Alicante, or Alacant in Valencian, is a city and port on the Costa Blanca in Spain, about 168km south of Valencia. With sun shining all year round, sandy beaches and a vibrant nightlife, Alicante will certainly not disappoint you.
Beyond its huge beautiful beaches, great weather and a long waterfront, this attractive Spanish city offers lots of cultural and sightseeing opportunities. To help you organise your trip, I have compiled my top 5 list of the best things to see and do in Alicante.
1) Visit the Castillo de Santa Bàrbara
The castle dominates the skyline of Alicante, as it sits on top of Mount Benacatil. Due to its location, this castle had great strategic value over the centuries and was therefore bombarded a few times. It only opened to the public in 1963. That’s when the lifts inside the mountain were installed. Yes, you heard me right! There are actually lifts inside the mountain that gets you to the top. The ticket only costs €2.70 per person and the entrance to the tunnel that leads you to the lift is located opposite Playa del Postiguet.
2) Visit the Barrio Santa Cruz
You can also walk up the mountain to reach the castle. If you do so, you will walk through the narrow, colourful and charming alleys of the borough of Santa Cruz. However, I do recommend taking the lift on the way up and descending on foot, as the climb is quite a hike. I also recommend going up to the castle at sunset. The golden hour is always the best time to take some pictures and enjoy the romantic view over the coast.
3) Sunbathe at the Beach
If you are visiting Alicante, you must be planning to sunbathe at one of its beautiful sandy beaches. Head to the elegant Espalanada de España, one of the most beautiful promenades I have seen in Spain. It is lined up with palm trees and paved with 6.5 million marble floor tiles.
If you walk down from the port and along the waterfront, you will reach Playa del Postiguet. This beach gets really busy over summer and at weekends, due to its vicinity to the city centre. If you want a bit of peace and quiet, I suggest going a bit further northeast to Playa San Juan, which is less crowded and larger than the previous one. It is about 8 km from the city centre and the journey to get there takes about 20 minutes by tram.
4) Explore Alicante Old City Centre: El Barrio
Strolling around the alleys of the old city centre, better know as El Barrio, I am sure you will notice these remarkable sights:
Plaza Ayuntamiento, it’s the city hall square. The baroque city hall building was built between 1699 and 1780.
Concatedral de San Nicolás, it’s the main church of Alicante. It was built over the remains of a mosque between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Basílica de Santa María, also built over a mosque, this is the oldest church in Alicante.
The MACA – Museum of Arte Contemporáneo is home to works by Picasso and Miró.
Plaza de Gabriel Miró – We stumbled across this beautiful garden by accident. The giant rubber trees set on each corner of this square are amazing and I would totally recommend stopping here to take some really cool and unique pictures.
5) Experience Alicante Local Culture: Tardeo, Paseo & Delicious Food
When visiting a new city, I like to immerge myself in the culture of the place and experience it as a local as much as possible. If you like to do the same, try to keep these two words in mind when visiting Alicante.
Paseo literally means stroll. Locals head to Espanada de España for a relaxing walk in the evening, especially at the weekends.
Tardeo literally means afternoon and it is that time of the day when locals like to drink and eat some tapas. This is actually a social phenomenon that generated in Alicante. And the best place to go for tardeo is Calle Castaños, a nice street running from the waterfront through the city centre and lined up with lots of bars and restaurants offering amazing cheap deals.
Alicante Central Market – this place is a wonderful and massive maze of smells and flavours. It’s where locals come to buy fresh meat, vegetables, fruit and fish and to enjoy tapas and a few drinks with friends on Saturdays and Sundays. If you are visiting Alicante, you can’t miss the opportunity to pop in and sample some yummy delicacies.
There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Alicante. To find out more read my article Where To Eat In Alicante.
Booking.comHow To Get To Alicante
Alicante has its own airport that serves all nearby resorts. Both Ryanair and Easyjet fly to Alicante.
And thanks to fast train connections, it’s easy to get there from all main cities in Spain as well.
Here is an indication of how long it takes to get to Alicante by train:
- Madrid – Alicante – 2 h. 30 m. (about 450km)
- Barcelona – Alicante – 5 hours (about 530km)
- Valencia – Alicante – 1 h. 40 m. (about 168km)
Check out Where To Eat In Alicante
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