Things to do in Alicante

The castle sits on Mount Benacantil directly above the city, and the view from the top is the reason to go: the bay, the port, the whole grid of the city below. There is a lift up from the Postiguet side, or you can walk up through the park.

Go early morning or late afternoon. Midday in summer on an exposed hilltop is punishing, and the light for photographs is better at either end of the day. Allow about two hours.

Below the castle, Santa Cruz is a steep grid of whitewashed houses, tiled façades and flowerpots. It is genuinely small — an hour of wandering covers it — but it is the prettiest part of the city and the best place to be at sunset.

The same area is the nightlife district after dark, which is worth knowing in both directions: lively if you want it, noisy if you booked a room there.

The Explanada de España is the wavy mosaic promenade along the seafront, shaded by palms, and the natural axis of an evening walk. It connects the old town to the marina and the port, where the Tabarca boats leave.

Ten minutes if you march it, an hour if you do it properly with an ice cream and a stop at the end.

The Mercado Central is a working market, best in the morning: fish, rice, turrón, produce. Around it, the streets have the tapas bars locals actually use.

Rice is the regional dish, not paella specifically — arroz a banda and arroz del senyoret are the Alicante versions, and they are lunch dishes, ordered for two.

Postiguet is the ten-minute-walk beach; Playa de San Juan, 25 minutes by tram, is the one for a full day. If you have three days or more, give one of them to Tabarca — an hour by boat, a marine reserve and the best snorkelling near the city.

The MARQ archaeological museum is the strongest indoor option and better designed than most regional museums. The MACA contemporary art museum in the old town is small, free and worth an hour.