Top Sights and Activities in Alicante

On this page I’m sharing the top sights and activities in Alicante. Alicante is a city on the South-East coast of Spain called the Costa Blanca. Alicante is located in the same region as Valencia. Although Valencia is more popular with tourists there are plenty of nice sights and activities in Alicante. On this page I’m sharing my favorites.

Castillo de Santa Barbara

Castillo de Santa Barbara is the absolute top sight in Alicante. It’s an icon of the city. It’s a bit of a walk up-hill to reach it but once you’re there you’re rewarded with beautiful views over Alicante. The castle is free to visit and on the castle grounds are several spots where you can buy food, drinks and ice cream. From the beach there’s also an elevator to reach the castle. But I have to say that the walk is doable too.

Mercado Central

Mercado Central is the big central market in Alicante. It has two floors, on the top floor you can find mostly meats and one floor down you can find fish and vegetables.

Port d’Alicant

The harbour of Alicante, or Port d’Alicant’, has crystal clear water. Lined around the harbour are many bars and restaurants from where you can see the boats pass by.

Shopping in Alicante

The top shopping street in Alicante is Maisonnave. Here you can find all the big stores like Mango and Zara. On either end of the avenue you can find an El Corte Ingles, Spains most famous department store.

Esplanada d’Espanya

The best place to stroll the boulevard in Alicante is at Esplanada d’Espanya. This boulevard has tiles in a great design and is lined with palmtrees. It’s parallel to the waterfront and runs from downtown to popular beach Playa Del Postiguet. It’s a great place for people-watching!

Concatedral Sant Nicolau de Bari d’Alacant

Concatedral Sant Nicolau de Bari d’Alacant is a big church in the city center of Alicante. It has beautiful blue domes. On this inside it’s a large cathedral-church that is free to visit.

Plaza Gabriel Miro

Often overlooked, but Plaza Gabriel Miro is a beautiful little square in the city center of Alicante. In the middle of the square is a fountain, surrounded by plants and trees. There are several benches to have a rest and enjoy the view. On the outer edges you find several restaurants and a small supermarket for if you want to have a snack on one of the benches near the fountain.

Playa del Postiguet

Alicante has a beach right in the city center. It’s called Playa del Postiguet and it’s a beautiful big beach. There’s plenty of soft sand for everyone to lay down and on warm days you can swim in the sea. There are two beach side restaurants in the beginning of the beach, a nice bar about halfway on the boulevard and a bit further down there’s one more beach bar right on the beach.

Click here for the best vegetarian food spots in Alicante.

Daytrip from Alicante: Villajoyosa

Villajoyosa is a picturesque little town just 30 minutes away from Alicante. You can also go to Villajoyosa from Alicante by tram. The old town of Villajoyosa is probably the most colorful neighborhood I’ve ever visited. The beach is lined with tall, slim, colored buildings and you’ll find many more if you walk the meandering streets.
There’s also a beautiful walking path that lies in between the tram station of Villajoyosa and the colorful houses in the old town. The path follows the (almost dried up) river Rio Amadorio and takes you underneath beautiful high bridges.

Daytrip from Alicante: Benidorm

From Alicante you can easily travel to Benidorm. Benidorm is about 35 minutes away from Alicante by car. There’s also a tram connecting Alicante to Benidorm. The direct tramline is L1 and it departs at the tram stop near the central market in Alicante and arrives at the edge of Benidorm. The tram ride will take around 75-85 minutes. It’s a lot longer by tram then by car, but the tram is very cheap. I paid 8,25 for a return ticket that was valid for 24 hours. You can buy your tickets at ticketing machines in the tram stations.
Benidorm is a very touristic town so you’ll mostly find big hotels and apartment buildings, touristic restaurants and souvenir shops there. But it might be nice for a change if you’ve got a lot of time to spend on the Costa Blanca. The top sight in Benidorm is the Balco del Mediterrani. A beautiful platform where a castle used to be with white stairs leading down to a platform on the water. This panoramic overlook is 20 minutes by foot from the tram station of Benidorm.

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