Barrio de Santa Cruz is a historic quarter on the slopes of Mount Benacantil, just below Santa Bárbara Castle — the most colourful corner of Alicante's old town. Steep steps, whitewashed houses and flower pots lead up to the viewpoint by the Santa Cruz hermitage, looking over the port and the sea.
The Explanada de España is Alicante's signature promenade, running along the port between rows of palm trees. Its trademark is a wavy mosaic of more than six million marble tiles in three colours, evoking the waves of the sea. It is the classic place for an evening stroll, with cafés, craft stalls and an open-air bandstand.
Balcón del Mediterráneo is the white viewpoint on the Punta Canfali headland in Benidorm, jutting into the sea between Levante and Poniente beaches. From its balustrade you can see both beaches, Benidorm Island and the Serra Gelada cliffs, and the terrace stands where a castle once defended the town against pirates. Visitors especially praise the sunset views.
Cabo de San Antonio is a headland between Dénia and Jávea, where cliffs rise more than 150 metres above the sea and a lighthouse stands next to the viewpoints. From the viewpoints you look over Jávea's bay and the Marina Alta capes, and on clear days as far as Ibiza.
Cap Prim (Cap de Martí) is a rocky headland in Jávea, reached by a short waymarked trail through pine woods and along the cliffs. From the point you can see Portitxol island, the Els Pallers rocks and the whole bay.
Font Roja Natural Park protects a mountain holm-oak forest in the Menejador range, between Alcoy and Ibi. Hiking trails start at the Font Roja sanctuary and lead, among other places, to the summit of Menejador (1356 m), a completely different side of the region from the beaches.
The L'Albir lighthouse stands at the tip of the Serra Gelada Natural Park, reached by an easy paved trail along the cliffs above the bay of Altea. According to visitalbir.com the walk takes about an hour, and it is also doable with a pushchair. The 1863 lighthouse houses a small interpretation centre with old photos and equipment.
A Baroque basilica in the centre of Elche, built between 1673 and 1784 on the site of a former mosque and known as the stage of the Misteri d'Elx mystery play. From the viewpoint on its tower, 37 metres up, you can see the city and its palm groves.
A fortress on top of Mount Benacantil (166 m) in the centre of Alicante, dating back to the 9th century. Its walls offer a 360° view of the city, port and bay, and a lift runs up from the Postiguet beach side.
The Church of Santa Maria del Consol, with its domes covered in blue and white tiles, stands on the hilltop of Altea's old town. The present building dates from 1901–1910 and is the natural goal of a walk up the steep lanes between whitewashed houses. The square in front of the church offers views over the sea.
MARQ is the modern Archaeological Museum of the Province of Alicante, housed in a former hospital in Alicante and named European Museum of the Year in 2004. Its multimedia displays trace the region's history from prehistory to the present day and show how archaeologists work in the field, in cities and underwater.
Playa de San Juan is a very wide sandy city beach in Alicante, about 2.9 km long, stretching from Cabo de la Huerta to El Campello. It has volleyball courts and water sports, and is easy to reach by tram from the centre.
The Basílica de Santa María is Alicante's oldest church, set on a quiet square in the oldest part of town. It was built in the Valencian Gothic style between the 14th and 16th centuries on the site of a former mosque. The plain exterior is fronted by a Baroque doorway, while inside stands a gilded Rococo high altar.
Cabo de las Huertas is a rocky cape within Alicante's city limits, lying in the north-eastern part of the bay, between Albufereta and San Juan beaches. Its shoreline is a string of small coves and rocks right by the water, good for a walk over the rocks, a sunset or snorkelling.
Calpe Old Town is the town's former walled hilltop quarter, with steep lanes, steps painted in the colours of the Spanish flag and murals on the façades. Parts of the defensive walls survive, along with the Torreó de la Peça tower and the 15th-century Iglesia Antigua. The old town is explored on foot, and a walk usually takes one to two hours.
Castillo de la Atalaya is a well-preserved Almohad castle from the late 12th century, towering over the old town of Villena. In the 14th century it housed the court of Don Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena and author of “Count Lucanor”. The keep preserves vaults which, according to the town, have only one parallel in Spain, at Biar Castle.
The Cases de Colors are a row of brightly painted houses on the edge of La Vila Joiosa's old town, above the last stretch of the Amadorio river and close to the beach. They are one of the most photographed sights on the coast.
El Fondo Natural Park is a protected wetland between Elche and Crevillent, with lagoons, boardwalks over the water and bird hides. It is home to flamingos and herons, as well as the threatened white-headed duck and the marbled duck, whose main breeding site in the Iberian Peninsula is here.
A botanical garden in Elche, a National Artistic Garden since 1943, with around a thousand palms, ponds, sculptures and the famous seven-armed Imperial Palm. An audio guide helps with the visit, and visitors praise the well-kept paths and the peacocks roaming freely.
An archaeological site with the ruins of the Roman town of Lucentum in Alicante's Albufereta district, run by the MARQ museum. The walls and gate, forum, baths and streets survive, and there is a tram stop of the same name next to it.
Mirador del Far de Santa Pola is a viewpoint next to the lighthouse on Cape Santa Pola, on the edge of cliffs rising about 150 m above the sea. Two metal walkways run along the cliff edge and out towards the sea, and the deck looks across the Bay of Alicante to Tabarca island.
The Monasterio de la Santa Faz is a Baroque monastery in the village of Santa Faz, about 5 km from central Alicante, on the border with Sant Joan d'Alacant. It keeps the relic of the Holy Face, and each spring hundreds of thousands of people make a pilgrimage to it.
The Museu de les Fogueres is the museum of Alicante's June festival, the Fogueres de Sant Joan, on the Rambla in the city centre. It displays the “ninots indultats” saved from the flames, along with models, costumes and photos.
The Cathedral of the Saviour and St Mary in the centre of Orihuela is a Gothic church built on the site of the town's former main mosque, and has been a bishop's seat since 1564. A combined ticket also covers the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art.
Parque Natural Salinas de Santa Pola is an area of salt lagoons and working salt pans on the coast by Santa Pola, where flamingos are easy to spot. The Salt Museum occupies former salt-works buildings, and trails with viewpoints run between the ponds and the dunes.
The city beach of fine golden sand in the centre of Alicante, right below Santa Bárbara Castle and minutes from the old town and the Explanada promenade. It is about 900 metres long and holds a Blue Flag.
St Nicholas Co-cathedral is Alicante's main church, standing in the heart of the old town (Casco Antiguo). A blue dome some 45 m high rises above the austere 17th-century building, which houses a Baroque Communion chapel and a quiet cloister.
The Cuevas del Canelobre are limestone caves on the northern slope of the Cabeçó d'Or mountain near Busot, among the largest in eastern Spain. The main chamber has a cathedral-like vault about 70 metres high, one of the tallest in the country.
Tabarca is the only inhabited island in the Valencian Community, about 22 km from Alicante, with an 18th-century walled village. The surrounding waters form Spain's first marine reserve, known for their clarity, and the local speciality is caldero. The boat from Alicante harbour takes between about 45 minutes and an hour.
MACA is a contemporary art museum in Alicante's old town, housed in the Baroque Casa de la Asegurada of 1685, opposite the Basilica of Santa María. It shows 20th-century art, including works by Picasso, Miró, Dalí and Chillida, as well as pieces by Eusebio Sempere and Juana Francés.
MUBAG is the fine arts museum of the province of Alicante, housed in the 18th-century palace of the Count of Lumiares in the old town. The collection focuses on painting and sculpture linked to Alicante, from earlier centuries to the early 20th century, with a strong emphasis on the 19th century. Alongside the permanent display, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions.
A landscaped park on the slopes of Mount Benacantil above Alicante's old quarter, opened in 2003, with terraced paths, benches and city views. It is a good sunset spot and a convenient starting point for walking up to Santa Bárbara Castle.
Playa del Carabassí is a wide sandy beach in the municipality of Elche, below Gran Alacant, backed by protected dunes and pine woods. Wooden boardwalks lead across the dunes to the sand, and visitors praise the clear water and gentle slope into the sea. Its calm makes it a good choice for families with small children.
Illeta dels Banyets is a seaside archaeological park in El Campello, about 9 km from Alicante, on a rocky headland joined to the mainland. It holds traces of settlement from the Copper and Bronze Ages through Iberian to Roman times. A wooden walkway with information panels leads around the site.
Torre de la Illeta is a watchtower built in 1554–1557 above the El Campello marina to guard against Barbary pirates. It stands right next to the Illeta dels Banyets archaeological site and is one of the town's landmarks.
The Algar Waterfalls are a set of springs, cascades and natural pools on the Algar river, about 3 km from Callosa d'en Sarrià. A walking trail of around 1.5 km follows the crystal-clear water, and you can swim in the pools.
Baños de la Reina is a Roman archaeological site in Calpe, right on the seafront promenade between the fishing port and Arenal-Bol beach. Its best-known feature is a set of pools carved into the rock at the water's edge, once a fish farm and now popular with snorkellers. The fenced area also preserves the remains of a villa with baths and a mosaic.
Busot is a medieval village at the foot of the Cabeçó d'Or massif, about 20 km north of Alicante. The Canelobre caves, with one of the highest cave vaults in Spain, lie within the municipality, and mountain trails surround the village.
Cova Tallada is a sea cave and former quarry in the cliffs between Dénia and Jávea, within the Cap de Sant Antoni marine reserve, the seaward extension of the Montgó Natural Park. Its galleries are partly natural and partly man-made, and it is reached by a demanding rocky path or by kayak.
Creu de Benidorm is a large cross at the southern end of the Sierra Helada (Serra Gelada) range, about 200 m above Benidorm's Rincón de Loix district. The small square at its foot looks out over the whole bay — both beaches, the skyline and Benidorm Island.
Dénia Castle is a fortress of Islamic origin dating from the 11th–12th centuries, on a hill in the centre of town above the harbour. The Governor's Palace at the top houses an archaeological museum, and the old sailors' quarter of Baix la Mar lies by the sea at its foot.
Guadalest is a medieval village in the Marina Baixa mountains, squeezed into a rock at 595 m above a turquoise reservoir. The ruins of the 11th-century San José castle, reached through a natural tunnel in the rock, rise above the houses. The castle looks out over the valley, which is ringed by the Aitana, Serrella and Xortà ranges.
La Mata & Torrevieja Natural Park protects two salt lagoons around Torrevieja in the south of Alicante province — the pink Torrevieja lagoon and the greenish La Mata. Walking and cycling trails with birdwatching hides start from the information centre, and flamingos are among the birds on the lagoons.
Laguna Rosa is Torrevieja's salt lake, part of the La Mata and Torrevieja Lagoons Natural Park and famous for its pink water. Its colour, from pink to fuchsia, comes from microorganisms and is most intense on sunny days.
Montgó Natural Park protects the 753-metre limestone massif between Dénia and Jávea, the landmark mountain of the Marina Alta. Trails lead to caves, viewpoints and the summit, from which you can see Ibiza on clear days.
The Palmeral of Elche is Europe's largest palm grove, with over 200,000 date palms in the gardens around the town, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Its best-known garden is the Huerto del Cura, home to the seven-armed Imperial Palm. Good starting points are the Municipal Park in the centre or the easy Ruta del Palmeral, about 2.6 km long.
The Peñón de Ifach is a 332 m limestone rock in Calpe, joined to the mainland by an isthmus and protected as a natural park. A trail from the park's interpretation centre leads through a tunnel cut into the rock to the summit, which looks over Calpe, the old salt flats and the isthmus. The ruins of the medieval settlement of Pobla d'Ifac survive on its slope.