On the Mediterranean Costa Blanca in Spain, tourists will find beautiful sandy beaches, magnificent hotels and amusement parks, restaurants with the best local cuisine and a rich excursion program for those who prefer active holidays. There is also a lot to see here for fans of medieval architecture and history buffs. In Alicante, for example, you will find many architectural landmarks and a variety of museum exhibits, making your vacation rewarding and unforgettable.
The holiday season on the coast of Valencia, the tourist center of which is deservedly considered Alicante, begins in early May. The peak of activity on city beaches occurs in July-August.
TOP 10 attractions of Alicante
Fortress Santa Barbara
Mount Benacantil, towering over Alicante, only seems high. In fact, the old fortress of Santa Barbara, the symbol of the city and its plenipotentiary on the pages of tourist guidebooks, gives it solidity.
Archaeologists are sure that the first defensive structures on Mount Benacantil appeared in the 9th century. during the Arab rule in the east of the Iberian Peninsula. After 400 years, Christians took power into their own hands, and the fortress underwent a large-scale reconstruction and rebuilding. Then the citadel experienced the predatory inclinations of the British and French, served as a prison and was abandoned until in the middle of the twentieth century. they did not decide to restore it.
Walking through Santa Barbara, tourists can trace its history:
- The pillar of the castle, where a watchtower was built by the Moorish people, is located on the upper level of the citadel.
- Below are the hall of fame and the governor's residence, built in the Middle Ages.
- The monument to the commandant of the fortress was erected in honor of Nicholas Peris, who died defending the citadel in 1296.
- The middle floor opens the pages of the history of the 16th century. The military corps and the Armory Square are worthy of special attention of the guests.
Several museum exhibitions are open at the Santa Barbara Fortress. After visiting the fortress, you will visit the Museum of Torture and the Museum of the History of Alicante, you can look at the interiors, barracks, kitchen and battering and siege weapons.
Santa Cruz quarter
Descending from the mountain from the fortress of Santa Barbara, you find yourself in the old quarter of Santa Cruz, where the flavor of medieval Alicante has been preserved. The development of this area began in the 13th century, and some of the houses still retain traces of the former splendor of the Moorish style. Walking the streets of Santa Cruz, you will see wrought iron lattices and handmade tiled tiles on the walls of buildings, walk along cobblestones and climb stone steps - silent witnesses of the centuries-old history of the ancient city.
The main attractions of the quarter are the statue of the Virgin Mary on a column in the center of Triumfalnaya Square and an openwork forged cross on the pedestal of the monument to the artist Murillo.
St. Mary's Church
The oldest temple in Alicante is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The first basilica was built on this site in the 14th century, but lasted less than a century. Not far from the temple that died in the fire, a new one was built. The Basilica of Santa Maria has been reconstructed and rebuilt more than once, and now the features of the Gothic and Renaissance are clearly guessed in its appearance, but the architectural style of the Spanish Baroque prevails.
The main decoration of the facade of the temple is skillful stone carving. In this technique, the portals of the main nave and side entrances are made. A sculpture of the Virgin Mary by Juan Batista Borja adorns the façade, and one of the basilica's towers has a clock that has been flawlessly counting the time for several centuries.
The interiors of the temple attract attention with a gilded altar of the 18th century, choirs with baroque and Gothic elements, and artistic canvases that have been carefully preserved in the church since the 15th century.
The services in the basilica are accompanied by organ music. The instrument was installed in the temple in the 16th century.
To get there: bus. N2, 5, 22, 39.
Cathedral of San Nicolas de Bari
St. Nicholas Cathedral is dedicated to the patron saint of the city. It was built in 1662 according to the project of Juan de Herrera, an outstanding architect who designed the El Escorial Monastery.
The pearl of the temple is the gilded altar with wrought iron gratings, made in the Churrigueresco style. This artistic trend is characterized by a combination of elaborate ornaments with wavy cornices and rich sculptural decor.
Find: next to Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Esplanade
In any seaside city there is an embankment where festivals and holidays are held, promenades are held in the evenings, locals prefer to make dates there, and tourists prefer to admire the sunsets or sunrises. Alicante is no exception, and you will be offered to look at the sea and palm trees, drink a glass of ice sangria and taste real paella on the famous Esplanada boulevard.
The pedestrian street stretches along the sea from Plaza Puerta del Mar to Calle Canalejas. It separates the city center from the beaches and the port. The esplanade is lined with stone mosaics, several million pieces of which follow the shape of the wave.
On the boulevard you will find not only palm trees and restaurants, but also a huge number of souvenir shops. They sell nice things to remember from a Spanish vacation. Street artists offer to draw inexpensive cartoons, and ice cream sellers offer delicious coolness.
The length of the embankment is only 500 meters, and the Esplanade ends with a fountain with magnolias.
Central market
The easiest way to get to know the noisy and colorful Spain is in one of the markets where life is in full swing, everything your heart desires is sold, and there are such colorful characters that the soul of the photographer is happy more than ever. The Central Market in Alicante is also a local architectural landmark located in the historic center of the city.
The Mercado Central building was built in 1921 and looks very impressive and colorful. The architect J. Vidal Ramos was fond of modernism, and the elements of his inspiration are clearly visible everywhere: in the hemispherical dome, in the huge windows, and in the decorative stucco molding, and in the mosaic panels above the main entrance.
You can buy absolutely everything that Spain is rich in on the Alicante market. Do not forget about the famous jamon, olives and goat cheese, which the local housewives make divinely.
To get there: tram N1, 2, 3 and 4, bus. N1, 3, 4, 9, 21, 23.
Archaeological Museum
The Museum of Antiquities in Alicante first received visitors back in 1932. For almost a century of history, it has turned from a small historical exhibition into the most important scientific organization of the region. Today, the collection of the Archaeological Museum of Alicante has more than 80 thousand exhibits, united by the idea of the continuity of generations that lived on the land of modern Valencia.
The museum exhibits several halls:
- The life of primitive people who inhabited the coast in the VIII millennium BC
- The era of the Phoenician colonies and Iberian tribes. The jewel of the museum is the collection of Iberian pottery.
- Hall of Ancient Roman Culture and the History of the Latinization of Iberia.
- Exhibits dedicated to the history of the coexistence of peoples professing different religions in the Middle Ages.
- The Hall of Contemporary Culture tells about the last five centuries and the achievements of the inhabitants of Alicante during this period.
The sunken Viking ship found during underwater research is of great interest to visitors.
Ticket price: 3 euros.
Modern Art Museum
The basis of the exposition of the city museum, which is popular with tourists, is made up of paintings donated to the city by the artist Eusebio Sempere. An outstanding abstractionist and a native of Alicante, he devoted most of his life to his hometown. In the halls of the gallery, works by Chagall and Kandinsky, Vasareli and Dali are displayed, and the most popular exhibit among visitors is the painting by Picasso “Alicante. View of the ships . Written at the end of the 19th century, it tells how the city has changed in a hundred years.
Works by Sempere himself occupy a separate floor. The artist suffered from visual impairment and his abstraction works allow him to look at the world from a special angle.
San Fernando Castle
At the beginning of the 19th century, the threat of an invasion by Napoleon's troops loomed over Alicante. A castle was built to defend the city from foreign invaders, but the French changed their minds to attack, and the citadel was left out of work. The fortress gradually collapsed and until recently had a very deplorable appearance, until the Department of Tourism took matters into their own hands. A project was developed to restore the castle of San Fernando, and today the citadel is open to visitors to the city who want to stroll through the beautiful park surrounding it and look at the picturesque views that open from the height of the hill.
The fortress was erected under the leadership of Pablo Ordovas Sastre, who had great authority among experts in the construction of defensive fortifications. The castle consists of two bastions on the Tossal hill, connected by a strong wall, with bunkers for protection from cannon attack, barracks and a water supply system.
At the top of one of the bastions, there is a cafe where you can dine while admiring the sea view during the tourist season.
Tabarka island
Do you want to take a boat trip and feel like a pirate? Go to Tabarca Island, 20 km from Alicante, where you can look at the ruins of an old fortress, admire the 19th century lighthouse, swim with flippers and a mask, taste seafood, taste the best Spanish wines in coastal restaurants, wander the narrow streets of a picturesque village and plunge into the past.
The entire island can be explored on foot in a couple of hours. It is only a couple of kilometers long. But its small size does not detract from its merits, and therefore boats with tourists dock every day on the shores of Tabarka so that their passengers can spend the day in a wonderful corner of the Mediterranean.
