It’s time to renew our family’s visas, so we made a summer weekend out of it in Jávea, Spain. We had already visited this area once before when we went to Dénia near Valencia, but we were excited to experience a new beach town in Spain. Because the lawyer that we used for our visas has offices in Jávea, we traveled there to finalize our document submission to grant us (prayerfully!) three more years living in Spain.

While visiting Jávea, we were mostly surprised by the number of crowds. This is a very popular summer destination for families in Spain, so after visiting I recommend that you only visit Jávea in the off-season and not in summer. There were full beaches, overpriced rentals and just a lot of traffic. Although the beach was pretty and the beach town was cute, it also ended up being less dog-friendly than we expected in summer due to dogs not being allowed on the beach during high-season.

Here are some things not to miss in Jávea (a 4.5 hour drive from Madrid):

Beaches: We really like Playa de la Grava, right next to the port. The beach water color was really pretty but it wasn’t very see-through and transparent. Not a great beach for snorkeling. At times, the tide could get pretty rough, too. Cala Blanca, about a 12-minute drive from the port, had the waters that looked more like the islands in Tenerife. There were still crowds here but it was much prettier although still not dog-friendly.

Areas: Old Town Jávea was our favorite. You cannot visit without strolling the streets and taking in all of the different back alleys. Be aware on days that market is happening, because there will be lots of traffic. Our favorite restaurant in Old Town was La Sucedería for live music and dancing in the beautiful streets. I highly recommend walking the back alley streets and seeing how they’re decorated with seasonal garland – so pretty!

Things that Surprised Us: Dogs, which are super welcome everywhere in Spain, cannot join on most beaches in the area. That messed top our plans a bit since we were in town with our new puppy. We recommend Alicante but more in the off-season.