Alicante is one of the most popular resorts in Spain. Every year, it is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists attracted by the warm and mild Mediterranean climate, interesting architectural monuments and the rich history of this place. On the Web you can find many photos and reviews of tourists about Alicante in Spain, but in this case it is really better to see once than hear a hundred times.
History
2500 years ago a small Iberian settlement appeared on the site of a modern resort, a little later the Greeks came and established a trading colony. From the Greek language the word is translated as “White Fortress” and was originally pronounced “Acre Levka”, when the city later came under the rule of the Roman invaders, they renamed it Lucentium, which means “City of bright lights.” In their place came the Moors and brought with them a new name - Al Lucant, consonant with modern.
At the end of the 16th century, the city was recaptured by the Castilians and transformed into an important trading port for all of Spain. During this period, it was actively reconstructing old buildings and building new ones. Many monuments of those years can be seen today.
Weather
One of the main reasons for the positive feedback from tourists about Alicante in Spain is its location. It is located in the Mediterranean climate zone, and therefore almost all year warm and sunny weather reigns throughout the territory.
The climate in Alicante is sunny and arid, rains are a rarity, mainly in spring and autumn, so the local landscapes resemble Crete and Crimea. Statistics annually totals 330 sunny days, and the summer, beginning in May, ends only at the end of October.
The average air temperature is 18 º, in winter it does not fall below 6 º, and in summer it does not rise above 30 º. The hottest month is August and the coldest is February. Water warms up to 23 º in June, in September - up to 27 º. Reviews of tourists about the weather in Alicante (Spain) are always positive.
The swimming season lasts from May to mid-September, during these months the rental of umbrellas and sunbeds is open, lifeguards work on the beach. For example, in the city of Benidorm, beach services are available almost all year.
In October, in Alicante (Spain), according to tourist reviews, is no less good than in the peak season. At this time, an unusual cream apple (cherimoya), as well as pomegranates and grapefruits, are harvested here.
Beaches
Reviews of tourists about the beaches of Alicante in Spain are mostly positive. As throughout the country, they are municipal, public, private and not paid. A common flag system is used to inform visitors:
- green means the beach is completely safe for swimming;
- yellow - for confident swimmers;
- red - swimming is prohibited, but usually it is hung out for a while, for example, when a dangerous course occurs;
- black shows that there are a lot of jellyfish in the water. However, over the past nine years, such a flag has never been flown.
Each beach has restaurants, bars, equipment rental, playgrounds, showers and toilets. Rescuers are on duty everywhere. The favorite among all the beaches in Alicante (Spain) according to tourists' reviews is Postiguet, located at the foot of Benacantil Mountain. Among others, it stands out for its beautiful promenade and fine clean sand and the longest beach (almost three kilometers long), San Juan, which is especially popular among lovers of water sports. And those who like to snorkel and snorkel while exploring the underwater world will love the small rocky bays at Cape de Huertas Cape.
There is little risk of burns from touching a jellyfish or stepping on spider fish. When preparing for the trip, you should familiarize yourself with recommendations on what to do in these cases.
Hotels
The best reviews from tourists in Alicante (Spain) over the past decades receive hotels located on the beach "Postiguet". Even the most expensive hotels do not have their own beach, so you have to use public ones.
On the first line of the beach, a five-star room will cost 150-220 euros, and with three stars, for example, in the San Juan area, 120 euros.
The most numerous and demanded category of housing are apart-hotels, accessible to middle-income visitors. You can find such an option both in the city center and close to the beach, for a young couple or for a large family. A weekly stay in peak season costs from 300 to 1,500 euros, and in normal times, prices are reduced by three times.
Entertainment
In addition to standard parties in bars, restaurants and on the beach, interesting folk festivals and carnivals often take place in Alicante.
List of the most interesting tourist reviews in Alicante (Spain):
- Bonfires of St. John the Baptist (San Juan) (June 19-24) - giant satirical papier-mâché figures that make fun of famous pop stars, politicians and human vices adorn the streets for several days, and then solemnly burned on the last night of the holiday.
- The festival of the Three Kings (or Three Magi) is a colorful carnival procession during which gifts are scattered in a crowd of children.
- Moors and Christians - celebrated in April in the city of San Blas. For three whole days, from morning to evening, the streets are full of fun and colorful carnival processions of the participants.
- Easter week - at the end of April according to the Catholic calendar. In all the cities of Spain a week before Easter, called the “saint,” a variety of religious processions roam, among which there are a lot of original costumes, for example with white caps reminiscent of the clothes of the Ku Klux Klan.
Ten things to do in Alicante
To get the most out of any vacation, especially abroad, you need to choose a good hotel and area in advance, make a list of attractions and excellent cafes, and find out what local dishes are definitely worth a try. After analyzing hundreds of reviews of tourists about Alicante in Spain, a list of basic things was compiled, which just needs to be done when arriving there on vacation.
- Visit the castles of Santa Barbara and San Fernando.
- Breakfast overlooking the sea in the Kiosso Miramar cafe on the Postiguet beach.
- Try real churros with hot chocolate and paella in La Nyora, a traditional restaurant.
- Visit a local holiday.
- Take a tram through the streets of the city.
- Arrange shopping.
- Go to the bullfight in the famous Plaza de Toros arena.
- Sunbathe on the beach.
- See the island of Tabarca, which has received the status of a reserve, thanks to the unique flora and fauna.
- Walk along the beach of Muchavista and the picturesque boulevard of Expalade.
Curious facts
- In Alicante, they speak two languages - Spanish and Valencia, the latter is more used in official organizations.
- It is correct to speak both Alcant (in Valencia) and Alicante (in Spanish).
- In 1489, a long and very severe drought began in Alicante, then a fragment of the canvas with the image of the face of Jesus Christ, the Plate of St. Veronica, was brought from Rome. According to legend, St. Veronica wiped the bloody sweat from the face of the Savior with this canvas. Every May, more than fifty thousand pilgrims come to worship the shrine.