Discover Villajoyosa

Discover Villajoyosa – a colourful town on the Costa Blanca

Villajoyosa, La Vila Joiosa in Valencian, is the coastal town of brightly painted houses along the river and the smell of chocolate. From Moraira the drive takes about 40 minutes along the coast past Benidorm. A day trip to Villajoyosa combines three things well: a walk through the old town, a visit to the Valor chocolate museum and a swim at the town beach.

The old town and the painted facades

The facades in red, yellow, blue and pink are the image that made Villajoyosa famous. The popular story is that fishermen could recognise their own house from far out at sea. Historically the style goes back to the economic boom of the eighteenth century, when fishermen, traders and craftsmen took up the colourful Mediterranean building style of Italy and France, with narrow balconies and bright colours. The finest place to see this is where the houses hang above the bed of the river Amadorio, right by Playa Centro.

The old town is protected as cultural heritage, as are the town walls. Walk up from the river through the narrow lanes, then come down again to the promenade along the beach.

The Valor chocolate museum

Chocolates Valor was founded in 1881 by Valeriano López Lloret; the museum inside the factory has existed since 1998. The tour lasts about 45 minutes, ends with a tasting and is free. As an individual visitor you do not need to book, but take a ticket from the machine at the entrance; each tour holds a maximum of 50 people.

Museo del Chocolate Valor

Address: Av. del Pianista Gonzalo Soriano 13, Villajoyosa
Groups of 15 or more: book on +34 966 81 04 51
Parking: the museum has no car park of its own
From Moraira: ± 40 min by car
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Check the current times on the Valor website, especially in high season, when the tours fill up quickly.

Vilamuseu: the history of the town

Anyone who wants to know more about the past of Villajoyosa should go to the Vilamuseu. The museum shows the history of the town through archaeological finds, among them those from the Roman shipwreck Bou Ferrer.

Vilamuseu

Address: Calle Colón 57, Villajoyosa
Telephone: +34 966 508 355
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–14:00 (16 June–15 Sept: Tue–Sat 10:00–14:00 and 18:00–21:30); closed on Monday
Admission: € 3 in 2026; free for over-65s and under-18s
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Moros y Cristianos in July

If you are in Moraira at the end of July, bear in mind the Moros y Cristianos festivities in Villajoyosa, from 24 to 31 July in honour of Santa Marta. The high point is the Desembarco in the early morning of 28 July: a re-enacted landing from the sea and a battle on the beach, with fireworks and gunpowder smoke. The festival commemorates a pirate attack in 1538 and has held the status of a festival of international tourist interest since 2003. Expect large crowds and limited parking.

Combine it with

Villajoyosa is about 8 kilometres from Benidorm, so a morning in Benidorm with its beaches and viewpoint and an afternoon here fit well into one day. Drive on south and you pass El Campello and then reach the city of Alicante.