The Highlights (and lowlights) of Alicante Province.
Earlier this year we had a 3-week trip through Alicante Province, covering the some of the most popular towns, cities, and inland highlights of the region.
There were some pleasant surprises, ho-hum disappointments, and a couple of places that exceeded expectations.
I cover all those in this post. I also give you some tips on exploring the region.
The city of Alicante
Being the transport hub in the region, the city of Alicante is where most people will start their exploration of this stretch of the Costa Blanca.
We spent 10 days in Alicante a few years back (we had been scouting it as a possible base in Spain) and just weren’t that impressed with the city. It’s great if you like a relaxed lifestyle and enjoy beaches, but in terms of tourist highlights and overall attractiveness it just wasn’t a city that called to us.
But if passing through, there is one highlight not to be missed: the Castillo de Santa Barbara. Built in the 9th century by the Moors, it is a huge castle with incredible 360 views over the city and region.
What else to see? There is an attractive costal promenade lined with some of the city’s most attractive buildings. You can also explore the old town at the base of the castle.
How much time to spend in the city of Alicante? I’d recommend a day which is enough to see the above.
Villajoyosa
Villajoyosa is a gem and one of our highlights in the region. Note: just in case you get confused by the different spellings of the name, the locals just call it “La Vila” which keeps things simple.
Firstly, La Vila is no secret: both tourists and expats make Villajoyosa their base and you’ll see a lot of foreigners strolling the beautiful promenade, lying on the beach, and frequenting the many bars and cafes.
What makes Villajoyosa special are the colourful buildings in the old town (right next to the promenade). Most Spanish towns are whitewashed and honestly one town looks like another after a while. Not Villajoyosa. Here the buildings are painted in a rainbow of colours, something we haven’t seen anywhere else in Spain. Wandering the little streets and plazas here is a pleasure.
I’m not going to tell you that there’s tons to see. You can do all the highlights within a few hours. But you might also consider making Villajoyosa your base in the area*.
*We used Benidorm as a base which was convenient for daytrips and tours. But Benidorm is almost too big and getting to the tram stops for connections always took a lot of time. Villajoyosa is smaller and it is an easy walk to either the Creueta or La Vila Joiosa tram stops.
More on Villajoyosa, the most colourful city in Spain.
Benidorm
As mentioned above, we used Benidorm to base ourselves for 4 nights. I figured it would be convenient but honestly thought we might take an instant dislike to the place. To our surprise, we actually enjoyed Benidorm.
Benidorm comes as advertised: loud and tacky, full of tourists coming to drink, lie on the beach or walk the promenade. It’s not a highbrow place, it appeals to fun. And some people take it too far, we saw a few tourists so drunk they seemingly had lost the ability to both walk and talk.
But Benidorm has planned and maintained their city well. The promenade is gorgeous and walking it is a joy. Lining the promenade are restaurants and bars, something for everyone: British pubs, restaurants of all kinds (German, Dutch, Indian…). And the quality of food was good wherever we went*.
*a couple of favorites: Granier for coffee, pastries, tostadas etc (a locals favorite). Cafe India for Indian food. Very good.
Aside from walking the loooong promenade, the only real highlight in Benidorm is the Mirador del Castell – a modern viewpoint where a fort had once stood. The promontory sticks out into the sea, affording views of long stretches of beach either side. The views here are exquisite.
Otherwise, there’s not really anything to the old town. Mirador aside, Benidorm is about the promenade, beaches and the bars and restaurants. And it’s “happening”, even in February there were lots of people enjoying Benidorm. It might not be your kind of place. If not, you may want to base yourself in Villajoyosa which is definitely a little higher end.
Where to stay in Benidorm? We stayed in this apartment for 4 nights which was (mostly) very good. It could just be cleaner but we’re also a bit uptight when it comes to cleanliness.
More on Benidorm as a base on your Costa Blanca vacation.
Altea
We visited Altea as part of a tour that included Fonts de l’Algar and Guadalest. It’s a very popular place for both visitors and expats.
Altea is a white village sitting on a high point looking down over the coast. It’s a pretty place with a blue domed church, white washed buildings, and several miradors looking out over the sea and mountains. Because of its popularity it also has lots of bars and restaurants for a town of its size. Altea also has a beach – you can walk down steps from the elevated old town which will take you across the railway tracks (Altea is on the L9 tram between Benidorm and Denia) and across a main road to the beach. It’ll take you about 10 minutes from the town center. The beach isn’t really anything special (a pebbly beach compared to the white sandy beaches you’ll find in Benidorm and Villayojosa) and the focus of the town seems to be more on the old town itself than on the coastal strip. But it’s a pleasant enough stretch of coastline.
Is Altea worth visiting? I’d get a lot of people angry with me if I say that I’m a bit lukewarm about it. People love white villages and there’s no doubt Altea is pretty. But having been to a ton of white villages now I’ll admit they all kind of look the same to us and I’d rate Altea in the middle of the pack. The one thing that Altea has that most white villages don’t is the beach and I can image that coming in the summer and having that option makes the town special; going to the beach and walking the promenade during the day and walking up to the town and having drinks and supper while enjoying cool breezes and watching the sun set. I can see the attraction. Maybe we would have been more impressed coming here in the summer.
Note: I had considered making Altea a base in the area but had chosen Benidorm instead. It was the right decision. Altea is very small and there was honestly not much going on when we were there.
Guadalest
It’s one of the prettiest towns you’ll see in Spain, topped by an 11th century Moorish castle that gives you 360 views of the valley, mountains, and a bright blue water reservoir.
It’s just really quaint, a tiny town of cobblestones, small shops and cafés, and a historic center accessed through an arch in the rock. There are actually two old fortresses built on sharp crags of rock. El Castillo de la Alcozaiba is smaller and closed off, the Castillo de Guadalest can be accessed: buy your ticket at the city museum and go through the historic building and up to the castle. There are towers, miradors and a cemetery. The views are fabulous.
As I say, Guadalest is a popular place and I totally understand why that is. One of my highlights in the region. But you can see it all within a few hours (the tour we took from Benidorm).
More on the beautiful town of Guadalest.
Fonts de l’Algar
These are waterfalls located about halfway between Benidorm and Guadalest and is a popular stopover for tours going to Guadalest.
The Fonts de l’Algar are not at all impressive. There is one decent-sized waterfall, otherwise you’ll see a slow stream and pools of water. As I found out, we were actually lucky to see water – our tour guide told us that there is often no water because the same water used for the waterfalls are often diverted for the town’s use.
If not on a tour, it really is not worth going here on your own.
Polop
If you have your own wheels, I would recommend a stop in Polop instead of the Fonts de l’Algar. All about Polop here. As I mentioned, we visited Guadalest / Fonts de l’Algar / Altea on a tour and only briefly passed through this town. It looked very interesting and we wish it had been a stop on the tour.
If you’re driving back from Guadalest, do it on road CV-70 (Google Maps). You’ll be looking down on Polop, seeing this hillside town superimposed on mountains in the background. Spectacular scenery.
Calpe
We spent 3 days in Calpe (or Calp), home of the Peñón de Ifach, a huge limestone rock that dominates the Costa Blanca coastline.
We were surprised home quiet Calpe was. It was February, daytime temps around 22C, and there were tourists…but some restaurants were still closed for the season. It made us realize just how popular Benidorm is, every other spot along the coast was quiet in comparison.
Calpe is nice. There’s a long promenade with a nice selection of bars and restaurants. The beaches are white and sandy.
But the main reason to visit Calpe is to climb the rock. I did, it took an hour to get up to the top and the views are beyond spectacular. But I’ll admit I got nervous at points, there are places along the path where a slip or stumble would result in certain death on the rocks below. It’s not technically difficult but if you have vertigo or get nervous around precipitous ledges then I wouldn’t do it. All about hiking the Peñón de Ifach.
Note for those wanting to do it: the first 20 minutes up is on a very safe path. You can bring kids up here, no problem, the views are fantastic and it’s safe. Then you go through a tunnel in the cliff (minors not allowed past this point). On the other side the path is rough, along the cliffs’ edge where chains are available to you for the scariest bits. Then comes the final climb where there is light scrambling over rock and where the path is not so obvious (follow the red paint marks). It will take about an hour to the top where you’ll be on a sharp escarpment leading to a cement block with a post at the summit. The views around you are incredible but scary.
What is to do in Calpe? They have a saltwater lagoon that gets different birdlife including flamingos. Best time is summer when the flamingos are here in abundance. But anytime is good to walk the trail around the lagoon and enjoy the views and nature. Calpe also has a small old town that is worth exploring. It won’t blow your socks off but there are a few picturesque streets and plazas.
How much time to spend in Calpe? I’d recommend at least a day, maybe two if you intend to climb the rock. I’m told Calpe gets busier in the summer but never gets to the crazy levels of Benidorm.
Where to stay in Calpe: We stayed in this apartment for 3 nights. Excellent in every way except for a bed that was too soft for us…and the position of the bed is such that it’s hard to get out of if on the window side. If those things don’t bother you, it is otherwise a very good apartment that the owner has kept very clean and well equipped.
I cover Calpe in detail in this post.
Dénia
Dénia was our last stop on this trip, its location marking the northern boundary of Alicante Province.
It’s a pleasant city with a quaint old town. Dénia’s most famous highlight is Dénia castle which, truth be told, is a bit uninspiring to visit. It is at its most impressive when viewed from the town and marina, these perspectives giving you an appreciation for its immensity. Unfortunately there’s just not much left of the castle so you don’t see much when visiting the grounds.
Otherwise: make sure to see Plaza de la Constitucion (home of the ayuntamiento and the main church), walk Marques de Campo (the very pleasant pedestrianized main street), visit the Mercado Central, and stroll Calle Loreto where you’ll find a lot of restaurants and bars.
Dénia is a pleasant city and the locals are friendly. I would suggest though that it’s not the most exciting to visit. A stopover is fine, I don’t know if I’d recommend 2 nights as we did.
Where to stay in Dénia? We stayed in this apartment. Gorgeous, modern apartment, super comfortable. By far the best apartment we had on this trip.
More: What’s special about Dénia?
Practical Information
Getting around
Getting around on the coast between Alicante and Dénia is easy thanks to the tram lines. The L1 runs from Alicante (we started off at Luceros station which is a 5 minute walk from the main train station) up to Benidorm. Stops along the way include Villajoyosa. The L1 ends at Benidorm, and a different line (the L9) continues to Dénia (with stops that include Altea and Calpe).
The L1 has a frequency of about a tram every 30 minutes and it takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes to do the whole Alicante – Benidorm route. The L9 has a tram every hour and the whole Benidorm – Dénia route takes about 1 hour and 10 min.
Overall a very good way to explore places along the coast, beats taking the bus.
Tours
I mentioned taking a tour on our trip: a tour from Benidorm that included Guadalest, Fonts de l’Algar, Altea. Sometimes a tour is the best way to see a bunch of sites when you don’t have your own transport. This is the tour we took. You can, however, take the same tour from the city of Alicante (right here).
Have you visited Alicante Province? Do you have your own Highlights and Lowlights?
Related: The Best of the Costa del Sol
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