The Perfect, Laid-Back Afternoon in Alicante, Spain!

Alicante, Spain, is the perfect day trip destination, offering a delightful mix of culture, cuisine, and coastal beauty. It’s a great city to savor traditional Spanish tapas at local bars and to pair each bite with a glass of refreshing local wine or sangria. The lively plazas are full of locals communing over food and travelers exploring the town. And don’t forget the local beach, where you can spend time relaxing by the sparkling Mediterranean waters. With its warm weather, rich history, and laid-back vibe, Alicante captures the essence of Spain in just a day.

Itinerary

2:00pm – Arrive at Alicante

While staying in the neighboring town of Torrevieja, we opted to spend one of the days exploring Alicante! In general, days tend to start and end a little late in Spain. We slept in a bit in the morning and then drove to Alicante and arrived around noon. If you’re more of an early bird, head to Alicante earlier for a sweet breakfast and spend some time lounging at the local Postiguet Beach.

Since we drove into Alicante, our transportation costs were the rental car, gas, and street parking for the car which we had to pay in cash at a parking meter.

2:30pm – Coffee at JevoleCoffee

Once we arrived and found street parking, we were ready to fuel up with some coffee! We stopped at JevoleCoffee and enjoyed some cortados and freshly squeezed orange juice. This cafe is super charming and has a little outdoor patio area perfect for taking some time to chill!

3:30pm – Stop by Crowded Squares and Walk the Streets

The walk from JevoleCoffee to the city center is a short 10 minute walk so or. There’s several busy streets to walk around and I’d suggest exploring some of the city before making your way to the more coastal area of the Alicante.

One of our favorite squares was the Plaza de Gabriel Miró. This peaceful area is home a few stunning features. Walking around you’ll notice these massive fiscus trees which provide abundant shade. In the middle of the plaza, the beautiful La Aguadora Fountain steals the show. This was the prettiest fountain we saw in Alicante!

5:30pm – Spend Some Time Seaside

After spending a couple hours walking around Alicante, the beach will be calling your name! We took a walk down Explanada de España to the Postiguet Beach. We didn’t go swimming, but it was nice to walk in the sand and dip our feet in the water! Even on an overcast day the beach was beautiful, and the water was amazingly blue!

If you do arrive to Alicante earlier in the day, then the beach would be a great way to spend the morning. Alicante is a beach-town so the short walk to the sandy beach is perfect, and the stretch of sand offers a great spot to tan and swim in the sparkling water!

6:30pm – Explore More Famous Attractions

Once the sun was setting we decided to explore more of the city. Our first stop was the Museu De Les Fogueres (Bonfire Museum). This unique museum showcases several life size wax figures that have been made for the annual St. John Festival that occurs in June. This museum offers a little peek into an interesting, local activity that’s part of the community’s culture.

Next, we went for a walk down the Calle de Las Setas (Mushroom Street). This famous street is yet another thing in Alicante that is unique to the city. The mushrooms were originally added to this street in hopes of attracting tourism to the city. I’d say it worked since today the street is a lively, buzzing walkway full of restaurants and shops.

7:30pm – Tapas Time and Churros for Dessert!

For our evening meal we dined on several rounds of traditional tapas at Vino y Mas. To indulge and fully experience Spanish tapas culture, pair your tapas with local wines or made-in-house sangria! Tapas are an interesting sector of Spanish cuisine where there’s a broader set of dishes that you could find almost anywhere throughout Spain and then there are other tapas dishes that are quite regional and differ throughout the Spanish cities.

We have also traveled to Barcelona and Valencia in Spain and the local tapas are always fun to try! If you’re planning on traveling to Alicante in addition to one of the three cities above, make sure to check-out our travel guides for those cities too!

After dinner, we had to make one last stop for some freshly made churros! Churros are my favorite Spanish dessert and freshly fried ones are hard to beat. At Churrería Santa Faz, our churros were made to order, and the thick, luxurious hot chocolate made the perfect dipping sauce.

10:30pm – Drive Back to Torrevieja

Alicante Day Trip Recap

Getting to Alicante – About 45 minutes by car, but can be an hour or more if traffic is bad

Getting Around – Alicante is best explored by walking around the town. Wear comfy shoes and come hungry for tapas!

Best Time to Visit – March to September

Budget for A Couple – €225-€275 euros

Helpful Tips

Carry some cash if you plan to drive to Alicante and find street parking, €20 should be more than enough for this.
The Museu De Les Fogueres is free. Opening hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10:00am-1:30pm & 5:00pm-7:30pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 10:00am-1:30pm.
Wear comfortable shoes! You’ll be walking all over Alicante!