Alicante is well seen in one or two days and is the best base for the Costa Blanca. It has sun more than 300 days a year, a spectacular castle leaning over the sea, an old town of white lanes and a beach a step from the centre. This guide covers the essentials of the city and the escapes nearby, and separates what's worth your time from the package-tour postcard.
The trap in Alicante is treating it only as the Costa Blanca's airport, on the way to Benidorm. The city has much more: Santa Bárbara Castle, the Santa Cruz quarter, an Explanada that's among the prettiest in the Mediterranean and an award-winning archaeology museum. One day covers the city; two let you add Tabarca or a coastal village.
When to visit Alicante
| Season | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| April to June | Ideal | Perfect weather, sea warming up, long days |
| September and October | Ideal | Sea still warm, fewer crowds, terraces buzzing |
| 20-24 June | Las Hogueras | A wild festival, but the city fills completely |
| July and August | Hot | Great beaches; tough at midday and very busy |
| November to March | Mild | One of the warmest winters in Spain; queue-free |
⭐ Tip: unless you're coming specifically for the Bonfires of Saint John (20-24 June), bear in mind the city literally burns those days —the bonfires are set alight— and accommodation soars.
Getting there and getting around
By high-speed train from Madrid in 2h 20min; the station is a 15-minute walk from the centre. From Valencia, in just under 2h. By air, Alicante-Elche airport is 20 minutes by bus. Once there, the centre is walkable and the TRAM (light rail) links the San Juan beach and runs up the northern Costa Blanca to Benidorm. You don't need a car for the city.
Day 1: the city
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 9:30 — 11:30 | Santa Bárbara Castle |
| 11:30 — 13:00 | Santa Cruz quarter and old town |
| 13:00 — 14:00 | Explanada de España and port |
| 14:00 — 16:00 | Lunch (rice dishes) |
| 16:30 — 18:00 | MARQ or Central Market |
| 18:00 | Postiguet beach |
9:30 — Santa Bárbara Castle. Start at the top, before the heat. The castle, on Mount Benacantil, is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain, with 360° views over the bay. Go up in the lift that starts opposite Postiguet beach (fast and cheap), or on foot if you fancy the climb.
11:30 — Santa Cruz quarter. Drop down to the Santa Cruz quarter, of white houses, flowerpots and steep lanes below the castle, and pass the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás and the Basilica of Santa María, the oldest church in the city.
13:00 — Explanada and port. Stroll the Explanada de España, the palm-lined promenade with its wavy mosaic of six and a half million tiles, down to the port and marina.
14:00 — Lunch. Time for rice (see below).
16:30 — Museums or market. The MARQ (Archaeology Museum, once named best in Europe) is among Spain's finest; the MACA gathers 20th-century art (Picasso, Dalí, Miró). If you prefer atmosphere, the Modernista Central Market.
18:00 — Beach. Finish with a swim at Postiguet beach, at the foot of the centre, or take the TRAM to the longer San Juan beach.
Day 2: Tabarca or the Costa Blanca
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10:00 | Boat to Tabarca Island |
| 11:00 — 16:00 | Tabarca: swim, snorkel and lunch |
| 17:00 | Return to Alicante |
Spend the day on Tabarca Island. From the port, a boat sails to Tabarca Island, the smallest inhabited island in Spain and a marine reserve: crystal-clear water for snorkelling, a walled village and rice dishes by the sea. Half a day or a full one.
Prefer the northern coast? The TRAM or a car takes you to Altea (a white village with blue-domed churches), Calpe (the Peñón de Ifach), Jávea, spectacular Benidorm and its theme parks (Terra Mítica, Aqualandia) or the mountain village of Guadalest above its turquoise reservoir. Twenty minutes away, Elche and its UNESCO palm grove.
Where to stay
The handiest base is the centre (around the Explanada, the old town and the port): everything on foot and a lively evening. The San Juan beach area is ideal for a long, calmer beach, but it's 15-20 minutes by TRAM from the centre. Avoid resort complexes far from the TRAM unless you've come by car.
Eating in Alicante
Alicante is rice country, and not just paella: try the arroz a banda (with fish stock), the arroz del senyoret (everything pre-peeled), the soupy caldoso and the dry one with a crust. Add the salazones (cured fish like mojama and roe), the coca flatbread and, from nearby, the turrón de Jijona nougat. To drink, local wines and horchata in summer.
⚠️ Warning: avoid the rice restaurants on the port front with photos on the menu. Step one or two streets towards the old town or ask for the long-standing ones, and you'll get real rice.
What we don't recommend
- Treating Alicante as just an airport. The city deserves at least a day of its own.
- Ordering seafood paella expecting the best. Here the kings are arroz a banda and del senyoret; order them where they know how.
- Walking up to the castle at midday in summer. There's a lift; use it and skip the heat.
- Eating on the port front. You pay more for less.
Common visitor mistakes
⚠️ Warning: the slip-ups we see most.
- Skipping Tabarca. It's what sets Alicante apart from other beach cities.
- Not using the TRAM. It links the centre, the beaches and the Costa Blanca without a car.
- Confusing Alicante with Benidorm. They're very different experiences; give each its place.
- Heading to Tabarca without checking the sea. With swell the boat is cancelled; check first.
Events to plan around
- Bonfires of Saint John (20-24 June). The great Alicante festival: papier-mâché monuments that are burned (the "hogueras"), mascletàs and gunpowder, like Las Fallas but in summer. Spectacular, but the city fills completely.
- Moors and Christians. In towns across the province (Alcoy is the most famous), April-May: spectacular historical parades.
- Holy Week. Processions through the old town.
In one sentence
Alicante is castle, old town and urban beach, and the perfect gateway to the whole Costa Blanca. In two days you see the city and add an escape to Tabarca or a village like Altea or Guadalest.