Day trips from Alicante
An island with walls, a palm grove and a village on a rock
- Tabarca
- Boat about an hour
- Elche
- C-1 train about 30 min
- Benidorm
- TRAM line 1 about an hour
Weather decides the day trip from Alicante before anything else. Tabarca is an island of walls and a marine reserve, and it needs a calm sea. Elche is a palm grove with a UNESCO listing, and the train runs whatever the sky does. Benidorm and Villajoyosa sit along one tram line, and Guadalest is a village on a rock that is easiest with a car. One trip fills a day, and two only fit if you give up the city.
Tabarca
About 50 people live on Tabarca all year, behind the stretches of wall and the three gates that survive from the 18th century. Charles III settled families of Genoese origin from Tunis here, and their church of St Peter and St Paul and the Governor's House still stand. The island is a Bien de Interés Cultural, and the waters around it became the first marine reserve in Spain in 1986, which makes 2026 its fortieth year. The boat from the harbour in Alicante takes about an hour, and from Santa Pola it takes 25 to 30 minutes.
Lunch is simple. Order the caldero tabarquino, a fish stock with the rice served in a second course. Divers head for Cala del Birros and La Guardia and for the Cuevas del Llop Marí, and the island flew a Blue Flag in 2025 and 2026. The boat is cancelled when the sea is rough, so Tabarca is the choice for a calm day and Elche is the one for anything else. Anyone who picks Tabarca should leave the end of the afternoon free for the return crossing, and should carry a layer for the wind on deck.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Elche
Elche is the easiest trip from the city. The C-1 commuter train leaves Alicante-Terminal 20 or 21 times a day and takes about 30 minutes for 19 to 21 km, stopping at Elche-Parc and at Elche Carrús. The Palmeral, the palm grove that threads through the town, has been on the UNESCO list since 2000, and the Huerto del Cura is a private garden that has been a national artistic garden since 1943. A morning among the palms and the garden is enough, and the train back leaves plenty of day for the old town of Alicante.
In the afternoon look for the Dama de Elche, the bust found in 1897 at the site of La Alcudia. On 14 and 15 August 2026 the town staged the Misteri d'Elx, a sung drama performed in the basilica of Santa María, with rehearsals on 11 to 13 August. The train does not depend on the sea or the wind, so on a rainy or windy day Elche is the answer, and a good one.
Benidorm, Villajoyosa and Altea
Line 1 of the TRAM runs from Luceros to Benidorm in 20 stops and about an hour. Villajoyosa is the 14th of them. Terra Mítica is the second to last. Villajoyosa is where the Valor chocolate museum stands, a reason to get off before Benidorm. From Benidorm the tram reaches Altea in about 13 minutes. The ticket covers several zones and is bought at the machine on the platform. Choose Villajoyosa for a quiet half day and Benidorm for the sheer size of the skyline, and let Altea close a longer day.
Guadalest and Algar
Guadalest is a medieval village on a rock, with a castle and a handful of small museums, and Algar is a short step away with waterfalls that feed small pools. The easiest way is a hire car, about 45 minutes from Benidorm on the CV-70, or an organised tour from Alicante. The tram brings you to Benidorm and the road starts there. Start early. Give the trip a whole day, and book nothing else around it.
Where to next
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Alicante
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which day trip from Alicante is best for one day?
Elche, for most people. It takes 30 minutes by train, it runs in any weather and it holds a UNESCO palm grove and a garden. Tabarca wins on a calm day for anyone who wants the sea and the walls.
Can you reach Guadalest without a car?
Not easily. The tram stops at Benidorm, and from there you need a hire car, about 45 minutes along the CV-70, or you join an organised tour from Alicante. Algar lies close by, so the waterfalls and the village fit into the same outing.
Does the Tabarca boat run all year?
The number of sailings depends on the season, so ask at the kiosk in the harbour. The crossing is cancelled in bad weather, which is why the trip needs a second plan, and Elche by train is the usual one.
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