Gandía lies approximately 40 minutes south of Valencia City by car, and 90 minutes north of Alicante and is a favourite holiday destination for Spanish holidaymakers, often coming from the centre of the country to this area for a coastal break. Because of its position at the very north of the Costa Blanca, the town has not become a major tourist destination for invading foreign tourists but has kept its essentially Spanish spirit and identity.
2010 will be a particularly important year for the town, as it marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of the town’s spiritual mentor, St Francis Borgia. A much better man than his predecessors (Pope Alexander VI and his children Lucrezia and Cesare), he renounced the trappings of the dukedom of Gandía following the death of his wife and joined the Jesuit movement, becoming almost as significant a figure as its Spanish founder Ignatius Loyola. He is now acknowledged as giving Gandia much of its cultural identity and heralding what is known as Gandía’s Golden Age of learning and prosperity. The fact of Francis Borgia’s 500th anniversary will be an extra focus in the already rich calendar of fiestas and events that take place throughout the year in this vibrant Spanish town.
Gandía is a town of contrasts and therefore is able to provide almost everyone with a reason to come to the town and have a thoroughly enjoyable stay in the district. This applies not only to the facilities and entertainments that are on offer, but also to the very nature of the town and its surroundings. If a sophisticated town with stylish shops and boutiques is what a visitor is looking for, then Gandía has plenty of these, to be found both in the traditional shopping streets of the old town and also in modern shopping centres on the outskirts. Gandía also has a number of buildings in its “Historic Centre” (most notably the Borgia Palace) that will appeal to the culture seeker and those interested in the history of the town and its notorious, famous family. On the other hand, if a lively entertainment and nightclub scene is high on the list of a visitor’s priorities, the separate but nearby Playa de Gandía provides a huge selection of bars, nightclubs, casinos and dance venues that cater for all tastes and ages.
As its name suggests, Playa de Gandía is the summer, coastal resort area of Gandía and lies a short distance from the main, inland town. With a large number of hotels and self-catering apartments offering accommodation from modest to luxury, as well as the range of night time entertainment already mentioned, Playa de Gandía is also the proud possessor of one of the finest beaches to be found anywhere in the Mediterranean. Awarded the prestigious Blue Flag award, the beach is backed by a beautiful promenade some seven kilometres long with shops, bars and restaurants which together provide the beach enthusiast with everything they could need for a complete seaside holiday.
If, on the other hand, the beach does not rank high amongst a potential visitor’s priorities, a very short distance inland there are to be found small villages and breathtakingly beautiful valleys of orange groves with soaring mountains all around. In fact, the highest peak in the La Safor range (Mount Monduver) is only approximately 15 minutes drive away from the town centre, and provides a focal point for cyclists and hikers. Indeed, the area is well known as a cycling, hiking and climbing centre, and many clubs and individuals make use of the marked-out routes for weekend and holiday outings. The famous “Peña Roja” outcrop attracts climbers from far and wide with its choice of slopes, and varying levels of expertise being required to reach its summit, depending upon the route selected.
No mention of Gandía would be complete without including the wealth of fiestas that take place throughout the year.
In common with most Spanish towns, Easter is an occasion marked by spectacular processions, bands and street parties, but possibly the most dramatic fiesta of all is the one known as “Fallas”, which is celebrated in the week leading up to, and culminating on, March 19th each year. This is a fiesta which is celebrated throughout the Valencia region, but Gandía is the town that celebrates it most enthusiastically of all, second only to Valencia City. Huge, elaborate and beautifully decorated effigies – often rising up to the height of three or four stories of the nearby buildings – are constructed in the streets and squares of the town, representing caricatures of local and national political personalities and situations. These are then ceremoniously burned from midnight onwards on March 19th, with the one that is judged the best being left to last! Deafening fireworks accompany the burnings, and indeed are to be heard all throughout the preceding week, and any visitor is certain to agree that the fiesta of Fallas is one not to be missed. The other great fiesta celebrated by the town takes place in October, and is know as “Fira y Festa” and is an exuberant demonstration of Gandía’s joyous and irrepressible spirit. Bands and street theatre perform in the town’s avenues and squares, plays and shows take place in the theatre and at the Casa de Cultura, and literally dozens and dozens of mediaeval-style market stalls appear in the streets selling speciality foods, handicrafts and produce. Open-air rock concerts take place in the large park near the River Serpis at night, and the whole town takes on a thoroughly party atmosphere in a last celebration before preparing for the onset of winter.
Whatever the reason for selecting a holiday destination, Gandía has plenty to offer everyone. Fabulous beaches, breathtaking mountain scenery, historically interesting buildings and architecture, dazzling nightlife & fiestas and sophisticated shopping are all to be found either in Gandía town itself, or within a very minutes’ drive away. It really is not hard to understand why Gandía comes so high up the list when Spanish holidaymakers themselves are deciding upon their own favourite holiday destination.