Starting this Saturday, 13 September, the Banys de la Reina archaeological site will be open to the public on a regular basis, allowing visitors and residents of Calpe to learn about the history and heritage value of this site, one of the most important archaeological sites of its kind in Roman Hispania. Free guided tours are scheduled to begin on that day and will be offered every week from Wednesday to Sunday. This marks the realisation of a long-awaited project that will showcase this unique site and bring it closer to the whole community.
The opening of the site follows refurbishment work, financed by the Provincial Council to the tune of €439,388.69, which has enabled it to be turned into a museum. The City Council has also awarded the contract for information services and guided tours to the company ESATUR XXI SLU. The company has extensive experience in this field, as it also manages tourist information for the Illeta del Banyets site in Campello and Lucentum in Alicante.
Three guided tours have been scheduled per day from Wednesday to Saturday, at 10 a.m., 11.30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and two guided tours on Sundays and public holidays, at 10 a.m. and 12 noon. To take part, you'll need to register in advance, either at the site itself or by emailing cabdelareina@esatur.com.
Groups will consist of a maximum of 25 people and visits are expected to last approximately 50 minutes. They will be conducted in Spanish/Valencian, although depending on the number of bookings, they may also be offered in English. Please arrive 10 minutes before the start of the tour wearing suitable clothing and footwear, as well as hats and other items of protection from the sun and water.
In order to provide information about the opening of Banys de la Reina and the launch of this service, Calp Town Council will hold an information day open to the public on Friday 12 September. At 11 a.m., the mural Vita in domus, by the artist Begoña Movellán, will be unveiled at the site.
‘At last we can open this important site to the public on a regular basis. It is the culmination of the work and effort carried out by the Department of Culture so that this site can be visited, known and appreciated by everyone,’ said the Councillor for Culture, Guillermo Sendra.
The Banys de la Reina site is one of the largest Roman sites on the Spanish Mediterranean coast due to its uniqueness and monumentality. It dates from the late 2nd century AD to the 7th century AD and was declared a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) in March 2022.