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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.

MadridA CoruñaA FonsagradaAdraAgostAinsaAlaróAlbaceteAlbarracínAlburquerqueAlcalá de HenaresAlcalá de los GazulesAlcalá la RealAlcobendasAlicante200 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
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

ItemPrice
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 (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)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

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.

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

WhereHowTime
BenidormTram Alicante (L1/L2 to Luceros–Benidorm, change where indicated)About 1 h 15 min–1 h 45 min
ElcheRenfe Cercanías C1 from Alicante TerminalAbout 30 min
AlteaTram Alicante north, change at BenidormAbout 1 h 45 min–2 h
CalpeTram Alicante north, change at BenidormAbout 2 h–2 h 30 min
XàbiaTram to Dénia or Benidorm, then busAbout 2 h 30 min+
DéniaTram Alicante L1 to DéniaAbout 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 (3.1 mi) northeast by tram; sand and resort hotels, but you travel into the centre for sights.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
HelloHolaOH-lah
Thank youGraciasGRAH-syas
The bill, pleaseLa 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.

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)

  • All emergency services112
  • National police091
  • Guardia Civil062

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.