Alicante Car Hire

Alicante airport is the main airport that serves the Costa Blanca region of Spain, providing access to Alicante itself and Benidorm, a popular location amongst British holiday makers. The best way to get around Alicante and the Costa Blanca is by car, and there are number of companies who offer car hire from Alicante airport to ensure you can see the best bits of the area while you're on holiday.

Prices can sometimes be as low as £6 a day in Spain, so it really does offer a cost effective way of travelling around the area. Booking in advance gives you the best price (research shows upto 300% in savings), along with a wider selection of vehicles available. If you take the risk of just arranging car hire once on arrivla, you may be stuck with a small car with no air conditioning or something that is not practical for you and your family.

Alicante airport has recently undergone a major extension and it is now easier than ever to pick up a car rental after pre-booking back here in the UK.  There are a wide range of suppliers at Alicante airport (ALC) to choose from, but at travelsupermarket.com we do all the hard work for you. Use our search gadget on the left hand side of this page to compare rental prices on everything from mini economy cars to family sized people carriers.


Is Alicante car hire the right thing for me?

• Renting a villa? Then car hire is essential. It will quickly pay for itself in terms of both money in savings on taxi fares as well as comfort and ease in enjoying your break.
• Normally book a taxi from Alicante airport? With some resorts on the coast coasting up to £100 plus each way, then a car hire can be a significant cost saving and give you more flexibility as an added bonus.
• Travelling in a group or with a family? Then not only can you save money on expensive transfers, you also have the ability to run everyone around as you dash around to the water parks, to the beach or out for a meal.
• Want to see more than your holiday resort? Then get renting and hit the roads.  The interior of the Costa Blanca is so different to the coast itself and you also head to the big cities of Valencia in the north or to Alicante for shopping, eating and sightseeing. The car gives you that freedom and makes up for the lack of a decent rail and bus service.
• Travelling on business? If you are heading straight from Alicante airport to meetings or staying in the area a while on business, then you have the ultimate in flexibility with a car rental.
  
  Where can I explore on my hire car on the Costa Blanca?
  
  Why not try some of these ideas for great days out?
  

• Drive to the Benidorm area for theme parks and entertainment. Terra Mitica is a full on family theme park with Aqualandia nearby, a water park lover's paradise. There are also a number of other attractions in the area such as Mundomar with its dolphins and Terra Natura for wildlife.
• A day trip to Valencia is easy using the AP7 motorway that runs up and down the Costa Blanca coast. Try and use multi story car parks for ease of parking and to keep parking costs down. However the city is well worth the effort with an historic old centre complete with stunning cathedral, the modern City of Arts & Science complete with aquarium, opera house and gardens, as well as excellent shopping and beaches.
• Strike out inland and explore the rugged mountain scenery that is a world away from the bustling coastal resorts. And a quick visit on the way back to Guadalest to visit the mountain top village carved into the rock.
• Alicante makes a good day out by car for shopping, eating out and the marina.
• Or just explore the coastal towns such as Denia and Javea in the north, to Calpe, Albir and Altea. Or head south towards Murcia and Torrevieja

Practical tips for Alicante car rental

• Let's start with driving licences. You will need the standard two parts of card ID and paper licence for collecting your car. And if you still have the old green licence with no photo card, you will need to obtain an international driving licence in addition.
• When picking up your car hire in Alicante a credit card is essential.
• As driving in Spain can be quite different to the UK then make sure you ask for into on road signs a well as checking on the quirks of Spanish roads. Your rental company will be able to offer advice as well as things like road maps.
• Ensure you check which fuel type is needed for your rental vehicle. The vast majority will run on unleaded or diesel. Unleaded is sold as Sin Plomo and comes in two grades of Octane, 95 and 98. Diesel is often referred to as gas-oil. Don't get it wrong when filling up - it's a costly mistake to make.  Fuel prices are fairly standard wherever you buy, so shopping around will not save you much. Some stations are self service, however many are staffed to do the job for you.
• Keep cash on you at all times for tolls as not all accept cards. Many motorways and some roads have toll booths. Using these roads will get you about far quicker than on the normal A roads, especially on the Costa Blanca where the N332 coats road is notoriously slow moving.
• Stick to speed limits. The police will stop you for these kind of offences and impose on the spot fines. There are also plenty of speed cameras throughout the area, both permanent and mobile.
• You must be 18 to drive in Spain. Drivers under 21 can expect to pay aa additional premium when hiring a car.
• Seat belts in the back and front of cars are compulsory and children need to be seated in child seats
• Parking can be a nightmare in towns and cities. So if you are heading to Valencia and Alicante as well as some other smaller towns then we would advise you park in a multi story car park as street parking often means having a permit of some form. Spaniards are fairiy free and easy in the way that they park, but it's not advisable to copy them as you run the risk of your being impounded or fined.
• Spain drives on the right hand side of the road.
• Read our general tips for renting a car  http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/tips-and-guides/car-hire-top-tips/