The perfect weekend in Alicante, Spain's overlooked coastal city
The arrivals board at Alicante Airport reads like a roll-call of European cities, yet the city itself (Alacant, in its official Catalan form) is hardly one of the best-known places in Spain. It sounds like a paradox but it isn't. Because despite being a handsome provincial capital with an idiosyncratic culture and personality, it's too often bypassed by the turísticos heading straight for the resorts of the nearby Costa Blanca.
Alicante has two major reference points: the harbour, and the imposing crags of Benacantil and Serra Grossa. In between lie the former fishing quarter of Santa Cruz, the grand Baroque buildings of the old town, and the busy downtown zone with its tapas bars, restaurants and cervecerías. Add to the mix an appetising food scene, hospitable locals and a climate offering year-round sunshine (no fewer than 320 days of sun for every 365, to be precise) and Alicante becomes a superlative destination in its own right.
For more Alicante inspiration, see our guides to the best hotels, restaurants, bars and things to do.
In this guide
How to spend your weekend
How to get there and how to get around
When to go
Where to stay
Know before you go
How to spend your weekend
Day one: morning
There's no better place from which to get your bearings than the ramparts of the Moorish Santa Bárbara castle, high on the dust-coloured peak of Benacantil, with its huge views of the sprawling old town, the harbour and the wine-dark Mediterranean beyond. (Avoid the steep climb to the castle walls by taking the lift behind El Postiguet beach: it whisks you straight to the top.) After a leisurely visit, pick your way down the hill towards Avenida de Jaime II and the Mercado Central de Abastos, downtown Alicante's main produce market and a glorious 1922 building in brick decorated with coloured tiles. Look out for regional specialities such as cured tuna mojama, almond-based turrón de Xixona, and fish from the ports of Dénia and Santa Pola.
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