Spain / Valencia & the Costa Blanca / Alicante & the Costa Blanca

Alicante & the Costa Blanca

A Palm-Lined Seafront Under a Hilltop Castle

3 daysIdeal stay₹7,990From / night₹2,770Food / dayFreeEntry

A sunny port city with a palm-lined marble promenade (the Explanada), the Santa Bárbara castle on its hill and a long city beach, and the gateway to the Costa Blanca: high-rise Benidorm with its theme parks, the white villages of Altea and Guadalest, and the island of Tabarca by boat. One of Spain's mildest winters. The airport is one of Spain's busiest for European flights; Valencia is under 2 hours by train, Madrid about 2.5 hours. Hogueras de San Juan fills the city in late June.

Highlights

Santa Bárbara Castle at sunset
The Explanada promenade
Postiguet beach
Boat to Tabarca island
Altea's white old town
Benidorm's beaches and theme parks
Guadalest in the hills

Things to do

Santa Bárbara Castle and the Santa Cruz quarterMorning · 3h
Boat trip to Tabarca islandMorning · 6h
Day out to Altea and GuadalestMorning · 7h
Postiguet beach and the ExplanadaAfternoon · 3h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Alicante & the Costa Blancavia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Alicante & the Costa Blancavia Klook

Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.

When to go

Best time: April – June, September – October

Worth knowing

August: Spain on Holiday

August is when Spain takes its holidays: beaches, islands and coast towns are at their fullest and dearest, ferries to the Balearics and trains to the coast sell out, and in Madrid and other inland cities many family restaurants and small shops close for two or three weeks. Book rooms, ferries and trains months ahead, or come in June or September.

Heads up

Autumn Storms (DANA)

From September to November cold-drop storms (DANA, or gota fría) can bring torrential rain and flash floods to the east coast in a few hours, as in the Valencia region in October 2024. Watch the AEMET weather warnings, follow local alerts on your phone, and keep away from dry riverbeds and underpasses when a red warning is out.

Hogueras de San Juan — Alicante's answer to the Fallas: giant figures in the streets, firecrackers and fireworks from Santa Bárbara castle, and on the night of 24 June the figures are burned. On the night of 23 June, the eve of San Juan, beaches all along the coast fill with bonfires and parties.

Getting there

Fly into Madrid (MAD), 360 km away

Then: Train · 2h 48m (AVE / Ouigo / Iryo high-speed train to Alicante Terminal)

Search flights to MAD from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹23,500
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹23,000
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹24,500
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000

Fly into Barcelona (BCN), 407 km away

Then: Flight · 4h 6m (Vueling / Ryanair, BCN–ALC (non-stop))

Search flights to BCN from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹22,000
From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹23,500
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹24,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹11,290

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a BLS International Spain visa centre in India (Spain uses BLS, not VFS), 4-8 weeks before you fly, and at least 6 weeks ahead for trips from April to July, when appointments are scarce (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Spain if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen, at the centre for the state you live in. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus the BLS service charge of about ₹1,500-2,000, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). Allow at least 15 working days for a decision, longer in summer or if other Schengen states are consulted.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Madrid and Barcelona airports.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary, with the trains or flights between cities; Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Spain and every other Schengen country (France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, so a tour that adds Paris or Rome needs no second visa. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Appointment waits and BLS charges vary by centre and season: check india.blsspainvisa.com for your city before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Valencia & the Costa Blanca

🥘 Valencia · Paella's Home, the City of Arts and Sciences and a Riverbed Park

Plan a trip to Alicante & the Costa Blanca

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Madrid (MAD)