Alicante - a city that is located on the Mediterranean coast in Spain and is an autonomous Valencian community, is the center of the same name in the province of Alicante. The history of the city is very eventful, it was founded in 230 BC, since 1960 Alicante has been considered a tourist center. Today, Alicante is recognized as the second largest and most populous city in the Valenian Community and one of the fastest growing cities in Spain.

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The sights of this city are famous all over the world and are really worth seeing. It is best to plan a trip to Alicante in May, it is at this time that fresh greenery begins to appear and the sun is not yet so merciless.

Attractions in Alicante

Santa Barbora Castle in Alicante

The most popular attraction in Alicante is Santa Barbara Castle, located on the rock of Benacantil. Height above sea level is more than 166 meters. Fortress Santa Barbara in Alicante is visible from almost anywhere in the city. Photos and drawings of the fortress are placed on souvenirs and magnets for sale to tourists. From the observation decks of the castle, a picturesque view of the city and the bay opens up. The very first buildings I belonged to the Greeks on this rock, then this territory went to the Romans, in the 9th century the Moors built a citadel on this place and it already began to look like the fortress that can be seen today.

At one time, the castle was an important strategic point, because it opened a view of all approaches to the city, few dared to attack the massive walls of the fortress. Today, the castle hosts various exhibitions of photography, painting, sculpture and other cultural events.

Santa Cruz quarter

Old part of the city of Alicante located at the foot of Mount Benacantil. Near Santa Barbora Castle are the famous Harrison Wells, where the Water Museum is now based. Garrison's wells were unique rainwater collection tanks with state-of-the-art water purification filters and piping. Thus, the townspeople received clean purified water, at a time when there were big problems with drinking water. The water from these wells passed many examinations and was recognized as good.

It is in this part of Alicante that the city has been preserved almost the same as it looked back in the 13th century. Here you can see narrow streets and old snow-white houses with small windows, immersed in bright flowering gardens. Throughout the architecture, the hand of the Muslims is clearly traced, while Alicante was under their rule. Any tourist is simply obliged to visit this place, it is here that you can feel the whole history of the ancient year of Spain.

Attractions of the Costa Blanca in Spain

Costa Blanca is the tourist center of Alicante, this city combines different elements of architecture. The sun in the Costa Blanca shines 305 days a year, so the beaches in Alicante welcome tourists all year round . The best time to visit the Costa Blanca is in May., since at this time there are still few tourists, the sun is bright, but not scorching. The resort is a huge success among vacationers from Scandinavia, Germany, England.

The main attractions in the resort town:

San Fernando Castle

San Fernando Castle located in the geographical center of Alicante, this fortress was built very urgently when they tried to protect the territory from Napoleon's attack. However, the soldiers of France did not visit here, Napoleon decided to go to Russia. Today, next to this fortress, a park, playgrounds, football field, equipped with jogging tracks and a golf course. The townspeople are very fond of this place and on weekends they come here with their whole families.

Esplanda Boulevard

One of the recognizable symbols of Spain is Esplanda Boulevard, it is distinguished by a bizarre pavement pattern, during the construction of which more than 6 million different stones were used, the pattern gives the impression that you are walking not on the pavement, but on the waves. The length of the boulevard is about 500 meters, on one side of the pavement is the most popular beach of Alicante - Postiguet, and the city port. On the other side is the historic center of Alicante with numerous museums.

There are many palm trees along the boulevard, under which souvenir sellers, folk artisans are located, the townspeople come here just to relax in the shade on folding chairs. Along the pavement there are many coffee houses with verandas and restaurants where you can eat while admiring the sea view.

At the end of the boulevard Esplanda is a fountain surrounded by numerous giant magnolias. In the center of the boulevard, a pavilion in the form of a pearl shell hosts concerts and various entertainment shows on warm evenings.

Postiguet beach in Spain

The most famous beach in the resort of Alicante is the Postiguet beach, which is located next to the Benacantil mountain. The main advantage of this beach is white clean sand, a bright picturesque promenade with many cozy cafes. . The beach is quite wide., therefore, even in the most active season, a feeling of silence and not crowded is created. Near the sea line there are comfortable hotels, souvenir shops, gourmet restaurants, which makes this resort popular and testifies to the high environmental friendliness of the beach.

Basilica of Santa Maria

The Church of Santa Maria (Basilica de Santa Maria) is one of the most historically important sights of Alicante. The church was built in the Gothic style on the site of a Muslim temple back in the 14th century. It is considered one of the main temples of the Roman Catholic order. The construction of the church was timed to coincide with the victory over the Moors. Now many famous historical figures are buried in this temple.

The center of the church is covered with arches, which limit the foundations and support the vault. The central vault is in the form of a star and covers part of the kliros. The church building has one nave and two asymmetrical towers located side by side. Two chapels were built between the towers. The church itself consists of several halls attached to the main hall; a chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was built here. The Chapel of the Virgin Mary has a rectangular shape and is the first example of the Renaissance style in the city. Above the entrance to the chapel is a beautiful sculpture of the Virgin Mary.

Inside, the church impresses with its decoration and the grandeur of the internal architecture, a lot of church decorations, stucco molding simply fascinates and catches the eye. The church has many paintings by famous artists recognized as the property of Alicante . The temple has been repeatedly reconstructions and rebuildings, but this gave it an even more memorable and unusual look.

Other sights of Alicante

There are many interesting places in Spain. By choosing this country for a tourist trip, you will not be mistaken. Among the famous attractions, there are also e:

If you decide to visit Spain in May, do not bypass the sights of Alicante. There is something to see in this province, and vivid memories of the trip will last you a lifetime.

• Tours for May to Spain
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There are fortresses in the world that have never fulfilled their direct duties - to serve as an obstacle to the adversary. One of them is the San Fernando Castle in Alicante. It hastily began to be built in 1809 in order to give a worthy rebuff to Napoleon's troops threatening Spain. Three years later, the castle was erected, but the plans of the emperor changed, he turned his army back and set off to conquer Russia.

The construction was led by the authoritative fortifier Pablo Ordovas Sastre. On the hill of Tossal, which reigns over Alicante, he built two powerful bastions, connected by a wall-transition. The northern one looks like an irregular polygon, the southern one is a truncated cone. There is no traditional courtyard; instead, bunkers have been prepared in a massive stone base to protect against artillery cannonade, barracks, a cellar for provisions and a water tank. Everything is ready for defense, but never came in handy.

What to see

For a long time the castle was abandoned and gradually collapsed. The aftermath is visible on the outer wall of the southern bastion, nicknamed "yogurt" because of its shape. A wide crack pierced it almost to the foundation. Finally, the inhabitants of Alicante got tired of the ruins in the very center of the city, chosen, moreover, by the criminal element - the castle and the territory adjacent to it were put in order.

On the slopes of the hill Tossal, surrounding the fortress, there is a park, which quickly became a favorite place for rest and walks of the townspeople. There are several children's and sports grounds, jogging and roller skating tracks. There was even a place for a football field. In the morning, the park is filled with athletes, in the evening whole families come here and breathe fresh air before going to bed.

Climbing the bastions of San Fernando is worth it for beautiful views of Mount Benacantil, Santa Barbara Castle, the city and the sea. The sunsets are especially spectacular.

The reconstruction of the castle itself has not yet been completed. Admission is free, but there are no guided tours. The gates of the northern bastion are guarded by two expressive stone lions. At the top of the southern bastion, facing the sea, there is an observation deck with palm trees in tubs. During the tourist season, a café is open here.

"Alicante, la Millor Terreta Del Mon" - "Alicante, the best land in the world."
(written at the entrance to the fortress "Santa Barbara")

"Ah, Alicante, Alicante!"- one of my acquaintances said bitterly, plunging into pleasant memories of a vacation spent here once. The fact that these memories were pleasant was written on her instantly enlightened face. "Ah" and bitterness obviously did not refer to Alicante, but to the fact that this summer she was forced to go to Adler. A " Adler is not Alicante for you"!
Alicante is located on the east coast of Spain, along the Mediterranean Sea, on the Costa Blanca. If you look at the map of Spain, then the Costa Blanca (Costa Blanca, "White Coast") is located exactly between Barcelona from the Costa Dorada and from the Costa Del Sol (see map). The name Alicante comes from the Greek Akra Leuke, which means "White Fortress". If anyone has not yet understood, "white" is the key word here, and you don't have to go to Rio, here too " everyone walks in white trousers and shirts, the burning bright sun is reflected on their white clothes ... ".(Attention: there are 90 photos under the cut!)


According to ancient chronicles and other historical documents, the area around the city was inhabited more than 7,000 years ago. The first settlements were found on the slopes of Mount Benacantil, where the main attraction of the city is located - the Santa Barbara fortress. The exposition of the museum in the fortress itself will perfectly tell you about this.
The favorable geographical position of the city, around the mountains and convenient approaches to the sea, attracted here around 1000 BC. Greek and Phoenician traders. Here they created small trading ports. Controlling the Perinean Peninsula, the armies of Carthage launched an invasion and war. The commander of Carthage Hamilkar Barka ordered to create a city here and name it Akra Leuke. The city was later conquered by the Romans, who renamed it Lucentum, which means "city of bright radiance". In the 8th century The city was conquered by the Moors. In those days, its name sounded like "Al Lukant" (Al-Laqant).
And now the city has two official names Alacant - in the Valencian language and Alicante - Castilian-Spanish.

Now a little about attractions. There are not so many of them in the city and yet.
The hallmark of the city can rightfully be called Fort Santa Barbara(Spanish: Castillo de Santa Barbara). It is located in the city center, on Mount Benacantil (or Benacantil) (Mount Benacantil) (166 m above sea level). It is said that the rock resembles a face with its outlines, which is why it is also called “the face of the Moor” (la cara del moro). This fact was even reflected on the coat of arms of the city...

I honestly tried to find this "face", I looked from different sides and angles at Benacantil - I did not see the face. But maybe someone will have more luck.))
During the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39, the fortress served as a prison for captured Republicans. Until now, Santa Barbara keeps traces of their presence on the walls of the castle.

The fortress was neglected for many years. Since 1963, the restoration of the unique building has begun. Two high-speed elevators were built, lifting in a minute to the top of the mountain through a tunnel with a total length of 204.83 meters. The height of the elevator shaft is 142.7 m.
The entrances to the elevators are located on Jovellanos Boulevard, opposite the beach la playa del Postiguet - Calle Jovellanos 1.
Entrance to the fortress is free, but you will have to pay for the lift (2.70 e per person).

A tunnel inside the rock leading to an elevator...

The excursion into the history of the fortress begins from here...

Why is the fortress called that, I wonder?

On December 4, 1248, on the day of Saint Barbara (Barbara), Prince Alfonso of Castile, the future King Alfonso X the Wise, stormed the bastions from the Arabs. But in 1296, King James II again captured the fortress, while meeting fierce resistance. A detachment of defenders, led by the brave commandant of the fortress Nicholas Paris, defended every stone. According to legend, Nicholas Paris died clutching his sword in one hand and the keys to the fortress in the other. The enemies only got the keys when they cut off his hand. The commandant deserved the recognition not only of his compatriots, but also of his enemies. At the highest point of the fortress, a monument of honor and glory will be erected to him.
On the coat of arms of the fortress there is a symbol - a hand squeezing the keys to the gate, as a sign of the steadfastness of its defenders.
There was a legend - when the hand of Nicholas Paris opens and the keys fall, the city will be conquered by the enemy. Fortunately, this did not happen, and the city of Alicante was not conquered either by the British in the War of the Spanish Succession, or by the French troops of Napoleon. (by the way, only these three cities were not conquered by the French - Alicante, Lisbon and Cadiz).

As our child said - "picturesque ruins" ...

It tells the story of numerous sieges of the fortress and victories, defense structures are presented ...

The fortress has several historical expositions with all sorts of ancient excavated items.

But I liked the exhibition with retro photographs telling about the history of Alicante more...

There is also an excellent observation deck. City - from all angles and sides.

View of the port of Alicante...

You can see from here if you want. Castle of San Fernando(Castillo de San Fernando) on Mount Tossal (Tossal) in the center of Alicante. She received the name San Fernando in honor of Ferdinand VII, King of Spain (1784 - 1833). The fortress was built during the War of Independence in 1808-1814. to protect the city from Napoleon's army, but the French did not reach Alicante, the troops were transferred to invade Russia.

And also the Bullfighting Arena...but you can go there separately (I'll tell you how below).

Let's move on to other attractions of the city.
Not far from the fortress (although everything is "nearby" here) is Church of Iglesia de Santa Maria at the Plaza de Santa Maria. This church of the XV-XVI centuries was built in the Gothic style on the site of a Muslim mosque, in honor of the victory over the Moors. Subsequently, the main altar and the portal were rebuilt in the Baroque style.

Inside...

On the same square is Museum of 20th century art "La Asegurada"(Museo de Arte del Siglo XX- Museo de la Asegurada), which is located in the building of the former grain warehouses, built in 1685. The museum contains a very interesting collection of paintings of the 20th century: works by Kandinsky, Braque, Ernst, Chagall, Picasso, Giacometti, Gris, Miro, as well as works by Spanish artists of the generation of the 50s: Alfaro, Canogar, Mompo, Saura, Tapies, Sabel, Viola.

From the church and the museum, along Calle Mayor, which was the main shopping street of the city until the 19th century, you can go to Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where city ​​hall(Ayuntamiento). The beautiful building with two towers is famous for its remarkable 18th-century Baroque façade by local architect Lorenzo Chapuli.

Inside there is a bizarre statue from Salvador Dali.

From here you need to turn deep into the streets dotted with cafes, and you yourself will not notice how you find yourself in the small square of the Abbot Penalva (Plaza Abad Penalva) near Cathedral of San Nicolás de Bari(La Catedral San Nicolás de Bari).

It was built in 1662 and is dedicated to the patron saint of Alicante - San Nicolás de Bari and is considered one of the most significant historical monuments of the city. It is the city's cathedral.

So on the day when we arrived in Alicante, a very attractive crowd of locals, attracting the attention of tourists, gathered here near the cathedral. Particularly attracted attention were women who looked like characters from Goya's paintings - in black dresses with lace mantillas and a high comb (la pineta) in their hair.
Here is his "Portrait of Queen Maria Louise".

Now let's compare...

This is the women's national Spanish costume. It looks a bit like mourning, but very solemn.))

The façade of the cathedral is the work of Juán de Herrera, the architect who designed the monastery of the famous Escorial and the façade of the Alcázar castle in Toledo.
The cathedral has a beautiful gilded altar surrounded by openwork lattices, as well as altars in the quaint churriguera style (Spanish Baroque of the early 18th century).

There is no way to take a picture of the cathedral from Abbe Penalva Square due to the density of buildings around, but it is worth moving to the neighboring perpendicular street from La Rambia de Mendez Nunes Street, and everything will work out.

Behind the cathedral begins the so-called district El barrio de Santa Cruz- the only Moorish part of the old city that has survived almost untouched, where the Moors lived after the victory of the Christians.

Nearby is the central street La Rambia de Mendez Nunes, it is often called the "heart" of Alicante. All official processions and parades, religious and festive processions pass along this street. La Rambla starts in the city center, near the market, and ends on the waterfront in the Paseo Marítimo area.

Here is a large tourist office(Rambla de Mendez Nunez, 23).

And behind the office on Avenida Alfonso X el Sabio, you will find Central Market(Mercado Central de Alicante). This building was built in 1921 by the architect Enrique Sanchez Cedeno in an eclectic style with some Art Nouveau elements.
The central market is a two-story building, where the lower floor is a warehouse, and in the three halls of the upper floor there are shopping arcades.

View from another entrance..

To this day, the Central Market is the focus of urban trade. Here is a huge assortment of vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, sausages, jamon, smoked meats, cheeses, wine, live and salted fish, seafood, bread, sweets, pickles.

On the other side of the market is a large flower market.

If you walk from the market along Carrer Calderón de la Barca street, then after a while you will find yourself next to bullfighting arena(Plaza de Toros de Alicante) at Plaza España. The current arena (the first two were wooden and located in the squares of Ayuntamiento and Gabriel Miró) began to be built in 1847, it was inaugurated in June 1849. In 1888, the architect Guardiola Pico / Guardiola Picó significantly expanded and rebuilt the arena. Above the main entrance was a sculpture in the form of a bull's head with natural horns, the work of José Samper / José Samper.

In addition to bullfights, various concerts and performances are held here, as well as matches of the tennis tournament for the Davis Cup. They say that after the decision was made in Barcelona to close the bullfight, many went to Alicante, where bullfighting is still allowed and is very popular .

Appeared next to the arena Bullfighting Museum (Taurino), here you can traditionally see not only the attributes that are used in bullfighting, but also learn about the famous bullfighters from Alicante, famous tournaments. We have already been to a similar museum in Barcelona (see my story about this here).
Opposite the arena you can see sculptural composition - bulls and picador.

If you go from the Central Market along Av. Alfonso el Sabio, towards where the "mecca for shopaholics" opens with the indispensable department store El Corte Inglés, attracts attention "Square of Stars" (Plaza de los Luceros) with a fountain, designed by sculptor Daniel Banuels Martinez in 1930. By the way, before the Civil War, it was called "Independence Square".

In the early 1950s, this square was a very popular place, especially on summer nights, when the city administration organized free performances of the Singing Fountains. Today, they say, fans of the football club Hercules ("Hercules") gather here, who bathe in the fountain in honor of the victories of their favorite team.

As for shopping, here, as in Greece, there is everything! A large number of shops with well-known brands, which simply do not make sense to list, and the largest Spanish department store El Corte Inglés are located in the city center. The main shopping street of the city is 1 km long - Avenida de Maisonnave (Av Maisonnave). Shopaholics, control yourselves! If you can...))

The street with children's shopping seemed curious to us - Calle San Francisco - this is the "street with mushrooms", as we called it among ourselves. Along the entire street (pedestrian) - a bunch of children's shops and mushrooms.))) It is located between Plaza Calvo Sotelo, from where you can already see the El Corte Inglés department store, and Rambla Méndez Núñez.

By the way, it should be noted that despite the hot climate, Alicante has many flowers and trees.

In addition to traditional palms, in the squares you can find huge plane trees, eucalyptus trees, conifers and huge hundred-year-old ficuses with aerial roots.

It is said that the largest ficuses in Spain grow in Alicante.
Very picturesque ficus, look at it. Instead of a barrel, I clearly see a woman in a long, narrow floor-length dress with her arms outstretched. And you?

Now let's move closer to the sea...

One of the attractions of this part of the city is boulevard Explanada. A picturesque place with a pavement lined with marble of different colors, which creates the effect of surging waves.

Palm trees on both sides provide shade. And ice cream parlors and pastry shops cheer up with their smells (but not for those who are on a diet or with chronic tonsillitis)).

The most famous confectionery "Valor". Valor is the main and famous Spanish chocolate manufacturer.

There is chocolate for all tastes! It is better to see once .. no, try it!))

Explanada Boulevard reminded me of our Old Arbat. Unless we don't have palm trees.))
Here you will not meet anyone: African women braiding pigtails, free artists drawing caricatures, street musicians, "living figures" collecting money in a hat, and even a inch woman listed in the Guinness book as the smallest woman (she collected money, offering to take a picture with her!), a fair of crafts and souvenirs.

Here you can take a retro photo ..))

You can perform on stage and get applause.))

By the way, here, at the very beginning of Esplanada Boulevard, a beautiful building attracts attention.
This House of Carbonel(Casa Carbonell), built between 1921 and 1925 by architect Juan Vidal Ramos. The building has two towers crowned with domes, the facade is made in the Art Nouveau style with neo-baroque elements.

The history of this house is very unusual. The daughter of the wealthy textile industrialist Enrique Carbonell of Alcoy was ill and on the advice of doctors he decided to move her to Alicante, where there was a warmer maritime climate conducive to her health. On the way to Alicante, there was a small traffic accident and upon arrival in the city, Enrique was dressed in rather dirty clothes. They decided to stay at the Hotel Palas, but they ended up staying there because of their appearance. This enraged Enrique and a few days later he turned to the Municipality with a request to allow the construction of a house, next to the hotel, on the site of the old city market. So already on May 6, 1921, the architect Juan Bidal presented to the Municipality, and a little later realized, the project of a grandiose and luxurious building, which overshadowed the Hotel Palas. From the hotel now there are only ruins, and the Carbonel house is still the envy of everyone. The moral of the story is: don't judge by clothes. For example, remember what Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, usually wears, and he, by the way, is on the Forbes Top 15 list.))
If anything, here is the everyday Mark ...

Also noteworthy is the port of Alicante with beautiful white yachts laid up.

There is also a casino (Casino Mediterráneo Alicante), next to the large hotel "Melia Alicante".

"Don't hide your money in banks and corners,
Carry your money - otherwise there will be trouble ... "
(song "Field of Miracles" lyrics by B. Okudzhava, from the movie "The Adventures of Pinocchio")

Hotel "Melia Alicante" is the only hotel located on the coastline between the beach and the port...

And also an old three-deck ship laid up "Santisima Trinidad" in Port. This old ship has a restaurant and a museum of pirates and sailors.

The ship was launched in 1769 in Havana. She was the largest ship of her century and served in the Spanish Navy for 35 years. The hull of the ship, including the decks, was made of Cuban mahogany, and the thickness of the sides was 60 cm. This ship was considered not unsinkable, but in the battle of Gibraltar, after a 2-day siege, it sank.
"How did this ship end up in Alicante if it sank?" - Reasonably ask you, and you will be right. This, as they say, is just a "replica", an exact life-size model for the amusement of the public.

Having turned behind the hotel building, we go out to the beach. Sandy Playa del Postiguet, approximately 900 meters long.

Along the beach there is a small promenade.

And there is this sculpture. "Despertar" Margot Gonzalez Orta.

The name can be translated as "Awakening". For me, it is associated with the awakening of inner freedom. After such priests, it is no longer a shame to take off your own shorts and reveal your own to the world.)))

On this optimistic note, I propose to round off and bow out.
Thank you for your attention!
As the Spaniards say: Adios! Que le vaya bien!"(Spanish - Goodbye! All the best!)

UPD: read also about theme amusement park