Things to do in Alicante

Local guide

About Alicante

Alicante has a face, literally. Seen from Postiguet beach, the rock of Mount Benacantil draws a profile that locals call «la cara del moro» (the Moor's face), and at the top, 167 metres above the sea, stands Santa Bárbara Castle, a historic-artistic monument since 1961. From its walls you look out over the whole bay, the harbour and the city that has grown up at its feet.

Coming down the slope you reach the Santa Cruz quarter, the old town that locals simply call «El Barrio», inhabited since the Middle Ages on the lower slopes of the Benacantil. Its streets lead into the historic centre, home to the co-cathedral of San Nicolás, and from there to the Explanada de España, the seafront promenade parallel to the harbour that runs from the Puerta del Mar to Canalejas park. In a single afternoon you can go from a medieval castle to a contemporary art museum: the MACA holds a collection of international artists, and the MARQ, the former Provincial Archaeological Museum, occupies the old Hospital de San Juan de Dios.

Alicante is also a city with open sea and an island. About 22 kilometres away lies Tabarca, the largest island in the Valencian Community and the only inhabited one, which is officially just another district of the city. Boats leave from Alicante and the crossing takes about an hour.

But what really defines Alicante is the fire of June. Les Fogueres de Sant Joan, the city's official fiestas, of International Tourist Interest and Intangible Cultural Heritage, fill the streets from 20 to 24 June with monuments, mascletàs (firecracker displays) in the Plaza de los Luceros and street party stalls (barracas), until the Palmera firework launched from the Benacantil gives the signal for the Cremà (the burning). For everyday life there is the Mercado Central on Avenida de Alfonso X el Sabio, and the Thursday and Saturday street markets in three districts. With Alicante-Elche airport linked to the centre by the C6 bus and the TRAM running to Benidorm, El Campello and San Juan beach, Alicante is the natural gateway to the whole Costa Blanca.

Things to do

Must-see places

1. Castillo de Santa Bárbara: fortress on Mount Benacantil, at 167 metres, with views over the whole bay.
2. Barrio de Santa Cruz (Casco Antiguo): the oldest quarter, on the slope of the Benacantil, next to the town hall.
3. Explanada de España: the most popular seafront promenade, parallel to the harbour, from the Puerta del Mar to Canalejas park.
4. Playa del Postiguet: the town beach at the foot of the castle, between the harbour and the Raval Roig.
5. MARQ, Museo Arqueológico de Alicante: provincial archaeology museum in the former Hospital de San Juan de Dios.
6. MACA, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante: municipal museum with an outstanding collection of international contemporary art.
7. Mercado Central: the big food market on Avenida de Alfonso X el Sabio.
8. Isla de Tabarca (Nueva Tabarca): the largest island in the Valencian Community and the only inhabited one, an hour away by boat.