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Things to do on the Costa Blanca
If you are planning to visit the Costa Blanca, or the White Coast, in Spain´s north-eastern region, you will find a wealth of great things to do for all the family. Known for its fabulous beaches, attractions and events, the Costa Blanca is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Spain, and with over 300 average days of sunshine a year, it is easy to see why.
The Costa Blanca is situated in the province of Alicante, and it consists of around 200km of Mediterranean coastline. In the north of the resort are the resorts of Gandia, Javea and Denia, and to the south it stretches to Torrevieja. Smaller resorts include Moraira, Altea and Calpe, which are more popular with Spanish tourists.
The jewel in the crown of Alicante is undoubtedly Benidorm with its fantastic choice of beaches, hotels, accommodation and entertainment. Whether you decide to stay in Alicante, Altea, Benidorm, Cabo Roig, Calpe, Denia, El Campello, Guardamar, Javea, Moraira or Villa Martin you will find plenty of things to see and do on the Costa Blanca.
Benidorm hotels
If you want to book a hotel in Benidorm, you will be spoilt for choice. Benidorm offers visitors a vast range of package tour hotels, small hotels, apartments, guest-houses and even bed and breakfast accommodation which ranges from cheap to expensive, depending on your tastes and budget. Benidorm accommodation is among the most sought-after in Spain during the summer months so if you want to book a small hotel, rent a villa or stay or go camping in Benidorm, you are advised to book as early in the season as possible.
Places to go on the Costa Blanca
If you are spending your holiday on the Costa Blanca, or you want to tour around the region by hire car, some of the best places to go are: Oliva and Andara if you want to enjoy the mountainous regions, olive groves and countryside of the region, and Jativa, which is a beautiful inland town with a castle.
Els Poblets and Denia, with its marina and port are also well worth visiting, and you can even take a ferry from here across to Ibiza and Majorca. The coast here changes from sandy to rocky, and is a great place for scuba diving.
Further south you will come to Javea with its sandy beach, then Moraira, which is a smaller town with plenty of attractions. The inland towns around here include Benitachell and the Jalon Valley, which is famous for its vineyards and blossoms.
Calpe is one of the Costa Blanca´s most famous tourist destinations and visitors can enjoy a wide range of attractions and two long sandy beaches. Altea is south of Calpe and its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses attract many visitors, who want to find the old Spain.
Benidorm is the biggest tourist attraction on the Costa Blanca and its night-life and clubs are legendary. If you want a quiet holiday, don´t come to Benidorm. Hotels, restaurants, shops, cafés and the infamous Benidorm Palace attract thousands of visitors every year, and if you are looking for family fun, take the kids to Terra Mitica, Aqualandia or Mundomar.
Further south is Torrevieja with its attractive beach side promenade and a wealth of restaurants, bars and entertainment for visitors.
Weather in the Costa Blanca
The weather in the Costa Blanca can rise to 38-40ºC in July and August and plummet as low as 8-9ºC in December in January. The months between March and May see average temperatures of 14-20ºC, and October and November average around 16º-18ºC. Unless you are visiting between May and September, make sure you bring a light jacket for the evenings, as it can be chilly. Between May and September you won´t need much more than beachwear or light clothing for the evenings. And don´t forget to pack the sun cream!
Car hire at Alicante Airport
If you are planning a trip to the Costa Blanca, pre-book a hire car through this site and you can save time and money when you arrive in your destination. Alicante Airport serves the whole Costa Blanca, and if you plan to visit in summer, the last thing you want is to be delayed in a car hire queue when you arrive, or worse, find that there are no more hire cars available. We guarantee cheap, reliable car hire at Alicante Airport, and at the touch of a button you can compare prices from over 50 car hire companies in Alicante and the rest of Spain. We find special offers and car hire deals at Alicante Airport that are not available anywhere else, and you can book airport car hire at Alicante from just €69 per week.
Cheap flights to Alicante Airport Costa Blanca
If you are looking for cheap flights to Alicante Airport in the Costa Blanca, take your time to check out the prices from budget airlines which fly regularly from the UK. You can book flights to Alicante from every major airport in the UK, including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham East Midlands, Coventry, Gatwick, Luton and Newcastle, and Easyjet and Ryanair fly from most UK destinations to the Costa Blanca. A flight to Alicante from London Gatwick takes approximately 2 hours.
Costa Blanca Attractions
If you are staying in Benidorm or at any other resort close-by on the Costa Blanca, Terra Mitica amusement park is well worth a visit, and offers a massive range of attractions and rides to keep thrill-seekers of all ages entertained. Cableski, where you can learn to ski without a boat, Aqualandia Water Park, Submarine trips and boat trips from Benidorm to Calpe are also high on the list of great things to do for kids on the Costa Blanca. If you want to experience more culture on the Costa Blanca, take a trip to Alicante, which is a coastal city which is famous for its tiled seafront promenade. If you want to venture a little further afield from your Costa Blanca hotel, visit Ibiza by boat, which is home to over 50 beaches and some of the most famous night life in the world, or take a trip to Valencia, which offers visitors a wealth of big city attractions and entertainment you won´t find in many seaside resorts.
Night life Costa Blanca
Whether you are visiting Benidorm for its wild night life, or you prefer more sedate evening entertainment, the Costa Blanca offers visitors a wide choice of night clubs, late night bars, restaurants and live entertainment to suit all tastes and age groups. Benidorm proves popular with young people who want to dance till dawn or party until the small hours in the resort´s vibrant clubs. Low cost drinks, clubs, bars and discos with free admission and incredible live entertainment make Benidorm a magnet for fun-seekers from all over the world, but if you want to enjoy an evening in a jazz club, a piano bar or a traditional Spanish restaurant, you can find plenty of relaxing venues in the smaller resorts of the Costa Blanca.
Costa Blanca map
If you are planning to drive around the Costa Blanca by hire car from Alicante Airport, you can pick up a free map of the area at the car hire office. Costa Blanca maps can also be found at the tourist information offices dotted around the region, or at the hotel reception. A good map of the Costa Blanca will show you clear driving routes from Alicante to Torrevieja, and also highlight the places of particular interest and the main towns in-between.
Costa Blanca events
Spain is famous for its fantastic events, festivals and annual fairs, which take to the streets every year and attract visitors from all over Europe. When it comes to hosting colourful, lively events, the Costa Blanca is one of the best regions in Spain.
Staged in September or October each year is the Moors and Christians Festival which is a one of the major celebrations in Benidorm´s calendar. Some of the most pivotal moments of local history are remembered and re-enacted during this colourful festival, including the Reconquest of Spain, and the streets come alive with battle scenes, processions and firework displays.
The annual Alicante Medieval Market is held every year in June in the streets of the Old Quarter, and stalls sell local crafts and traditional pottery and glass. Costumed musicians, dancers and jugglers keep the crowds entertained.
Alicante Carnival is held every year in February, and lasts for around ten days. The main thoroughfares of the city at La Rambla and El Barrio fill up with revellers in fancy dress and the party and music carries on until the small hours of the morning.
Holy Week in Alicante (Easter) is celebrated with colourful and moving processions, prayers and masses. The solemn procession of silence takes place on Maundy Thursday followed by a grand final parade through the streets of the city.
The Santa Faz Pilgrimage takes place every April, when up to 200,000 pilgrims make their way up to the Monasterio de Santa Faz, which is 8km from Alicante.
In May, the district of Santa Cruz de Alicante decorates the streets, balconies and squares of the region with crosses decorated with flowers in the Cruces de Mayo Festival, which attracts visitors from all over Spain, and in July the St John Bonfires are lit on the beaches to pay homage to St John and celebrate the summer solstice.
If you are planning a trip to the Costa Blanca, take your time to check out the vast range of things to do before you travel, and make the most of your holiday. Whether you are looking for a cheap hotel in Benidorm, a luxury hotel in Alicante or apartment accommodation in Denia, you will find it. Costa Blanca attractions, combined with cheap flights to Alicante and cheap airport car hire at Alicante Airport, make the Costa Blanca one of the most popular resorts in Spain.
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