Alicante had been on my plans for a long time, and it finally happened last week. However, instead of three days, I could only stay in Spain for two.
The Wizz Air flight departed early in the morning on Friday, January 9th, and I was supposed to return home Monday morning. Unfortunately, a friend’s funeral was scheduled for Monday, which I only found out about on Thursday afternoon. So I quickly looked for a Sunday return flight: although there is a direct Wizz flight that day, the ticket was 140 €, which I won’t pay for travel within Europe. What I booked instead: a morning flight from Alicante to Treviso, then an evening flight to Budapest (both Ryanair), the two together cost 60 €.
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Alicante
The plane landed at 10 o’clock with a half-hour delay. Just getting off the plane in the pleasant weather was an experience, as I had left for the airport at home in the morning at -14 degrees. 🙂
Bus C-6 runs between the city center and the airport, departing approximately every 15 minutes. A one-way ticket costs €4.60 and can be purchased from the ticket inspector at the stop. You can also get off at the bus station in the city, otherwise Porta del Mar is the final stop (this is the harbor and beach area).
Since the attractions are quite concentrated, I explored the city’s main sights on foot. First, I wandered around the downtown area. The pedestrian street, Carrer Sant Francesc, is famous for its mushrooms. They’re fun creations that make the otherwise average street atmospheric. The harbor area and the promenade are a typical seaside quarter with wonderful palm trees. The castle rising above the city is most beautifully visible from the harbor.
On the other side of the harbor begins the beach, Playa del Postiguet. This is a few hundred meters of sandy beach where many people were sunbathing in the pleasant 16 degrees (it felt like more when the wind wasn’t blowing). Some even dared to go into the cool water. 🙂
Before heading to the castle, I popped into the MUBAG Museum of Fine Arts. Located next to the cathedral, it displays works across three floors. Admission is free, and it’s absolutely essential for anyone who loves paintings. It’s an exceptionally high-quality museum.
I walked up to Castell de Santa Bàrbara from the El Barrio neighborhood to the southwest, which is the easiest and most beautiful route. Even on the way up, there are wonderful views of the city. The castle itself covers quite a large area with several viewpoints. Admission is free, and there’s a restaurant and two cafés. It’s worth conquering the slopes for the views. 🙂
On the way down, I headed toward the center of the El Barrio neighborhood, where you can stroll through beautiful, flowery alleys. Together with the castle, you can take great photos. There are also several small squares with restaurants and cafés, worth stopping somewhere to enjoy the atmosphere. I really loved this old town area.
I walked over to the other viewpoint, Castell de Sant Ferran, which is located north of the downtown area. This one is less popular, only a few of us were hanging around. I took some photos, but after the Barbera castle, this doesn’t offer anything extra. But since it’s not far from downtown, it’s worth a visit.
I walked down to the harbor area, but on the way I popped into the Museu de les Fogueres. This is an exhibition of a few rooms where you can see funny creations. It’s free, but you can also get through it in a few minutes.
I also checked out the harbor and the promenade in the evening, all lit up, which is perhaps even more beautiful than during the day.
Benidorm
On Saturday, Benidorm and the eastern part of Alicante, San Juan Playa, were on the schedule. The easiest way to get to Benidorm is by suburban train (actually a fast tram). It departs from Luceros station in downtown Alicante and the journey takes about 70 minutes. You can buy tickets from a vending machine, €2.80 for a one-way trip.
From Benidorm train station, it’s about 1.5 km to the old town area and the beach. There were lots of English and American tourists, you can clearly see that the wealthier class stays here. Mirador del Castell is the main viewpoint, a balcony-like section on the beach. You can see well in both directions along the coast and the skyscrapers, and take nice pictures.
From here I headed west on the promenade along Platja de Ponent. There are tons of restaurants and bars, almost all of them were full. Although it was 17 degrees, the brilliant sunshine and the sand made it feel warmer. I took advantage of the good weather, it was nice sitting on the bench in a short-sleeved shirt. 🙂
On the western part of the coast, a mountain peak rises, and from the Tossal de la Cala viewpoint, there’s the most beautiful panorama of the city and the beach. It’s about a 15-minute walk with a steep climb, but the view makes up for everything. I definitely recommend going up there!
From here I walked to Cala Finestrat train station and took the train back to Alicante.
San Juan Playa
This is the eastern part of Alicante, where there’s a several-kilometer-long sandy beach and promenade. The northern section is called Playa de Mutxavista, and I got off at the Carrabiners stop.
I walked all the way to the southern end of the beach, which was about 3 km. I walked partly along the water in the sand, enjoying the pleasant weather and the fine sandy beach. The promenade is less developed, with only a few bars and restaurants. Because of this, there aren’t big crowds either, which is exactly what makes this part atmospheric.
There’s a tram stop on the street parallel to the beach, line 4 goes to Luceros, line 5 to Porta del Mar terminus. The ticket is €1.45 and you can buy it from a vending machine on the tram.
In summary
For anyone who wants to travel to a pleasant place with nice weather in winter, Alicante is the perfect choice! I must say, Spain is a big favorite of mine, especially the coastal cities (Barcelona, Malaga). And the prices are similar to those at home, so you don’t have to dig deep into your wallet. 🙂