Elche (Destination)

City of palm trees and far-off tales

Portray of the Destination

Elche is the third major city of the Valencian autonomous region in terms of population, territory and resources. The Elche Palm Grove, heritage of the agricultural Andalusian culture, has been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city has also another cultural heritage that has been declared Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage: the Mystery Play of Elche (Misteri d’Elx). It is a sacred-lyrical drama, the last living proof of the medieval religious European theatre.

It is a commercial city, the Spanish footwear Capital and a modern metropolis dedicated to the tertiary sector that has turned it into an active, open and welcoming city.

We would like to thank the “Instituto de Turismo de Elche” for the texts and photographs provided.
Visit: Visite: www.turismedelx.com

Safety

Taking into consideration the importance of tourism in Spain, the security of the tourist is a high priority for the country; however, there are always some useful advices for them. In order to avoid any kind of problem it is advisable to take the money needed in the moment and not all the money available especially if you are inside a crowd.

Taking pictures

There are no restrictions regarding the taking of pictures.

Health Care Services

In general, the Spanish Health care system is good. There are no special warnings. Actually, the only precaution has to do with the sunshine that could cause heatstroke. It is important to mention that Spain has a large network of Health care Centres that offer first aid as well as qualified doctors. In the city of Elche you will find the following centres:

* Hospital General de Elche
Camino de la Almazara, 11 T
EL.966 67 90 00

* Centros de Salud
- CS Carrús
Alfredo Sánchez Torres, 8
TEL.965 43 51 80

* CS Jose María Pemán
Jose María Pemán, 29
TEL.965 44 81 12

* CS Toscar
Vicente Fuentes Sansano, 36
TEL.965 44 32 12

* C.S. de El Raval
Camí de Felip, s/n
03206 Elche
TEL.966679970

* Ambulatorio de San Fermín
C/ Jorge Juan, 46
03204 Elche
TEL.966679471

* Red Cross
Gabriel y Galán, 33
TEL.965 45 25 36
www.cruzroja.es

Public Transport

The city has a very efficient system of public transport. The different lines of “Autobuses Urbanos” allow you to travel along the city with an approximate frequency of 10 minutes. For more information call Autobuses Urbanos at 966 613 147.

There is also a regular taxi service that can be reached by phoning at: Radio Taxi TEL.965 427 777.

Car Rentals

In the city of Elche you can rent-a-car in the following offices:

Record Rent a Car: 902 123 002
www.alicante-live.com/alquiler-coches.htm

Telephone

The Spanish phone code is 34 and the Elche code is 96. To make phone calls to another country you must first dial 00 and the international code of the country you are calling to and finally the local phone number. If you wish to make phone calls within Spain you do not need to use a special code. The main operators are Amena (website: www.amena.com); Movistar-Telefónica Mobiles (website: www.movistar.tsm.es) and Vodaphone (website: www.vodafone.es).

It is common to find phone booths along the streets and they work with regular coins or phone cards that can be bought in places called “locutorios”. In these places you will find several phone booths where you can make phone calls without using coins or cards and paying when you finish your call and also several different services such as: sending and receiving fax and Internet.

Electricity

220V, 50 Hz. Sockets take two round plugs.

Basic Dictionary

YES: si. NO: no. HELLO: hola. GOOD BYE: adios. GOOD MORNING: buenos días. GOOD AFTERNOON: buenas tardes. GOOD NIGHT: buenas noches. PLEASE: por favor. SORRY: lo siento. THANK YOU: gracias. DOCTOR: médico. PHARMACY: farmacia. NUMBERS: 1: un. 2: dos. 3: tres. 4: cuatro. 5: cinco. 6: seis. 7: siete. 8: ocho. 9: nueve. 10: diez. 11: once. 12: doce. 13: trece. 14: catorce. 15: quince. 16: dieciséis. 17: diecisiete. 18: dieciocho. 19: diecinueve. 20: veinte. 21: veintiuno. 22: veintidós. 30: treinta. 40: cuarenta. 50: cincuenta. 60: sesenta. 70: setenta. 80: ochenta. 90: noventa. 100: cien. 1000: mil. DAYS OF THE WEEK: MONDAY: lunes. TUESDAY: martes. WEDNESDAY: miércoles. THURSDAY: jueves. FRIDAY: viernes. SATURDAY: sábado. SUNDAY: domingo. COMMON WORDS: BIG/SMALL: grande/pequeño. HOT/COLD: caliente/frío. OPEN/CLOSED: abierto/cerrado. GOOD/BAD: bueno/malo. NEW/OLD: nuevo/viejo. PUSH/PULL: empujar/tirar. ENTRANCE/EXIT: entrada/salida. LADIES/GENTLEMEN: señoras/señores. FAR/NEAR: lejos/cerca. LEFT/RIGHT: izquierda/derecha. TAXI: taxi. BUS: autobús. MEALS: BREAKFAST: desayuno. LUNCH: comida. DINNER: cena. MENU: menú. WINES: vinos. DESSERT: postre. THE BILL: la cuenta. COMMON SENTENCES: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?: ¿Habla inglés?. I DON'T UNDERSTAND: no entiendo. WHERE IS IT?: ¿donde está? HOW MUCH IS IT: ¿Cuánto es? WHAT TIME IS IT: ¿Qué hora es? COULD YOU HELP ME: ¿Puede ayudarme?

Airport

Elche is a city that is perfectly linked to the rest of Spain and other countries thanks to the International Airport of l’Altet. It is placed 8 miles away from the built-up area and has weekly flights to over fifty destinations.

Services of the airport:
Tourism Office of Elx-Airport: 966 919 367
Information: 966 919 100
Iberia: 966 919 188.
Other companies: Air Nostrum 966 919 188, Basic Air 966 919 444, LTU 966 919 450, Lufthansa 902 220 101, Monarch 966 919 447.

Visa

Visas are not required to those tourists coming from the European Union, United States, Argentina, Mexico or any other Latin American countries, though a return ticket must be purchased in every case. Travellers from Australia, Anguilla, Bermuda, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea, Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Saint Helena, Singapore and Turks & Caicos Islands do not either need visa provided that they do not stay more than 90 days in Spain.

When to go

Summer is always the best choice since the climate of the city allows you to enjoy the beautiful beaches. However, there are great cultural activities the rest of the year.

Climate

Elche has a typically Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and perfect summers. There are no considerable variations of temperature throughout the year since the average temperatures are 26ºC (78.8ºF) in summer and 17ºC (62.6ºF) in winter. There is little rainfall mainly in spring and autumn. In the latter there may be downpours provoked by heat accumulation in layers of cloud colliding with the cold fronts the arrive from the North Pole.

Clothing

There are not fixed rules regarding clothing since it changes according to the climatic period, the place or the circumstances. Spaniards usually do not overdress to attend to work or to share leisure time with others; in general, casual comfortable clothes are used and in January the low temperatures require warm clothing.

Currency

The official currency of Spain is the Euro. There are banknotes of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 Euros. Also coins of 1 and 2 Euros and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Currency Exchange

1 EUR (Euro) = 1.20 (United States Dollar) - 1 EUR (Euro) = 0.66 GBP (British Pound Sterling)

Spanish embassy in the destination

 

Useful phone numbers

• Police : 092
• Ambulance : TEL.: 902 157 445
• Fire Brigade : 112
• Tourist health care services :

Elche(Touristic Zone)

City of palm trees and far-off tales

Description

The historical centre of the city shelters several buildings of great cultural value that are silent witnesses to the different periods of Elche’s history: The Moorish city walls, the Alcázar de la Señoría, fortified palace and garden, the majestic Calahorra fortress, the Basílica de Santa María with its outstanding Valencian Baroque portico, the Renaissance Convent de la Mercè and the Gothic Town Hall, all constitute an interesting tour around the fascinating past of the city.

This city offers a really pleasant weather and interesting tours to cover its beautiful sites. It boasts of an extremely rich cultural heritage that can be seen in its different museums and galleries. Visitors can get acquainted of the history of the city and its archaeological heritage, visit an interesting collection of contemporary art or discovering traditions reflected on theatre, cinema and music spectacles.

We would like to thank the “Instituto de Turismo de Elche” for the information and photographs provided.
Visit: www.turismedelx.com

Highlights

The Elche Palm Grove
The Elx Palm Grove has extraordinary value and beauty and, because of this, it was declared World Heritage Site in 2000 by UNESCO. The discovery of fossilized date stones in this area of the Mediterranean would seem to support the theory that the palm tree has been in Elche since prehistory. Nevertheless, it was the Moors who placed them as plantations creating, with the aid of irrigation, a landscape that has been indissolubly linked to Elche throughout its history.


Elche Mystery Play (Misteri D'Elx)
The Misteri d’Elx is a lyrical medieval drama that has been declared by UNESCO, in 2001, a Masterpiece of World Oral and Intangible Heritage. It narrates the Dormition, Assumption and Coronation in Heaven of the Virgin Mary and it is performed in the Basilica of Santa María.

It has survived throughout the years due to the devotion of the whole town. It is performed by a non-professional adult choir and a children’s choir with innocent voices. However, the really distinguishing factor of the Elche Mystery Play is its complex medievally-inspired production and the usage of aerial equipment that makes it a spectacular experience.

Lady of Elche (Dama de Elche)
With more than two thousand years of history, it is a true jewel from the Iberian period. It was discovered in 1897 and moved to the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid.

The MAHE (City of Elche Archaeology and History Museum) was opened in 2006 and it is presided by the return of the Iberian sculpture, an exhibition starting the 18th of May and finishing the 1st of November, 2006.

The Archaeological Park and the l’Alcudia Museum
In this museum there are several objects from the Copper and Bronze Ages as well as relevant Iberian pieces such as sculptural remains, ceramics with figurative ornamentation and pieces from the times of the Roman domination.

The Calahorra Tower
The Calahorra Tower is an Almohad tower of late 12th and early 13th Centuries. It was erected to defend the most important gateway that connected the city with Alicante.

On August 20th 1492, the Town Council decided to build an annex building to house scales to check the amount of wheat being taken to the flour mills.


The Basílica of Santa Maria
The Basilica of Santa María is located on the place where the former mosque of Elche was during the Moorish times. The mosque remained there after the conquest of the city by James I in 1265, until 1334 when the first Catholic church was built, standing up to 1492. It is believed that the Mystery Play was performed for the first time here. Then a second temple was erected, that collapsed in 1672 due to torrential rainfalls.

The building of the current church began in 1672 under the direction of Francesc Verde, who was succeeded as master builder by Pere Quintana and Ferrán Fouquet. The church was finished in 1784.

Both the façade and the front of San Agatángelo are the work of the Strasburg-born sculptor Nicolas de Bussi (1680-1682).

The Town Hall
The Tower of the Town Hall is the oldest building in the southern area of the Valencian Region and its construction began in 1441 under the direction of master builder Beiam. This almost square tower was part of the city walls and its lower section connected the Plaça de Baix, to the area beyond the wall and the market.

The Lonja was located adjacent to it and housed the commercial activities of that period. In 1645, the eastern section of the building was erected  and so, the tower remained in the centre of the complex.

The "Gran Teatro" (Grand Theatre)
The original building dates from 1920 when it was inaugurated under the name of Kursaal Theatre and directed by the Valencian architect Alfonso Garín. In the early 1990’s, the building, at that time in private hands and being used solely as a cinema, was acquired by Elche Town Hall and underwent an extensive refurbishment that affected all the structure while respecting its décor.

The Gran Teatro of Elche was reinaugurated on May 16th 1996 by H.M. Queen Sofía at a concert given by the Spanish National Orchestra. Its modern infrastructure and excellent technical equipment enables it to present all types of performances including theatre, music or dance.

Huerto del Cura Hotel(Hotel)

Four stars

Address, Telephone and fax number

Porta de la Morera, 14.
03203 ELCHE (Alicante)
Tel.: 96 661 00 11
Fax: 96 542 19 10
Information and bookings: 96 661 00 11

A few words

In the heart of the outstanding Palm Grove of Elche and just a few minutes from the city centre, this charming establishment arises as a different concept of hotel, like an oasis of tranquillity and a customised service.

Rooms

There are 82 rooms which are individual, double of Junior Suite. They are like bungalows surrounded by a lush tropical garden with palm trees. They are roomy and practical, offer an avant-garde design and high quality materials.

They are equipped with air-conditioning and heating, Satellite TV with remote control, message service, direct telephone, minibar, safety box, 24 hour room service and free wireless internet connection. The Junior Suite rooms are perfect for businessmen who would like to work in a peaceful and relaxing environment. It is equipped with a desk, private fax and a sofa.

Activities offered by the hotel or close by

The Sport Hotel has a garden of 3000 m2 where many open-air activities can be practised: basketball, tennis, swimming, gymnastics, football, table tennis, jogging, etc.

Room

 

• Air-Conditioning
• Mini bar
• Satellite TV
• Safe
• Television
• Direct telephone