Alicante and the Costa Blanca: getting there, towns, Santa Bárbara Castle, Tabarca, Elche and what applies in 2026

Alicante suits you if you want to combine a city beach, a castle and excursions along the Costa Blanca. From the airport the C-6 bus runs into the centre around the clock, the TRAM takes you to Benidorm, Altea and Dénia, and boats go to the island of Tabarca. In nearby Elche the palm grove has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

New since 2025 and 2026: The single fare on the airport bus C-6 has cost €4.70 since 24 July 2026, and the AP-7 bypass of Alicante has been permanently toll-free since December 2025. TRAM Line 9 has again run through from Benidorm to Dénia since 28 January 2025, and trains have been running again on Line 1 between Hospital Vila and Benidorm since 16 December 2025. The regional government's discounts on multi-trip and period passes for the TRAM and city bus apply until 31 December 2026.

Alicante suits you less well if you want peace and quiet in high summer. In August 2026 the city's hotels were 95 per cent full, and in July and August the average daily maximum is above 30 °C. September and October bring the most rain.

Getting there and from the airport into town

In 2025 Alicante ranked 39th among all foreign destinations from the main German airports, with 645,970 passengers. Among Spanish destination airports that was enough for 8th place, just behind Fuerteventura. Most passengers departed from Cologne/Bonn, Lower Rhine airport and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden. It was busiest in August and October, quietest in January (Federal Statistical Office; rank in Spain, airports and months: our own analysis).

Alicante-Elche airport: 9 km from the city

Miguel Hernández airport already belongs to the municipality of Elche; according to the operator Aena it is 9 km to Alicante. All scheduled buses stop at the departures level, and the car hire desks are on level 0 in Arrivals (as of September 2026).

Bus C-6: around the clock into the centre

Vectalia's C-6 line runs daily around the clock between the terminal and the centre, on the same timetable all year. From the airport it departs roughly every 12 minutes from 7:38 to 21:50, and every 30 minutes at night from 23:10 to 4:40 (departure table, as of September 2026). Only between 4:40 and 5:40 does no bus run for an hour. According to the route map, about 20 minutes are scheduled to Puerta del Mar.

For passengers from the airport, Puerta del Mar is not the terminus: you stay on and ride on to the Renfe station. You change to the TRAM at Alfonso X El Sabio or at Plaza de los Luceros. For the journey from the airport into the centre, the tourism office reports diversions because of roadworks but does not name the affected stops (as of 28 September 2026). The single fare has cost €4.70 since 24 July 2026, or €1.05 from age 65. You pay on the bus, ideally with the exact amount, because change is given only up to €10 (as of September 2026).

Buses to the coast and to Elche

ALSA runs non-stop to Benidorm; the Benidorm tourist office gives about 45 minutes and €11 to €12 (as of September 2026). According to the regional government's timetable data, in early October 2026 there are 15 journeys on weekdays between 07:00 and 23:00 and 13 on Saturdays, to Benidorm bus station with a scheduled journey time of 45 minutes (our own analysis).

ALSA runs less often to Dénia and Xàbia: on a Tuesday at the end of September 2026 there were five buses to Dénia, mostly taking 115 minutes, and four to Xàbia taking 125 minutes (our own analysis). Costa Azul runs non-stop to Torrevieja, in about 40 minutes according to Aena; the timetable data show twelve journeys a day with a scheduled journey time of 60 minutes (our own analysis). Vectalia takes about 30 minutes to Santa Pola, and Line R11 goes to Elche (as of September 2026).

Taxi: meter plus €4.25

The official taxis at the airport belong to Radio Taxi Elche and Servitaxi Elche. You recognise them by the Elche city coat of arms on the front doors and a green stripe running lengthways along the whole car. The meter runs, with a €4.25 surcharge from the airport (as of September 2026). Out of the municipality of Elche, for example to Alicante or Benidorm, the region's intercity tariff applies: from €1.65 base fare and €1.34 per kilometre (since 29 December 2023).

By hire car: tolls and rules

The AP-7 bypass motorway around Alicante is toll-free: after a trial phase from July 2024, the Spanish Council of Ministers abolished the toll for good on 9 December 2025. The AP-7 towards Cartagena remains tolled. At the main toll station Los Montesinos a car pays €2.85, or €5.10 from June to September and on 17 days around Easter (2026 rates).

You can hire a car from age 18 with a driving licence and credit card, but many firms require one to two years of driving experience. A manual gearbox is usual. Children under 135 cm travel in the back in an approved child seat (as of September 2026).

Where to stay: the towns compared

Benidorm, Altea and Dénia are on the TRAM, Xàbia and Torrevieja are not.

A “—” means: the sources name no drawback. Hotel figure from the hotel association APHA, bus details for the end of September 2026 (our own analysis). For Xàbia, “suits” follows only from the limited bus service.

Sights: opening times, prices and rules in 2026

Castillo de Santa Bárbara: free admission

The Castillo crowns the 166 m high Monte Benacantil above Postiguet beach; the city counts it among the largest medieval castles in Spain. Admission is free. Until 14 November it is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00, from 15 November to 27 February from 10:00 to 18:00 (as of September 2026). According to the tourism office, last admission is up to 40 minutes before closing; according to the castle, up to 30 minutes.

The lift from Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite Postiguet beach, costs €2.70, and pensioners with proof ride free; the last one up goes 40 minutes before closing time. A minibus runs roughly every 40 minutes from Puerta del Mar, Postiguet and the MARQ up to the castle for €1.45. On foot, allow about 30 minutes each from the town hall via Parque de la Ereta or from Postiguet (as of September 2026).

Guided tours are free: until 14 November daily at 11:00 and 15:30 in English, and at 13:00 and 17:30 in Spanish. You can register up to 30 minutes beforehand in the Patio de Armas. The castle is closed on Christmas Eve, on 25 and 31 December, on New Year's Day, on 6 January and on 24 June.

Explanada de España and Postiguet

The Explanada runs along the harbour with rows of palms, and its paving forms waves of 6.6 million small marble pieces in three colours. Postiguet beach at the foot of the castle hill flies the Blue Flag in 2026, as do San Juan, Saladares-Urbanova and Tabarca. Dogs are allowed on Alicante's beaches only from 1 November to 1 March, and only on a lead.

MARQ: Archaeological Museum

The MARQ is at the MARQ-Castillo stop of the TRAM and bus C-6. In its winter hours it is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00 and on Sundays and public holidays until 14:00; it is closed on Mondays (as of September 2026).

Tabarca: island and marine reserve

No other island in the Valencia region is inhabited; Tabarca is about 1.8 km long and at most about 400 m wide. The walls and the village go back to Charles III: in the 18th century he had fishing families from Genoa settle there, who had previously been held captive in Tabarka in Tunisia. In 1986 the sea around the island became Spain's first marine reserve. There is sand on only one beach, otherwise pebbles and low cliffs.

From Alicante, Kon Tiki crosses in about an hour, with a return ticket costing €24. Monday to Friday the boats leave at 9:45, 10:45 and 12:15, at weekends also at 13:15; the return is mostly at 16:00 and 17:30. You choose the boat for the return journey yourself from the departures offered. Have the times confirmed at the ticket office and ask outside the summer (as of September 2026).

Boats run from Santa Pola all year, with Tabarkeras 15 times a day in peak season and less often otherwise.

Elche: palm grove and Misteri

Since 30 November 2000 the palm grove of Elche has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Spanish Ministry of Culture counts over 45,000 palms there and calls it the largest palm grove in Europe. One of the best-known gardens is the Huerto del Cura: €6.80, children aged 5 to 15 €3.80, audio guide included (as of September 2026). It opens at 10:00 and closes in September at 20:00, from 1 to 24 October at 19:00, and after that at 18:30. From November to January it closes at 17:30 on weekdays and at 15:00 on Sundays.

On 14 and 15 August Elche stages the Misteri d'Elx in the Basilica of Santa María, a sung play about the death, assumption and coronation of Mary with roots in the Middle Ages. In 2001 UNESCO included it as Spain's first cultural asset among the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In August admission is free, but you have to be there hours beforehand. In even-numbered years there are extra performances, in 2026 on 30 October (21:30) and 31 October (20:30) with tickets, and on 1 November at 10:00 and 17:00 free of charge. Tickets are available from El Corte Inglés and in the Casa de la Festa.

Dénia: castle above the town

The castle on the hill in the middle of Dénia goes back to Islamic times; the first buildings there date from the 11th and 12th centuries. Admission costs €3, or €1 for children aged 8 to 16. In October it is open from 10:00 to 18:30, from November to March until 18:00 (as of September 2026).

Torrevieja and Santa Pola: salt lagoons with flamingos

The Torrevieja lagoon shimmers pink because a lot of salt and microorganisms such as Dunaliella salina colour the water. Together with the La Mata lagoon it forms a natural park of 3,700 ha in which flamingos, among others, live. You can reach the Laguna Rosa only by tourist train, and swimming is prohibited. The 2,470 ha Santa Pola salt pans are also a natural park, where flamingos and black-winged stilts are present all year.

Best time to travel: Alicante's climate month by month

The figures come from the Spanish weather service AEMET, Alicante-Elche Aeropuerto station at 43 m above sea level, and are averages for the years 1981 to 2010.

Over the year 277 mm of rain falls on around 35 days, and the sun shines for 2,953 hours. In July and August the average highs are above 30 °C and the lows above 20 °C. September and October bring the most rain, with September also having the most thunderstorm days. From December to February the average daily highs are 16.7 to 17.4 °C. A good quarter of the year's passengers from Germany travelled between November and February in 2025 (our own calculation).

Costs

All prices come from operators and authorities; flights, accommodation and hire cars are not included.

Tourist tax: repealed before it started

With Law 7/2022 the Valencia region had passed a tourist tax that was due to apply from 19 December 2023. According to the consolidated text in the Spanish official gazette BOE, Decreto-ley 12/2023 repealed the law with effect from 15 November 2023, that is, before the start (as of September 2026).

Practical information

TRAM and city bus: lines, zones, tickets

From Luceros, TRAM Line 1 goes to Benidorm, Line 2 to Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Line 3 to El Campello and Line 4 to Playa de San Juan. Line 5 starts at Puerta del Mar. Line 9 connects Benidorm with Dénia via Altea, in 82 minutes with 17 departures a day according to the Dénia tourist office (as of September 2026).

According to its tariff page (as of 2025), FGV counts all stops of Lines 2 to 5 and Line 1 as far as Poble Espanyol in Zone A. According to the zone map (as of 05/2026), Benidorm and Altea are in Zone B, and Calp and Dénia in Zone C (our own reading). According to the tariff sheet of 1 July 2025, the single fare costs €1.45 for one zone, €2.80 for two, for example from Luceros to Benidorm, and €3.90 for three (our own reading). The 24H day ticket is listed there at €4.00 in the column for three zones.

The regional government has extended its discounts until 31 December 2026: multi-trip and period passes cost at least 40 per cent less. With the Bono 10 you therefore pay €4.80 for ten journeys in one zone, €7.20 in two and €12.00 in three (tariff sheet 2025). Until their 10th birthday, children travel free if accompanied by an adult with a ticket; each adult may take two children with them, and official proof of age is required (as of 2025).

On the city bus the single fare costs €1.45. The rechargeable Bono Móbilis Multiviaje card costs a one-off €2, with ten journeys on it costing €5.25; it is valid in the TAM network, which covers city buses, suburban buses and Zone A of the TRAM (as of September 2026). The Tourist Card costs €13, €16 or €18 for 24, 48 or 72 hours and is valid on TAM buses and the TRAM as far as El Campello. It also includes a trip on the Turibus, which runs from 19 March to 8 December.

Money, time, emergencies

You pay in euros, and Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted; a minimum of around €10 may apply to card payments. Tipping is voluntary, but customary in bars, restaurants, hotels and taxis, usually 5 to 10 per cent. The time is the same as in Germany, and restaurants usually serve dinner between 20:00 and 23:30 (as of September 2026). The emergency number 112 is free and offers an interpreting service in several languages. In the last quarter of 2026, the public holidays in the region are 9 and 12 October and 8 and 25 December.

The German Foreign Office provides current advice on entry, safety and health.

Who this is not for

• Anyone who wants peace and quiet in high summer: In August 2026 Alicante's hotels were 95 per cent full, and in July and August the average daily maximum is above 30 °C.
• Anyone expecting reliable beach weather in autumn: September and October are the wettest months. On 9 September 2026 the castle closed from 14:00 because of a rain warning.
• Anyone who wants to travel the whole coast without a car: Torrevieja has no railway station, Xàbia no TRAM station, and only five buses a day run from the airport to Dénia on weekdays.
• Anyone who finds walking difficult: Altea's old town is steep with many steps, and the Barrio de Santa Cruz beneath the castle has steep lanes.
• Anyone who wants to take the dog to the beach: In Alicante that is only possible from 1 November to 1 March, on a lead.
• Anyone who wants to avoid roadworks: In Benidorm work on the tram route has been under way since June 2026, and at the Porta del Mar stop in Alicante work is due to start in the last quarter of 2026.