Alicante in 2 days
The castle at dusk, rice at noon and one trip out of town
- Plan
- Day 1 city and castle
- Rice
- At lunch, not in the evening
- Castle
- Entry free, lift €2.70
Two days is enough for Alicante, but only if the second one leaves the city. The first belongs to the old town and the castle, in an order that puts the market in the morning, the rice at noon and the climb at the end of the afternoon. The second goes to an island or a palm grove, and the weather picks which. You need no car for either.
The market, the Explanada and Santa Cruz
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
The city and the castle
Mercado Central. The stalls of about 300 sellers are at their best early, and there is a counter for coffee and breakfast. The hall is shut on Sundays, so on that day begin at the Explanada.
Explanada de España and the harbour. Walk the marble to its far end, where the Parque de Canalejas meets the marina. The tiles run in waves. After a while you stop looking at the sea and look at your feet.
Town Hall and Concatedral. The baroque Ayuntamiento carries the reference mark for altitude above sea level. The Concatedral de San Nicolás on Plaza Abad Penalva has a blue dome and a cloister. The Basílica de Santa María, the oldest church in the city, is a short walk from the Town Hall.
Rice at noon. Nou Manolín on Calle Villegas and Piripi on Avenida Óscar Esplá fill up at weekends around midday, so book. Order the arroz a banda: rice cooked in fish stock, with alioli on the side.
The lift to the castle. It starts across from Postiguet beach on Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora and goes up through a long tunnel in the rock, for €2.70. Entry to the castle itself is free.
Dusk from the walls. From the top you see the bay, the harbour and the old town, and on a clear day the beaches of San Juan and El Campello. In midsummer the castle stays open until 23.00, while from mid-November to the end of February it closes at 18.00.
Reach the castle at least an hour before closing, since the last lift up leaves well ahead of the gates. If the lift is stopped, a path of about half an hour on foot starts from Postiguet beach, and another begins at the Town Hall and climbs through the old quarter. The castle shuts when the wind is strong or an orange weather warning is out. On a blustery afternoon, move the climb to the next morning.
Tabarca or Elche
A trip out of town
Choose by the sky. A calm, clear day suits the boat to Tabarca, and a grey or windy one suits the train to Elche. Boats are cancelled in bad weather, and trains are not.
Tabarca. The crossing takes about an hour. The island has about 50 residents, ramparts with three gates, a church of Saint Peter and Paul and the Governor's House, all of it small enough to cross on foot.
Caldero tabarquino, the island's fish stock with rice, served in two parts. Return by boat in the afternoon.
The C-1 train from Alicante-Terminal reaches Elche in about 30 minutes, at Elche-Parc or at Carrús. Walk into the Palmeral, the palm grove that has been on the UNESCO list since 2000.
Huerto del Cura, a private garden declared a national art garden in 1943, and the bust known as the Lady of Elche, found in 1897 at La Alcudia. Lunch is arroz con costra, rice baked under an egg crust, then the train back.
Pick Tabarca for the sea and the ramparts, and pick Elche for the grove and the bust. If you cannot decide, remember the rule that the boat can be cancelled and the train cannot. A wet day settles it, and the answer is Elche. Bring the evening back to the old town either way, because dinner there starts after half past eight and ends the day better than any museum.
What drops out when you run late
- Cut in this order: the Concatedral first, then the Explanada stroll to the harbour, then the Town Hall. The market, the rice and the castle stay.
- Take the lift up instead of the path, and keep the path for the way down if the light is still good.
- Swap Tabarca for Elche when rain or wind is forecast, rather than wait at the dock for a boat that may not sail.
- Keep the dinner, since it is the part of the day that needs no ticket and no timetable.
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.
How many days does Alicante need?
Two days cover the city and one trip out of it, and three give the trip more room. Without a car, plan the first day around the old town and the castle, and spend the second on Tabarca or Elche.
Can you do Alicante without a car?
Yes. The Explanada, Santa Cruz, the castle lift and Postiguet beach are all on foot, the airport is served by the C-6 bus, and the TRAM and the C-1 train cover the rest. A car only pays off for villages in the hills, such as Guadalest.
What if it rains or the wind is strong?
The castle closes in strong wind and under an orange warning, so the market, the lanes of Santa Cruz and the archaeological museum MARQ take over. In winter the museum is open until 19.00 from Tuesday to Saturday and until 14.00 on Sundays. For the day trip, choose Elche.
Ready for Alicante?
Front row for the next trip
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