The best time to visit Alicante
For swimming in summer, for walking all year
- Best
- May–June and September–October
- Sea
- About 26 °C in August
- Hogueras
- The cremà night of 24 June
The castle, the market and the old town work all year in Alicante, and the sea settles the question of swimming: it runs from about 14 °C in January to about 26 °C in August. If you want a single month, take September, because the Hogueras and the peak of summer are behind you and the castle stays open until 20.00 again.
Through the year
Read the table above as a hot summer, a mild winter and a short hinge between them. June is the sunniest month, with about 14 hours of sun a day. Walking, eating and climbing to the castle suit all twelve months, which is why the city never needs a high season to fill a visit. In summer the castle stays open until 23.00, from 17 June to 4 September, so dusk is the hour to be on top and the heat of the day belongs to the beach or the market. In mid-August the sung mystery play Misteri d'Elx fills the basilica of Santa María in Elche, on 14 and 15 August in 2026, and it pulls a day trip into the calendar.
When the city is full
The Hogueras de San Juan peak at midnight on 24 June, when a giant firework palm is lit on the Benacantil hill and the burning of the figures begins. That night is called the cremà. It is also the one summer day when the castle is shut, so the show is watched from the streets below. In the 2026 programme the fireworks competition ran on Postiguet beach from 25 to 29 June. The mascletà, a loud daytime barrage, went off at 14.00 on Plaza de los Luceros in the 2025 programme. The festival holds the status of International Tourist Interest and is listed as intangible cultural heritage. Come for it if you like noise and crowds, pick another week if you do not, and book your bed early either way.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Winter in Alicante
Winter is the mild half of the year and the quiet one. The air reaches about 16 °C by day in January and the sea sits near 14 °C. From 15 November to 27 February the castle closes at 18.00, so the climb belongs to the early afternoon. The MARQ archaeology museum is the wet-weather answer, and since 15 September 2026 it has opened Tuesday to Saturday until 19.00 and on Sundays and holidays until 14.00. Swimming is for the hardy few. A long lunch at the Mercado Central is for everyone else, and the rice still belongs at noon. The castle also shuts on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 and 6 January.
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.
When is the best time to visit Alicante?
September gives the best balance. The Hogueras and the heart of summer are over, and from 5 September the castle is open until 20.00. May suits those who want fewer people. Anyone who wants guaranteed warm water should aim for August, when the sea averages about 26 °C. Winter works too, for walkers who want the old town and the castle without the summer crowd and who can live with cold water.
Can you swim in Alicante in winter?
Only if you are hardy. The sea averages about 14 °C in January, while the air reaches about 16 °C by day. Winter belongs to walking, long lunches and the museums, and the beach is for looking at.
When are the Hogueras, and are they worth the crowds?
The night of the cremà is 24 June. The 2026 programme began on 20 June and ran to the fireworks competition on Postiguet. They suit anyone for whom noise, fire and a full city are the point. The castle is closed on 24 June, so plan to watch from the street.
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