Alicante
Alicante (340,000 inhabitants) is the second city of the Valencia region and the gateway to the Costa Blanca. It is often dismissed as merely an airport transfer point — a mistake, as Alicante has more to offer than most coastal cities: an impressive fortress, the marble-paved Explanada de España, a compact old town with good tapas bars, and one of the best city beaches in Spain.
Alicante is also significantly cheaper than Valencia or Barcelona — a Caña beer costs €1.50, tapas portions €3–6, and a good lunch menu (Menú del Día) is available from €10.
Sights
★★★ Castillo de Santa Bárbara
The most powerful castle on the Spanish Mediterranean coast towers 166 m above the sea on the Monte Benacantil rock. Origin: 9th century (Moorish), expanded in the 16th century. Three levels with exhibitions, casemates, and the best panoramic view of the entire Costa Blanca — on clear days, you can see as far as the island of Tabarca.
You can reach it via an elevator (2.70€, through a tunnel blasted into the rock, entrance at Playa del Postiguet) or on foot (about 30 minutes, steep).
Castle: Free entry. Elevator: 2.70€. Daily 10 AM–10 PM (summer), 10 AM–8 PM (winter).
★★ Explanada de España
Alicante's famous promenade by the harbor: 500 m long, paved with 6.6 million tricolored marble tiles in a wave pattern, lined with palm trees. In the evenings, everyone promenades here — ice cream vendors, street musicians, families. By the Explanada, the harbor terraces offer views of yachts and the Mediterranean.
★★ Barrio de Santa Cruz
The old town below the castle: white houses, colorful facades, steep stairs, small plazas with tapas bars. Less touristy than the old towns of Seville or Granada, but more authentic. The Plaza del Puente and the alleys around the Iglesia de Santa María (14th century, the oldest church in the city) are the most beautiful.
★ MARQ (Archaeological Museum)
One of Spain's best archaeological museums (European Museum of the Year Award 2004). Interactive exhibitions on Alicante's history from the Stone Age to the present, with outstanding Iberian-Roman finds.
3€. Tue–Sat 10 AM–7 PM, Sun 10 AM–2 PM.
★ Playa del Postiguet
Alicante's city beach — 700 m of fine sand directly below the Santa Bárbara castle. Clean water, good infrastructure (showers, toilets, lifeguards), chiringuitos. A 5-minute walk from the city center.