Dénia is a coastal city located to the north of the province of Alicante and has a population is 36,200, according to the 2003 census. Dénia enjoys a 20km coastline of small, delightful bays. To the north there are the fine sandy beaches of Les Marines and Les Bovetes and the shingle beaches of Les Deveses and L' Almadrava. To the south is the Les Rotes beach. Though the beaches are long, they are not massive and due to this fact these bays usually attract familys with children.
Dénia is the capital of the Marina Alta and is a modern cosmopolitan city offering both visitors and residents a wide range of services. It owes its current importance to being the historical city of the region par excellence, a city that was known in medieval times as the Marquesado de Dénia. The name Dénia derives from the Latin name Dianium which is the origin of the name given to the towns residents, the 'dianenses'; Daniya was its Islamic name. The city experienced its period of urban and cultural glory when it became an independent Taifa following the division of the Caliphate of Córdoba during the 11th century.
The historical centre of Dénia contains the symbol of the city, Denia Castle. The commercial centre is located in the calle Marqués de Campos and the neighbouring streets. The mild temperature being at an annual average of 18º C makes Dénia a pleasant place to stay and a monument was erected in honor of the climate in the eighties.
Dénia is close to the sea, though some of its most characteristic features, such as the Mongó and the Natural Park, are situated on the border between Dénia and Jávea. In the surrounding area there are Gothic hermitages from the period of the Conquest and there also caves where potholing is a popular activity.