Alicante is a city on the south-eastern coast of Spain. It is a port, university centre and the largest city of the Costa Blanca tourist strip. If you’re hiring a car from Alicante Airport, you’ll find the city itself is six miles to the north. Note that some locals call the airport ‘Alicante-Elche’. The airfield stands on a flat area on the coastal plain close to the Mediterranean shore with mountains in the distance to the west. There are good road connections to the airport. The roads inland lead to the town of Elche while the coast road leads up to Alicante.
Alicante is a lively tourist resort and a regional cultural and commercial centre too. It’s famous in Spain for its seemingly non-stop nightlife, but you rent a car from Alicante Airport, you’ll soon find there’s so much more to this beautiful resort. Start by cruising along the fabulous tree-lined Esplanada promenade and take in the pretty harbour beneath the 16th-century castle on top of a rocky headland. There are attractive beaches in both directions. Elsewhere, look out for the historic City Hall and St Mary’s Basilica, and don’t miss the popular Museum of Contemporary Art, which houses a collection of work by Dali and Picasso.