Things To See And Do In Alicante

Alicante is one of the most beautiful cities in Southern Spain, situated on the Costa Blanca. It has a long historical past and is built around the base of the Santa Barbara castle which was erected around the 9th century. A visit to the castle is one of the "must do’s" when you go to Alicante, and you can get up to the top via a lift, or you can walk up a winding path. The castle has many rooms packed with artefacts. Make your way up to the rooftop ramparts for some incredible views. There is a café in the castle which is handy because you will probably spend some time there, and there is also a small market in the courtyard which sells handmade souvenirs and gifts.

One of the most beautiful places to spend a few hours wandering around is the Old Town with winding cobbled streets and homes covered in flowers. Everyone heads here when the sun goes down and there is a huge choice of bars and restaurants which are open until the early hours. They are inexpensive too, and most of the bars have deals such as free tapas with your drinks.

The main promenade in Alicante is La Explanada de Espana and it was built in 1867 using cream, red, and black tiles laid out to resemble the rolling waves of the Mediterranean. Palm trees line both sides of the promenade and there are plenty of cafes and bars. If you wander down for a stroll in the early evening you will find market stalls selling handmade jewellery, rugs, bags, purses, and much more and all at reasonable prices. Another place for a night out is the marina where there are nightclubs including the well-known Kraken Bar right on the water’s edge.

While you are on the promenade you will see lots of people wandering around with ice creams. Alicante is packed full of ice cream parlours with flavours you have probably never heard of such as Ferrero Rocher, passion fruit, and Stracciatella which is an Italian choice. Probably the finest of the ice cream parlours is Heladeria Borgonesse.

Take a day trip on the Alicante Tram which runs along the coast through some pretty little villages and goes up into the hills as well. If you want a day on the beach, then San Juan is only a couple of stops from Alicante city centre and has a massive amount of sand and clear blue water. Further down the line is Altea which is a beautiful little town built on the side of a hill and has narrow winding streets where keen photographers will have a field day taking shots.

Another day trip is to the island of Tabarca just off the coast. The return boat trip leaves from the harbour and is €18. There is a pretty little beach and a coastal path you can walk to find a picnic spot. There is a café on the island, but it is not cheap.

If, like many visitors, you fall in love with Alicante, you might want to buy your own holiday home there, and there are always villas for sale in Alicante. You can fly direct to the airport from some two dozen UK airports, and the flights are not expensive. You can also find quite a lot of apartments there, and there are some UK property agents who list them. A small apartment can be purchased from as little as €150,000 and would make an ideal second home in this wonderful city in the sun.

BeckettHanlon is an overseas property company that has a huge choice of properties for sale on the Spanish coast, including villas for sale in Alicante. There are also residential apartments in Gran Sol which are close to the beach, and the ground floor one has a private garden, while the first floor one has a private roof terrace. Prices start at €149,000.

BeckettHanlon is an international estate agent with a special interest in Southern Spain and has many contacts with local agents in this part of the country. This means that it can often find villas and apartments, including Mijas apartments for sale