What to see in Alicante: places worth visiting

Neighborhood founded in the 13th century on the ruins of a mosque, with whitewashed houses and flower pots in steep alleys.

Alicante's oldest active church, built in Valencian Gothic between the 14th and 16th centuries on the remains of a mosque.

Cove of approximately 100 metres at the foot of Cabo de la Huerta cliffs, within a protected natural space.

Residential mansion built between 1922 and 1925 on the Explanada de España, commissioned by textile industrialist Enrique Carbonell.

Fortress built between 1808 and 1812 by engineer Pablo Ordovas during the War of Independence, which it never saw combat.

Fortress from the 9th century with three sections that tell the story from the Muslim period through the Renaissance.

Small town of fewer than 200 inhabitants from the 11th century, though founded during Arab occupation.

Promenade of almost 600 meters with 6.6 million marble tiles forming an undulating mosaic in three colors: Alicante red, ivory and black.

Roman city on a 38-metre hill with origins dating to the 5th–4th century BC, reaching its peak under Augustus when it achieved municipium…

Museum created in 1976 and reopened in 2011 after renovation. The historic structure Casa de la Asegurada, built in 1685, integrates…

Archaeological museum founded in 1932 with exhibitions spanning from Prehistory to the modern era.

Modernist market of 11,000 m² designed in 1915 and completed in 1921 with an exposed brick façade.

Museum of painting and sculpture housed in the Palacio del Conde de Lumiares, a baroque building constructed between 1748 and 1808.

11-hectare park opened in 1997 with over 2,000 palm trees of various species.

Terraced park designed by Jean Nouvel and Carme Fiol in the late 1990s, connecting the old quarter to Santa Bárbara Castle.

Medieval cisterns with an 800,000-litre capacity that collected rainwater from Benacantil until 1898.

Neoclassical theatre inaugurated in 1847 with a capacity of 1,072 spectators.

70-meter structure built in 1490 to manage irrigation water and prevent flooding.

Aqua Natura is a 40,000 square meter water park with sea lion shows included.

Aqualandia opened in 1985 as Spain's first water park. It occupies 150,000 square meters with more than 15 attractions, from vertiginous…

Water park of 90,000 square meters with 15 attractions, from high-speed slides to a wave lagoon.

The Balcony of the Mediterranean is a viewpoint with pentagonal shape built on a rocky cliff.

Banys de la Reina were not royal baths but a 1st-century Roman factory producing garum.

Roman-era pool and canal complex by the coast. Archaeological remains of Roman occupation where visitors can bathe among the ruins and…

Historic neighbourhood next to the port known as Baix la Mar, between the castillo (castle) and the water.

The 17th‑century temple, built on the former mosque site, mixes Baroque and Neoclassical styles.

The lighthouse, 163 metres tall, sits on a rocky promontory. From there you can see the Mediterranean and the sheer cliffs, and you can…

Cala Blanca takes its name from the pale rocks that define this 80-metre virgin cove.

Fine-sand beach, 270 metres long, with clear waters and Blue Flag status.

Cove of 100 metres north of Benidorm, in a wild setting at the foot of Serra Gelada.

Blue Flag since 1989, Cala de la Granadella was chosen Spain's best beach two consecutive years.

At 900 metres of shale between the cliffs of Cap Negre and Cap Prim, Cala Barraca offers views toward Portitxol.

Virgin cove barely 60 metres long and 6 metres wide, set between Sierra Helada cliffs.

A pristine 25-metre cove in Xàbia reachable only by kayak or swim from Granadella.

Cove about 200 metres wide between dunes and low vegetation, with golden sand and rocky stretches. It has no facilities.

Cala Sardinera, 200 metres of shale, takes its name from the sardine nets fishermen lowered at dawn and dusk.

Four kilometres of coastline combining sandy beaches and rocky coves with clear waters.

18th-century Baroque chapel with octagonal floor plan topped by a glazed-tile dome.

Cultural centre in the former Bank of Spain building of 1927, a neoclassical structure.

17th-century manor house built after the 1644 earthquake by the Orduña family, of Basque origin and governors of the castle.

Birthplace and childhood home of the 20th-century poet, kept as a house-museum from 1914 to 1934.

Dwellings carved into the medieval castle wall in the late 19th century, with a constant temperature of 20°C year-round.

Alicante's best-preserved medieval centre with cobbled stone streets and stonework facades.

Walled historic district adjacent to the Amadorio river, with coloured houses designed so sailors could see them from the sea.

Jávea's old town preserves the Gothic architecture of seven centuries.

Ruins of a medieval castle at 600 metres altitude in nearby mountains; retains a square and circular tower.

Medieval castle of Islamic origin on the summit of a steep hill (Penya del Castellet).

13th-century Islamic fortress on a hill 264 metres high. Double-walled enclosure designed to protect the settlement, with well-preserved…

An 18th-century coastal battery declared of Cultural Interest in 1996, the Castell de la Granadella defended Jávea with a garrison of three…

Medieval fortress clinging above the Girona river gorge in consolidated ruin, reached only via anchored chains and a suspended parade…

Medieval castle designated as a cultural asset of interest. Located at a strategic position with a hermitage dedicated to Santa Bàrbara…

Medieval fortress of Muslim origin located at 750 meters elevation.

11th-12th-century fortress built during the Muslim occupation. It retains Almohad-style towers and gates; at the top it houses an…

14th-century fortress of Islamic origin on a rocky hill beside the town.

11th-century fortress reinforcing defences alongside the castle of San José, partially hidden atop perilous cliffs.

12th-century fortress built by the Almohads as a refuge for the Muslim population.

Islamic fortress from the 12th century located near the sanctuary, three kilometers from the city center.

12th-century fortress of Almohad origin located at 570 meters elevation.

Coastal fortress built in 1742 under Felipe V with an oxhead shape and semicircular facade facing the sea.

Islamic fortress from the 12th–13th centuries with an exceptional structure: a monumental keep tower, defensive walls, and circular towers.

Muslim fortress from the 12th century built atop a rocky outcrop at 239 meters elevation.

11th-century fortress built during Muslim occupation at the highest point of the rocky peak.

Medieval fortress on the mountain of San Miguel, dating back before the Caliphate and modified over centuries until its destruction in…

Sixteenth-century Renaissance fortress built to defend against pirate attacks.

Seat of the Orihuela-Alicante diocese, begun in the thirteenth century on remains of an Islamic mosque.

Small cemetery set at nearly 600 metres altitude on the upper terrace of the castle of San José, beside its walls.

Flooded clay quarries turned turquoise lagoons in Novelda, protected as a 120.41-hectare Municipal Natural Site where brackish water, ochre…

Building from 1616 that combines late Renaissance with early Baroque, with a dome 45 meters high.

Dominican monastery and university built from 1553, nicknamed 'The Escorial of Levante'.

Marine cave at Cap d'Or with Bronze Age and Iberian archaeological deposits.

1,600-metre wooden and metal promenade over the water opened in 2000.

Fixed dune forest covering 800 hectares, planted with pines in the early 20th century to halt the advance of mobile coastal sand.

Cylindrical and independent bell tower that stands alone on a rocky outcrop, appearing as the bow of a ship suspended in the void.

11th-century cylindrical watch tower standing on a rocky pinnacle, whose access is extremely difficult.

Eleven stone windmills stand on the Planas, built between the 14th and 18th centuries.

Reservoir created in 1969 for irrigation, with turquoise waters surrounded by cliffs.

Reservoir located five kilometres from the coast, the closest to the Mediterranean in Spain.

Salt-loading complex built in 1777 with drying beds, wharves and jetties to transport salt from the saltworks.

Small and simple hermitage located 100 meters above sea level on the Poniente cliff.

Hermitage built in 1821 dedicated to the patron saints of potters.

Hermitage built in 1740 by Tomás Sanç in the Sanz district, 5 kilometres from the centre.

At 163 meters of height, the Santa Llúcia hermitage crowns the highest point of Jávea.

Built in 1770 and reformed between 1849-1857, the Calvary Hermitage raises a dome on a Greek base covered in glazed blue tiles.

Hermitage of the Conquest from the 14th century, the Pópul holds an interior with ogival arch that evokes the Reconquista.

Hermitage located at Castell de Finestrat at the municipality's highest point with panoramic views.

Natural spring accessible by vehicle via a narrow mountain road from Confrides.

Official source of the Vinalopó River among poplars on the Serra de Mariola slope, a perennial spring at 790 metres where cold, clear,…

Protected reserve covering 2,298 hectares, featuring a Mediterranean forest of oaks, pines and rare species near Alcoy and Ibi.

A natural piedra caliza (limestone) tunnel that cuts through the Sierra de Bernia, used by shepherds for centuries.

Traditional wood-fired oven with Moorish roots documented from the 16th century, possibly originating in the 15th.

Granite sculpture dedicated to Ibi's artisanal ice-cream-making tradition that defines its identity as the Cradle of Ice-Cream.

Ensemble of waterfalls, pools, and springs along the Algar river spanning 1.5 kilometers through limestone karst formations.

Historic garden with palm specimens from around the world. Notable is the Imperial Palm, 150 years old, from whose trunk eight symmetrical…

16th-century Renaissance church built 1599–1614 on the ruins of a mosque.

Archpriest church in the old town with a valuable Baroque organ from 1754.

18th‑century temple showcasing a Renaissance and Baroque altarpiece of great artistic value.

Neo-Gothic cathedral in Marina Alta begun in 1902 and completed in 1929, 35 metres tall.

Ibi's oldest monument from the 12th century, with successive constructions and reconstructions.

Renaissance temple from the late 16th century with a stone bell tower topped by a roof of white and green tiles.

Renaissance temple built between the 15th and 16th centuries with Baroque additions from the 17th.

Baroque church rebuilt in 1962 after destruction from the War of Succession.

Opened in 1967 in the seafaring neighborhood of Duanes de la Mar, this avant-garde church has a ceiling that resembles the inverted hull of…

Brutalist temple built in the Levante tourist zone. Its exposed concrete and angular volumes break from the historical temples of…

Eighteenth-century church crowned by its iconic blue and white tile dome, dominating Altea's historic old town.

Church of 1772 located in Plaza Doña Encarnación Puchol in La Mata, five kilometres north of the centre.

Baroque temple built in 1777 with characteristic ornamental facade.

The church of San Jaime and Santa Ana was built between 1740 and 1780 in neoclassical style.

18th-century church in Finestrat's old town, situated on winding medieval streets.

Traditional parish church on the slopes of Serra d'Aitana. An example of religious architecture in a small rural mountain municipality.

16th-century fortified church built as a defensive refuge against Barbary pirate attacks.

Parish dedicated to the San Juan de Alicante community, with a legacy of religious traditions and a commitment to accessibility and…

15th‑century Gothic‑Mudéjar temple, the only one of its style in the Valencian region.

Fortress-church of the sixteenth century built during the reign of Felipe II.

Temple founded in 1528 on the remains of a mosque. Its interior houses a museum with religious pieces, paintings, and ornaments.

Fourteenth-century Gothic temple renewed in Renaissance and Baroque periods.

San Bartolomé Fortress (1513) combines the defensive function of the Reconquista with Gothic architecture.

Small island 3.5 kilometres from the coast, 350 metres long by 260 metres wide. It reaches a maximum height of 73 metres.

The only inhabited island of the Comunitat Valenciana, approximately eleven nautical miles from Alicante.

Botanical garden of 53 hectares in the Font Roja Natural Park with collections of medicinal, aromatic, and endemic rare plants.

The Cross of Benidorm was erected in 1961 on the summit of Serra Gelada, at almost 400 meters above sea level.

Phoenician port settlement from the 8th–6th centuries BC, among the largest and best-preserved in the western Mediterranean.

Archaeological site on a small rocky peninsula, one of the Mediterranean's most important.

Natural park covering 1,255 hectares, established 1994. Former lagoon with traditional rice cultivation; refuge for the Samaruc, an…

Wetland wildlife reserve established in 2004 with coastal lagoons opposite L'Ampolla beach.

Rocky cove within Serra Gelada Natural Park, 280 metres long with crystal-clear waters ideal for snorkelling and underwater exploration.

12th-century vaulted cell located in the crypt of the town hall. Excavated from solid rock, it remains closed behind a grille where you can…

Built in 1946 over the ruins of the convent of Discalced Augustinian Sisters (destroyed in the Civil War), the Mercat Municipal spans 800…

A 4.73-hectare microreserve between El Campello and Mutxamel protecting Vella lucentina, a small crucifer endemic only to Alicante with…

Lookout that opens over a cliff from the heart of the medieval citadel.

Set over 100 metres above the cliff, the Mirador del Cap de la Nau houses a lighthouse with Mediterranean views.

Natural reserve since 1993, Cap de Sant Antoni shelters a lighthouse in operation since 1855.

Baroque monastery completed between 1766 and 1785, with a church crowned by three pinnacles.

1,337-metre peak with multiple hiking routes through pine and oak forests.

Marine and exotic animal park with over 80 species. Sister park to Aqualandia, sharing a car park.

Fortifications from the 15th century erected to defend against Mediterranean pirate attacks.

Located in a 16th-century Renaissance building, the museum houses collections ranging from Neolithic ceramics to Arabic lead inscriptions…

A collection of artifacts spanning from the Neolithic to Roman times.

Holds Iberian and Roman objects, with emphasis on the Villena Treasure: pieces of gold, silver, iron, and amber of incalculable value.

Literary museum dedicated to writer Gabriel Miró, housed in an architecturally notable villa.

Archaeological and ethnological collection spanning from prehistory to the medieval period.

Pottery museum founded 1981 in an early-20th-century ceramic factory complex.

Gallery that brings together works by Catalan and Valencian artists from 1939 to the present.

Museum of 70 cm scale dollhouses built from stone, brick and clay tiles. On the ground floor, tiny houses completely furnished.

Collection of microsculptures by Manuel Ussà created without breathing, between heartbeats.

Collection of over 20,000 salt and pepper shakers from around the world, ordered by material or theme.

Exhibition of 2,000 square meters with one of the world's finest footwear collections.

Museum located in the Valor chocolate factory, operating since 1998.

Museum located in the Renaissance fortress dedicated to the region's maritime history.

Ethnological museum opened in 1995 and dedicated to Torrevieja's maritime and salt heritage.

Institution dedicated to the technological heritage of turrón production.

Typical 18th-century house excavated into rock in the Arab-origin citadel, accessible by tunnel.

The first ethnology and archaeology museum in Marina Baixa, displaying objects from traditional life from the early 20th century.

Displays items related to Villena's Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos, one of the region's most important celebrations.

Museum founded in 1980 located in the Casa de Cultura. Collections span from the Middle Paleolithic to modern periods, including…

Museum dedicated to toy history since 1903, housed in the former Payá factory.

The 58-metre submarine S-61 Delfín operated 30 years in the Spanish Navy with 2,500 dives completed.

Housed in the palace house of Antoni Banyuls, the Soler Blasco Museum displays 13 rooms of collections from the Neolithic onwards.

Municipal museum of Benidorm opened in 2015, housed in a glazed ground-floor building on the site of the first city hall, from 1916.

Ethnological museum opened in 2003 in a former slaughterhouse building.

This system of 200,000 date palms, planted since Roman times, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Protected natural area with sulfurous salt-water pools, pine forests, and historic quarries.

Protected area of 17 hectares facing the beach of La Mata, declared in 2006. System of embryonic, mobile, fossil and fixed dunes.

Urban park of 5.7 hectares designed by Ricardo Bofill in 2004. It separates old Benidorm from new with broad walkways, flower gardens,…

Natural park declared in 2005 with cliffs over 300 metres above the sea.

Urban park of 38,000 square metres opened in 2004 with a central lake whose shoreline traces the map of Europe.

Protected wetland of 3,700 hectares spread across four municipalities.

The reserve offers hiking trails with views of the Mediterranean.

Neoclassical church, the oldest in Torrevieja, completed in 1880.

Parish of the San Roque neighbourhood, beside Torrevieja's port. It is the reference temple of a maritime neighbourhood built around salt…

Modern single-nave church located in Plaza de Oriente, rebuilt after 2007.

Waterfront promenade of nearly two kilometres along El Campello's coast.

A 332‑metre calcareous massif that rises from the Mediterranean, linked to land by a rocky isthmus.

Small beach of 120 metres between the main beaches, beside the port and old castle.

Gravel beach with sand patches in central Altea, sheltered by breakwaters that create calm waters.

Fine sand beach over three kilometres long and eighty metres wide. Awarded the Blue Flag by the European Community.

Spain's only fountain with 221 spouts of exceptional-quality drinking water from the Terrer and Garrofer springs.

Tunnel carved from living rock with a round arch, the only pedestrian entrance to the medieval citadel.

Art deco bridge completed in 1931, 245 metres long and 45 metres high, built in innovative reinforced concrete.

Alicante's second-highest peak at 1,406 metres with distinctive conical shape and a notable split at the summit known as Tajo de Roldán.

10th-century Islamic monastery founded in 944, the first ribat discovered in Spain.

An 18.34-hectare Municipal Natural Site since 2002 in Alcoi, where the Polop river carves Els Canalons pools.

The InTempo skyscraper measures 202.5 meters in height with 47 floors.

Wetland of 2,500 hectares recognised as a Ramsar site and important bird location.

River of crystalline waters that flows through Callosa and feeds the Fuentes del Algar.

Late 16th-century building that housed municipal council sessions and the local archive.

Baroque parish church with a 36-metre bell tower. Initial nave built 1610–1649, expanded in the 17th–18th centuries with additional chapels…

Baroque sanctuary from the 18th century located in Sierra Fontanella.

Modernist temple shaped like a jug, designed by engineer José Sala Sala.

Natural park of 5,000 hectares between Altea and Benidorm with 300-metre cliffs, reserves of rare flora and trails to viewpoints.

Mountain massif with the province's highest peak (1,558 metres). Limestone terrain with deep gorges, karst formations, and views over the…

Declared in 2002, the 17,000‑hectare reserve spans eight municipalities, including Alcoy.

Eleven active pottery workshops in the town, six producing traditional ceramics.

Theme park opened in 2000 with 33 attractions across 5 Mediterranean civilization zones: Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia and Islands.

Sixteenth-century defensive tower with integrated lighthouse, part of the historical coastal surveillance system.

Coastal watch tower 5.5 metres high, rebuilt in the 16th century by engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli.

In the barrio mudéjar of El Arrabal stands a defensive tower that was part of the medieval fortifications.

16th-century defence tower at Punta del Cavall, built by order of King Felipe II.

Roman funerary monument built between 150 and 170 AD to honour Lucius Terentius Marcinus.

Ten-metre coastal watch tower built in the 16th century on the hill of Cabo Cervera.

Defensive tower of the sixteenth century built between 1554 and 1557 to protect against Berber pirate attacks.

Roman site on a 100-metre hill in Serra Gelada. A 1st-century BC military fortress occupied by troops of Quinto Sertorio around 77 BC.

Rural valley through which the 53-kilometre Gorgos river flows; mild Mediterranean climate with traditional crops.

Cultural heritage site on the foothills of Sierra de la Torreta. One of the most significant Iberian-Roman sites in Elda's historical…

Bronze Age settlement (1500–1100 BC) with evidence of early urbanism on the Iberian Peninsula.

Sella is one of the most renowned sport-climbing destinations in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula.