Port de Xàbia (Duanes de la Mar)

Port de Xàbia: the quarter that lives off the sea all year

Duanes de la Mar is Xàbia’s fishing quarter, and probably the part of town with the most life outside the season. Whitewashed fishermen’s cottages, narrow streets, restaurants on the breakwater and, every afternoon, the boats coming in with the day’s catch.

Its origins lie in the 15th century, with growth in the mid-16th, but the first known breakwater and jetty date from 1871. Its great moment was the 19th century, and not thanks to fishing but to the raisin export trade: when that business collapsed, fishing became the main activity.

The fish market: what you can and cannot see

This is worth being precise about, because many guides get it wrong:

• At around 15:30 the boats come into harbour. The unloading can be watched from the quay: it is the liveliest moment of the day.
• From 16:00 to 16:30 the auction takes place behind closed doors. It is not open to visitors.
• From 16:30 you can buy at the lonja fishmonger, until 20:00 in winter and 21:30 in summer.

As a facility, the lonja opens 8:00-13:30 and 15:30-18:00. The trade bodies are the Pòsit de Pescadors and the Xàbia Fishermen’s Guild.

The church of Nuestra Señora de Loreto: an upturned keel

It is by far the most singular building in the harbour and one of the most interesting pieces of contemporary religious architecture in the Valencian Community.

It opened in 1967 on the site of a 1914 chapel, designed by Fernando Martínez García-Ordóñez with GO-DB Arquitectos (Dexeus Beatty, Bellot Port, Herrero Cuesta) and engineer Gómez Perreta. The parish house had been completed earlier, in 1961.

What makes it unique:

• An oval plan and walls with no corners, opening outwards at the top and ending in high windows that admit light from above
• A hyperbolic section
• A red pine roof shaped like an upturned boat’s keel, an explicit tribute to the fishermen and to St Peter’s boat
• Twelve external concrete pillars or ribs representing the apostles
• A suspended crucifix by Esteve Edo

Board-formed reinforced concrete here is both structure and symbol: the architects were after “a space with no corners, smooth, almost immaterial”. It is listed as a Bien de Relevancia Local (category B) in the Docomomo Ibérico register.

Address: calle Pío X, 9. Hours: 9:00 to 20:00 all year, until 21:00 in summer.

La Grava beach, right there

290 metres of gravel in the heart of Duanes de la Mar, with an annual Blue Flag, promenade, Red Cross lifeguards, toilets, sunbeds, parasols, swimming buoys and tourist information. Medium occupancy: this is the beach for anyone staying at the harbour. It features in the full guide to Jávea beaches and coves.

Other landmarks in the quarter

• Casa del Cable (1860): the old submarine telegraph cable house, today an exhibition space. Only the pillars remain of the original jetty.
• Xàbia Yacht Club, currently being redeveloped (see below).
• Fiestas: the Moros i Cristians in July and the Mare de Déu de Loreto in early September, the quarter’s patronal feast.

What is changing

Two works under way worth knowing about if you visit in 2026:

• Yacht club: the regional government extended its concession to 2053 in exchange for an investment of more than €5 million, including a 100-space public car park and a viewpoint over the bay. Works began with an expected duration of 18 months.
• Harbour modernisation: the regional government is spending €350,000 on solar panels and a new treatment plant; the main intervention is the remodelling of the Guild’s wastewater pumping station, at over €276,000 and three months’ work.

Getting there and parking

By car: the N-332 and then the CV-734 to Xàbia; from the old town, Avenida del Port runs straight down to the harbour (about 2 km).

Parking: the municipal car park is at Avenida del Puerto, 37, with 8 semi-rapid (22 kW) electric charging points offering free access. Mind the nuance: what the council website calls free are the chargers, not necessarily the parking tariff; check it at the barrier. On the surface, la Grava beach has more than 100 unsupervised spaces.

Public transport: the TRAM does not reach here — the nearest stops are Gata de Gorgos or Dénia. The harbour is served by Autocares Carrió line 2 (Dénia, Gata, Jesús Pobre, La Xara, hospital) and ALSA (Alicante and Valencia), with the bus station on Avenida de Palmela. The local network links old town, harbour and Arenal, but the local press itself warns that it runs at low frequency.

Best time to go

Between 15:30 and 17:00: the boats arriving, the unloading and the fishmonger opening. And sunset on the breakwater and promenade. If the fiestas interest you, early September for the Mare de Déu de Loreto.

Practical information

Quarter	Duanes de la Mar, Xàbia
Origin	15th century; first known breakwater 1871
Boats	Arrive around 15:30
Auction	16:00-16:30, behind closed doors
Fishmonger	From 16:30 (until 20:00 winter / 21:30 summer)
Loreto church	C/ Pío X, 9 · 9:00-20:00 (21:00 in summer)
La Grava beach	290 m of gravel, Blue Flag
Parking	Av. del Puerto, 37 (check the tariff)
TRAM	Does not reach here; stops at Gata or Dénia

What’s nearby

• La Grava beach, at the harbour’s edge
• The Cap de Sant Antoni and its marine reserve: the Montgó red trail starts here
• Portitxol / La Barraca and Cala Sardinera
• The old town with the fortress church of San Bartolomé and the windmills
• The Loreto fiestas, in September
• The Jávea guide and the beaches of the municipality