Italy’s Venice has been grappling with issues with overtourism for many years, with the affectionately dubbed “Floating City” taking matters into its own hands.
It has banned large cruise ships from entering its canals, authorised fines for noisy, wheeled suitcases in the historic city centre and limited tour groups to 25 people.
With overcrowded streets, canals packed with gondolas, damaged ecosystems, cheap souvenir shops replacing authentic artisan shops and thousands of residents being forced out each year, it may be time to leave Venice to rest and find alternative holiday destinations.
It is no surprise, therefore, that tourists seeking to experience a canal city have started to search for alternatives, where they can enjoy the beauty of the urban landscape without being packed in like sardines with huge numbers of other tourists.
Port Saplaya, known locally as “Little Venice”, just north of Valencia in Spain may be that perfect replacement.
Port Saplaya is a purpose-built residential area which houses many holiday homes, apartments and villas. It was built in the 70s and is famous for its colourful houses.
Winters in the village are gloriously quiet and calm. While it does get busier in the summer, these figures are nothing compared to the 5.7 million tourists to Venice in 2023, over 70 percent of which were international arrivals.
The harbour area was created from the ashes of a redundant seaport. It has moorings surrounded by terraced houses painted in pastel colours, allowing boat users to sail right up to their front doors.
There are two main squares, located at each end of the town that are surrounded by shops, bars and restaurants offering local dishes. A local highlight is “horchata”, a drink very similar to milk but with a distinctive nutty taste since it’s made from “chufa” – an edible tuber.
As an added bonus, the whole village is pedestrianised, surrounded by just one road, which permits access to underground garages.
Port Saplaya has two beaches which are separated by the entrance to the port, both of which are easily accessible and have various services along the beachfront, including bars and restaurants with breathtaking views of the Mediterranean. There are even a couple of Italian restaurants for those truly wishing to convince themselves they are in Italy.
The project to develop the village was inspired by designs from the Cote D’Azur in France and the Italia Riviera, mainly Port Grimaud in the gulf of Saint Tropez.
Driving is the easiest option to reach Port Saplaya, either via the V-21 or the CV-311, as there is ample free parking in the shopping centre nearby and free street parking.
It is also possible to visit it using public transport from Valencia: there are local buses to Alboraya and Patacona which run every day hourly. There is also a seasonal bus service departing from Valencia.