Plan Your Escape
Costa Blanca — Guide
Baroque towers, blue-tiled domes, and a Mediterranean that earns every cliché written about it.
Alicante doesn't announce itself the way Barcelona or Madrid do, and that's precisely the case for it. A baroque cathedral facade, a hilltop castle with the best sunset view on the Costa Blanca, and a dining scene quietly producing some of Spain's most interesting cooking — all without the queues.
Three or four days lets you do the city properly: the old town, the castle, the rice dishes the region is actually famous for. Add a fifth day and the inland towns — Novelda's modernist sanctuary, the almond blossom hills — open up an entirely different Alicante.
Before You Go
Everything to sort before you land — five minutes, max.
EU/Schengen — most non-EU nationals enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Confirm your specific requirements via Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
May, June & September — warm, bright, and before the August coastal crowds arrive.
SPF50, a hat for the castle climb, and book restaurant terraces ahead in peak summer.
Euro (EUR). Cards accepted almost everywhere; small cash useful for tapas bars.
Smart casual in the evening — Alicante's old town dines later and dresses for it.
Lunch from 2pm, dinner rarely before 9pm — book ahead for the well-known kitchens.
Spanish and Valencian; English spoken at hotels and most central restaurants.
The old town and seafront are entirely walkable; a car is only useful for inland day trips.
Where We'd Stay
Our shortlist — each personally vetted, each with a contact in place for you.
Old Town · Rooftop
A 17th-century convent turned the city's only five-star — a rooftop pool facing Santa Bárbara castle, and the kind of restoration that makes the building itself the main event.
City Centre · Historic Building
Ten individually furnished suites inside a restored historic townhouse — private terraces, full kitchens, and a sense of staying in someone's beautifully kept apartment rather than a hotel.
Santa Cruz · Old Fishermen's Quarter
A 16th-century former merchants' house at the foot of Santa Cruz — exposed stone, a small rooftop terrace looking up at the castle, and the harbour two minutes on foot.
Top Experiences
Four moments worth building your trip around — book the sanctuary tour ahead, it's not well known yet.
One of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain, free to enter, with the single best view of the city and the Mediterranean — go up by lift, walk down as the light turns.
A modernist sanctuary by a disciple of Gaudí, 20 minutes inland — extraordinary Art Nouveau stonework that almost nobody outside the region knows exists.
A working-class neighbourhood turned the city's most genuine tapas circuit — no tourist menus, just locals, plastic chairs, and the best croquetas in Alicante.
A private sailboat out past the harbour for the view of Santa Bárbara and the Explanada from the water — the city looks like an entirely different place from the sea.
Where to Eat
A table for every part of the city — the tasting menu worth the trip alone, the rooftop, the institution.
Chef María José San Román's signature address — saffron-led tasting menus and one of the most ambitious wine lists on the Costa Blanca, recommended by the Michelin Guide.
The rooftop at Hospes Amérigo, with Santa Bárbara castle lit up behind you — go for sunset cocktails before dinner elsewhere, or stay for the full Mediterranean menu.
Two addresses, one philosophy — exceptional ham, seasonal seafood and a tapas counter that locals treat as a second kitchen. Book the restaurant side for the full rice dishes.
A young kitchen reworking traditional Alicantino dishes with real technique — the tasting menu changes constantly, the room is small, and reservations go fast.
The ground-floor cocktail bar at Hospes Amérigo — a refined, low-lit counter for a proper drink before or after dinner, a few steps from the old town.
The address that put Alicantino rice on the national map — arroz a banda and caldero done by people who've been doing it since before it was fashionable.
How Long You Have
Three days covers the essentials. Seven lets you eat your way properly through the region.
Morning
Settle in at Hospes Amérigo, then walk the narrow streets of the old town — the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás, the Town Hall, the painted facades of Calle Mayor.
Afternoon
Take the lift up through the rock — one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain, free to enter, with the best panoramic view of the city and the sea.
Evening
Start with the tapas counter, move to the restaurant side for arroz a banda — book ahead, it fills up by 9pm most nights.
Morning
The old fishermen's quarter — whitewashed houses, painted doors, steep cobbled lanes climbing toward the castle. Coffee at one of the small plazas.
Afternoon
Postiguet Beach for a swim, then the Explanada de España promenade — nearly 6.5 million marble tiles laid in a wave pattern, lined with palms.
Evening
A proper cocktail at Hospes Amérigo's ground-floor bar before dinner — refined, unhurried, a five-minute walk from the old town.
Morning
A 25-minute drive inland to the Santuario de Santa María Magdalena — extraordinary modernist stonework almost nobody outside the region has seen.
Afternoon
Back into the city for a final lunch crawl through Benalúa's old quarter — plastic chairs, no tourist menus, the city's most genuine tapas circuit.
Evening
Alicante–Elche Airport is 15 minutes from the city centre — an easy final dinner near the marina before a late flight, if your schedule allows it.
Morning
Hospes Amérigo, rooftop pool, no rush. The city will keep until the afternoon.
Afternoon
Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás, the Town Hall steps, the Central Market's iron-and-glass dome — all within a 20-minute walk.
Evening
A cocktail before the tasting menu at Monastrell — María José San Román's saffron-led cooking is worth building the whole evening around.
Morning
Up by lift early, before the heat — the views over the marina and the old town are worth the entire morning.
Afternoon
Wander down through the old fishermen's houses — painted doors, steep lanes, very few other visitors.
Evening
A rice institution since 1958 — arroz a banda or caldero done properly, by people who've never needed to chase trends.
Morning
A proper swim before the day heats up — the beach sits a five-minute walk from the old town, sand to the water's edge.
Afternoon
A private sailboat out past the harbour — the city looks completely different from the water, especially as the castle catches the light.
Evening
A slower, local evening — plastic chairs, no menus in English, the city's most honest tapas circuit.
Morning
25 minutes inland to Novelda — a modernist sanctuary almost nobody outside the region knows, built by a disciple of Gaudí.
Afternoon
The hilltop castle above Novelda, with views across the almond groves toward the coast — a quiet contrast to Alicante's busier streets.
Evening
Back in Alicante for a young kitchen reworking traditional Alicantino dishes — small room, constantly changing tasting menu, book ahead.
Morning
Coffee and a final wander through the covered market — jamón, fresh turrón, local produce worth taking home.
Afternoon
A last quiet hour among the palms before heading to the airport — green, shaded, and a calm close to the trip.
Evening
Alicante–Elche Airport sits 15 minutes from the centre — leave by early evening for most European connections.
Morning
Hospes Amérigo, no agenda yet. The convent-turned-hotel sets the tone for the rest of the stay.
Afternoon
Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás, the Town Hall, the Central Market — slow, unstructured wandering.
Evening
Cocktails then María José San Román's tasting menu — the single best meal to open the trip with.
Morning
Up early by lift — the medieval fortress and the best panoramic view of the city, before the midday heat.
Afternoon
The old fishermen's houses, painted doors, steep lanes — one of the quietest corners of the city centre.
Evening
Tapas counter first, then the restaurant for arroz a banda — book ahead, this one fills up fast.
Morning
A full morning swim and slow breakfast by the sand — sand to water's edge, a five-minute walk from the hotel.
Afternoon
A private sailboat past the harbour for the view of the castle and the Explanada from the water.
Evening
The city's most genuine tapas circuit — plastic chairs, no English menus, the best croquetas in town.
Morning
A modernist sanctuary built by a Gaudí disciple — extraordinary, and almost entirely unknown outside the region.
Afternoon
The hilltop castle above Novelda — views across almond groves toward the coast, very few other visitors.
Evening
A young kitchen reworking Alicantino classics with real technique — small room, book ahead.
Morning
An hour inland to one of Spain's most photographed villages — a clifftop castle ruin above a turquoise reservoir.
Afternoon
A long lunch in the valley — rice cooked over wood fire, mountain views, none of the coastal crowds.
Evening
Back to the coast by early evening — a quiet dinner near the hotel after a full day inland.
Morning
A 30-minute boat from the marina to Spain's smallest inhabited island — a walled 18th-century fishing village in clear water.
Afternoon
Lunch at one of the small island restaurants — caldero is the dish Tabarca is actually known for, cooked exactly as it should be.
Evening
Back to Alicante by early evening — a final relaxed dinner at Nou Manolín or wherever didn't make the list yet.
Morning
A final coffee and a slow wander through the covered market — jamón, fresh turrón de Jijona, local produce to take home.
Afternoon
A quiet last hour among the palms — green, shaded, and a calm way to close out the week.
Evening
Alicante–Elche Airport is 15 minutes from the centre — easy timing for evening flights across Europe.
Watch It Live
The hotels, the food, the views — exactly as they looked when we were there.
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