30,000.
Plaza de la Iglesia 6, Tel: 96 579 43 56 .
Thu.
San Juan (24 Jun), Moros Y Cristianos (third weekend of Jul), Bous a la Mar (first week of Sep).
Pirates and smugglers once took advantage of the hiding places afforded by the cliffs, caves, inlets and two rocky islands along Xàbia’s coastline.
The town centre is perched on a hill a short way inland, on the site of an Iberian settlement. Many buildings here are made from the local Tosca sandstone. The 16th-century Iglesia de San Bartolomé was fortified to serve as a refuge in times of invasion. It has openings over the door through which missiles could be dropped on to attackers.
The seafront at Cabo de San Antonio is overlooked by ruined 17th- and 18th-century windmills. The bay is filled with modern developments, but the beaches are free of high-rise apartment blocks.
Entrance to the Gothic Iglesia de San Bartolomé in Xàbia