Elche – The City of Palm Trees
This city in the Valencian community, Elche is recognized to be the third largest populated city; it is in the forefront for tourism.
The city’s history according to available records is traced back to the 6th century BC. Since then the city has been greatly influenced by various civilizations, such as the Romans, Moors, Arabs and Christians.
Elche is known for its beautiful landscape and vast area of land where palm trees are grown. Apart from this vast area, tourists visiting Elche will find many other places of interest like the Saint Mary’s Basilica and the fortress believed to have been built in the 7th century. Historians believe that this fort surrounding the city was built by Romans. The famous ribbon beach is located at a distance of about 50 kilometers from Elche.
The city can be reached by air using the Alicanta airportand it is very well connected by road as well. There are many luxury villas and apartments that welcome tourists who will enjoy a very comfortable stay.
People with religious faith consider St. Mary’s Basilica as a most sacred place. This historic basilica, built centuries ago, is believed to have been built over a mosque. It is considered to be the best example of Valencian Baroque design. The annual festival held in the basilica is attended by thousands of devotees from the world over.
The other great asset of Elche is the palm forest covering over 430 hectares, with more than 200,000 palm trees. No other place in Europe has such a huge area under palm cultivation. The river Vinalopo has helped the growth of vegetation and the palm forest.
Tourists always make it a point to visit the Priest’s garden, called Huerto del Cura in the Spanish language. The tourist will see some of the rarest species of palms in this garden.
They are bleached and also used for many attractive handicrafts. The tourist can visit the palm processing units located at various places in Elche. The palm forest also provides places for the tourist to walk and relax. Dates are sold in retail and wholesale and tourists can also buy palm saplings.
The other places of interest in Elche are the Rio Safari, Cactus Garden, and the historic Atlamira Palace. Rio Safari has been the home of many wild animals and many species of birds. Tourists can go around the Safari; of course they must be accompanied by a trained guide.