The Spanish city of Elche is famous for its centuries old palm groves and its wonderful beaches. It has the international airport of El Altet within its municipal boundaries and is home to a large thriving shoe manufacturing industry. Elche dates back thousands of years and several civilisations have left their mark; Iberians, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors have all left vestiges in an ancient yet modern city full of good restaurants, busy shopping plazas and a rich cultural life.
Elche was originally an ancient Roman settlement and approximately half the city's surface is dedicated to palm tree parks, which has now been officially recognised as a world heritage site. The Palmeral is an oasis-like landscape of date palms which was constructed during the Arab occupation of this area in Spain over 1,000 years ago. UNESCO has added the Palmeral of Elche to the list on cultural grounds as a unique example of Arab agricultural practices on the European continent.