Imagine some of you will come over and spend these summer holidays around
Costa Blanca in places like Benidorm, Torrevieja, Denia or Calpe. After two weeks of sunbathing and party at night, you finally get your act together and do a one day visit to Alicante – just to be able to tell loved once at home that you have seen some culture and arts as well.Come and join me for a foot walk around Alicante
Before we start a quick overview. Alicante, with about 310.000 habitants lies about 6 hours down from Barcelona along Mediterranean coast of Spain. Within summer months about 6 million tourists visit Costa Blanca area. Depending on different sources, about 4.5 Mio come from U.K. alone. Cities like Benidorm (population 50.000) host up to 4 Mio visitors every year. Alicante is second largest city in province of Valencia.
The city is best explored by foot starting at harbour area, where many parking areas are available. So we leave our car next to Melia Hotel right on harbour entrance. (A quick tip at beginning, if you arrive at Alicante Airport you can get a very good Alicante map right at tourist information centre at arrival hall.)
Just behind Melia Hotel at foot of Santa Barbara Castle you find beach of Postiguet, where at end of our little walk through Alicante, we will have our sunbath. But let’s go on and get some culture and historical buildings to see.
Directly in front of Melia Hotel we enter a little road which brings us to Plaza del Ajuntamento, which means Plaza of City Hall. Alicante’s city hall was originally built in 1688 by French, later heavily damaged and rebuilt in 18th century. Guided by two 35 metre. tall towers, city halls stairs measures “Cero-Point” concerning sea level. All measurements of height in Spain – refer to this “cero-point” as base for their calculations. Within city hall you can visit blue salon with its wonderful mirror gallery (Monday to Saturdays). Just passing city hall at right you will find Plaza de Santissima Faz, a lovely little area surrounded by palm trees.
The nativity scene museum of Alicante
A little bit further, particularly if you are with children, you should visit nativity scene museum at San Augustin Street. I have to admit it is a rather strange feeling to watch Christmas crips around summer time, but it’s worth it. The museum contains such a variety of hundreds of different scenes and figures from all over world, that it will impress every visitor. As entrance is free, just have a look – you will not regret it.
Just around corner from nativity museum, you will find concathedral of San Nicolas de Bari. With neighbour city of Orihuela being residence of bishop of province, Alicante got a “sub-cathedral” granted by Pope John XXIII in 1959. With an impressive 45 metre high blue dome concathedral building is one of landmarks of Alicante. At one of two entrances you will find a sculpture of holy Nicolas done in black marble.
Just when you walk out of old city centre of Alicante and pass rather modern street of Rambla de Mendez Nunez, you should enter Avenida Del Teatro. There you will find Alicante’s huge theatre with massive roman style columns guiding entrance. Just right place for a pleasant evening entertainment, by way. Walking down in harbour direction, you will find Plaza Nueva Alicante. Here you will find a little aquarium within lovely plaza. The modern display sits within palm trees and an alley. Just right place to have a break in one of bars around, enjoying sun.
