- Currency: Euro (€)
- Language: Spanish
- Key phrase to learn: Dònde está la estacion del bus/estacion de trenes/la playa? (Where is the bus station/train station/the beach?)
- Time difference: Alicante is 1 hour ahead of the UK
- Average flight time: 2h 40m
- International phone code: +34-96
- Emergency services number: 112
- Public holidays: New Year’s Day (January 1), Epiphany (January 6), St Joseph’s Day (March 19), Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter Sunday), Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday), Easter Monday (Monday after Easter Sunday), Labour Day (May 1), Assumption Day (August 15), Valencian Community Day (October 9), Hispanic Day (October 12), All Saints’ Day (November 1), Constitution Day (December 6), Immaculate Conception Day (December 8), Christmas Day (December 25).
- Link to FCO travel advice: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain
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Why go to Alicante?
If you want to experience true Spain on the Costa Blanca, Alicante is the place to be. Dubbed the ‘city of light’ by the Romans, Alicante has got it all: history, culture, fiestas, delicious food, thrilling nightlife, year-round sunshine – and a long sandy beach to relax or play on.
Whether you’re after a cheap, all-inclusive package deal or a luxury five-star retreat for your holidays, Alicante will not disappoint.
Whether you’re after a cheap, all-inclusive package deal or a luxury five-star retreat for your holidays, Alicante will not disappoint.
Travel Information
Language: Spanish | Currency: Euro (€) | Local time: (UTC+1:00) | Average flight time: 2:50hrs
Deal pricing is accurate as of 9:00am GMT today.
Start your Mediterranean adventure
Find your bearings with a glorious 360° view over the city from the 9th-century castle perched on Mount Benacantil, then sip a ‘granizado’ (crushed ice drink) as you stroll down Explanada de España, where locals gather to play boules or natter on the palm-shaded benches.
Soak up the rays on Playa del Postiguet, Alicante’s lively beach, before cooling off in Concatedral de San Nicolás, a 17th-century relic in El Barrio – the old town.
Alternatively, spend a lazy afternoon in one of Alicante’s fascinating museums, then kick off a night of revelry with a cocktail in one of the many bars by the harbour or back in El Barrio, where nook-and-cranny bars and clubs will entertain you in true Spanish style until the early hours. Viva Espana!
When to go
The city is blessed with year-round sunshine that’s pleasantly mild in winter and baking hot in summer, so you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a date for your trip.
It’s worth bearing in mind that unlike more Anglicised towns and cities along the Costa Blanca, Alicante is predominantly a Spanish resort, so in the low season the streets are notably quieter and many attractions are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
It can, however, be an ideal time to bag yourself a cheap package holiday to Alicante. Come spring and summer the city livens up again with plenty of fiestas and events to keep you entertained, although hotel and flight prices tend to shoot up then too.
Great times to book are April, May, September and October, when you can avoid the scorching temperatures of July and August, the city is still lively, and you’re more likely to find bargain all-inclusive holidays to Alicante.
Events for your diary
Hogueras de San Juan: On June 23, Alicante celebrates its most famous fiesta, Hogueras de San Juan (Bonfires of St John), with a crazy week of effigy-topped bonfires, fireworks and dancing in the street.
Alicante Carnival: The Spanish love an excuse to dress up, dance and have a party, so expect fiestas year round in Alicante and surrounding towns and villages. The Easter Carnival is particularly fun.