How about discovering Alicante? It is a pretty little town by the sea, located less than 2 hours drive south of Valencia in Spain. It's not necessarily the first city you would have thought of when planning your future holidays in the sun, but I assure you that it is definitely worth a visit! I had a real crush on this small town by the sea. Let's discover what to do and what to see in Alicante, all our advice for visit Alicante.
Visit Alicante
- Prepare your visit to Alicante
- Visit Alicante: What to do?
- Practical advice
- My opinion on this visit to Alicante
Prepare your visit to Alicante
Let's start with a practical point for those who want to go straight to the point!
For a visit to Alicante, I advise you to plan a day to two days. You will first have a discovery of the city to do, as well as different sites to visit in Alicante. If you are a fan of seaside activities, Alicante also has a large beach, offering you the possibility of extending your stay a little.
Flights to Alicante
Alicante has a very well served airport with many non-stop journeys from most major French cities: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes and even Marseille. Depending on the city of your choice, you can reach Alicante by plane very easily.
You can search for a flight on the Ulysse.com platform which we use regularly and which proves to be extremely practical!
Car rental in Alicante
You will probably need a car in one of two cases:
- you arrive in Alicante by plane and you want to take a road trip for the rest of your stay;
- or you come from another city, such as Valencia, and Alicante is a stopover on your route.
In this case, I recommend this platform that allows you to have the best offers on the market depending on what you want.
Rent a car to visit AlicanteBook your activities in Alicante
To give you a first glimpse of your stay in Alicante, I advise you first of all to enjoy the city and get lost in the small streets of old Alicante. You can also go up to the Castle of Santa Barbara. Walk on the Asplanade of Spain, to Parque Canalejas. Without forgetting the port district and the many museums. An excursion is also strongly recommended on the Island of Tabarca. Not far from Alicante, it is the only inhabited island in the region and you can enjoy magnificent beaches!
To book your activities in Alicante, head to GetYourGuide, a site that I highly recommend for booking your activities of all kinds.
Hotels in Alicante
Whatever your budget, there are plenty of hotels in Alicante. I advise you to choose a hotel in the city center and close to the Spanish Steps or in old Alicante. A wide choice is available on Booking.com.
Visit Alicante: What to do?
Alicante is a very pretty city, strongly influenced by its maritime facade bringing to the city a very pleasant atmosphere of life. To make sure you don't miss anything during your visit to Alicante, here are the must-see places of interest in Alicante.
What to do in Alicante?
- Visit Santa Barbara Castle
- Take a walk on the Esplanade of Spain
- Get lost in the old town of Alicante
- Alicante Water Museum
- Discover the port of Alicante
- The Ocean Race Museum
- Enjoy the beach
- Take an excursion to Tabarca Island
Visit Santa Barbara Castle
This is the must-see place of interest during your visit to Alicante! This is the Santa Barbara Castle. Perched on Mount Benacantil overlooking the city and the bay of Alicante, this castle dates from the XNUMXth century. Built by the Muslims, this castle has a special layout.
Indeed, it is composed of three very distinct enclosures from each other, each built at different times. At the end of the 19th century, being almost no longer used, the castle was abandoned, until the middle of the 20th century, when it was finally renovated and offered the public a walk, a visit and many viewpoints. magnificent.
I now suggest that you see some practical information if you wish to visit this castle.
How to get to Château Santa Barbara?
Several solutions are available to you to access the castle. First of all, you can access it through the Turibus, the Alicante tourist bus.
If you have rented a car, you can get there by car, a visitor car park is located at the entrance to the castle.
You can also access it by borrowing a Elevator located just in front of the beach (to go up, you will have to pay €2,70 per person; the descent, on the other hand, is free), it's quick and practical, especially when it's hot!
As far as I am concerned, I opted for the last possibility, namely walk up. Different paths lead you there. Personally, I advise you to take the Parque de La Ereta. It begins at the foot of the Water Museum, in the heart of the old town. The views throughout the climb are magnificent, the panoramic terrace of a bar is located in the middle of your way if you want to regain some strength or simply admire the view of the city of Alicante. It takes around 20 minutes from the Alicante Water Museum to reach the entrance to Santa Barbara Castle.
How much does the Santa Barbara Castle visit cost?
The visit to the castle is entirely for free. An information point is at your disposal if you wish to obtain documentation. Guided tours are organized regularly and prices range from €3 to €5 per person depending on your status. For more information, visit the website of the city of Alicante.
Castle opening hours:
This Castle is open throughout the year, you can access it according to the following times:
- From October 1 to March 31: 10 a.m. to 20 p.m.
- April 1 to September 30: 10 a.m. to 22 p.m.
As for the elevator, here are its timetables:
- Opening at 10 a.m.
- Last elevator to go up: 19:20 p.m.
- Last elevator down: 19:40 p.m.
Take a walk on the Esplanade of Spain
The Explanada de España is probably the most famous promenade in the city! Along the port for a few hundred meters, it is very pleasant thanks to its rows of palm trees bordering the esplanade on each side. This place is one of the places of interest not to be missed during your visit to Alicante. A few merchants are installed all along, as well as many terraces.
If you go to the end of the Explanada de España, you will arrive at the Parque de la Canalejas, a very pretty little park where very old ficus trees provide incredible shade! Passing through this park is almost obligatory if only to observe these absolutely gigantic trees! You will also find a small ice cream parlor at the entrance to refresh your taste buds if necessary.
Visit Alicante and get lost in the old town
What could be better than getting lost in the narrow streets of the old town of Alicante. Located at the foot of the Santa Barbara Castle, visiting old Alicante means discovering charming and typical alleys; it is also coming face to face with a convent, a church, a museum or any other historical building; but it is above all the promise of taking advantage of small squares to have a few tapas and live to the rhythm of the inhabitants.
We visited this area of Alicante just before going up to Santa Barbara Castle through Parque de La Ereta. It is an ideal walk.
Alicante Water Museum
The Alicante Water Museum (museo de Aguas de Alicante) is a small museum located at the foot of Mount Benacantil on which the castle of Santa Barbara is located, in the old town district of Alicante. The museum is at the entrance to the path leading to the castle.
This traces the history of water in Alicante. On three floors you will learn more about the water life in the community of Alicante. You can visit old cisterns built in the XNUMXth century to fight against drought.
An interesting visit, even if most of the content is in Spanish, the museum being very colorful, it does not hinder understanding.
Discover the port of Alicante
From the city, during your visit to Alicante, you will have a view of part of the port. You should know that the port extends well beyond! I therefore advise you to take the path along the port. This will take you to an area with a shopping center, casino and other restaurants for all tastes! Once at the end of the port, you can take the opportunity to take a tour of the Ocean Race Museum, a must on a visit to Alicante which we will talk about right away.
The Ocean Race Museum
The Ocean Race Museum, formerly Museo Volvo Ocean Race is one of the top activities to do in Alicante. Located on the harbour, this museum is one of the most important ocean racing museums in the world. And for good reason, built in 2011-2012, this museum retraces the history of the Ocean Race, one of the most famous boat races which, since 2008, has started in the city of Alicante.
This museum therefore retraces, in a fun and interactive way, the history of the Ocean Race regattas. More than 1300 m² dedicated to this race. You will find games and animations but also the cup awarded to the winner of this legendary race.
At the entrance to the museum, a real racing boat that took part in one of these editions.
For more information on this museum, visit the official website of the Ocean Race Museaum of Alicante.
Enjoy the beach
And yes, if you come to visit Alicante, it's also the time to take some time for yourself and treat yourself to a lazy break on the large sandy beach of Alicante. You will find many deckchairs, water points to rinse your feet, shelters for various yoga or other classes and a large promenade along the beach, on which many restaurants have set up their terraces. It is a very friendly and pleasant place.
Take an excursion to Tabarca Island
The only inhabited island in the region, you can enjoy an excursion to visit the small town and its fortifications and also enjoy its magnificent beaches! It is even possible to spend a night on this island!
Regarding the crossing, departures are from the port of Alicante and the crossing takes about 1 hour. For the months of July and August, the hours are as follows:
Alicante-Tabarca : 11 a.m. from Monday to Sunday & 13 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
Tabarca-Alicante : 16:30 p.m. Monday to Friday & 17 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
It will take 19€ per person for a round trip (free for children under 5).
Opt for a one-day catamaran cruise from Alicante to the Island of Tabarca. This cruise includes a meal on board and an English-speaking guide. LEARN MORE.
Practical advice
For this last part, I propose to answer some practical questions in the form of FAQs. If you can't find the answer to your question, feel free to leave a comment, so I can update this part.
Practical advice :- When to visit Alicante?
- How to come to Alicante?
- How to reach the airport and the city center
- How long to visit Alicante?
- Can you swim in Alicante?
- Where to stay in Alicante?
When to visit Alicante?
Alicante is a city that enjoys a relatively mild climate throughout the year. The summer months, July August, will be very popular with tourists coming to enjoy the seaside resort. And the months of September and October are going to be the rainiest.The best time to visit Alicante will therefore be between April and June : pleasant temperatures and little rain.
How to come to Alicante?
Several options are available to you. You can easily arrive by plane at the city airport. You can also come to train or even in car. Alicante is well connected.How to reach the airport and the city center
You have the possibility to reach the city of Alicante from the airport and vice versa, thanks to a private shuttle. The latter drops you off or picks you up directly at your hotel. Very convenient option on you have some luggage. Find out about the Alicante – Airport shuttleHow long to visit Alicante?
Alicante is quite a small city, so you can take a tour of it on a day. I recommend spending an evening there, the atmosphere is pleasant. Afterwards, if you come to enjoy the beach, then you can very well stay the week in Alicante.Can you swim in Alicante?
Yes of course ! Alicante is a city entirely turned towards the sea. It has a large, perfectly equipped beach. It is therefore an ideal place to swim!Where to stay in Alicante?
If you want to sleep in Alicante, you will have choices in the city center, in the historic center and on the beach and marina side. You will thus be ideally located to visit the city and enjoy its lively and dynamic center.My opinion on this visit to Alicante
I hope this article will be useful to you in preparing for your visit to Alicante. Feel free to tell us in the comments your impressions of the city and its surroundings.
Personally, we really enjoyed this visit and this city. The weather was ideal, few tourists when we were there (June) and a very pleasant city to live in, on a human scale. Between the huge beach, the castle, the museums, the city center and its port, Alicante is a perfect city to rest for a few days while enjoying the local visits. A great discovery, where we will return one day!
