Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, please confirm event/venue details in advance.
COUNTRY CODE:
Dial +34 for Spain
FROM THE AIRPORT
Car Hire :
Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +34 90 210 5055. Open from 7am-midnight seven days a week.
Airport Transfer :
Pre-book your door-to-door transfer online with easyJet's transfer partner A-T-S. From the airport to Alicante as well as major destinations on the Costa Blanca, easyJet's transfer partner operates a shared minibus service and private taxi.
Taxi :
The journey is about €15-20 to the city centre.
Bus :
A direct service from Alicante airport to Benidorm departs at 9.15am, 1.15pm, 5.15pm and 9.15pm. Tickets: €7.
(39 Calle Sant Pere, Altea Port. Tel. 966 880 441) Choose from Japanese, Thai or Chinese cuisine, or go for a barbecue of grilled meat or fish. Very attentive staff and a good, extensive wine list.
(Urbanisation Maryvilla, Calpe. Tel. 965 832 933) Eat outside on the Andalucian-style patio in the garden. Guests can enjoy masterfully presented Basque-French cuisine accompanied by fine regional wines.
(2 Calle Argentina, Urbanisation Panorama, La Nucía. Tel. 965 873 208) Four dining areas around a Moorish patio with tinkling fountains form the venue for a magnificent mix of French, Belgian and Mediterranean cooking by master chef Javier Boccalandro. Scampis Alcázar, trio of fish, Chateaubriand, and rack of lamb will all delight.
(Centro Comercial Benimar. Tel. 966 712 810) Enjoy karaoke on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, with live entertainment every Saturday. Three large screens show all the major sporting events.
(Calle Almería, Benidorm. Tel. ) Up-to-the-minute sounds with an anything-goes dress code. Open till the early hours.
On the ground
Shop
Calpe's Avenida Gabriel Miró runs from the old town to Levante beach at Plaza de Colón. Wall-to-wall with interesting shops selling everything from high fashion to beachwear, as well as good quality shoes and leather goods.
Insider Tip
Only bars and restaurants in Spain with more than 100 square metres must have separate non-smoking areas set aside for customers. Smaller establishments can choose to allow smoking or not.
Key Area
Plaza Triangular in Benidorm is correctly known as Plaza de la Hispanidad and celebrates the Spanish conquest of South and Central America. Locals gather in the shade of the giant rubber tree at its centre to meet old friends and take coffee at one of the shady pavement cafés.
This month
On the second Sunday in May, the fiesta of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados is celebrated on the Costa Blanca, with religious processions taking place everywhere in honour of Our Lady of the Abandoned. Jesus Pobre, a small village just outside Denia, has a lively celebration which includes dancing to live music and bull-running in the streets.
Day Tripping
Gata de Gorgos
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Take a train trip from Benidorm to Gata de Gorgos on the jolly green Lemon Express. The Costa Blanca's most popular tour, this cliff-hanging narrow-gauge railway is named after the lemon groves it passes. There are long tunnels, narrow ravines and stunning coastal scenery all the way to this beautiful town.
No way!
If you see gazpacho on the menu and want the chilled vegetable variety, make sure it's gazpacho andaluz—gazpacho madrileño is a hearty beef stew, at least in Alicante.
