mosque Rabita Califal.
On a hill overlooking the city, the ruins of an ancient fortress are visible. It was built at the end of the 13th century in order to protect against pirates – Berbers. At the beginning of the XIX century, a strong earthquake occurred in the area of Guardamar del Segura, the castle was almost completely destroyed, the decision to restore it was not made, and it has been preserved in the form of ruins to this day.
Sights & Parks in Guardamar del Segura
The most significant museum of Guardamar is the Municipal Archaeological Museum – Museo Arqueológico de Guardamar (in Spanish). Its exposition covers different eras, from prehistoric to Muslim, and includes several exhibition halls with many exhibits. The most important of them, which has become a symbol of the city, is a female bust made of stone and dating back to the 5th-4th centuries BC. It was found during archaeological work on the site of the Iberian settlement of Cabezo Lucero and was called the «Lady of Guardamar».
Also, there is a house-museum in Guardamar, wich was dedicated to Francisco Mira Botella, named «engineer of the sand dunes» by one of the most popular Spanish periodicals «El Mundo». It was Francisco who developed and implemented the sand dune containment system, which is now one of the hallmarks of Guardamar del Segura.
The dunes are located in the Alfonso XIII park, which occupies a large area (about 800 hectares) in the northern part of the city. At their widest point, the dunes reach 1.4 km. The project of the park was developed by Francisco Mira Botella at the end of the 19th century, and today Mediterranean pines, various types of palms and eucalyptus trees grow on its territory.
Another beautiful park named after Queen Sofia (Parque Reina Sofía) is located in the city center. This shady green park with artificial reservoirs and children’s playgrounds is a favorite vacation spot for citizens and tourists.
While on vacation in Guardamar, it is also worth taking a walk along the pier, which originates in the port, to the lighthouse, which offers beautiful views of the coast and the city.
The Beaches of Guardamar del Segura
Guardamar is famous for its beaches stretching for 9 km along the coast from La Mata to La Marina: Els Vivers, La Babilònia, Centre, La Roqueta, El Montcaio, El Camp y Les Ortigues. The beaches are not separated by breakwaters, so they often have strong waves.
All the beaches of Guardamar are different, there are completely wild ones, but there are also urban ones, controlled by lifeguards and having all the necessary services:
- Els Vivers is a sandy beach in the northern part of the city, located at the foot of the sand dunes. Not crowded, calm, with quite intense waves.
- La Babilònia is an urban sandy beach, very popular and lively, stretching along an endless line of old beach houses.
- Center is the most popular city beach. It is located in the city center, it is crowded during the season, it has a smooth gentle entry into the sea. There are all necessary services here. Every year the beach receives the highest score of cleanliness and quality – the Blue Flag.
- La Roqueta is another beautiful sandy city beach with a convenient entry into the sea. There are usually no problems with parking. Like the central beach, it is annually awarded with a blue flag.
- El Montcaio is an excellent urban beach, wide, free, with a smooth entry into the sea. A secluded place to relax can be found even in the high season.
- El Camp is a wild beach, to which a picturesque path with wooden footbridges leads from the parking lot.
- Les Ortigues is the southernmost beach of Guardamar, sandy, but with a sandy-rocky bottom. It is deserted and calm – ideal for a secluded holiday.
Infrastructure of Guardamar del Segura
Guardamar is perfect for holidays, but even more – for permanent residence. As of 2021, 15.983 inhabitants are registered here now.
This city is moderately compact, occupies a small area, but at the same time, it has everything you need for a comfortable life: supermarkets, medical centers, pharmacies, bank offices, numerous bars, restaurants, shops, several hotels and, of course, educational and sports institutions.
Neighboring settlements can be reached quickly and without problems by the N-332 highway. The city has a bus station, from where intercity buses depart in many directions.
Every week, on Wednesdays, the city hosts a market where seasonal vegetables and fruits at very affordable prices can be bought, many of them are from the surrounding fields and farms. On Sundays, a flea market is open in the suburbs, where lovers of antiques come from all over the area.
Property in Guardamar del Segura
The central part of the city is represented by the old housing stock. The new high-rise microdistrict is located in the northern part of Guardamar. There you can buy an excellent apartment with a view of the sea and a pine park.
The southern and southwestern part of the city is built up with new urbanizations and residential complexes.
Situated on a high ground, they boast panoramic views of the sea, the city and the coast.
At the end of summer 2022, the average price per square meter of housing in Guardamar del Segura was 1.910 €. Absolutely all types of properties are available for sale: from small studios to spacious villas:
- Studios – from 55.000 €
- Apartments with 1 bedroom – from 47.000 €
- Apartments with 2 bedrooms – from 56.000 €
- Penthouse apartments – from 69.000 €
- Townhouses – from 89.000 €
- Bungalow – from 76.000 €
- Individual cottages – from 90.000 €
- Villas – from 500.000 €
Property in Guardamar del Segura is often bought for investment purposes: either for resale or for rent. In any case, the real estate market in this part of the coast is still keeping happy with affordable prices. However, you should not delay the purchase, because demand for housing in the undervalued cities of the Costa Blanca is growing steadily, and then prices are steadily rising too.
You can see our real estate offers in Guardamar del Segura in the catalog.
