El Campello: making sense of La Illeta dels Banyets and its watchtower

La Illeta dels Banyets and La Illeta watchtower occupy the same stretch of El Campello’s coast, but belong to different periods and are not a single visitor attraction. Distinguishing the archaeological site, the tower and the coastal walk helps you plan more than an undirected stroll beside the harbour.

Understanding the ancient trading site

The council highlights warehouses at the Iberian settlement, evidence of its trading activity. Roman remains include small thermal baths and fish tanks cut into the rock. The latter gave rise to the popular name Banyets de la Reina: the archaeological interpretation does not identify them as a queen’s bathing pools.

A watchtower from a later period

The tower was built in the sixteenth century as part of the coastal defences against seaborne raids. Its purpose was observation and warning, centuries after the ancient installations. If you want to go inside, check the tourism office’s guided visits; do not assume the archaeological site’s ticket includes the tower.

The Voramar de les Escultures walk starts at the foot of the tower and follows the coast towards Almadraba beach. It allows you to continue outdoors without adding another archaeological enclosure. Mentioning this walk does not imply that excavated remains may be used as swimming areas.

To decide the order, check archaeological site access with the MARQ first, and tower visits separately with El Campello Tourism. Then fit the walk around the time you have available. These are three nearby experiences, but their visiting arrangements differ.