Boats at the Marina

Long quiet beaches

Some of the attractions available in Santa Pola:

Museum of the sea

In the southern wing of the Castle you will find the Museum of the Sea (Museo del Mar) with modern facilities. In the archeology and ethnography sections there are differing displays which take you on a ride through the history of Santa Pola. The sea is the central theme around which the exhibition is built.

Archeological Museum

Find out something about the culture of the ancient Iberian population of the town as well as the development of the Portus Illicitanus of Roman times

The Aquarium

The prime objective of the aquarium is to make visitors aware of the mediterranean environment and the various species, both flora and fauna, which live in it. The aquarium provides an important tool for teaching and informing by allowing the observation of these ecosystems by broad sectors of the public for whom such habitats normally would be inaccessible. Some research work is also carried out.

The new municipal aquarium replaces the older one, which was to be found in one of the rooms within the walls of the Castle. The new location is much better situated and allows the exposure of certain activities to the public which, previously, it was impossible to do. The equipment and facilities have also been improved.

The total area of the facility is 707 square metres and consists of a central hall in which are installed 9 large aquarium tanks, situated round the perimeter, except for one located in the centre. They contain a total volume of 200 cubic metres of sea water, where visitors may observe many representative samples of the fauna and flora of our coastline. There is an Audio-visual room which can hold 40 people, which is used for displaying videos and holding talks and lectures. Finally, there is a small shop where visitors may buy various items (guides, posters, videos, books ...).

The design of the grand central Hall (decoration, illumination etc.) and its arrangement allows the visitor, besides being able to wander freely, to feel himself immersed in a submarine environment and observe about one hundred different species which have been acclimatised to the Municipal Aquarium of Santa Pola. Amongst them we can pick out the "musolas" (sharks which are very common around our coasts), "meros" (groupers), "congrios" (conger eels), "doradas", "sargos" (sea bream), "seriolas" , "peces-ballesta" (crossbow fish), etc. And we mustn't forget the amusing turtles and a great variety of marine invertebrates.

Santa Pola Salt Lakes

Travelling South out of Santa Pola on the N332 you will drive through the salt lakes which are preceded by the "salt mountains". The lakes are spectacular especially if it is the time of year when the Pink Flamingoes are around.

Pink Flamingoes at the Salt Lakes at Santa Pola