Updated 2026-02
Postiguet sits directly below the Santa Bárbara castle, a short walk from the Explanada. It is urban in the best and worst sense: lifeguards, showers, accessible ramps, bars behind it — and packed in August.
It is the right choice for a morning swim before sightseeing, or with small children when you do not want a journey. Go early: by noon in summer, the good sand is gone.
Playa de San Juan is several kilometres of wide, gently shelving sand a short tram ride north of the city. Even in high season it absorbs crowds in a way Postiguet cannot, and the water stays shallow a long way out.
Take the TRAM (lines L1 or L3) from Mercado or Luceros; it is roughly 25 minutes and drops you within walking distance of the sand. This is the beach for a full day.
Between Postiguet and San Juan, the coast turns rocky at Cabo de las Huertas. Here you find small coves — Cala Cantalars, Cala Palmera and others — with clear water, snorkel life and almost no facilities.
There is little shade and access is over rock in places, so bring water shoes, water and everything you plan to eat. In exchange you get the clearest swimming near the city.
Urban beaches fly the usual flag system: green for safe bathing, yellow for caution, red for no swimming. Lifeguard cover is seasonal, so out of summer many beaches are unstaffed even in good weather.
Jellyfish appear occasionally with certain winds and currents; when they do, the lifeguard posts flag it. Sea temperature is comfortable roughly from late May to October.
Playa de San Juan for a full day — it is long, sandy and shallow. Postiguet is the most convenient, right in the city, and Cabo de las Huertas has the clearest water for snorkelling.
Yes. Playa del Postiguet is about ten minutes on foot from the Explanada, below the castle.
Take TRAM line L1 or L3 from Mercado or Luceros. The ride is roughly 25 minutes and the beach is a short walk from the stops.
The sea is comfortable for swimming from around late May to October. Locals swim well outside that window, but the water is noticeably cold in winter.
Yes. Postiguet and San Juan both shelve gently, have seasonal lifeguards and full services. The rocky coves are less suitable for small children.
The coves around Cabo de las Huertas are the quietest close to the city, and Tabarca island is quiet outside the middle of the day.
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Written by locals in Alicante. Verify opening hours and schedules before you go.
Local guide · VamosAlicante
