El Palmeral, a valley garden with more than 200,000 palm trees, helps make this small but beautiful Mediterranean destination a genuine urban oasis. The Arab past is still very present in a city famous for the Lady of Elche.
An oasis of palm trees
The Plaza Glorieta is the central hub of the city. It is also home to the famous replica of the Lady of Elche, the 4th-century BC female bust that is one of the world’s archaeological treasures. The original sculpture is in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. The blue dome of the pretty Basilica de Santa Maria, surrounded by palm trees and built on top of a former Muslim mosque is a prominent feature on the city skyline. And it’s not the only Christian basilica built on top of an ancient mosque. The Arab baths can be found underneath the Santa Lucía Convent. We recommend stopping to recharge your batteries with a snack in the Plaça de la Mercé before touring the Vinalopó River Park with striking riverbanks full of graffiti and green areas which help refresh the city air.