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Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Alicante
Alacant
Base in the old town for 2 nights: castle, beach and old-town tapas on foot; add a tram day to Benidorm or Altea only if you want coast.
Alicante is a working port city of about 335,000 people and the capital of its province, with a castle on the hill, a city beach and a tram line that runs the Costa Blanca coast. Two nights covers the old town, Santa Bárbara castle and Postiguet beach; three or four nights only pay off if you use it as a base for tram day trips north to Benidorm, Altea or Calpe. It is a Mediterranean summer city: May to October for the sea, April to June and September to October for walking weather without the August crush.
- Country
- Spain
- Local name
- Alacant
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and crowds), and the peak beach weeks of mid-August
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including tapas bars and taxis in the cities.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €170+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU and EEA plans roam at home prices; UK and other plans may charge — check before you land.
- Emergency
- All emergency services 112 · National police 091 · Guardia Civil 062
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Bar or café: Leave small change or nothing.; Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% for good service; service is not usually added.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.; Guide on a free walking tour: €10–15 a person is the expected payment.
- Water
- Tap water is safe across the mainland; it tastes of chlorine in some coastal areas. Ask for 'agua del grifo' in restaurants — by law since 2025 they must offer it free (check local application).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars and cafés (buy a coffee). Stations and shopping centres have free or cheap toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee (café con leche) | €1.50–2.50 |
| Menu del día at lunch | €12–18 |
| Beer: caña at a bar / can at a shop | €2–3.50 / €1–1.50 |
| Tapa or racion in the old town | €3–9 |
| City bus ride | €1.45 (2025) |
| Tram Alicante, short hop / to Benidorm | €1.35–7.15 by distance (check) |
| Castle lift, round trip | €2.70 (check) |
| MARQ museum entry | €3 adults (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ALC · Alicante–Elche Airport (L'Altet)
- About 11 km south of the centre; bus C6 runs to the city, taxi about €20–25About 6.8 mi south of the centre; bus C6 runs to the city, taxi about €20–25
Typical fares
- Airport ALC → city centre, bus C6
- about €4.50, about 20 min (2025)
- Airport ALC → city centre, taxi
- €20–25
- Tram Alicante → Benidorm
- about €3.75 (check)
Get around
The old town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. City buses cost €1.45 a ride (2025) and run roughly 06:30–22:30 with night routes; the Bono Móbilis card gives 10 rides in zone A plus a €2 card. Tram Alicante (el Trenet) links the coast from Alicante to Dénia, with Benidorm as the changeover point; single fares run about €1.35–7.15 by distance. Taxis are metered and stands sit at the Explanada, the bus station and the train station.The old town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. City buses cost €1.45 a ride (2025) and run roughly 6:30 AM–10:30 PM with night routes; the Bono Móbilis card gives 10 rides in zone A plus a €2 card. Tram Alicante (el Trenet) links the coast from Alicante to Dénia, with Benidorm as the changeover point; single fares run about €1.35–7.15 by distance. Taxis are metered and stands sit at the Explanada, the bus station and the train station.
See and do
Known for
- Castell de la Santa Bàrbara
- Explanada de España and Postiguet beach
- MARQ archaeological museum
- Costa Blanca tram line
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Benidorm | Tram Alicante (L1/L2 to Luceros–Benidorm, change where indicated) | About 1 h 15 min–1 h 45 min |
| Elche | Renfe Cercanías C1 from Alicante Terminal | About 30 min |
| Altea | Tram Alicante north, change at Benidorm | About 1 h 45 min–2 h |
| Calpe | Tram Alicante north, change at Benidorm | About 2 h–2 h 30 min |
| Xàbia | Tram to Dénia or Benidorm, then bus | About 2 h 30 min+ |
| Dénia | Tram Alicante L1 to Dénia | About 2 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Casco Antiguo (old town)
- Between the Rambla, the Explanada and Mount Benacantil; everything walkable, some street noise at night.
- Explanada / Postiguet
- Seafront and beach at the door; higher prices, best for a short beach-first stay.
- Around Luceros and the train station
- Tram, Renfe and bus links; practical for arrivals and day trips, less atmosphere.
- Playa de San Juan
- About 5 km northeast by tram; sand and resort hotels, but you travel into the centre for sights.About 3.1 mi northeast by tram; sand and resort hotels, but you travel into the centre for sights.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syas |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-tah por fah-VOR |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | ¿Dónde está el baño?DON-deh es-TAH el BAH-nyo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
Scams and watch-outs
- The bus station on Muelle de Poniente has a reputation for baggage theft: keep bags on your lap, not the floor.
- August heat and humidity are real; do the castle climb early or take the lift.
- The castle lift has a last ascent well before closing time — check the board at the tunnel entrance.
- Beach vendors and unlicensed sellers work Postiguet in summer; nothing you buy there is a bargain.
- Some old-town bars post no prices: ask the total before you order.
A safe, busy Mediterranean city; the real risks are pickpockets and bag theft at the bus station and on the beach, August heat, and old-town bars with no posted prices.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Alicante yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Castell de la Santa Bàrbara
- Explanada de España and Postiguet beach
- MARQ archaeological museum
- Costa Blanca tram line
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Alicante tourist office (Alicante Turismo): www.alicanteturismo.com/
- Alicante city council: www.alicante.es/
- Aena — Alicante–Elche Airport: www.aena-aeropuertos.es/en/alicante-airport/index.html
- TRAM Alicante: www.tramalicante.es/
- Renfe: www.renfe.com/
- Wikivoyage: Alicante, revision 5283798 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5283798
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
AlicanteAlacant
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No US or UK embassy here; the nearest US consulate-general is in Valencia and the British consulate is in Alicante (check the address).
Tipping is optional: round up or leave 5–10% for good table service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/alicante). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.