Ultimate Alicante Holidays Guide - All You Need to Plan

Interested in Alicante holidays?

Alicante is a great holiday destination that offers great value too.

It is a coastal and port town located on the South Coast of Spain. It is in the Costa Blanca area, which refers to the coastline and it’s a popular tourist destination.

It has a population of around 350,000 people in the town area itself.

Alicante enjoys warm temperatures with lows of 11 and 12 degrees Celsius in December and January. There is little rain. It can get very hot in June, July, and August with temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius.

Alicante is a friendly city that is used to having many visitors. Despite its size, it feels more like a town than a city.

Read on for all you need to know to plan your trip.

Alicante Holidays

Is Alicante Good for Holidays?

Alicante is great for a holiday from the UK. There are lots of flight options and plenty of great hotels. There is a wonderful beach and marina, some interesting places to visit, and great public transport to explore the area.

Alicante Holidays

Getting to Alicante from the UK

Alicante is well served with flights from the UK. You can fly from all the following airports directly to Alicante.

Bournemouth
Bristol
Birmingham
Newcastle
Leeds
Glasgow
Nottingham
Newquay
Durham
Manchester
Liverpool
Aberdeen
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Exeter
Belfast
London Luton
London Stansted
London Gatwick
London Heathrow

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Holidays in Alicante

Alicante Airport

Alicante is a small airport located about 18km out of Alicante itself.

It is easy to reach Alicante on the local bus service that runs every 20 minutes or so from the airport to Alicante. It costs between 1 and 4 Euros and takes around 20 minutes. The bus you need is the C6 service.

Holidays in Alicante

Weather

Alicante is very popular because of its fine weather. It can get quite hot in the summer months but also enjoys a cooling sea breeze.

The warm weather extends through to November making it ideal for an out-of-season break too, when you can get some great deals.

Here are the average day and night temperatures for the year in Alicante.

Here is the average number of days of rainfall for the year in Alicante.

Here are the average hours of sun per day for the year in Alicante.

Alicante Holidays

Getting Around in Alicante

Alicante itself is easy to explore on foot. It has a compact centre and lots of footpaths to explore the harbour, the beach area and along to the castle.

For travelling further afield there is a great tram service that runs from the centre of Alicante along the coast.

Check out the full tram map here.

The tram goes all the way to Denia which is 100km further along the coast.

Trams go from the port area or the main tram station in Alicante – Luceros Alacant.

The tram website is also available in English to help you plan your journeys.

Alicante Holidays

Places to Stay in Alicante

Here’s where we stayed during our visit to Alicante;

Alicante City Break

Hotel Spa Porta Maris by Melia

This hotel is located right by the marina. It gives great access to the cafes and restaurants around the marina, to Alicante itself, and to the beach which is just the other side of the hotel.

The hotel has lovely sea views from the restaurant and some of the rooms, with other rooms having marina views.

There is an onsite restaurant and bar, swimming pool, and lovely spa area making this an ideal hotel for a relaxing Alicante break.

Check prices for your travel dates for the Hotel Spa Porta Maris by Melia below

Holiday Alicante

Things to See and Do in Alicante

Holiday to Alicante Spain

Castilo De Santa Barbara

This castle is set up at the top of the hill that overlooks Alicante, so there are fantastic views to enjoy from the castle too.

From Alicante, you can walk along to the entrance at road level and take a lift up to the castle complex.

Once you exit you can explore the different areas of the castle. The castle itself is free to explore.

There is also a cafe inside the castle area which is a very pleasant place to enjoy a cup or glass of something.

There are great views over the coastline and Alicante itself from the castle.

Interpretation boards explain the castle’s history.

Alicante City Breaks

Alicante Market

If you like exploring local tastes and flavours, or simply seeing a bit of everyday life in places you visit then you really should check out the market in Alicante.

It is housed in a lovely building and packed full of fresh food vendors. There is a great selection to choose from and it’s a great place to see local people doing their shopping too.

Holiday Alicante Spain

Rambla Mendes Nunez

Also known as La Rambla this is one of the main streets in Alicante. There are some interesting pieces of sculpture and also some super cute cafes tucked in amongst the trees.

It’s a lovely spot to stroll, admire, shop, and stop.

Holidays in Alicante

Museo De Hogueras

This museum is dedicated to the crazy Alicante spring festival where papier mache sculptures are burnt to mark the changing of the season. The figures all have stories and the community spends a year making them.

Forget any papier mache you might be thinking of – these sculptures are detailed, intricate, and amazing.

Alicante Spain Holidays

Passeig Esplanada D’Espanya

This lovely promenade runs from the marina area along the front of Alicante city. It’s a lovely spot and popular with locals and visitors alike. Along the promenade are cafes, restaurants, and shops all with plenty of temptations to enjoy.

The promenade is reputedly made from 6.5 million tiles.

If you are there when it rains just take extra care as the tiles can be quite slippery!

Places to Eat And Drink in Alicante

There is so much variety of food and drink in Alicante that you will be spoiled for choice.

We found the old town had a great selection of tapas restaurants with good vegetarian options available too.

Our favourite restaurant was Mish Mish.

This friendly and welcoming Lebanese restaurant has a hookah bar in one part of the building and a restaurant in the other. The food was wonderful with great service too.

Check out the details for yourself and read the great views Mish Mish has on Tripadvisor

Alicante FAQs

Is Alicante a Beach Holiday?

It absolutely can be if you want it to. There is a fabulous beach right beside Alicante next to the Marina area, with lovely golden sand. Sea temperatures are good and there is a cooling sea breeze. Temperatures can exceed 40 degrees in the height of summer.

What is The Best Time of Year to Visit Alicante?

If you like it warm but not too hot then March, April, October, and November are great months to visit. If you like it hot but not sweltering then May and September are great months to visit. If you like it scorching then June, July, and August are the best months to visit.

Is Alicante a Walkable City?

Yes, it is very easy to explore Alicante on foot. There is a lovely promenade, a great beach area, a marina and an old town as well as the more commercial part of town.

Alicante Holidays Conclusion

Alicante is a great destination with plenty of flights available from the UK.
It has a lovely beach, interesting attractions and great places to eat.
The temperatures mean that Alicante is also a great option for off-season breaks too.

Alicante is a great value destination with reliable winter sun, making it even more affordable. It is easy to reach from the UK with good budget flight options available.

Check hotels now to see what great deals you can get for your travel dates.