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Considering moving to Denia, or living in Denia part-time? Then you’ve come to the right place!
I spent 3 months living in Dénia during the summer whilst I worked as an Au Pair. The job involved living with a local family and joining in with their day-to-day life. I also returned to Dénia in the winter to revisit my host family.
My host actually worked as a real estate agent selling houses to expats – so I know just how beloved Dénia is with the international community!
Dénia is hugely popular with expats, and you’ll find plenty of English, German, French and even Russian expats living here!
In addition to the permanent population of Dénia, plenty of families own holiday homes here where they spend the entire summer.
Through my time in Dénia, I’ve witnessed (and experienced!) exactly what it’s like to live there. I’ve had plenty of time to think about the pros and cons of living in Dénia.
Overall, I think Dénia is a great place to live in Spain, for so many reasons! But some things are worth being aware of before you move there so you don’t have any surprises.
Table of Contents
Pros of Living in Dénia, Spain
1. There are so many places to visit near Dénia!
Although Dénia itself is hardly a hectic city, it’s close to plenty of them! There are so many day trips around Spain from Dénia that it blows my mind, and they’re all so easy to reach!
Benidorm is just a 35-minute drive away, Alicante is a 1-hour drive away from Dénia, Valencia is just 1 hour and 20 minutes away, and you can even catch the ferry to Ibiza in just 2 hours! It doesn’t get much better located than this!
If you’re looking for something a bit quieter, you can find that, too. Javea is just like Denia, but with less of an expat vibe, Altea is far less touristy, and beautiful Moraira has some of the best beaches in the region!
Since Dénia is fairly relaxed and quiet, it’s great to have the option to dip in and out of more populated cities. Also, the public transport to these places is efficient and cheap, meaning visiting the nearby areas is hassle-free.
2. Dénia has a thriving expat community
People from all over the world, but especially Europe, move to Dénia for its laid-back way of life and great weather. Unlike its neighbours further up the coast, though (I’m looking at you, Benidorm), it’s not overrun with retirees!
That’s not to say that there are no retirees in Dénia, or that they’re not welcome (they absolutely are), but there are people from all different stages of life living in Dénia. You’ll also get people from all different countries living here.
For this reason, Dénia is one of the best places to live in Spain for expats.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t any Spanish locals – there are plenty of them! But also it means that you won’t stand out like a sore thumb for being from out of town.
You’re also very likely to find other expats who speak your language living in Dénia to make friends with.
It’s fabulous to have neighbours from all over the world. You can learn so much about different cultures and ways of life! Although you’ll live in a town in Spain, you’ll be exposed to Spanish culture, German culture, English, Russian, French – you name it!
3. It’s not crowded
Dénia is a rare gem for coastal towns in Spain because, unlike many beachside resorts (especially those on the Costa Del Sol), it doesn’t get absolutely PACKED in summer.
If you visited either Valencia or Alicante in summer, chances are you’d find swathes of tourists no matter where you go! That’s not the case in Dénia.
If you’re moving to Dénia you need to be aware that the town’s population does double in summer, but it doesn’t make the town feel crowded or hectic.
Even with the summer visitors, there will always be plenty of space on the beaches.
You’ll also be able to go to a restaurant without a reservation, and you won’t need to push through crowds on your morning coffee run. Win!
4. The food in Dénia is incredible
Oh my god, you guys.
The food.
The food in Dénia is out of this world! If you only do one thing in Dénia, you have to go try some traditional paella. Like, real traditional paella.
Ask the locals where they go (chances are it’ll be a drive away from town) and eat until you have to be carried home!
Since I had the privilege of living with a local family, the grandfather of the family loved nothing more than whipping up traditional, huge pans of paella a few times a week. I was in food heaven, and I’ve never eaten better paella in my life!
The family also took me to a few local restaurants outside of town for traditional smoked meats and cheeses, which were heavenly.
Honestly, the food in Dénia is one of the key reasons to live in this part of Spain.
It’s cheap, it’s easily available, it’s varied and it’s unforgettable!
5. The beaches in Dénia are gorgeous
Dénia boasts 15km of glittering coastline, and every inch of it is ready for you to enjoy!
The beaches in Dénia are second-to-none! They’re clean, they’re sandy, the water is warm, and a few of them also have lifeguards. Many of the urbanizations back on to the beach, so your back garden could literally be the golden sands of Spain!
What’s more, the sea here is very calm and rip tides aren’t really an issue, so it’s safe for kids to splash around in. It’s also ideal for watersports such as kayaking and stand up paddleboarding which require calm water.
Since it gets so unbearably hot in summer, the beach will be pretty quiet until around 5pm.
In the early evening, when everybody finishes work, locals head to the beach to soak up the sun, splash around and chat with neighbours.
6. The Montgo is one of the best hikes in Spain!
The Montgo mountain keeps the town sprawl enclosed between its rocky peaks and the sea. Locals love the Montgo as it offers the best views in Dénia and is also totally free to visit!
Hiking up here is something you’ll never get bored of. Some lunatics even run up it (I met a man who runs up it at 6am every morning!).
There are quite a few different routes around the Montgo with varying difficulties, so you won’t have to walk up and down the same one every time.
From the top of Montgo mountain, which stands at 753 metres high, you’ll get panoramic views over the town and the ocean. Looking out from the peak, you’ll know for sure that living here is a paradise!
7. Dénia has mild weather in winter
Dénia, like other towns on the Costa Blanca in Spain, has great weather all year round. Winters get cold, don’t get me wrong, but they’re very mild compared to the rest of Europe.
In winter, temperatures hover between lows of 7°C and highs of 18°C. Compare that with the highs of 9°C and lows of 5°C we get here in London, and it’s safe to say the winter weather in Dénia wins!
When I visited Dénia in December I was able to walk outside in just jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Having flown in from the UK, which was firmly in the big-coat season, I couldn’t believe that winters like this were even possible!
The mild winter in Spain promotes outdoor living, and there’s no doubt you’ll spend a lot more time outdoors living in Dénia than you would in the UK. If that’s something you’re looking for, Dénia has got you covered!
8. Dénia is great for families
My experience of Dénia is that it, first and foremost, is a family destination.
It’s peaceful, and there’s a ton of kid-friendly activities in Dénia. Also, importantly, Dénia doesn’t have a party scene or stag/hen scene unlike its neighbour, Benidorm.
It’s a place where you can enjoy Costa Blanca without rowdy Brits on a lads’ holiday or huge young groups of partiers. For this reason, Dénia feels much more liveable and family-friendly.
It’s also a destination that Spanish families as well as international families go on their holidays, showing off that it clearly has value for many more reasons than being cheap.
Cons of Living in Dénia
9. It gets SO.HOT in summer
Honestly.
It gets so freaking hot in Dénia in summer. Like, unbearably hot!
I lost a LOT of sleep because I just couldn’t cool down. During the day, it was sweltering. I felt like I couldn’t even go to the beach between 10am and 6pm.
I never in my life understood why the siesta was a thing, but let me tell you – in Spain, I took a siesta every. damn. day.
Some people are totally fine with heat and actually love it. As an English girl, I am not suited to hot climates, and I suffered. I can’t imagine how people do any work in temperatures like that. It made me cranky, irritable and constantly flustered!
If you’re considering moving to Dénia, or this part of Spain in general, be realistic with yourself about the temperatures you can handle (or be willing to adjust your lifestyle to accommodate the heat).
Oh, and for the love of god, make sure your accommodation has air conditioning!
10. It can be a bit of a ghost town in the winter months
Like I said before, the population of Dénia doubles in summer. It never feels overrun though – and that’s because the permanent population of Dénia isn’t actually that high.
Online sources quote around 40,000 people, but given how spread out the area is, it doesn’t end up being that many.
If you live in the town centre itself, you may not notice too much of a difference. This is because the majority of residents in the town’s apartments live there full time.
But if you’re staying at an urbanization or in a villa further out of town? Chances are, you may be the only ones in the area!
This is, obviously, what you make of it. If you’re the only residents in your urbanization over winter, you’ll have it all to yourself, which is fun. You’ll just have to keep in mind that you won’t have any neighbours to chat to for a while.
There are, though, plenty of residents who return to Dénia over winter and rent their place out during summer, so it could be that you actually get to know your neighbours a lot better than when the area’s residents are rotating every week in summer.
So – this could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you view it, but it’s good to be aware of before you decide to move to Dénia.
11. There aren’t loads of things to do in Dénia itself
Although Dénia is a great jumping-off point for day trips around the area, the town itself won’t overwhelm you with things to do.
This can work two ways. Either you’ll love that you can relax and aren’t faced with a never-ending list of places you want to go and things you want to see, or you’ll get bored.
By the end of my 3 months, I was bored. I had seen and done everything there was to do in Dénia, and, as an active person, I was kind of over it. I live in London because I love that I will NEVER run out of things to do here!
It all depends on what type of person you are, though.
Many people don’t constantly try to “do” things and sightsee in the place they live in. In fact, I think I’m the odd one out! The vast majority of people don’t necessarily look for this from their hometown, so my opinion here may not even apply to you!
Of course, there are fun things to do in Denia.
There’s hiking the Montgo, exploring Dénia Castle, or attending the charming pre-Christmas tradition of the Medieval Market.
During the market, over 80 stalls sell artisan crafts and local produce and there are performers storytelling, juggling, doing magic tricks and dancing.
12. Dénia doesn’t have its own airport
To get to Dénia from abroad, you’ll have to fly into the international airport at either Valencia or Alicante. This is only a minor inconvenience if you have a car, but without one it can turn your journey into a nightmare.
It isn’t the end of the world, but it sure is annoying if you want to go home or travel internationally every so often.
For example, to get to Valencia airport without a car from Dénia takes 2 hours and 55 minutes with the bus, and costs between €10 and €15! Compare that to the journey time of slightly over one hour by car and you’ll see what I mean.
From Alicante airport, the fastest way to get to Dénia is with the Beniconnect bus, which takes just over one hour. But it costs €28 each way!
Your other option is to get the bus from Alicante airport to Benidorm, and then get the bus to Dénia. It’s a bit of a hassle.
13. It’s far away from Madrid
This isn’t a major thing, but it’s worth being aware of. If you need to head into the capital city for any reason, it’s quite a trek away.
So, if you’re heading to Madrid from Denia, it’s worth making a weekend of it, checking out the sights and a flamenco show or two to make the journey worth it.
The drive from Denia to Madrid takes around 4 hour and 30 minutes. To get there by public transport you’ll need to take the bus to Valencia and then hop on a train to Madrid, with the whole journey taking you around 4 hours 30 minutes too.
FAQs About Living in Dénia, Spain
Is Dénia a Good Place to Live?
Dénia is a fantastic place to live for people wanting to enjoy everything that the Costa Blanca has to offer whilst still feeling like an authentic Spanish town. Unlike many of its neighbouring Costa Blanca towns, Dénia never becomes completely overrun with tourists, making it a very liveable town.
Where is Better to Live – Dénia or Javea?
Although both Costa Blancan towns are great to live in, Dénia is probably the better option. Dénia is larger and more populated than Javea, meaning there are more things to do, more local amenities, and more of a year-round community there for you to integrate with.
Is Dénia, Spain Safe?
Dénia is a very safe place to live, with a low score on the Crime Index and a high score on the Safety Index, according to Numbeo. I felt totally safe during my time in Dénia, even walking around as a solo female in the dark.
The town has a community feel, and people were always happy to help me if I needed directions or recommendations.
Is Dénia, Spain Expensive?
Living in Dénia is reasonably priced – it is not generally expensive and is far cheaper than major cities in Spain such as Barcelona and Madrid. Obviously, though, your living costs in Dénia totally depend on the type of apartment you rent and how often you go out for food and drinks.
Wrap-Up: Living in Denia as an Expat
Although there are pros and cons to living in any place, I really was lucky to spend a little over 3 months of my life living in this delightful Spanish town.
Now that you know the pros and cons of living in Dénia you’ll be in a better position to decide whether or not it’s the place for you!
There are so many reasons you’d want to move to Dénia in Spain. It’s a fabulous place to get a taste of authentic Spain, the food is incredible and it’s nowhere near as hectic as other destinations in the area.
Obviously, though, there are things you should be aware of before you decide to live there!
16 comments
Hi thanks for the review on denia mature and we’ll rounded I travelled a lot now 62 and my ideas of living abroad would have totally changed since 1984 when I first started doing long haul I was constantly bored and looking for excitement I’m totally different now. Overall well rounded review considering your age I would be a terrible reviewer at your age. Not sure I could cope with the heat of denia in summer. I would like a review of somewhere more inland that’s cooler in summer but still warm in winter if their is such a place!.
Thanks a lot Alistair! I unfortunately don’t have any personal recommendations of a place that meets your criteria in Spain because I’ve only lived in Denia but I’m sure that perfect place is out there!
Thank you for all the info , was lovely to read 🙂
Iam wondering if you could advise regarding our this. We are planing to move there from October to June and now looking at places to rent . How safe is to trust online property adverts for example on website idealista ? Just really don’t want to move there and get disappointed and end up nowhere to live. You did mentioned that you lived with real estate agent , would he be able to help us looking for places to rent ?
I’m glad you found my post helpful! Unfortunately I don’t have many suggestions for online rental agents – I luckily didn’t have to use them but if you do some due diligence on the company before you go ahead, and have a physical viewing of the property before you sign a lease I’m sure you’ll be fine. Unfortunately my host family only worked in selling properties, not leasing them.
I hope you find somewhere lovely and enjoy Denia!
Very informative, thank you. My partner and I are looking to relocate to Spain next year from London, I’m currently researching different areas, but do particularly like the sound of Denia or Javea. (Or Estepona, but that’s a different website!!!). I will have to do a couple of visits to get the feel of the area, unfortunately my partner is still working so it’s up to me to do the reconnaissance!
Thanks for the lovely comment Beverly, I’m glad I helped. Best of luck with the relocation and let me know if you have any questions!
Hi Ella Thank you so much for your informative post. ~ we r planning to retire to this area within the year = we are wondering if is it easy to rent long term out there so we can check out an area to live = we r a bit stuck with the 90 day rule though so may have to do a month or so to find somewhere to buy – does your former host also cover rentals? Look forward to hearing from you and thanks again for the very helpful information Beverly
Hi Beverly, thanks so much for your comment and I can only apologise for not responding sooner – I didn’t get a notification that you’d commented, oops! As for long term rentals, I don’t have any personal experience in Denia but I’d imagine it’s quite tricky to find somewhere that won’t cost you a small fortune if you’re just staying for a month! I recommend scouring Airbnb, VRBO, spain-holiday.com and any other holiday rental websites and then seeing if you can negotiate a lower rate since you’ll be staying for a while. Good luck!
Hi Ella, I’m a bit late getting to your post but thank you! Very informative and like a couple of other people here we have just put our UK house on the market (eek!) we plan to move to the Denia area this year.
Great to give an all round view of the place and it does sound more our thing than the busier Costas.
Thanks again Ella & happy travelling
Thanks a lot for your lovely comment Chris, and best of luck with the move!
Thanks so much for getting us that info, I’ll email her right away. If you’re ever back in Denia maybe we can meet for a coffee. Though you’re gonna have to give us about 6 months. Also looking forward to reading your blogs. I’m going to have to research the UK more because I have a good buddy that lives outside of Birmingham and will be able to visit him and the UK much more easily. Thanks again. And just a thought, if you think you could handle three small dogs for a week or so, let us know.
Great article Ella. Very informative and I love that you bring up the cons. My wife and I are planning to retire in Denia and recently came back from a trip there. You mentioned your hosts were Realtors, would it be possible to give me their email. Here’s some information about us: We live in the U.S., North of San Francisco. We will have well over the €500,000 cash to buy a house to qualify for the golden visa once we sell our house here. Haven’t decided on a housing area yet and would love to get a some info on the neighborhoods. We have 3 dogs and will also be looking for a sitter for them when we go on trips, like an “au perro”😁. I know it’s very important to get the right people to aid us with this huge undertaking, so anything you could do would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. P.S.: I lived in Richmond, Surrey for about six months and loved it.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment Dave, I’m so glad you found the post helpful! It sounds like you’ll be in a really good position to move to Spain, and Denia is lovely! My host parents ran the company Minguez Jensen, and their email is inmo@minguezjensen.com. They’re lovely people so I’m sure they’ll be able to provide you with good advice.
I definitely think an “au perro” should be a new trend – lots of people would be into it!
Good luck with the move!
Ella
Hi David, have you moved yet? We are a blended American/Ukrainian family escaping the war, looking for a quiet place to settle for a year or 2 while things calm down there. My husband’s business is online so we can live anywhere. Seriously considering Denia.
Hi Ella, thank you so mutch for this post! We are looking for a holiday home in Spain and have our eyes on Denia. This post was realy helpfull on a good way. We think this can be the place for us!
I’m so glad to hear that Malin! Let me know if you have any questions
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