Just inland from Benidorm’s skyline sits a town that calls itself the Costa Blanca’s sports capital — and backs it up with an Olympic-standard stadium, a tennis academy founded by a Grand Slam winner, and Spain’s first NBA-branded basketball school. La Nucía rarely appears on a typical Costa Blanca itinerary, yet it sits only 8km from Benidorm and 3km from the coast near Altea — close enough for an easy half-day visit, different enough to feel like a genuine change of pace.

A Town Built on Sport

La Nucía’s defining feature is the Camilo Cano Sports City, a municipal complex covering roughly 250,000 square metres on the edge of town. It includes an Olympic athletics stadium, padel courts, a BMX track and a skatepark, and regularly hosts national and international competitions in athletics, cycling, taekwondo and multi-sport events. The town’s Ferrer Tennis Academy, founded by former world No.5 David Ferrer, trains players alongside the complex, and in 2026 La Nucía announced Spain’s first NBA Basketball School, with a dedicated basketball-only pavilion planned.

The town’s sporting push isn’t recent marketing — it dates back to 2003, when the council began building its identity around sport and tourism. The results followed: a European Sports Village title awarded in Brussels, Spain’s National Sports Prize in 2013, and Best European Sports Village honours from the European Parliament in 2017. Town figures put resident sports participation at 83%, well above the national average — a statistic the council attributes partly to free or low-cost access to municipal facilities.

The Old Town and Font de la Favara

Away from the stadiums, La Nucía keeps a quieter, older character. The old town sits on the lower stretch of the road running through the village, its whitewashed houses gathered around the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception, built in the 18th century. Mountain peaks are visible between the rooftops from several points in the old quarter, and the town hall runs free guided tours of this part of town in spring and summer, aimed at families (pets are welcome on the tours).

A short walk away, Font de la Favara is a small natural park built around a spring with eight spouts feeding a five-metre waterfall. It has a picnic area, swings, a garden of native and aromatic plants, a lookout point and a small kiosk — a shaded, low-key spot to cool off that most day-trippers to the coast never find.

The Rastro: One of the Region’s Largest Markets

Every Sunday since 1983, La Nucía has hosted El Rastro, a flea market held in the La Alberca industrial estate rather than the town centre. It’s one of the larger markets on this stretch of coast — reports put it at more than 700 stalls spread across roughly 2km, selling antiques, clothing, household goods, furniture and curiosities. It runs from 8am to 3pm, and arriving early is worth it in summer, both for the heat and for the best stock. For anyone building a Sunday around Costa Blanca markets, it’s a useful addition to the circuit covered in Markets in Altea and Markets in Benidorm.

Festivities Through the Year

La Nucía’s calendar runs on four main fixed points:

  • 9 July — Carta Puebla Day, marking the town’s founding as an independent municipality in 1705
  • Monday after Easter — Sant Vicent Ferrer, celebrated in the Captivador natural area outside the town centre
  • From 14 August — the main patron saint fiestas, honouring the Virgen de la Asunción and San Roque
  • Third Sunday of November — Sant Rafael

These sit alongside the town’s packed sporting calendar, which in recent years has included athletics meets, a Trial World Championship and an ATP Challenger tennis tournament at the Ferrer Academy.

Getting There and Practical Notes

La Nucía sits at about 226 metres elevation, 8km north of Benidorm and roughly 51km from Alicante. It’s a short drive from the AP-7 and the N-332, and easily combined with a trip to Callosa d’en Sarrià or the nearby Fonts del Algar waterfalls, about 15 minutes further on. There’s no direct rail link, so a car or taxi from Benidorm or Altea is the practical option. (Population figure and founding date verified via the national population register and municipal records, checked October 2026 — La Nucía’s registered population stood at 19,121 as of January 2025.)