Located on southern coast of Spain’s Valencia region, Alicante is an attractive holiday destination, drawing millions of tourists each year. Its excellent shopping plazas, bounteous cafes, bustling nightlife and numerous water-based sports offer the whole lot to keep you busy.

The superb weather of Alicante adds to pleasure obtained in city’s lavish landscaping, pristine natural areas and a soothing walk along dazzling long boulevards.

In addition to these, city’s rich cultural heritage with numerous historical buildings, ancient cathedrals to churches and a plenty of museums also offer you numerous sightseeing opportunities.

Area: 210 sq km
Country: Spain
Currency: Euro
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1, GMT/UTC +2 (Apr-Oct)

Language: Spanish and Valencian are the official languages. However, English and German are also widely spoken.

When to Go

One can visit Alicante round the year. The summer months, June-August, are the peak tourist season.

Arts and Events

Festival de Sant Joan (June); Feast of San Pedro (July); Alicante e Esena and the Alicante International Music Festival (September); the International Puppet Festival (December)

Major Attractions

One of the popular Alicante sites is the Castilla de Santa Barbara. This is a fortress on top of Mountain Benacantile from where visitors can catch a spectacular view of Alicante and its coastline. People who come here can also drop in at the Museum of Bonfires.

Another place to visit is the small island of Isla de Tabarca. It is known for a medieval fort, a lovely beach and seafood joints. For those with interest in marine life, the island keepers have taken care to provide snorkel and even a small submarine. The Museo de la Asegurada treats its visitors to an impressive gallery of 20th-century art from artists including Gris, Miro, Picasso and Dali.

Another famous Alicante site is the Casino Costa Blanca. Alicante also has many famous Safari parks, including the Costa Blanca Safari Park, the Rio Safari and the Aitana Safari.

Other places to visit are the Aqualandia water park and the Torrevieja Aquapark.

Getting There and Away

International flights from various countries reach Alicante at the international airport of the city, located 10 km (6 mi) from the of the city centre. You can get from airport to city centre via bus, rented car or a taxi.

There are also regular trains from other cities of Spain e.g., Barcelona, Valencia City and Madrid to Alicante.

Getting Around

Public transport is efficient including local buses, trams, rented cars, taxis etc. There is also a railway between Alicante and Denia. Since Alicante is not very big, you can also explore greater part of it on foot.