Eating out in Torrevieja . . .

From Chinese to Pizza, burgers to pasta, Paella to Tapas or fresh fish to a sizzling steak, there's a restaurant here that will suit you. If its chicken off the spit or German pork steaks, Irish, Dutch, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Indian, fish & chips or McDonalds you fancy, it's here.

To keep costs down, order vino de casa (wine of the house) with your meal. Tinto is red, Blanco is white and Rosado is Rose, the Menu del dia (menu of the day) is usually three courses and offers great value

Drinks are often accompanied by a completely free, small plate of crisps, nuts, olives or baby gherkins for you to enjoy

To many people part of the fun of the evening 'promenade' is to sit in one of the pavement cafe bars and people watch over drinks or ice creams. An ice cold cerveza (lager) or Cuba Libre (Bacardi, coke and a twist of lime with lots of ice) will help to finish off the evening nicely!

In busy areas, traffic is often banished as dusk falls and you'll see tables and chairs take the place of cars, motorbikes and scooters. With many of the shops open until 9 or even 10:00 pm there is a pleasant 'bubble' that few fail to enjoy!

Shopping in Torrevieja . . .

Torrevieja boasts one of the largest street markets in Spain and every Friday, people come from miles around to pick up a bargain or two

An indoor market is open daily for fish, fruit, vegetables and fresh meat and is right in the centre of town. Every evening a craft market with pottery, leather goods, pavement artists and more is set up on the marble promenade overlooking the harbour, open until late at night it's an ideal place to stroll and soak up atmosphere. Each Sunday the Lemon Grove market offers fabulous shoes for a fraction of the UK price and much more of course

Local markets . . .

There's a market somewhere in the area everyday, here's a quick guide

Things see or do in Torrevieja . . .

Waterpark
Visit the water park and get very wet in the slides, flumes and waterfalls. With bars. cafes, restaurants and picnic areas as well as the rides this could be a great day out!

Funfair
The funfair by the marina is open in the summer months and is great fun for everyone, they often have some very different rides to those you'll find at fairs in the UK

Boat trips
Take a trip to the nearby Island of Tabarca or sail along the coast and admire the beautiful scenery. How about an evening dinner with on board entertainment

Go-Karting
There are two Go-Kart tracks in the area, one to the south of Torrevieja, the other near Santa Pola. Safe fast fun for all the family with snack bars and restaurants on site too

Health baths
Take a medicinal bath in the lagoon. The water is supposed to cure for heart troubles, rheumatism and respiratory ailments - be warned, the aroma of the mud is quite pungent!

Embarcadero Romano
In Roman times, this area was well known for its outstanding port, the remains of which can still be seen in La Mata, called Embarcadero Romano, or Roman docks.

La Mata salt lake
The area is surrounded by the famous natural salt lagoons of Torrevieja. These are now National Parks and over 250 different bird species have been sighted there

Guardamar del Segura
Drive to Guardamar del Segura and you will have a great day out. There are pine forests bordering sand dunes right next to Mediterranean Sea. The beaches are some of Europe's finest

Elche
Not too far away you'll find Elche where over 80% of Spanish leather shoes are made, a beautiful town, it's origins are Moorish and Roman. There are some wonderful Palm forest parks to wander round too!

Orihuela
Another superb place to visit with it's typical Spanish squares and cobbled streets, fountains and historic monuments - four of the buildings have World Heritage awards

Cartegena
Further down the coast at Cartegena, cruise ships moor each day while passengers admire the magnificent (now unused) Bull Ring and visit the site of the launch of the worlds first submarine