Famous for its excellent weather and one of the most well known towns on the Costa Blanca, Alicante is a thriving cosmopolitan city offering miles of beautiful sandy beaches. The city is a popular holiday destination for thousands of tourists every year, with many enjoying relaxing trips along the coast or to the only inhabited island on Alicante’s coast – Tabarca.
Getting there
There is a huge choice of flights from the UK, which depart daily to the El Altet International Airport. Direct flights are available from all the major UK airports, including Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester and London, and the flight time is approximately two hours.
El Altet International Airport is approximately 10km from Alicante’s city centre and if you are not hiring a car, there is a frequent bus shuttle service that takes about 40minutes, costing roughly 3 Euro each way. There are no trains to the airport, but there are always a number of taxis waiting at arrivals and as a guide, the fare to the city centre is usually somewhere between 17 and 22 Euro.
Climate
Alicante enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters, and is considered to be an all-year round destination. There is a lot of sunshine, on average the city receives 11 hours of sunshine in the summer. Daily highs average around 29°C in the height of July and August, which is the perfect beach weather that has made this part of Spain so popular with tourists.
Culture
Despite English being widely spoken, Spanish locals really appreciate tourists making the effort to speak their language, even if you only know a few words. A few useful expressions include Hola (pronounced ola), meaning Hello, Buenos dias (pronounced bwoo nas deeas), meaning Good day, Quisiera (pronounced key sea era), meaning I would like, Donde esta la playa? (pronounced don day es ta la ply a), meaning Where is the beach? And Por favor (pronounced pohr fah-bohr) meaning Please.
Eating out
As with most Spanish towns and cities, Alicante boasts an impressive range of restaurants offering cuisine from around the world. Eating out is a favourite pastime here, much more so than in the UK, and as a result Alicante is brimming with options. There are plenty of tapas bars to choose from, with tapas bars actually having their origins in Alicante. However, it is not just Spanish cuisine that is on offer, with a wide range of international restaurants also available. If you are holidaying on a budget, the Calle San Francisco area provides a choice of restaurants at affordable prices.
Sightseeing
With its compact city centre, Alicante is an easy city to get around on foot. There are many historical buildings around the city and sightseers can enjoy a range of attractions, from cathedrals to churches and of course a wonderful harbour area. From the harbour area, a long wide sandy beach leads its way up to San Juan.
The surrounding area also offers plenty for holidaymakers to enjoy, be it neighbouring cities, golden coastlines or theme parks and water parks. We’ve listed a few of the most notable attractions and excursions below.
Attractions
Santa Barbara Castle
This impressive castle is situated over looking Alicante City and is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe. Dating from the ninth century the castle is Moorish in origin and is open to visitors to climb, with amazing views of the city on offer at the top. Admission is free.
Marina
The city’s marina area is a particularly lively and vibrant part of Alicante and offers an array of tourist attractions, including boat hire and pleasure trips around the harbour.
MARQ (Archaelogical Museum of Alicante)
Situated in the former Hospital de San Juan de Dios, the museum houses eight galleries that use multimedia to allow visitors to interact with the lives of past residents of the region. The entrance fee is €3; concessions €1.50.
San Juan Beach
San Juan Beach is one of the city’s premier sandy beaches and is situated around 7 km from central Alicante. Connected by the regular electric streetcar, San Juan Beach is the perfect spot for both sunbathing and swimming.
Concatedral de San Nicolás de Bari (Cathedral of St Nicholas of Bari)
Built in the Renaissance style of the Spanish architect Juan de Herrera, this is one of the most important buildings in the Old Town. It has a very noticeable large blue dome which makes it somewhat of a landmark. Visitors to the cathedral will also be able to see a very large sculpture of Saint Nicholas carved in black marble. Free admission.
Excursions
Tabarca
The most appealing excursion from Alicante is to the tiny, inhabited island of Tabarca, 11 nautical miles south of the city and reached by ferry from Alicante’s marina. Tabarca is a marine reserve, popular with divers and snorkelers.
Elche Palm Grove
The City of Palms – is the third largest city in the Community of Valencia, situated 23 km southeast from Alicante and about 15 km from the coast and is home to 200,000 palm trees.
The Caves of Canelobre
The caves are 24km north of Alicante and are home to hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites. The entrance to the caves is located high up on the Cabezón de Oro, a prominent mountain in the region, which has spectacular views of Alicante and the Mediterranean Sea.
Benidorm
For a great day or evening out, it is hard to ignore Alicante’s noisy neighbour, Benidorm. It is a 45km drive to this bustling town known for its high-rise apartments and sandy beaches. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but what Benidorm does offer is fun for all the family. Just outside are four of the largest theme parks in Europe, which offer a range of activities from water slides to roller coasters. These are all easy to get to from Alicante and make the perfect day trip for a family.
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