Altea's old town of blue-domed churches and narrow streets sits at the foot of two of the Costa Blanca's defining climbs. Coll de Rates, reached through the Jalón valley's almond and orange groves, is the region's most-ridden ascent — a steady gradient and excellent surface that has made it a fixture of professional pre-season training for decades.
Sierra de Bernia, closer to town, is shorter and considerably harder: five kilometres averaging over twelve percent, with ramps past twenty near the top, resurfaced for a stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
Between the two lie quieter roads through Tárbena and Castell de Castells, and the Forat de Bèrnia, a natural tunnel through the ridge with views back over the Mediterranean.
Altea works as a base for both extremes: flat coastal spins along the Serra Gelada for recovery days, or long inland loops stacking Rates, Bernia, and the Puerto de Tudons into a single demanding afternoon.
