Alicante

Alicante tourist guide – hotels – car hire

Located on Spain's eastern coast, Alicante is at the heart of the Costa Blanca region. The town has a pleasant and very Spanish atmosphere, as well as a number of interesting buildings. It is one of Spain's oldest cities, tracing its history back to the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. Its original name; 'Lucentum' translates as 'City of Light'. Today, Alicante is a thriving cosmopolitan hub, a leading centre of commerce, culture and tourism.

Alicante and the Costa del Sol is a popular destination for golf breaks and golfing trips. The area boasts many great golf courses and golf equipment can easily be bought or hired here. In Alicante golf can be played year round and golfing enthusiasts from all over Europe come to enjoy the excellent greens and superb weather. Golf equipment can be bought online.

Attractions in Alicante

For most visitors, Alicante’s highlights are some of the nearby excellent beaches; Playa de San Juan, to the north, is the best. Bathing here is great and there are also many water sports on offer.

The renowned Castillo de Santa Barbara, on the top of Mount Benacantil, is a true fairy tale castle with its high walls and domed turrets, reachable by car or by passenger lift from Postiguet beach.

Alicante’s skyline is dominated by one of its most impressive attractions: Castillo de Santa Barbara, a huge medieval fortress, once protector of the city.

Alicante's oldest church, St Mary's, is a gothic 14th century masterpiece built over the ruins of a Moorish mosque.

Travelling by hire car is a popular choice for many visitors as the roads are well marked, pleasant to drive and very scenic. Car hire is the best way to explore the lovely region of Alicante. Click here for Alicante car hire

Hotels in Alicante

A thriving cosmopolitan hub like Alicante isn’t short of hotel accommodation. The town has lodging facilities ranging from standard to posh five star hotels. Many of the hotels in Alicante can be reserved in advance on-line.

The city centre of Alicante features most of the well known hotels which all operate reservation services on-line. These Alicante hotels will usually provide discounted hotel rates when a room is pre-booked on-line. Another benefit of booking in advance is that your room is secured by the time you arrive.

Airport and car hire in Alicante

The Alicante airport provides a modern and convenient gateway to the Mediterranean coast, handling over eight million passengers every year, arriving mainly from Great Britain, Holland and Germany. It is situated 9 kilometres to the southeast of the region's capital city in the municipality of Elche. There’s one three-level terminal catering for all domestic and international flights. The boasts an excellent variety of cafés, restaurants and bars, and both duty-free and regular shopping outlets are available. ATM machines are to be found on each level of the terminal building, as well as currency exchange facilities.

Taxis are available from outside the terminal building 24 hours a day and run to central Alicante and other locations along the coast.

Car hire at Alicante Airport is also well catered for with several major companies represented, such as Avis, National and Budget. For the best deals on a hire car for Alicante it is highly recommended to pre book your hire car in advance. There are many surrounding towns and villages which have great beaches and separate market days well worth a visit and easily explored by car.

Alicante International Airport provides two car parks, with the main one located directly opposite the terminal building and useable for short-term parking. Long-term parking is to be found at the second car park located to the right of the terminal building. Car parking rates usually are discounted when reserved in advance on-line. Securing your airport parking on-line is safe, convenient and secure. Click here for Alicante airport parking.

And make sure you check out our recommended site for Cheap flights to Alicante before you book as some great deals can be found.