Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante: Entry, Lift and How to Visit
Free entry, a lift through the hill and a view over the whole bay
- Entry
- free
- Lift
- €2.70
- Hours
- 10–20 (28 Feb–16 Jun and 5 Sep–14 Nov)
The castle of Santa Bárbara asks for no ticket, and that is the first surprise of the visit. Entry is free, a lift bores up through the hill, and the only money in play is the fare for that ride. What it does ask for is a good hour of the day and a calm sky. Give it half a day and it repays you with a view of the whole bay, from the harbour and the old town to the beaches of San Juan and El Campello on a clear day.
Entry is free, the lift is paid
Entry to the castle is free. The only charge is the lift, at €2.70 a ride, and people over 65 ride free with an ID document. The lift stands on Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora, right across from Postiguet beach, and it climbs through a long tunnel cut into the rock.
Aim to arrive at least an hour before closing, since the visit takes an hour or two. Opening hours change with the season. Hours: 10–20 (28 Feb–16 Jun and 5 Sep–14 Nov), 10–23 (17 Jun–4 Sep), 10–18 (15 Nov–27 Feb); closed 24 Jun, 24, 25 and 31 Dec, 1 and 6 Jan.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Lift, path or shuttle
There are two routes on foot, both about half an hour, and both free. One starts at the Town Hall and climbs through the old town, the other starts on Postiguet beach and is moderately steep. The MARQ-Castillo tram stop is 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Postiguet, which helps if you arrive by tram. A minibus runs every 40 minutes from Puerta del Mar, from the Postiguet footbridges and from Plaza Gómez Ulla.
Nobody drives to the top, because there is no car park on the hill. A taxi can drop you at Calle Vázquez de Mella, and the nearest car parks are La Ereta and the one at the MARQ museum. The verdict is simple. Take the lift up when you are short of time or energy, and walk down, because the way down costs nothing and drops you into the old town.
When to come
Choose the hour by the season. In summer the castle stays open until 23.00, so dusk is the moment, with the light going gold over the harbour. In winter it closes at 18.00, and the early afternoon is the safer slot. Calm days suit it, because wind and an orange AEMET warning both close the gates.
One night in the year is off limits: on 24 June the castle is closed. That is the night of the Hogueras, when the giant firework palm is lit on this very hill, so the show is best watched from below. Seen from the sand of Postiguet, the hill has the profile of a face, which is known as the Moor's face.
The three levels in order
The castle sits on Benacantil, a hill 166 metres high, and it has three parts. At the top is La Torreta with the Torre del Homenatge, the oldest piece, from the 11th to the 13th century. The middle level holds the Salón Felipe II, the Patio de Armas and the Baluarte de la Reina, and its main rooms were finished in 1580. The lowest, the Ravellín del Bon Repós, dates from the 18th century. The Sala Noble was once a hospital, and the Baluarte de los Ingleses is a stop on the way. Work your way down from the top, so the last stretch is on the way back to the town.
Muslim rule dates the site to the 9th century, and Castile took it on 4 December 1248, when the fortress was named for St Barbara, whose feast fell on that day. French ships bombarded it in the 17th century and it was shelled again in the 19th. At the end of the Civil War it served as a camp for Republican prisoners. It opened to the public in 1963. Inside, the city museum MUSA fills five rooms, and a Renaissance cistern is among the things to see.
When you only have an hour
An hour is enough for the part of the castle that justifies the climb, as long as you skip the museum rooms.
- Go straight to the Torre del Homenatge, at the top.
- Walk through the Salón Felipe II and the Patio de Armas on the way down.
- Stand at the viewpoint over the bay before the light fails.
- Return on foot, about half an hour, instead of waiting for the lift.
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 much does Santa Bárbara Castle cost?
Entry is free. The lift costs €2.70 a ride, and over-65s ride free with ID. The paths on foot cost nothing.
Can you walk up to the castle?
Yes. Two routes take about half an hour each, one from the Town Hall through the old town and one from Postiguet beach, and the second is moderately steep. Each is free and each is closed when the castle itself is shut.
Is the castle open in rain or wind?
Not always. Strong wind and an orange AEMET warning both close it, and the lift is not guaranteed even in calm weather. Keep a plan B for the afternoon, such as the market or the MARQ museum.
Ready for Alicante?
Front row for the next trip
Leave your email and we'll let you know when a new destination or story goes up.