A Different View - 5 Reasons to Visit Alicante!
"City of Light"
Alicante is often overlooked as people use it for a base to head to other beach resorts on the Costa Blanca but this vibrant, beautiful town is over 2,000 years old and has much to offer in its own right! Whether you stay in the city, or head out to visit the surrounding area, it has something for everyone.
1. Get on your bike
So long as you take plenty of water with you there are some stunning cycling routes though the region, whether you fancy pottering around the city of Alicante itself or getting out into the countryside, this website will help you find the perfect route to suit you.
2. Fresh Water Swimming
We don’t often associate the countryside in Spain with luscious green vegetation and running water but tucked away in the arid landscape there are some beautiful little oases. Take las Fuentes del Algar for a perfect example. Only a short drive from Benidorm, here you can enjoy a fascinating walk around the spectacular waterfalls and the arboretum as well as enjoying a refreshing swim in the many fresh water pools and springs.
3. Tardeo
For the food lovers amongst us, how about spending the afternoon with friends enjoying a selection of different tapas and local wines and beer in the bars around Alicante city. This website is a great guide to the food on offer around Alicante along with the time and places to find it (the site is in Spanish however if you open it using Chrome browser, the automatic translation is pretty good):
4. Snorkelling
There’s no better place to be on a hot day than in the water so how about taking the ferry out of Alicante to Isla Tarbarca?
You can visit the historic island town and museum and cool off in the protected waters which are internationally recognised for their biodiversity. When you’ve built up a big enough appetite, settle down for a bowl of Caldero Tarbarquino – the traditional locaL dish. Ferries leave from Alicante throughout the year.
5. Take in the View
There no better viewpoint of Alicante than from the Castillo de Santa Barbara perched 166m above the city centre (see main picture). The castle is one of Spain’s largest medieval fortresses with features dating from the 14th Century through to the 18th. It’s a long way up but if you’re not feeling overly energetic, don’t worry, there is a lift available through the rock face from opposite El Postiguet beach.
Did you know?
Rice fields local to Alicante produce over 115,000 tonnes of rice each year – hence Alicante’s traditional dishes are all rice based such as arroz negro (rice blackened in squid ink), arroz con costra (rice with an egg crust) and of course paella.