If you’ve recently arrived in Spain for your holiday in Benidorm, you may have noticed that Benidorm doesn’t have its own airport — instead, you flew into Alicante. While you likely hopped on a bus or grabbed a taxi up to Benidorm, Alicante has plenty to see and do as well! So if you’re interested in doing a bit of exploring, here’s what you need to know about taking a day trip from Benidorm to Alicante.
Alicante, Spain
Distance from Benidorm: 48 km/30 miles
Alicante is the second-largest city in the Community of Valencia — after Valencia — and the capital of the province of Alicante. (Benidorm is also in the province of Alicante.) And while it’s just a bit down the Costa Blanca from Benidorm, the city of Alicante and its people are much different. First and foremost, you’re much less likely to hear anyone speaking English. 🙂
But if you’ve made a point of taking a day trip from Benidorm to Alicante, I’m sure you’re up for a Spanish adventure!
When you arrive in Alicante, you’ll likely end up at Plaza de los Luceros, which is the city’s most emblematic plaza. However, it’s not the typical type of plaza you generally see in Spain. Instead of a pedestrianized square, there’s a statue and fountain in the middle of a major roundabout that connects many of the city’s roads. But it’s still an important part of the city for the people of Alicante — this is where the mascletás (firecrackers) are set off during the Alicante Hogueras festival, and protests and parades generally pass through here as well.
Avenida Maisonnave is Alicante’s main shopping street. It has not one, but two El Corte Inglés stores — one with clothing and one with home goods — as well as all the typical Spanish shopping street brands: Zara, Mango, Bershka, Springfield, Primor, and all that good stuff. If you’re looking for lunch with a view, I recommend going to the top floor of the El Corte Inglés on the west end of Maisonnave, where there’s a cafeteria with so many options that everyone is sure to find something they like.
Next, head south down Avenida del Doctor Gadea toward the sea. There are plenty of shops and restaurants along the two sides of the avenue, but I love to walk in the middle of the paseo, which is paved with tiles featuring fish and seashells. Pretty on-brand for Alicante.
From there, you’ll run into Parque Canalejas, a shady green oasis just in front of the Port of Alicante. One of the coolest things about Alicante is the number of Australian fig trees you’ll find throughout the city — there are 36 total, and Parque Canalejas has 10 of them. You can find others at Plaza Gabriel Miró and Plaza Portal de Elche, both of which make a great spot to grab a drink or some tapas in the shade.
Parque Canalejas eventually fades into Alicante’s premier symbol — the emblematic Esplanade. The walkway is decorated with more than 6 and a half million tricolor tiles, forming the iconic wave pattern, and palm trees line each side. There are also little trinket shops selling souvenirs, as well as a few bars and restaurants. Across the street from the Esplanade, you can walk along the marina, and sometimes you can spot different types of fish (or even jellyfish) swimming by.
As you’re following the Esplanade east, you’ll notice the Meliá hotel on the water. And just on the other side of the hotel is Playa Postiguet, Alicante’s only city beach. It’s usually really busy in the summer, so it’s not necessarily my favorite place to go, but it’s still pretty cool that you can swim in the view of a castle in the background.
Castillo de Santa Bárbara is probably the other most famous site in Alicante, along with the Esplanade. Perched high on Mount Benacantil, I’d be surprised if you’d been wandering around Alicante all day and hadn’t noticed it yet. 😂 If you are in the mood for a hike, you can trek up to the top via Parque de la Ereta, where you’re almost certain to see some feral cats along the way. (This is a very positive outcome for me.) Otherwise, you can take the elevator/lift up to the castle on Avenida Juan Batista, just across from Playa Postiguet. It costs €2.70 for general admission, and it’s free for over 65s.
At the castle, you’ll find exhibitions about Alicante’s history and the city’s relationship with the Mediterranean Sea, as well as archaeological artifacts from the past. Most exhibits were offered in at least English and Spanish. And while information may be a bit sparse, admission to the castle is free, so I think the visit is well worth it. If even just for the views.
If you decide to hike up to (or down from) the castle, you’ll likely pass through Barrio de Santa Cruz. This is the oldest neighborhood in Alicante, and its steep hillside construction, whitewashed façades, and colorful macetas (flower pots) may trick you into thinking you’re in Granada or Córdoba.
At the foot of the barrio is the rest of Alicante’s old town, or Casco Antiguo. The streets are generally wider and less maze-like than many other cascos antiguos in Spain, but it’s still worth checking out. Calle Castaños is famous for its bars and nightlife, but it’s also where you’re likely to find food available at any time of the day. (Much of Alicante operates with a true siesta from about 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. or so, with nearly everything closed on Sundays.)
And then there’s Calle San Francisco, affectionately known as Calle de las Setas, or “Mushroom Street.” This pedestrian-only street is lined with sculptures of red toadstool mushrooms, which turn an ordinary shopping street into a whimsical world where you can’t help but smile. The mushrooms were added to the street in 2013 during a period of economic decline, in order to help rejuvenate this part of the city. I think it worked! Calle de las Setas is almost always full of people, tourists and locals alike.
Just a few blocks from Luceros is the Mercado Central, central market. While it seems a lot like most other markets you’ll find in Spain, it has quite a history of its own. During the Spanish Civil War, in 1938, the market was bombed in what was considered to be one of the deadliest bombings of the war, especially considering the attack had no military targets — it was directed only at civilians. More than 300 people died, and the original market clock — which came to a stop during the bombing — still shows the time of the attack, 11:20 a.m., to this day. Speaking of time, try to visit in the morning or early afternoon as it closes at 2:30 p.m. most days.
If you have more time and you’re a museum person, I personally think the best one is the The Ocean Race Museum, which is out on the dock near Playa Postiguet. This very contemporary museum is dedicated to the most competitive sailing race in the world, fittingly named The Ocean Race. Now, why is this museum in Alicante? It turns out that Alicante has been The Ocean Race’s Start Port since 2008, and will be the Start Port for the next edition of the Race in 2026-27. It’s full of interactive exhibits in English, Spanish, and Valencian.
And probably the most famous museum in Alicante is MARQ, or the Museo Arqueologico de Alicante, which is an archaeology museum. It’s in an absolutely beautiful building. There are eight wings for exhibits, and five of them house the permanent collections: Prehistory, Iberians, Roman Culture, the Middle Ages, and the Modern Age. Unfortunately for those who only speak English, all the exhibits are only in Spanish and Valencian, but downloading your favorite translator app can help; Google Translate, for example, has a great function where you can take a picture of words in another language and it will translate for you.
Find more things to do in Alicante.
How To Get From Benidorm to Alicante
Tram: Alicante has a tram system that runs all the way to Benidorm. All you have to do is buy your ticket for the L1 line at one of the machines in the station (make sure you have cash or a physical credit card, tap-to-pay with a phone won’t work). It should cost €2.80 each way or €4.80 if you buy a round-trip ticket, and the journey will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes each way. The three stations in Alicante are MARQ, Mercado, and finally Luceros, so you can get off wherever you want to start your day. When it’s time to head back to Benidorm, just do the whole thing in reverse — just be sure you’re getting on the L1 train back toward Benidorm.
Bus: You could also take the bus from Benidorm to Alicante to make the journey just a little bit quicker but a little bit more expensive. From Benidorm bus station, an ALSA bus should take between 45 minutes and 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on how direct it is, so be sure to pay attention to the journey time when you make your booking. It should cost between €5-7 each way if you book in advance. If you decide to go with the bus, I think you can buy tickets in the station, but I usually prefer to plan ahead and buy online.
Private transportation and tour from Benidorm to Alicante (Viator)
So… do you feel like you know everything about taking a day trip from Benidorm to Alicante yet? What else do you want to know? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
This site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
Leave a Reply