What’s it like living in the city of Alicante?
In this interview, Daniela tells us all about living in the city of Alicante. She covers the pros and cons of the city, talks about renting (and warns you about scams to watch out for), covers transport and gives you advice on meeting people in Alicante.
Lots of practical information on the city of Alicante below.
Name: Daniela Paz
Age: 37
Country of Origin: Argentina
Time in Spain: 5 months
Hi Daniela! I’m wondering what led you to Spain. Why Spain?
Well, I always had the ich of living abroad but never thought of any specific place. I’m from Argentina and my first language is Spanish, even though I speak English I knew I would feel more comfortable in a place where I can communicate effortlessly and the Spanish vernacular is quite similar to the Argentinian one. Of course I miss a lot of thing from my home country but I feel I made the right decision coming here.
Why did you chose the city of Alicante as the place you wanted to live? Did you live anywhere else in Spain prior to Alicante?
I chose Alicante because my sister, nephew and brother-in-law live here. One day we were talking on a video call. I was not having the best month. I remember they asked me what was going on… we talked about my current situation back in Argentina and they both said: Why don’t you come here?
My younger sister Carito was coming to visit them in April so we all decided that I would come with her.
When we arrived in Alicante my family was waiting for us. It felt heartwarming because it was like being home but 14.000 km away. Since then they’ve helped me with every step I’ve needed in Spain.
It all started with one conversation and the destiny of my life changed.
What do you like about Alicante? What are its ¨selling¨ points for foreigners looking at different places to settle in Spain?
Alicante is gorgeous, you have plenty of things to do. For starters the beach is fantastic, then the historical city centre, lot of great restaurants, the “Castillo de Santa Bárbara” on top of the hill, Isla de Tabarca, the different “calas”, the public transport is very good and cheap. For less than 2 euros you can go to places like Altea, Benidorm, Calpe, Villajoyosa, Javea and Denia.
Every 10 blocks is different in Alicante. For example you have the “Barrio Santa Cruz” on top of the hill that is full of colours and where you can take the most instagrammable pictures. Then you walk down the stairs into the historical centre with all of its old buildings, even Roman ruins. Here, in the historical centre you will find cafes and nice restaurants. Walking a little bit further you will find the famous “calle de las setas” (¨street of Mushrooms¨). I´ve never seen anything like it in my life, is so strange to walk this pedestrian street with huge mushrooms all over the place. Just around the corner you will find “Calle Castaños” which is full of pubs and bars. Every weekend you’ll see tourists having a fun time. Another place that is a must in the centre is “La Explanada de España” a pedestrian street that goes along the Alicante port, again there are a lot of restaurants and little shops to buy souvenirs.
If you like beach life Alicante is incredible, with beaches like San Juan, EL Campello, Mucha Vista, Albufereta… all of them are clean, with kids playgrounds. Some have toilets and lifeguards.
Of course we have to work, but leisure time is important here and going for tapas and a beer or tinto de Verano is part of life.
The different “ayuntamientos” of Alicante organise really interesting events and a lot of them are for free, it is just a matter of browsing facebook or whatsapp to know what is going on.
Another thing great about Alicante are the good transport connections: it has an international airport (the 6th largest in Spain), train station and bus station. Alicante is very well connected.
How about negatives? Is there anything you really don’t like about Alicante?
I have been living here for only 5 months so every day I discover new things, just walking to my office by different streets and getting to know the area. Like I said, every day is a different adventure.
For now, I have nothing negative to say about Alicante, I’m in love with this city.
It gets touristy in August and restaurants get full. You have to make reservations. There are a lot of bachelor and bachelorette’s parties so it does get a bit noisy at times.
I have heard a lot lately about pickpockets and thieves, so people should be careful.
What demographic of person do you think would be drawn to a city like Alicante? In my experience (we went in 2020) Alicante seemed like a quiet, relaxed kind of city more suited to older people who enjoy beaches. What do you think?
It depends on which part of Alicante you go. The city centre is for all kind of ages, the discos, pubs and restaurants are everywhere to enjoy. Maybe Calpe is suitable for people to retire but Alicante centre seems good for young families starting a new life in Spain. There are good schools, the weather is awesome, there are good job opportunities. I know there are some other places like Torrevieja or Santa Pola that are nice and cheaper than Alicante but I haven´t been there yet so I can’t tell you much about them.
You’re the first Argentinian I’ve interviewed so I want to learn about Spain from your perspective. What were your biggest challenges adapting to Spain? Has it been easier or harder coming here than you expected? Is there anything from Argentina that you miss?
Having family here has made everything easier. They’ve made me feel at home.
As I’m a 37 old single with no kids I think my biggest challenge is getting to know people in the same situation. Most people my age have kids and have different priorities. I have an Argentinian friend that lives in Madrid and when we meet it feels like being with my friends back home. But Madrid is three hours away so we can´t get together as often as we would like to.
I joined two groups of expats in Alicante, they organize cool things like dinners, “tardeos” or just walks by the beach. This is a great way of meeting new people, as a matter of fact I met two really nice girls that I can call friends now.
Despite this, I really miss my family and friends back in Argentina. There we would get together, drink ¨mate¨ (an Argentinian herbal tea) and talk about life. Now we do video calls every other week but it is not the same. Fortunately my parents are coming to visit me this year and my friends next year which I´m really looking forward to it. I’m also planning a vacation back in Argentina in 2025.
Another thing that I really miss is going to football matches. I´m a huge River Plate fan and would go almost every week to watch a game. The experience of going to the “Monumental” is something you have to live once in your life to understand what I´m talking about.
There is a huge community of Argentine expats in Alicante so it’s nice walking around and listening to the same accent or go to the beach and see people drinking mate.
The food in Spain is great and luckily in the globalized world we are living now is easy to go to the supermarket and buy some authentic Argentinian stuff such as dulce de leche, tapas de empanadas or even yerba mate. I´m not a good cook either and I find it easier to cook here because I can buy a lot of thing pre-made.
What do you do for work Daniela?
I´m a financial advisor. I work at MAPFRE, the insurance company. The company is known mostly for car and home insurance but we offer financial planning: life insurance, accident insurance, health insurance, death insurance, retirement plans and investments funds.
Do you help foreigners who come here with their financial planning?
Yes! I help foreigners who are tax residents of Spain with their financial planning. I also help those who plan to start a business. If you need health insurance (which foreigners need when applying for a visa, NIE, CUE or TIE), I can help.
MAPFRE is an excellent company: not just as a place to work but for all the financial services it offers residents and citizens of Spain.
Note: If you need financial services Daniela can be reached at +34 657 883 908
What do you do to keep busy Daniela? What’s your typical day like in Alicante?
I have 9 to 6 office hours. After work I go to the gym, have something for eat and go to sleep. But every week I get together for dinner with the friends I met at the Ladies Expat group. We usually go to a different restaurant every week and maybe afterwards for a drink or coffee. I´m lucky to have my sister, nephew and brother-in-law here and we get together and do nice things like going to museums, going to the public library, to the beach or to the shopping centre. Alicante has lot of activities to offer. Sometimes I’ll go to the beach and play volleyball with people I meet. People are welcoming and open to others which is a great thing.
How about housing? I´ve heard that Alicante is less expensive than some of the other cities in the region. Is that true? Do people complain about high rent or scarcity of housing?
Housing in Alicante is very expensive. I was lucky to rent a studio (one bedroom apartment) in the city centre, but I know the price that I´m paying is what a two-bedroom apartment would cost a year ago. Prices have escalated quickly. Also, as people are “desperate” to rent an apartment and unfortunately there are lots of scammers. I have personal experience with this. My advice is NOT to pay anything in advance unless you know the landlord or make sure that the real state agency really exists.
My experience which I hope helps others: I was looking for apartments on a very well know app and I saw a studio for rent. It was near my office so I contacted the owner. He told me that he could show me the place on that weekend because the girl that was renting the place was away and left him the keys (first red flag). I went with my family to see it and he didn´t let my family in (second red flag). When he showed the place the washing machine was on and, as a girly girl, I needed to see the closet space. When he opened the closet it had guys clothes in it (the tenant was supposed to be a girl). That was another HUGE red flag. I didn´t want to confront him face-to-face and left. Afterwards he texted me, telling me that I could reserve the apartment for 1.000 Euros. I played along and asked him when and where we were going to sign the contract. He said that in Spain people don´t sign rental contracts and that was enough for me… I confronted him about being a scammer and he blocked me. After two days I saw the same apartment for rent in the same app and made a complaint.
Be careful, if something looks too good to be true it probably is.
How do you get around? Do you have a car? How’s the public transport in Alicante?
I don´t have a car yet but I´m planning to buy one in a near future. Meanwhile I use the TRAM or the Bus, and I have to say that the service is fantastic: always on time, clean and cheap. It would be nice to have service all day long because TRAM only runs at night on weekends (ie. it doesn’t run at night during the week).
And as I mentioned, having an international airport, train station and bus station makes Alicante a really good place to live. For example, you can get on a plane and be in Rome within 2 hours!!
How´s the restaurant scene in Alicante? Do you have tapas and seaside churringhitos? Is the city known for any special dishes?
Alicante has excellent restaurants, the well-known dish here is the “arroz”… don´t get fooled by the name, it is not just plain rice, it is a kind of paella. I also go for tapas with “cañas” (I like the clara con limón; it is beer with lemon and is refreshing). There are plenty of places to enjoy this, at the chiringuitos near the beach or at the pubs you see on every block. So, enjoy!
As a touristy destination, Alicante offers a great variety of restaurants (not only Spanish). I would recommend people to go to the local places, no the touristy ones. They are less expensive and you can get a real taste of what Spanish food is.
Do you have any words of advice for anyone considering Alicante as a possible place to base themselves?
Sure! Come with an open mind, time and money to do paper work. Stick to well-known real state agencies.
Alicante has lot of things to offer, people are very nice and I strongly recommend joining a facebook or whatsapp group that meets your needs. Example: “Girls Gone International” or “Social Chicas in Alicante”. There are always groups catering to different people
Before choosing a place to live, research the neighbourhood. Look at the schools in the area, hospitals and supermarkets. Ask the locals about security. There are some places here such as “Carolinas Altas” or “Virgen del Remedio” that are not as safe as the rest of Alicante.
Do you think you´ll still be in Alicante (or Spain) in 10 years from now? Is it your forever home?
I think is too early to say. Right now I’m in love with Alicante but I’m open to every opportunity life has to offer.
A lot of expats that I talked to have chosen Alicante as their forever home. Beaches, nice weather, good food, excellent people, lots of activities. What else do you need?
Thank you for doing this interview Daniela!
Related: Nerja Or Estepona (as places to base yourself in Spain)
No podría estar más de acuerdo con tu explicación, soy Alicantina , nacida en el mismo centro de Alicante y parece que haya hablado una vecina mía.
Alicante es una ciudad cómoda, soleada y acogedora, sin grandes pretensiones, pero con una calidad de vida inigualable.
Eres una valiente Daniela y un ejemplo a seguir para cualquier persona que en algún momento de nuestra vida, hemos sido emigrantes.
Enhorabuena
I live between Malaga and Marbella. It is a lovely area if you have a car. But Alicante is on my radar as a place to check out. This information is helpful. Rents in the city of Malaga have drastically increased in the last 2 years. However, Alicante seems to run between €200 to €300 less than Malaga. How is the accessibility of Valencia to Alicante? Does the train run through that area? I would like to live car free, but I am in an area now that makes it tough to get to the city of Malaga. It’s 2 hours with public transportation! Where as by car It’s 35 minutes. How is it for public transportation to Valencia from Alicante? How long does it take?
Very regular trains run from center city Alicante to Valencia in about 2 hours 20 minutes.
Excelente y muy bien llevada la entrevista. Daniela como siempre muy clara en la exposicion, nos hace desear estar pronto en Alicante con ella.