Travelling To Benidorm

By far the fastest and easiest way to get to Benidorm is to fly to Alicante and make use of public transport from the airport to the resort. Shuttle and local buses and trains via Alicante are available for transfers. You can also get to Benidorm by long-distance bus or train via major centres from elsewhere in Europe, or fly to Madrid or Barcelona and travel from there. For getting about, buses cover most areas of Benidorm and taxis are also readily available.

By car

Benidorm is straightforward to get to by car, with the A7 motorway running from the French border; take exit 65 for the resort town. The A7 is classed as a European motorway, which means it is connected to the European motorway network and planning a route from most parts of Europe is possible. If coming from Madrid, take the E901 and the A3 on a heading for Valencia and then join the A7 south before reaching Valencia. The A7 also provides access from the south.

By rail

Alicante is served by high-speed Talgo 200 Renfe trains, with regular arrivals from Madrids Atocha and Chamartin stations. To get to Benidorm, you will need to take the Ferrocarril de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) service, which is a privately-run narrow gauge railway. The train leaves from Avenida de Villajoyosa (west Alicante) and pulls in at Benidorms VIA train station, with a journey time of 1 hour.

By bus

Travellers can get to Barcelona or Madrid by long distance bus from elsewhere in Europe via the likes of Eurolines, yet journeys are long and often uncomfortable. If youre already in Barcelona or Madrid, services run to Alicantes downtown bus station, from where buses leave for Benidorm every hour. The main station in Madrid is the Estacion sur de Autobuses. Bus travel in Benidorm is reliable and inexpensive and services go to most parts of the town and to nearby resort towns. You can buy single tickets or purchase a 'Bonobus 20', which allows for multiple journeys.

By air

Alicante International Airport is the gateway to Benidorm and it is situated about six miles to the southwest of Alicante. The airport serves over eight million passengers annually, who mainly come from the UK and northern European countries, and many major scheduled and charter carriers also fly here.

There is just one, triple-level terminal building which caters for all domestic and international flights. Arrivals are handled on the first floor and departures on the second floor, while cash machines are located on all levels, as are currency exchange booths. There is also a post office on the lower level, while several shops and restaurants provide duty-free and meals.

Public buses run to Benidorm from outside of Arrivals four times per day, while trains run from the nearby station of Torrellano to Alicante throughout the day. A narrow gauge service then runs from Avenida de Villajoyosa in Alicante to Benidorm. Most people who have a hotel booked in Benidorm will invariably have airport transfers thrown in with the room package and many others will be on holiday packages, where everything is included in the price. It is worth checking ahead of time to see whether your hotel provides a shuttle service.

Taxis are also readily available from outside the terminal, running 24 hours to both Benidorm and central Alicante. If there is a group of you or you have a family and no courtesy transfers, taking a taxi could be the best bet. Those hiring cars at the airport should take a left out of the airport grounds on a heading for the A7 motorway. Join the A7 at Junction 72, travel northwest for approximately 30 minutes and exit at Junction 65 for Benidorm.

Alternatively, visitors could fly to Valencia Airport and take the train or bus to Benidorm if flights to Alicante are fully booked.

Taxis

If you dont fancy travelling by bus, taxi travel in Benidorm is faster, far more comfortable and fares are quite reasonable, although rates go up at night. Taxis run on meters in Benidorm and there are taxi ranks spread throughout the town. Official taxis are white with a blue stripe.