Beach life
Start the day with a swim at Postiguet in the city centre, or take the tram to the long sandy beaches at San Juan.
See tours and pricesMediterranean sun all year · Spain
Alicante
Your guide to Alicante
Palms, sea and sunshine almost all year.
Alicante is the capital of the Costa Blanca, a sunny port city where life is lived outdoors. The beach is right in the centre, the wave-patterned Explanada winds along beneath the palms, and Santa Bárbara Castle watches over it all from Mount Benacantil. Here a relaxed beach routine meets old neighbourhoods, lively tapas bars and some of Spain's best rice dishes.
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Boat trip to Tabarca
Take the boat to the Valencia region's only inhabited island, with a small walled village and clear water in a marine reserve.
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Rice dishes and tapas
Taste arroz a banda and other rice dishes cooked in wide pans, and end the evening in the tapas bars of the old town.
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Best April–June and Sep–Oct
17–31 °COver 300 sunny days a year. Hot, dry summers and mild winters.
Current currency
€
Euro
1 EUR to SEKThe rate is updated every hour. Always check the current rate before you travel.
Don't miss
Shop for fruit, seafood and turrón in the modernist market hall from 1921, and have a tapa at one of the stalls.
Around midsummer the streets fill with towering artworks that are set alight on the night of 24 June, with fireworks across the city.
The inland mountain village perched on a rock offers narrow lanes, a ruined castle and views over a turquoise reservoir.
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The big and the small
Five sights
you won't want to miss.
Santa Bárbara Castle
One of Spain's largest medieval fortresses, high on Mount Benacantil. Take the lift up from Postiguet and enjoy the view over the whole bay.
Explanada de España
The city's palm-lined seafront promenade, its wave pattern laid with millions of marble tiles.
Postiguet Beach
The central city beach below the castle, perfect for a quick swim between sights.
Basilica of Santa María
The city's oldest church, built in the Gothic style on the site of a former mosque, with a lavish Baroque doorway.
MARQ
The award-winning archaeological museum takes you from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages through vivid, modern exhibitions.
