Discover Alicante and find hotels

Alicante offers several distinct focal points when planning a hotel stay. From Benacantil, you can see Alicante Bay and the surrounding hinterland; museums, marine nature and urban trails offer further points of interest. When planning your trip, you can first consider whether you are more interested in history, art, archaeology, sailing or routes through natural and urban areas.

Castle Hill overlooking the bay and hinterland

Castillo de Santa Bárbara stands on Benacantil, a 166-metre-high mountain by the sea. From its location, you can see the bay and the surrounding hinterland. The present-day fortress dates back to the end of the 9th century, during Muslim rule. The slopes of the mountain also contain Bronze Age remains, as well as Iberian and Roman finds. The site thus brings together different historical periods: the fortress belongs to medieval history, while the finds on the slopes date back further.

Two lifts have been opened at the Castillo, running a distance of 142.70 metres within Benacantil. A 204.83-metre-long tunnel leads from Avenida de Jovellanos, opposite Playa del Postiguet, to the lifts. As access and operating details can change, check current operating information before your visit.

Art and urban history at MACA

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante, or MACA for short, is in the historic centre opposite the Basilica of Santa María. The museum includes the Casa de La Asegurada, the oldest civil building in the city. It was built in 1685 as a granary. The building’s former purpose and its present role as part of the museum represent different chapters in the city’s history.

The MACA collections cover important movements in 20th-century art. They include paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and other graphic works. This gives the museum a different focus from the city’s historical collections: here, the emphasis is on artistic movements and different forms of visual art.

Archaeology from prehistory to the present

The permanent exhibition at the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Alicante, or MARQ for short, spans prehistory, Iberian and Roman cultures, the Middle Ages, the modern era and the present day. In galleries devoted to field archaeology, urban archaeology and underwater archaeology, the museum also explains archaeological methods. Staged displays, audiovisual media and interactive exhibits present these subjects in different ways. While the exhibition provides a chronological overview, the three galleries focus on how archaeology is practised in different settings. Check the current opening arrangements before your trip.

Sailing race and nautical technology

The Museo The Ocean Race is the only museum in the world dedicated to The Ocean Race sailing competition. It presents more than 50 years of the race’s history and developments in nautical technology through interactive displays. These include audiovisual installations, games and models. Unlike the MARQ, its focus is not an overview of different historical periods, but the history of a sailing race and the development of nautical technology. Individual displays may change, so it is a good idea to check the current visitor programme before your trip.

Marine nature around Tabarca

As a day-trip option from Alicante, Tabarca adds a perspective on the marine environment to the museums. Its waters are known for their exceptional clarity, rich biological communities and meadows of Posidonia oceanica seagrass. The focus here is on marine habitats and their seagrass meadows rather than collection items or archaeological periods. This offers a distinct consideration when deciding which themes will shape your stay.

Urban routes and trail distances

Alicante has a network of urban routes and trails spanning almost 50 kilometres and crossing natural areas and urban zones. The individual trails are classified as easy and are between 2 and 6 kilometres long. The length of a particular trail is the relevant measure when comparing individual routes; the almost 50 kilometres refers to the network as a whole. This distinguishes the extent of the route network from the length of any one trail.

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Go to the main travel overview: Alicante.