Banos de la Reina

It’s a real treat to be able to swim in these baths. The water breaks just on the other side of the walls where there are the rocks. The water flows in and out of the baths and that’s how they maintain their crystalline appearance; besides, the floor is made of white sand that comes in little by little.

Calpe is full of precious little beaches within the urban centre and outside as well. This is one of the prettiest within the actual city itself. The structure dates back to the Roman era which gives you a good idea of just how old Calpe really is.

If you've ever wanted to scratch "go swimming in a Roman bath" off your bucket-list, the Baños de la Reina (or, "The Queen's Baths") in Calpe in Spain's Costa Blanca might just be a good option. I say might because, despite the name, these natural swimming pools along the coast were not actually Roman baths. Don't get me wrong, Calpe did have Roman baths, the remains of which can be found at the northern end of the beautiful Playa de Arenal-Bol, Calpe's main beach. However, the swimming pool-like structures jutting out into the blue Mediterranean waters were actually fish firms used for making the Roman fish sauce "garum," for which Spain was famous during the Roman era.

On the beach in Calpe, between the beaches of Arenal and Peñón de Ifach, you’ll find the La Reina Baths. It’s a complex of pools built in the 4th century which have natural access to the sea. The complexes used to be used for farming fish for consumption by the local townspeople.