Torre Boter

Torre Boter is a 16th-century defensive tower standing on Camino de Benimagrell in Alicante, in what was once part of the Huerta de Alicante — the belt of irrigated market gardens that historically surrounded the city. Its name comes from the Valencian word "botero," referring to a craftsman who made wineskins, an activity said to have taken place around the tower's walls in earlier times.

How do you get there?

The tower sits within the municipality of Alicante, in an area that once formed part of the Huerta, stretching north and east of the city center toward San Juan de Alicante. The easiest way to reach it is by car or bicycle along Camino de Benimagrell; the surrounding landscape is semi-rural, with scattered houses and traces of the old irrigation network. From central Alicante the drive typically takes well under half an hour. It's worth combining the visit with a longer walk or ride through the area, since several similar defensive towers from the same period survive nearby.

What will you see?

Torre Boter has a square plan measuring roughly five meters on each side and rises to a height of about twelve meters. The interior is arranged vertically across a ground floor and four upper levels, the topmost of which was added at a later date. A two-pitched roof caps the structure. Narrow loopholes are visible in the walls, a clear reminder of the tower's original defensive purpose. The build combines dressed ashlar stone at the corners with rougher masonry on the remaining wall sections, a construction technique typical of watchtowers built in the region during this period.

Over time, living quarters and farm buildings were added onto the original tower, a pattern common across the old Huerta estates, where a defensive lookout gradually became part of everyday agricultural life. The tower survives in good condition today, making it possible to trace both its original fortified core and the later layers added for housing and farm use.

When should you visit?

Because the site is an open-air structure without indoor facilities or shops, spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for a visit, when temperatures around Alicante are mild for walking or cycling. In summer, it's best to avoid the middle of the day given the heat typical of the Costa Blanca. The tower is not set up as a formal museum, so visits generally mean viewing it from the outside — early morning or late afternoon light works best for photographs.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the name Torre Boter come from? It comes from the Valencian word "botero," meaning a craftsman who made wineskins — a trade once carried out near the tower.

How old is the tower? Torre Boter dates to the 16th century and belonged to a wider network of defensive towers built across the Huerta de Alicante during that period.

Can you go inside the tower? The building is a former defensive-residential property, so visits are generally limited to viewing the exterior rather than entering.

Are there other similar towers nearby? Yes, several defensive towers from the same era survive across the former Huerta de Alicante, making it easy to build a themed route around the region's rural fortifications.