Spain
Alicante
Alicante: Castle, Coast, and the Taste of the Levant
Alicante, called Alacant in Valencian, is a Mediterranean port city where Valencian and Spanish are both official. Above it, on the 166-meter rock of Mount Benacantil, stands Santa Bárbara Castle; Castilian forces took it on Saint Barbara's feast day in 1248, and it has carried her name since. Lifts inside the mountain run up to the castle from a tunnel opposite Postiguet beach, so you can reach the hilltop without the climb.
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What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Alicante
Cruise ships use the single cruise terminal in the Port of Alicante, about a kilometer from the city center, with Mount Benacantil and its castle rising behind the harbor. The Explanada de España runs from the port along the waterfront, and the Postiguet city beach lies just beyond it at the foot of the castle.
- Alicante's airport is about 12 kilometers from the cruise port.
- Spain uses the euro.
- Valencian and Spanish are both official languages, and the city's official name is Alacant / Alicante.
- You must show photo ID if a police officer asks for it.
- Thieves in Spain often work in teams and use distraction, so keep your passport, money and phone close and split your valuables.
Alicante on Your Own
A simple day here needs no tour: walk from the port along the Explanada, ride the lift up to Santa Bárbara Castle, and come back down through the old town.
- Along the water: The Explanada de España starts at the port and runs along the seafront, lined with palms and paved in a wave pattern of marble tiles. At its far end the Postiguet beach begins below the castle.
- Up to the castle: The lifts start at the end of a tunnel on Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite Postiguet beach, and climb inside the mountain to the castle. In 2026 a ride cost 2.70 euros, and retired pensioners who could show proof rode free. A small shuttle bus also runs to the castle from Plaza Puerta del Mar, near the port, about every 40 minutes for 1.45 euros a trip, with extra runs on busy cruise days.
- Down through the old town: From the castle you can walk down through Ereta Park, laid out on several levels with viewing decks, into the narrow streets of the Santa Cruz quarter and the old town around the Basilica of Santa María.
- Opening times: The castle is open daily except on a few holidays, with longer hours in summer, and last entry is 40 minutes before closing. Check before you go, because hours change with the season and on event days.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. The last lift down leaves 20 minutes before the lifts close.
Getting Around Alicante
The TRAM light rail and city buses cover the city and the coast.
- Four TRAM lines share an underground stretch through the city center between the MARQ stop, by the archaeology museum, and Luceros.
- Line L4 runs from the center to a loop through the Playa de San Juan district, and L1 is a limited-stop service to Benidorm that takes about 70 minutes.
- City buses cover the rest of Alicante; in 2025 a single ride cost 1.45 euros, paid in cash to the driver.
- Taxi fares are regulated, and there are taxi ranks at the bus station, the train station and on the Explanada.
- Renfe trains run from Alicante station to Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona, and high-speed AVE trains have linked the city to Madrid since 2013.
- Check before you go, because fares and timetables change.
Arroz a Banda, Turrón, and the Levantine Table
Rice dishes cooked in fish stock are local specialties, and turrón, the almond nougat, comes from this province. Lunch is the main meal, and dinner starts late.
- Arroz a banda: A fishermen's dish from the province of Alicante. Small bony fish are simmered into a broth flavored with ñora peppers and alioli, the garlic sauce, and the rice is then cooked in that broth separately from the fish.
- Arròs del senyoret: Another local rice made with fish stock, but with peeled shrimp and pieces of fish or squid, so there is nothing to shell or bone at the table.
- Turrón: Hard turrón, known as the Alicante type, is a firm block of whole almonds set in honey, sugar and egg; the soft Jijona type is made with almonds ground to a paste. Jijona, north of the city, has made turrón since at least the 15th century.
- Coca amb tonyina: A tuna pie that is eaten on the first night of the June bonfire festival.
- Wine: Alicante has its own wine region. Its reds are made mainly from the Monastrell grape, and Fondillón is a rare, aged sweet wine.
- Meal times: Many restaurants close between about 4 p.m. and 9 p.m., and dinner often does not begin until 9 p.m. Check before you go if you want a late lunch near the port.
Tipping in Spain
Tipping is not obligatory in Spain, and service is not added to restaurant bills. Leaving a little extra for good service is common.
- In a mid-range or more expensive restaurant, you can leave 5 to 10 percent if the service was exemplary.
- A tip for a taxi driver is not mandatory.
The Explanada, El Barrio, and the Museums on the Hill
Alicante's biggest celebration is the Fogueres de Sant Joan in June, and on an ordinary evening the Explanada is where people go for a stroll. Several of the city's museums are in historic buildings in the old town.
- The Fogueres: From June 19 to 24 the city fills with large sculpted figures, a daily mascletà, a long and very loud string of firecrackers, and all-night street parties, and the figures are burned on the final night. The festival dates from 1928 and was declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest in 1983.
- The Explanada: The promenade opened in its present form in January 1959, paved with millions of marble tiles in cream, red and black, and it is a place for the evening paseo and for open-air concerts.
- Santa Cruz: This old quarter southwest of the castle climbs the hill in small houses and narrow streets decorated with flags and flowers.
- Basilica of Santa María: Alicante's oldest church was built in Valencian Gothic style between the 14th and 16th centuries on the site of the main mosque.
- Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás de Bari: One of the two cathedral seats of the diocese of Orihuela-Alicante, on Plaza del Abad Penalva.
- Museums in the old town: The Gravina Museum of Fine Arts (MUBAG) shows painting and sculpture from the 16th to the 19th century in the Gravina Palace, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACA) is in the Casa de la Asegurada of 1685, the oldest civil building in the city, with a collection given largely by the artist Eusebio Sempere.
Phoenicians, Moors, and the Benacantil Castle
People have lived around Mount Benacantil for thousands of years, and the city has been Carthaginian, Roman, Moorish, Castilian and Aragonese. The port shaped its fortunes, from medieval trade to the last days of the Spanish Civil War.
- Akra Leuke: In the mid-230s BC the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca founded a fortified settlement called Akra Leuke, generally placed on the site of the modern city. The Romans later knew the town as Lucentum.
- Laqant: Arab forces took the town in the early 8th century, and the castle on Benacantil dates back to the 9th century.
- Castile and Aragon: Castilian forces took the castle on December 4, 1248, the feast of Saint Barbara, which gave it its name. In 1296 Alicante passed to the Crown of Aragon under James II.
- The castle rebuilt: Most of the castle buildings seen today come from works carried out between 1562 and 1580 under Philip II.
- Bombardment and war: A French fleet bombarded the city and castle in 1691, and British forces held the castle during the War of the Spanish Succession.
- Railway and seaside: The Madrid–Alicante railway opened in 1858, and from 1893 cheap excursion trains from Madrid brought summer visitors to Postiguet beach.
- Civil War: On May 25, 1938, Italian aircraft bombed the Mercado Central area, killing more than 300 people. On the night of March 28, 1939, the British ship Stanbrook sailed from the port carrying thousands of Republican refugees, and on April 1 Alicante was the last loyal city to be occupied by Franco's troops.
- Tourism: From the late 1950s tourism began to reshape the city and its coast, and Alicante later became a starting port for The Ocean Race around the world.
- Learn more: The MARQ archaeological museum on Plaza Doctor Gómez Ulla covers the area from prehistory through the Iberian, Roman and medieval periods, in the former provincial hospital.
Alicante with Children and Families
The city beach and the castle are both in the center of Alicante, and the archaeology museum has interactive displays. Pick one or two and leave time for the beach.
- Younger children: Postiguet beach is in the city center at the foot of the castle, and in 2026 lifeguards were on duty from June 1 to September 15 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. El Palmeral Park has playgrounds, ponds and streams. Check before you go if you visit outside summer.
- School age: The lift inside the mountain is part of the fun of reaching the castle, where there are walls, bastions and views over the whole bay. The MARQ archaeology museum uses dioramas, audiovisual displays and interactive areas.
- Teenagers: Older children may enjoy walking up through Ereta Park and the Santa Cruz quarter instead of taking the lift, or a boat trip to Tabarca, a small inhabited island with old walls and a marine reserve where the water is very clear.
Accessibility in Alicante
The castle sits 166 meters up, but lifts inside the mountain take visitors up from street level, so the hilltop is reachable without the climb. The old quarter below the castle climbs the hill in narrow streets.
- Castle lifts: The lift entrance is through a tunnel of about 200 meters from Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite Postiguet beach, and the lifts rise inside the rock to the castle.
- Castle shuttle: A small bus also runs to the castle from Plaza Puerta del Mar, near the port.
- Santa Cruz and Ereta Park: The old quarter and the park climb the hillside by narrow streets and several levels, so the castle lifts are the easier way up.
- Accessible beaches: In summer the city runs accessible beach services, including help with bathing for people with reduced mobility.
- Ask your ship how far the walk from your berth to the terminal exit is, and whether a shuttle runs that day.
Turrón, Ceramics, and the Mercado Central
The Mercado Central is the place to see what Alicante eats, and turrón is the local thing to take home. The market building is worth a look in its own right.
- Mercado Central: The market on Avenida de Alfonso el Sabio was built between 1917 and 1921 in an eclectic style with Valencian modernist decoration, and its stalls sell meat, fish, cheese, fruit and vegetables on two levels.
- Turrón: Look for the hard Alicante type with whole almonds and the soft Jijona type made with ground almonds.
- Saturday at the market: On Saturdays from midday, crowds gather inside the market and on Plaza 25 de Mayo behind it for drinks and tapas from the stalls.
- Local wine: Monastrell reds and the sweet Fondillón come from the Alicante wine region.
Playa del Postiguet and the Costa Blanca
Postiguet is the city beach, in the center below the castle, and a much longer beach at San Juan is a tram ride away. Tabarca island, reached by boat, has a marine reserve.
- Postiguet: A broad sandy beach with usually calm water, along a palm-lined promenade at the foot of Santa Bárbara Castle. From the sand you can see the rock face known as the Moor's Face on the side of Mount Benacantil.
- Playa de San Juan: About 7 kilometers long, reached by TRAM line L4.
- Tabarca: The island lies about 8 nautical miles south-southeast of Alicante, and boats run to it from the city, more often in summer. Its waters became Spain's first marine reserve in 1986.
- Lifeguards: In 2026 lifeguards worked daily from June 1 to September 15, on weekends in May, and on some days in late September and October. Check before you go outside high summer.
- Your things: Bags left alone on the sand are a target for thieves.
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