The official guided tours round Xábia old town takes you on a tour round the history of Javea with a knowledgeable guide giving you all the insights and interesting stories in your own language.

A guided tour starts at the Tourist Office in Old Town, at the Plaza del Iglesia – the church square of Javea, every Tuesday evening at 19.00 (7pm).

You can turn up before the start of a tour and signup then and there or register for the tour at any of the tourist offices in town. If you are unsure of where the starting point is, the tourist offices on the port and Arenal beach have little maps of the town and will be able to guide you to it.

The guided tours of Javea old town take approximately 1.30hour, they are available in English, Spanish, German and French and the price is a very modest 3euros for adult, 2euros for kids over 8years old. The tourist information boots at the end of the Arenal Beach and in the port can give you further information if you need it.

Dont forget. Beyond the beaches of Javea theres an entirely different world with plenty of historical tales, buildings and monuments maintained for centuries and a very vibrant Spanish culture to explore. If you have any interest in the history of Spain, churches, architecture or similar, these guided tours can be an excellent starting point for digging into the wealth of interesting experiences and stories that Xabia contains.

The Spanish cuisine is delicate and varied. Obviously paella and tapas are the two most famous types of Spanish food but in fact both are umbrella labels for a wide range as dishes. Eating at a restaurant in Javea isn’t necessarily about trying traditional Spanish food though, as the availability of restaurants from around the world can literally take your taste buds on a tour of the entire globe.

Spanish Food in Javea Restaurants – Paella and Tapas
It would of course be shameful to visit the Valencia area and Jávea in particular without trying out some of the local specialties. There are plenty of restaurants on the Arenal Beach serving paella and a variety of tapas bars to choose from in the same area, however to get the real taste of Spain you really should make the effort and seek out your Spanish food in one of the small cosy restaurants of Javea old town – you don´t survive serving poor tapas or boring paella up in Xábia centro historica, take advantage of it.

The paella valenciano is based on seafood and once properly done by a Spanish chef the delicious fresh foods from the sea make for an excellent meal to share directly from a giant paella pan with your friends or family.  Normally you order a big paella pan for at least two people, but the general idea is to meet up and share among a bigger gang of people.

Tapas is of course just a label for “little delicious dishes” and each restaurant or tapas bar will have their own homemade selection of goodies to choose from – patatas bravas, squid rings, oysters and mushrooms, cheese bowls, meat balls in spicy sauce etc, its all tapas. Now some tourist restaurants will charge you 5-8euros per tapas dish and their sizes will be close to a full dish, this is a misunderstanding. The ideal way of eating some genuine Javea tapas yummies is to sit down with some friends, order 2-3 tapas each, have them all served to share and mix your own meal of several different flavors and types of food. The cafe at the fresh food indoor market by the church in Javea old town tends to have offers of around 5euros/5 tapas, which is perfect for creating a table full of excellent little dishes.

What Restaurants to choose in Javea Old Town ?
Finding good places to eat and try out the Spanish cuisine is incredibly easy in the old town of Jávea. Unlike in the tourist parts of town you don´t as such need reviews or recommendations, they quality is generally very high and the service welcoming – I have yet to walk out of a restaurant in Javea old town feeling ripped off. Of course, personal taste differs and every chef takes pride in making his own special offerings flavored exactly to his version of perfections but that is really for you to individually try out. Have a pleasant stroll through the narrow streets, have a look at the menus and offers (the “menus del dia” are always worth looking out for) – and choose one of the countless inviting, friendly and charming places to have your meal.

If I had to name a few nice restaurants for Spanish food and/or having pleasant meals in Jávea old town I would recommend Bistro Casa Grau, Tasca El Salaito or maybe Bar Jóse for tapas, perhaps Fuentes or La Refugi for paella. Other places not to be missed include La Musa, La Parilla Del Cellar which is amazing for all kinds of meat dishes (traditional or not) and if you take a little drive out from old town round Montgo towards Jesus Pobre, one of the very best restaurants in the Javea area, El Gaucho Jávea, greets you with a menu of absolute culinary delights. But seriously, the options are endless and you are unlikely to go wrong.

Of course, other parts of town have excellent meals in Jávea – and we will be straight back to have a look at some of the restaurants ready to fill your tummy with fresh dishes on the Arenal, the port and elsewhere…. But first, do try the tapas bars, paellas and other specialties in Javea old town, its a world of exquisite food and outstanding chefs right at your fingertips!

Having taken a quick drive through town one of the most prepared places to enjoy the jubilee celebrations would appear to be GJ´s Sandwich Bar. The Union Jack flies high all over the restaurant, a big screen is ready for the live coverage of the jubilee on sunday (june 3rd) and a range of English specialties such as Scottish Eggs, Union Jack Cupcakes and plenty more are ready to be served.

The celebrations start already saturday (2nd june) at GJs in Jávea with special entertainment for families and kids. The Saturday afternoon at GJ´s feature face painting and balloon making for the kids with a special jubilee entertaining the kids whilst the adults can relax with the fresh foods and delicious jubilee menus.

The Sunday of the Jubilee celebrations are even more packed with events, as stated by one of the owners of GJ´s, Gina Gatoli: “On Sunday we have the big screen viewing of all the celebrations taking place in england…for your English taste buds we have pork and hot stuffing baps and the truly British English banger and fried onion baps…plus our very own homemade union jack cup cakes…so come on down and join the party…xxxx”

You find GJ´s and the jubilee celebrations right by the Arenal Beach in Jávea, here it is on a map:

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The celebrations at GJs – The Ultimate Sandwich Bar in Javea is just one example of how you can enjoy your royal tendencies whilst on vacation in Jávea. An equally impressive program with a full on street party is being arranged at and around Jaspas Bar up towards the Cabo De La Nao for instance and plenty of other bars follow suit with big screen viewing on the sunday, parties at night or family entertainment.

Royals, monarchy and queens !?! What about an old fashioned republican visiting Jávea and craving an anti dose to all these jubilee celebrations ? Well, I failed to dig up a single anti-jubilee or republican party to recommend, but heading up to the historic center of Jávea for your weekend entertainment is a fairly safe bet. There are plenty of things happening in Javea old town too and the Spanish couldn’t  care less about the British queen.

Jubilee Market Day For Afghan Heroes
If you´re a true royalist and simply can´t stop celebrating there is a chance to have a very nice afternoon with live music, market stalls and family entertainment in Javea on the 10th of June. The Jubilee fair in Javea is set up as a charity event with all proceeds going to the noble cause of Afghan Heroes. Click the poster for full info:

The fair opens its doors at 11am on Sunday the 10th of June in the area round Bar For You, just behind the Arenal Beach and next to the mini golf facility – that kids will have free access to during the day along with funny bouncy castles and much more.  The live music will be performed by local entertainers Strickland, Adam King and Steward Collier.

Apart from the live music in Javea, the adults have a generous 40 stalls to cruise for exciting bargains, a bbq for delicious foods and plenty of available refreshments in comfortable surroundings within a stone throw from the beach.

Sant Joan De Fogueras in Jávea
The main event in June in Jávea has to be the annual Spanish fiesta Fogueras De Sant Joan. A 2 week celebration of the saint Joan kicking off with inaugurations on the 9th of June and then running at full pace from the 14th to the 23th of June. Fogueras De Sant Joan in Javea is a fiesta like to other. During the days you can enjoy sports in the streets, traditional religious parades with colorful costumes and plenty of eye candy.

Obviously there will be bulls at Fogueras. Plenty of bulls. Involved in bull running chasing the residents round town, chasing the players in bull football, delivering a big bull poo to settle the bull bingo and so forth. No harm is done to the bulls and no bull fighting takes place. It is perfectly safe to go and watch the events even if you feel strongly about animal rights, the bulls are treasured and looked after well.

In the evening and nights Xábia old town is buzzing with party activities all through Fogueras De Sant Joan. The main squares of Javea old town have live music or DJs playing every night. The special penyas and quintas have little home made bars throwing spontaneous parties on every street corner. The nights in Jávea are not to be missed if you love excessive fireworks displays, wild drunken parades, burning statues, jumping over burning fires in the streets and a whole range of other mad activities forming the extraordinary experience that Fogueras De Sant Joan truly is.

The main Jávea fiesta reaches it climax with the insane night of fire, Correfocs. This is a night for the daring. It starts out with jumping burning fires for good luck before the insane spectacle kicks off with demons chasing everyone through the streets by firing fireworks directly at them. It sounds dangerous and granted, it hurts and wouldn’t pass northern European safety regulations in a million years, but it is also one of the most amazing and unique experiences you can hope to find during your holiday in Spain.

The International Festival of Javea
Another main cultural event to attend in June is the International Festival. The 3 day festival runs from the 28th to the 30th of June in Avenida Augusta. The International Festival is all about bringing cultures closer together by literally letting everyone have a little taste of each others specialties.

Physically the International Festival in Javea is setup as big horse shoe of tents with each of the tents being occupied by a different nationality displaying the prides of their home country and serving their local dishes. It will be possible to have a thorough taste of international cuisine from more than 20 countries including Spain, Peru, Brasil, Germany, France, Bolivia, Colombia, Morocco, Greece and many others. The culinary delights are spiced up with entertainment on a big stage featuring performances from the various nationalities as well as live music.

Exhibitions in Javea
A grand exhibition featuring the “Art and death in the Montgo, the cave in the Migdia ravine” (Art i mort al Montgó; la Cova del barranc de Migdia) is available to the public all through June at the Cime Foundations exhibition hall at Avenida De Alicante 18. The “Art and death in the Montgo” exhibition displays the explorations of ancient caves, the cave paintings and the graves found in the Migdia ravine in Montgó. Certain of the findings can be dated all the way back to the Chalcolithic period (some 4,683 years ago). If history and archeology has your interest, this is an exhibition not to be missed – and it is presented by the very people conducting the explorations of the Montgó caves, so you are guaranteed expertise, passion and know how.

An exhibition of artworks by local Xábia artists is worth a visit in Jávea old town. The exhibition features artworks in several disciplines such as painting, patchwork, ceramics and needle work and is available to the public at Casa Tena (Calle Mayor 41) until 9th of June.

Among other interesting cultural activities and exhibitions in Jávea it is worth pointing to Soler Blascos photographic display at the Municipal Museum of Xábia, themed “Sahara, The Desert of Hope“. Further the artist Rosa Segura has an interesting display of sculptures at Casa Del Cable

The Nature of Javea – Outdoor Activities
Obviously sitting on the beach in the hot sunshine with a pina colada is a form of outdoor activity, but should you fancy something slightly more energetic there are excellently scenic options in Jávea.

The Xábia Viva group has a tree planting day at Granadella on June 3 and there are guided walks in the nature around Portitxol. In a more relaxing fashion you have the opportunity to watch the glorious nature of the Costa Blanca from sea by jumping aboard a tour with Mundo Marina in the Jávea Port – taking you to see the miradors of the area from the sea, on day trips to Calpe, Moraira or Altea or on an adventurous speedboating experience in the Mediterranean.

Jubilees, Excercises and Football
In the more random department of events most expat bars and restaurants in Javea have street parties arranged to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee on 3rd June for the royalists. Places such as the chirinquito Mintt and L´Ancora Tennis club offers pilates, zumba and salsa classes and many other terribly exercise intensive ways of losing a few pounds in the summer heat whilst meeting new people in a fun way.

The Euro 2012 football championships kick off in June and its well worth planning to watch the games out in town in Javea. England is playing France (11th June), Sweden (15th June) and Ukraine (19th June) and following another expected devastation for the self proclaimed British favorites for the title is always funny in expat bars such as Jáveas Irish bar An Shebeen, the ports El Varadero, the Geographic café on the Arenal beach or indeed any other bar mainly catering to an English audience.

The glorious Spanish heroes are up against Italy (10th), Ireland (14th) and Croatia (18th) – and you really should seek out a local Spanish bar in Jávea old town Bar Jose, El Estadio or similar to watch these and catch the enthusiasm of the home support. Any of the above can be pleasantly watched in the Jávea beach bars such as Moskito, Mintt or Carpe Diem as well, all of which tend to have big outdoor screens and parties lined up for the occasions.

Holidays in Jávea – June is the best month!
Still short of something to do in Javea Spain during your vacation? Probably not, but there are plenty more activities round town such as theme parties in the Javea night clubs, latin fiestas, diving and sailing classes, guided tours round the area and much much more.

Get your bookings in and start planning your holiday in the sun. Javea is a perfect choice to entertain you in June with clean and safe beaches, plenty of activities for all ages and one of the most impressive fiesta programs on the entire coast of the Costa Blanca!

The centerpiece of oldtown is the church, Sant Bertomeu. Still marred by bullet holes from fighting during the Spanish civil war. Surrounded by a small plaza with nice outdoor cafées and tapas bars. From the church narrow streets take you on an adventure past everyday Spanish village life with old men arguing about the world at cervezerias, kids playing football against the walls of ancient townhouses and tiny specialist stores quality offerings of fresh vegetables, handcrafted leatherworks and stylish Spanish designer clothes.

The atmosphere of oldtown is always a strange combination of vibrancy and tranquility. Its sleepy in some ways, but life is always buzzing on every corner and every café. The tranquil vibes are at every moment about to interrupted by honking car horns, enthusiastic arguments about football and the weather or fiesta parade.

As a first time visitor to Javea old town its relatively easy to get lost in the spiderweb of narrow streets. Chill out. Every corner contains a café with ready refreshments. Every new little calle you explore reveals new amazing ancient buildings and interesting specialist stores. And in reality the area is quite small, you will make your way out eventually!

Enjoy a stroll through the indoor market right by the church. It contains all the fresh food stores you could dream off. Fish are coming in directly from the Javea port through the day, local farmers provide a steady supply of vegetables and fruits, freshly baked bread and countless other delicately tasty goodies are always on sale. Dont forget the siesta hours are strictly observed in the indoor market, as well as the rest of old town. Early afternoon is for chilling, eating tapas or paella and having some cava.

If you enjoyed the indoor market try timing your visit for the big weekly outdoor one. Its kind of a giant carboot sale spread out all over the historic centre, but with much more interesting items than your average second hand market. Theres fresh food stores, homemade soaps and beauty products, clothing, crafts and the odd tacky overload of tourist memorabilia. Normally the outdoor market in Javea unfolds on thursday mornings till siesta time. You cant miss it, it literally spreads all round the narrow streets of old town.

From early spring till late autumn there are continous fiestas and other celebrations unfolding in old town. It is always recommended to try and catch the beauty and madness of some of these Spanish fiestas but be warned, they are not happening for the sake of tourists and have no concern for northern european health and safety regulations or morality. Kids will jump through fires, toddlers be chased by bulls, giant fire be lit in residential areas and fireworks be fired in all directions. Its fantastic fun, its authentic and real – and you might survive the day with a smile on your face.

The largest celebration in old town is the annual fiesta of San Juan / Fogueras. Programs for the summer event are available in most supermarkets and tourist info shops round town. It truly shouldnt be missed.

A more relaxing but no less exciting activity is to seek out one of the many local bars for a big game – Spain, Valencia CF or Barcelona – to experience the passion that surrounds Spanish football. Bar Jose by the post office in the middle of oldtown Javea is always a good spot to catch a game, but every cervezeria in town will be full to the brim when a significant game is on.

A holiday in Javea simply isnt complete without at least a day spent in the historic centre. You may go for there for a specific one of the many fiestas or cultural events, you may go for the weekly outdoor market or you may simply decide to have a stroll through Spanish present and past as it occurs in a charming Spanish village. But in either case, dont cheat yourself out of the pleasures of Javea old town.