An UNESCO oasis in the sunshine
The Palmeral of Elche in southeast Spain is within the region of Valencia and is an incredible sight to behold. Strolling beneath the magnificent canopy of date palm fronds truly feels like you’re in a unique and rare oasis.
We stumbled upon this unusual marvel in Elche when we were researching our Spanish road trip. Our journey began in Bilbao, from where we embarked on a circular road trip of Spain. We’d just spent a few days visiting Pamplona, Zaragoza and Teruel and were heading further south to the beautiful city of Murcia.
For us, our road trips are as much about the journey between locations as they are about the final destination. We usually aim to stick to the back roads when travelling and we research where we can stop along the way.
To our delight, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ‘Palmeral of Elche’, jumped out; it would have been rude not to stop.
![The pin image of our post - 'The Palm Tree Groves of Elche, Spain'](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-Palm-Tree-Groves-of-Elche-Spain-Pin6.jpg)
Where is Elche?
How to get to Elche
- By Air
Start creating your own Spanish adventure by exploring the southeast of Spain. The closest airport to Elche is Alicante, with Murcia airport just a little further south.
Search for your flights in one easy place with ebookers.com. Over 400 airlines are scanned for your favoured routes and chosen dates.
Where to stay in nearby Murcia
The hotel Sercotel Amistad Murcia is very centrally located, just a 5-minute walk to the historic Old Town and many of the significant sights of Murcia.
The rooms are very comfortable and clean. We chose to stroll out each morning for breakfast as we enjoy eating in local cafés. Sercotel Amistad Murcia has an underground car park; a daily charge is applied.
Alternatively, pop your dates in the Booking.com search box and discover further options for all budgets.
The Palmeral of Elche
Where it began![A panoramic view of a Elche’s skyline from Elche’s municipal park. Lush green trees and bushes line the foreground, with a walking path winding through the park.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Municipal-Park-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
These magnificent trees had been grown in Elche since around the fifth century BC, during Iberian times. However, the cultivation of date palms to the extent which can be admired today was introduced to the city of Elche when the Moors arrived from North Africa towards the end of the 10th-century.
Elche became an Islamic city, and evidence of the stunning Moorish architecture can be admired throughout the city.
![A photo of a pedestrian bridge in an art nouveau style crossing the River Vinalopó in Elche. Trees line the banks of the river, and buildings can be seen in the background.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Park-by-River-Vinalopo-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
The Palmeral of Elche was formally laid out, and an extensive irrigation and canal system was constructed to allow the date palms to be cultivated in vast numbers, turning this often-arid land into a true oasis.
In the 13th -century, Christian rulers conquered Elche and expanded the canal system even further.
The towering date palms
A grove of 200,000 trees![A large, colorful mural of the Arab acequias painted on the side of a building in Elche’s Municipal Park. The mural depicts several palm trees with tall, slender trunks and green fronds swaying in the breeze. The sky in the mural is a bright blue, and there are fluffy white clouds.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mural-of-the-Arab-acequias-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
![A small duck pond with clear water in Elche’s Municipal Park. Tall palm trees with green fronds surround the pond.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bird-Pond-in-the-Palm-Tree-Grove-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
There are so many incredible places to discover in Spain and I love planning road trips. I often use the DK Eyewitness books, I find them extremely informative, easy to follow and the pictures and maps tempt you into searching for more.
We used a previous version of this book to plan our Spanish road trips, now you can grab the revised copy.
Ambling through the Municipal Park
It’s all about exploring![A photo of the modernist Fuente de la Glorieta fountain surrounded by palm trees. The fountain is located in Elche, Spain, which is known for its palm groves.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Fuente-de-la-Glorieta-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
![A group of tall palm trees, La Palmera de la Fuente, with green fronds swaying in a gentle breeze. There are benches scattered throughout Elche’s Municipal Park, providing the shade of the trees.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/‘La-Palmera-de-la-Fuente-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
![A close-up of 'La Palmera de la Fuente' in Elche’s Municipal Park, with the separate tranks braced with iron supports.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-supports-of-La-Palmera-de-la-Fuente-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
Tempted to?
Discover more of historic Spain and tour its picturesque countryside in the north, or head south to explore the Sierra Nevada National Park just south of Granada.
You can do it all on a road trip; Rental Cars searches multiple well-known car hire brands and discovers the deals that suit you the best.
Exploring the parasol of palms
Pergolas, pavilions and “El Huevo”![A tall palm tree in Elche’s Municipal Park with a bunch of brown dates hanging from its fronds. The tree is growing in with green grass and other trees in the background.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Palm-Groves-in-Elche-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
![Elche’s Municipal Park with several palm trees, bougainvillea flowers, and lantana flowers. The palm trees have tall, brown trunks and green fronds. The bougainvillea flowers are purple and pink, and the lantana flowers are orange and yellow. The sky is blue and there are a few white clouds.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Towering-palm-trees-in-Elche-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
![A photo of a large fountain surrounded by palm trees, with a Moorish-style domed building at the end. The fountain is located in Elche’s Municipal Park with a clear blue sky in the background.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Visitor-centre-in-Elche-Municipal-Park-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
![A photo of Elche’s Municipal Park with a tiled water fountain in a moorish style in the center. The fountain has multiple tiers and shoots water into the air. Lush green plants and flowers surround the fountain.](https://www.ourworldforyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-Pavilion-in-Municipal-Park-explore-spain-historic-elche-things-to-see-in-elche-visit-spain-visit-alicante-unesco-spain-palmeral-of-elche-V5.jpg)
Tourist Information
Why not check out...
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Visiting the majestic city of Granada, Spain
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UNESCO World Heritage sites to visit in Spain – Part 2
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UNESCO World Heritage sites to visit in Spain – Part 1
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I Have visited the Palm trees grove twice once by my self and once with my mother and father. My mother purchased a small box of dates from one of the stalls in the grove they tasted very nice. I took several photos while there on of my mother and father standing underneath the Imperial palm tree.
Very enjoyable visit.
Ah fantastic, great memories.
We didn’t see anyone selling dates, otherwise I think we would have bought some too. It was a lovely place to visit a true oasis.