Despite becoming a busy seaside resort in recent years, Jávea still conserves an attractive historic centre of narrow streets, roughcast buildings, houses with wrought-iron grills and light-filled courtyards. To protect itself from the pirate attacks of yore, the town was surrounded by walls constructed by its inhabitants. The dominant building in the fortified enclosure is the Iglesia de San Bartolomé, the town’s architectural gem, listed as a NationalHistoricalMonument. Built from the fifteenth to sixteenth century in Isabelline Gothic style, its past function as a fortress is still evident to day. The doorways are protected by machicolations and the artillery emplacement points are still visible in the upper part. The church has a single-nave structure with chapels huddling among the buttresses; its fine apse is covered by a ribbed vault. Beside the church stands the Town Hall, built over the first Sala del Consell.

Right in the middle of the historic part of the town is the Archaeological and EthnographicMuseum, housed in the Casa de Felipe Bañuls, a seventeenth-century mansion. Its fascinating exhibits include prehistoric, Iberian, Roman, Islamic and Christian remains. One of the most picturesque spots of old Jávea is the Placeta del Convent, a square that takes its name from the old Convento de las Agustinas.

Jávea has a bulging calendar of festivals, including the Fiesta de Jesús Nazareno, the Fiesta de los Moros y Cristianos and sundry cavalcades, verbenas (open-air celebrations) and firework displays.

Two kilometres from today’s town centre lies Las Aduanas del Mar, where Jávea was originally established in lee of the Cabo de San Antonio. This town, developed around the seaport, is now the fishing district and seaside resort. Its most important building is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Loreto, a fine example of the expressionist architecture of the seventies. Jávea’s 20+ kilometres of coastline alternates sandy beaches with pine-thronged coves, such as the Cala de Granadella and Cala del Arenal. Its fine white sand and sheltered waters have made it the vogue resort and shopping centre.