Information about Alicante
General Facts -
Introduction -
Beaches -
Shopping -
Archaeology -
Sport -
Places of interest -
Musea -
Nightlife
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Introduction
Alicante is a seaside resort, harbor, bay, airport and the heart of the Costa Blanca, also known as The White Fortress. It is the capital of the province Alicante which is situated on the southeast coast of Spain near the straight of Gibraltar between the province Valencia in the north and Murcia in the south. Alicante is the second largest city in the Valencia region with a beautiful bay, superb beaches and nice shopping facilities with many markets. It has three thousand years of history behind it and now has become a cosmopolitan city of commerce, culture and tourism. It also is a university city where in summer a variety of Spanish courses for foreigners are held. Alicante has long golden beaches (one is 7 kilometers large) along the Mediterranean with on the other sided surrounded by the Benacantil mountains. The climate of Alicante is excellent. It is the gateway to the Costa Blanca which has the longest summer season in Spain. It has mild winters with temperatures averaging 16-17° C, however sometimes with torrential rains.
Beaches
- Playa de San Juan - Playa de San Juan is about 5km long and is said to be one of the best beaches of Alicante. It is nearby a 18 hole golf course. A nudist beach can be found on Three small coves at "Cabo de las Huertas" go by the name of Palmera, Cantalares and Judios, providing an option for the nudist community due to their relative inaccessibility.
- Almadraba Beach - A small sandy beach with the possibility to practice water sports in safe surroundings.
- Albafuerta Beach - Albafuerta beach is also favorite to water sport fans.
- Playa del Coco - Located near the regional railway station.
- Playa de Postiguet - Playa de Postiguet can be found at the end of the Explanada de Espana promenade, near the marina. It is close to Alicante city centre and during summer the most crowded beach.
- Saladar - This is a sandy, open and broad beach which has a pedestrian walkway that offers excellent panoramic views of Alicante bay.
Shopping
The famous shopping area in Alicante is a boulevard along the sea: the Explanade/Esplanade de Espana, one of the most appealing promenades with palm trees and beautiful flower beds.
Archaeology
The province Alicante has a rich archaeological history. Research and opgravingen have been done during more than a century and exposed at many places.
Sport
A variety of sports can be done in Alicante: football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, shooting, a riding school, swimming pools, gyms, golf, surfing, the Real Club Náutico de Regatas Alicante marina and the Alicante-Costa Blanca Nautical Club, with over 800 moorings. A local airport for private sports aircraft and ultra light aircraft can be found in the nearby town of Muchamiel.
Places of interest
- El Barrio - El Barrio is the old quarter of Alicante located on the grand Plaza del Ayuntamiento. It is most charming to see it at night. Uphill beyond the cathedral within El Barrio is Santa Cruz: a delightful patchwork of streets edged with whitewashed houses, flowering plants and Andalucían ceramics.
- Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz in Alicante has many ancient and historical sites and old
Examples of churches are he baroque Santa María church and the San Nicolás church. An archaeology museum in that town is also of interest.
- Benacantil Mountains - High up in the Benacantil Mountains you can visit the Santa Barabara castle, an old Arab fortress, and the historical gothic city of Murcia.
- Santa Barabara - The Castillo de Santa Barbara is a historic 16th-century castle with museum on a hill, 166 meters high above the city with a panoramic view over Alicante and the Mediterranean Sea. You can reach it by car, but better is to get there by a passenger lift from Postiguet beach.
- Murcia - Murcia is located about 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Alicante. It's a historic gothic capital city with a beautiful baroque cathedral, the Santa Maria Catedrale, which has an interesting museum. It is possible to visit the tower which is 92 meters high and offers a beautiful view over the city. Population of Murcia: Just over 1,000,000. Distance from San Javier airport: 25 km. Museum Salzillo in Murcia: Shows the work of the famous Spanish sculptor Salzillo Alcaraz (1707-1783). Address: Plaza San Augustín, 3
Casino: The Gran Casino Murcia. Address: Plaza Aposteles, 34
- Orihuela - Orihuela, is a city located 54 km from Alicante and has a wide variety of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings.
- Elche (or Elx) - Elche is located about 20 km south of Alicante. It has a garden named Huerto del Cura which has more than a quart million palm trees. It is a botanical garden with various tropical plants and trees in which you can also drive with a boat. It is said that people live in Elche since more than 5000 years.
- Santa Pola - Picturesque fishing village Santa Pola
- Monastery of Santa Faz - In the beginning of April the second-largest pilgrimage in Spain takes place here. Around 200,000 people walk 8 km from the town hall to the monastery, starting at around 8 am. Along the way they stop for a traditional breakfast ('paraeta') of anise rolls and mistela wine.
- City Hall (Ayuntamiento Tel. 96 514 91 00) - A baroque master work built in the 18th century. It has fifty meter long facades, and a cupola overcast with tile.
- Tabarca Island (Isla de Tabarnaca) - The Tabarca Island has a size of 2 kilometers by 400 meters. It can be reached in 30 minutes by ferry from Santa Pola. Every hour also a glass bottom boat departs from there which gives a beautiful look into the varied sea life. Tabarca is a protected Nature and Marine Reserve since 1980. In the past Tabarca was occupied by Pirates and during the 18th Century colonized by Genoese Prisoners.
On the island you can see a Fortress, church, a few fishermen's houses and a couple of Restaurants with seafood. It's a very tranquil and untouched island without cars. Tabarnaca Island is a beautiful place to relax or for snorkeling in the transparent Mediterranean water.
- Iglesia de Santa Maria - The oldest church of Alicante is the Iglesia de Santa Maria. It's a Baroque church built in gothic style in the 13th century on the site of a mosque.
- Monuments of Alicante
See: www.alicante-ayto.es
Musea
- Eusebio Sempere Museum: Museum of modern art - The Eusebio Sempere Museum is located in the Casa de la Asegurada, and has an art collection donated to the city by the local sculptor and painter Eusebio Sempere.
- Museum of Modern Art (Casa de la Asegurada) - Museo Municipal Casa de la Asegurada (Municipal Museum "Casa de la Asegurada" ). It houses a 20th Century Art Collection composed of works by major artists belonging to the Spanish generation of the fifties: Alfaro, Canogar, Chillida, Mompó, Saura, Tápies, Zobel and Viola, and also includes a few predecessors of avant-garde art such as Gris, Miró, Picasso, etc.
- Provincial Archeological Museum - The MARQ museum (Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Alicante), Provincial Archeological Museum, is a modern museum giving an extended image of history. It is located within the Palace of the Provincial Council and has a large collection of archeological remains. It has a varying collection of instruments, utilities, coins, funeral rituals, examples of living conditions, construction work, etc. together with audiovisual presentations. It also has the dowries from the Bronze Age, the collection of Iberian and Roman ceramics and the Roman statues and epigraphy. Besides is has a unique collection of ceramics from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
It is also possible to visit the adjacent archaeological excavation Tossal de Manises Lucentum which is an Iberian-Roman village from end of the 5th century/beginning 6th century B.C.
Address: Plaza Dr. Gómez Ulla, s/n. 03013 Alicante , Tel. 00 34 965 149 000 : www.marq-museo-arqueologico.com - Museo de las Hogueras (Museum of the Bonfires) - This museum is located inside the Santa Bárbara castle and contains effigies saved from the flames of the popular Las Hogueras festivities of Alicante.
Nightlife
There is a diversity of evening events in Alicante. The Barrio Santa Cruz is the place to be for young people where you can visit pubs and late-night bars with music. Discotheques can be found in C/ San Fernando. The promenade Explanada de España (Muelle del Puerto) has a large number of different kinds of bars and pubs and is very lively. The most popular bars are Bar Potato (tapas) and Puerto di Rana. Also popular is the bar at a favorite restaurant, La Dársena. Another popular bar is the Caníbal Pub, address: César Elguezabal 26
In the summer the Playa San Juan becomes the nightlife centre.
Alicante has a well-established and relatively large gay scene for a city of its size. The numbers swell in July and August, with visitors from the rest of Spain and Madrid in particular.
A famous town and one big attraction on itself is Benidorm, located about 42 km (26 miles) northeast of Alicante. This is the place you should go for having a great nightlife.
Tourist Information Office
See: www.alicanteturismo.com
