Originally named Portus Illicitanus by the Romans, Santa Pola has taken its name from the old name of the nearby Mediterranean island of Tabarca. In the centre of the town is a castle dating from the 16th century. It now houses a maritime museum, an aquarium and a chapel. Nearby you can see the Roman 'Villa Palmeral' and other ancient ruins including a Roman fish factory. Santa Pola has some excellent beaches, shops, bars and restaurants. Its wide expanses of shallow salt lakes attract large numbers of birds of many species, including flamingos. There are also plenty of other attractions including the 'Pola Park' funfair and the Salt Museum.

Inland you can find the city of Elche, built within an amazing forest of over 800,000 palm trees. There are superb botanical Gardens including the famed 'Huerto del Cura' and the Municipal Park. There is also a huge natural lagoon called El Fondo. Archaelogical digs at L'Alcudia have dated a stone-age settlement at Elche to around 5000 BC, there are also fine examples of later settlements including a Roman villa.

Other local attractions include the annual performance by local residents of 'La Misteri' a lyrical passion play dating from the middle-ages and performed on the 14th and 15th August in the Basílica de Santa María. If your timing's right you will can see the procession of the palms on Palm Sunday, otherwise drop by the Museum of Contemporary Art or the Safari Park which are both open for most of the year.