Getting to Alicante

Alicante has excellent transport links with a good road and rail network connecting the major Spanish towns, with regular high-speed trains running to Madrid and Barcelona. The town is served by a medium sized airport, with good facilities, and it is also possible to arrive here by bus of ferry.

By car

Valencia is just over a 100 miles from Alicante and to drive here, take the E15 express road heading south along the coast. Exit at the junction signposted for Vistahermosa, and then connect with the N332 to Alicante. The journey time is normally just under 2 hours.

You can take the same E15 express road from just south of Barcelona, which is 335 miles north of Alicante. The drive continues all the way along the coastal road, following the same direction as from Valencia. The journey time should be around 5 hours.

The drive from Madrid is 265 miles through central and eastern Spain. From Madrid take the A-3/E-901 signposted for Valencia, after just over 100 miles, connect to the A31 signposted or Murcia, Albacete, and Alicante.

The speed limit on motorways in Spain is 74mph, on dual carriageways and other major roads it’s 62mph and in towns the speed limit is 31mph.

By rail

Alicante has excellent rail links with Madrid and Barcelona with high-speed trains operating on this route. From Madrid there are 12 trains a day making the 4-hour journey, with eight trains a day from Barcelona, with a travel time ranging from 3 to 6 hours depending on the type of train. From Valencia it takes just 2 hours to reach Alicante, and there are 12 trains a day.

The main railway station in Alicante is Estación de Tren de Alicante, on Avenida de Salamanca. The rail network in Spain is operated by RENFE.

There are plenty of trains serving destinations all over Spain, and the Talgo train connects Alicante with Castilla, the Basque country, as well as Montpellier in France.

By bus

Alicante’s main bus station is on Calle Portugal, close to the harbour, and there are a number of different bus routes from around the country. There are regular buses making the short trip from Benidorm, and the 4-hour journey from Valencia. There are also daily buses from Madrid, with the journey taking about 5 to 6 hours.

The two main long distance coach services from here are Eurolines, who provide services to a huge number of destinations across Europe, and Alsa who provide coaches to destinations in Spain, as well as some other European cities.

By ferry

It is possible to travel to Alicante by ferry, but there are only a few destinations connected to the port. There is a daily ferry to Oran (Algeria), with a journey time of 9 hours. Ibiza and Palma also have one boat a day, with travelling times of 3 hours and 6½ hours respectively. All three ferries are operated by Trasmediterranea.

By air

Alicante’s El Altet International Airport is situated 7 miles from the city centre, and is served by flights from major European cities, as well as domestic destinations, taking care of around 6 million passengers a year.

The main European destinations connecting to Alicante are London, Paris, Rome, Hamburg and Paris. Domestically there are about 10 daily flights from Madrid, and about three or four flights a week from Seville and Barcelona. The airport has one terminal building, with good modern facilities.

There is a shuttle bus running from the airport to the Plaza del Mar, just south of the city centre, but there are dozens of taxis here, as well as car hire available for those who want to drive themselves. Departure tax is factored into the ticket prices.

Alicante El Altet International Airport

El Altet International Airport is a significant transport hub, with six million passengers passing through every year, mainly using low cost and charter airlines such as easyjet, Iberia, Monarch Airlines, Air Berlin, and Flybe. Facilities are good, with a range of shops selling foodstuffs, toys, clothes, beauty products, music and electronic items. The airport has a number of different food and drink options, banking facilities, VIP lounges, and all the usual car hire firms.

El Altet International Airport transportation

Alicante’s El Altet International Airport is only a short distance from the city centre, making transportation to and from the airport relatively straightforward. For those driving, the airport can be accessed by both the A7 and N332 motorways. The journey is usually about 15 minutes, but in rush hour it can take as long as 30 minutes.

The airport bus is a reasonable service running from the Plaza del Mar to the Airport every 40 minutes. The bus is the C6 and there are a number of stops along the route, including the bus station. The bus runs daily from 06:30 until 23:10. If you have just missed a bus when you arrive, bear in mind you may have to wait 40 minutes in the sun for the next one, so you might want to consider taking a taxi. There are also regular buses to Benidorm and Murcia.

There is a taxi rank in front of the arrivals hall, and there is no problem getting a taxi here to go to the city centre, or further afield to Murcia, for example.