Things to do in Benidorm

Local guide

About Benidorm

Benidorm makes most sense from above. From the Mirador del Castillo, the old Replaceta del Castell with its white balustrade and chequered floor, you can see the town open out onto two large south-facing beaches, which is unusual on this eastern coast: Levante on one side and Poniente on the other, separated by the Canfali headland where the village began. Just behind it stands the church of San Jaime y Santa Ana, built in the 18th century after the image of the Virgen del Sufragio appeared; she is the patron saint who gives her name to the big November fiestas.

What makes Benidorm unique is that contrast. On one side, a skyline of high-rises you can recognise from the sea; on the other, protected nature that starts almost at the sand. To the north, the Serra Gelada drops into the water in cliffs of more than 300 metres and has been a natural park since 2005. Off the harbour, about two nautical miles out, lies the Illa de Benidorm, an islet of about seven hectares that is part of the same ridge and has become the most photographed outline in the bay.

In the centre, the Parque de l'Aigüera, designed by Ricardo Bofill in the late 1980s, starts next to the town hall and is home to the Auditorio Julio Iglesias. And on Wednesdays, the Foietes municipal market fills the Mercasa grounds with more than two hundred food and clothing stalls.

The calendar has its own character too. In November, when many coastal towns slow down, Benidorm holds its Fiestas Mayores Patronales and, on the following Thursday, the Fancy Dress Party (Fiesta de Disfraces) in the Rincón de Loix. All of this is about 60 kilometres from Alicante-Elche airport, with the TRAM linking the town to Alicante and Dénia. Benidorm is not a small village hiding its charms: it shows them off without apology, and anyone who climbs up to the viewpoint understands why.

Things to do

Must-see places

1. Mirador del Castillo (Balcón del Mediterráneo): the old Replaceta del Castell, with cannons, a compass rose and views of both beaches and the island.
2. Iglesia de San Jaime y Santa Ana: an 18th-century church on top of the Canfali hill, with the chapel of the Virgen del Sufragio.
3. Playa de Levante: about two kilometres of Blue Flag sand between the Canfali headland and the Serra Gelada.
4. Playa de Poniente: the large town beach west of the old town, with a seafront promenade.
5. Parque natural de la Serra Gelada: cliffs of more than 300 metres and a hanging fossil dune, protected since 2005.
6. Isla de Benidorm (L'Illa de Benidorm): an islet of about seven hectares off the harbour, of great ecological and scenic value.
7. Parque de l'Aigüera: a linear park by Ricardo Bofill that starts at the town hall and is home to the Auditorio Julio Iglesias.