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Working fishing boats at Xàbia's Duanes harbour below the limestone slopes of Cap de Sant Antoni
Reviewed August 2026
Javea/Xabia

Xàbia: tosca stone, three centres and the Montgó

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Xàbia does not have a single obvious centre. The historic town stands inland below the Montgó. Duanes de la Mar grew around the fishing port and the Arenal faces a shallow bay farther south. Their buildings and uses differ, but local tosca stone, maritime trade and the mountain landscape connect them.

The fortified historic town

The old centre developed on slightly raised ground away from the exposed shore. At its heart, the church of Sant Bertomeu looks as much like a fortress as a place of worship. The oldest part of the presbytery dates from the early fourteenth century. Work from 1513 enlarged it during a period of raids from the sea, producing the broad late Gothic building with battlements, defensive openings and thick local-stone walls seen today.

Narrow streets around the church preserve houses with arched portals, iron balconies and blocks of warm golden stone. The covered market occupies the site of a former convent close by. This is an inhabited municipal centre rather than a detached heritage quarter, so ordinary services, schools and traffic remain part of the old-town setting.

Tosca from the shore

Xàbia's characteristic stone is tosca, a porous sandstone formed from ancient coastal dunes. Builders used it for walls, arches, window surrounds and whole façades. The main quarries at the Muntanyars were worked from Roman times until extraction was prohibited in 1972. Their cut surfaces can still be read along the shore between the port and Arenal.

The Cova Tallada, on the far side of Cap de Sant Antoni, is another historic extraction site. It is a sea cave in a protected landscape, not an easy urban attraction. Land and water access are affected by weather, fire risk, seasonal controls and reservation rules.

Duanes de la Mar

The port has roots in the fifteenth century, then grew in importance with the nineteenth-century raisin trade. A first known breakwater and landing place date from 1871. When raisin exports declined, fishing became the port's principal activity. Boats, the fish auction and low fishermen's houses still give Duanes a working identity alongside restaurants and leisure craft.

The church of Nuestra Señora de Loreto marks the modern waterfront. Opened in 1967, its white concrete structure is a deliberate contrast to Sant Bertomeu. The roof appears to hang over a ring of supports, while the interior recalls a boat's hull. Nearby, the surviving arcade of the 1860 Casa del Cable recalls Xàbia's former telegraph connection with Ibiza.

The Arenal and the bay

The Arenal is the sandy urban beach at the centre of the bay and the most recognisable resort district. It is only one part of Xàbia. North of it, the rocky Muntanyar shore leads to the port. Southward, the coast becomes a sequence of headlands and coves backed by dispersed development and protected cliff landscapes.

At the northern end, Cap de Sant Antoni is where the Montgó reaches the Mediterranean. The headland and its marine reserve connect mountain, cliff and underwater habitats. That relationship explains why the Montgó remains visible from all three centres even as their streetscapes change.

Seeing the three centres

  • Give the historic town, Duanes and the Arenal separate time rather than treating one as representative of the whole municipality.
  • The Muntanyar shore makes the material link between the centres visible, but the quarry surfaces are heritage and should not be disturbed.
  • Routes in the Montgó natural park and around Cova Tallada need conditions and access rules checked in advance, especially in summer.

South-west, Teulada-Moraira also combines an inland town with a coastal harbour, though its two centres are farther apart. Beyond that, Calp is organised around the Penyal d'Ifac and its salt lagoon.

Sources and review

Reviewed in August 2026 using Xàbia council's records for Sant Bertomeu, tosca stone and Duanes de la Mar, together with its current protected-landscape visitor material. Natural-park controls, marine rules and heritage access change, so confirm current arrangements with the responsible public authority.