Alicante · Things to do

The fortress on top of Mount Benacantil, and entry to the castle itself is free. The lift up from Avenida Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite Postiguet beach, costs €2.70 with the last ascent 40 minutes before closing; a shuttle bus from Plaza Puerta del Mar runs every 40 minutes for €1.45, or you can walk up through Parque de la Ereta. Hours are seasonal, roughly 10am to 6pm in winter and 10am to 11pm in high summer.

The provincial archaeology museum, arranged by period with reconstructed excavation scenes rather than rows of pottery in cases. It also manages excavated sites and monuments elsewhere in the province, so check what a ticket covers before you buy; phone 965 149 000 for current hours.

The only inhabited island in the Valencian Community, about 11 nautical miles out and roughly 1,800 m long by 400 m wide, with walls that Charles III built for Genoese fishing families resettled from Tabarka in Tunisia. Ferries from Alicante port take around an hour; the surrounding water is a Mediterranean marine reserve and the snorkelling is the main reason to go.

The harbour-front promenade paved in a wave pattern of red, cream and black marble is the city's standard evening walk, and it fills up around dusk. Behind the town hall, the Barrio de Santa Cruz is the steep whitewashed quarter climbing towards the castle — narrow, flower-covered and a short but genuinely uphill detour.

Postiguet is the city beach directly below the castle and walkable from the old town, which makes it convenient and crowded. San Juan is the long sandy one several kilometres north, reached on the TRAM light rail from Luceros; it is wider, has more room, and is the better choice if you want a full day on the sand.