Torrevieja, on the Costa Blanca, in Spain Torrevieja is one of the fastest expanding towns in the whole of Spain, but Torrevieja has learned a few lessons from places like Torrevieja, on the Costa Blanca, in Spain Benidorm, because you'll find no high-rise skyscrapers or package holiday hotels in Torrevieja, Torrevieja is also an ideal place for family holidays. Torrevieja is surrounded by two large and beautiful natural salt water lakes which form the "Salinas de Torrevieja" and are an official Spanish nature reserve. These lakes attract a wide variety of bird life. The entire area around Torrevieja and Orihuela are famous for their salt production. Huge salt lakes surround the road down from Alicante airport to Torrevieja. The city of Torrevieja which gets its name from an old tower (old=vieja ; tower=torre), was first mentioned around 1800. It became famous in 1802, when it took over the salt administration from Orihuela.

Apart from the salt industry, tourism and fishing keep the city alive. The harbour gives home to 300 fishing ships and over 900 private sports boats. A wonderful view, especially when the sun sets. Salt Museum in Torrevieja The sea and salt museum in Torrevieja (in Spanish, it's called the Museo del mar y de Sal), is an excellent place to visit and is full of history. It is tucked away in a side street - Calle Patricio Perez and is open most days from 10am to 1.30pm and 5pm to 9pm (mornings only on Sundays and festival days, closed Monday afternoons). It's a great place to learn about the history of the salt industry in Torrevieja/La Mata - it helps if you brush up your Spanish before you go as everything is labelled in Spanish (quite right too!).

Wikipedia articles for Torrevieja

• Torrevieja
• List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance
• Mediterranean Sea