Alicante

Alicante, the capital of the Costa Blanca

Alicante is the provincial capital and the urban heart of the Costa Blanca, a Mediterranean city of around 366,000 people. High on Mount Benacantil, 169 metres up, the castle of Santa Bárbara watches over the bay, and at its feet the city opens onto a seafront of beach, palm trees and harbour. This is a place that lives all year, with markets, terraces and a centre made for walking.

El Postiguet and the seafront

Postiguet is the city beach par excellence, golden sand right below the castle. A few steps away begins the Explanada de España, the promenade paved with waves of red, cream and black marble that give Alicante its most recognisable image. Facing it, the port mixes large vessels with the marina and its jetties. That closeness between sea and city shapes daily life here.

Postiguet beach, Alicante. Photo: Zarateman / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

The castle and the Santa Cruz quarter

Climbing up to Santa Bárbara castle is the quickest way to understand Alicante: the bay, the rooftops, the mountains behind. It is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain, reached on foot, by the lift from Postiguet or by car. Down the slope, the Santa Cruz quarter tangles white lanes, flowerpots and steep steps up to the Co-cathedral of San Nicolás. This is the old town locals simply call El Barrio.

Santa Bárbara castle, Alicante. Photo: H.Helmlechner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Market, rice and bonfires

Alicante cooking turns around rice and the sea: arroz a banda, arroz del senyoret, caldero, and the cured salted fish eaten as an aperitif. The Central Market, a modernist landmark, is still the belly of the city. In June the Hogueras de San Juan fill the streets with towering figures, gunpowder and music until the night of the cremà, when everything burns; they are a Festival of International Tourist Interest.

Well connected by land, sea and air

Alicante-Elche airport lies a little over ten kilometres from the centre and is one of the busiest in Spain, with direct flights across much of Europe. The TRAM light rail links the city with El Campello, Benidorm and the northern coast, while the train connects to Madrid by high speed. Getting around from here, within the province or beyond, is easy.

Alicante marina. Photo: Zarateman / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Buying in Alicante

Buying in Alicante means choosing between different worlds inside one city: the old town, the central ensanche, the seafront at Postiguet or the residential areas towards San Juan beach. In the centre we are currently handling a luxury four-bedroom penthouse with lift, a short walk from the sea and the Explanada. If you are looking around here, let's talk.