Here’s some good news: staying in Alicante, compared to other destinations, is generally cheap and it’s not hard to find conveniently located accommodation, given how compact the city center is.
Alicante is a city that, when you’re visiting mainly for tourism or a short stay, you can easily get around on foot without needing public transport, if you choose to stay in Alicante in one of the areas we’ll cover in this guide .
Let’s see what the best areas to stay in Alicante are so you can explore the city on foot, or alternatively, a great outskirts area for those looking for beach life and nightlife, connected to the historic center by a convenient tram line.
Map of the best areas to stay in Alicante
Let’s start with a map that helps you understand what we’ll talk about. On the left side of the map, the city center areas are highlighted, while on the right side, you’ll find the San Juan neighborhood and beach.
- Within the small red polygon (you’ll need to zoom in on the map to see it) is Alicante’s so-called Old Town. It’s the most historic part of the city, characterized by beautiful architecture and some of the liveliest streets in the evening, with its restaurants and bars.
- Yellow-colored area corresponds to Alicante’s modern center. This area is also one of the city’s most beautiful and allows you to get pretty much everywhere with a short walk.
- The blue-colored areas indicate slightly more outer areas but still part of the center.
- Green area further east roughly indicates San Juan, a neighborhood to stay in Alicante that’s more suitable for those simply looking for beach life and nightlife.
- The green line is the L2 tram line connecting the center to the university area (Sant Vicent), and the red line is the L1-L3 tram route towards San Juan. The remaining pins indicate the most active areas in the evening or other things mentioned in the guide.
Now let’s look at all these areas in more detail.
Old Town and Modern Center
The “Old Town” (in red) and modern center (in yellow) neighborhoods are the most recommended for staying in Alicante right in the city center, allowing you to get around just on foot without using public transport.
Since these two areas are close to each other and quite small (going from one to the other takes about 10 minutes on foot) we’ll analyze them together.
The “Old Town” is the ancient quarter of Alicante, located right at the base of the Santa Barbara Castle hill (from which you can see the entire city from above).
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In this neighborhood, it won’t be hard to notice the more classic and well-kept architecture compared to other areas of Alicante, where more modern buildings prevail instead.
Staying in Alicante’s Old Town means being immersed in an area with little vehicle traffic, as most of the streets are very narrow pedestrian alleys; at the same time, the Old Town is also one of the most active areas for nightlife, with its numerous restaurants and bars bustling until late.
The adjacent modern center of Alicante won’t leave you wanting for anything either. This area alternates wide avenues with restaurants, shops, and bars with pedestrian streets that have a very unique atmosphere, like Calle San Francisco: a long avenue, lively in the evening, which at its western end offers an Alice in Wonderland-style setting with numerous giant mushrooms and colorful sidewalks.
From the modern center and the Old Town, heading towards the port, you’ll reach the Explanada de España, a wide, really well-kept and colorful pedestrian promenade where you’ll often find exhibitions, street artists, stalls with gadgets and souvenirs, with lots of people strolling both day and night.
This “seafront promenade” (which is actually separated from the coast by the city’s main road) then continues along the entire port pier, which also hosts bars, disco-bars, and restaurants active in the evening.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, staying in Alicante in the modern center or the Old Town allows you to easily get around on foot at any time of day and to have plenty of choices if you like to stay out late.
Staying in Alicante in these central areas isn’t even very expensive compared to the average of other cities. So, there are no particular drawbacks here unless you have a car with you (in which case, ask the hotel if they have parking), or if the beach is a priority for you.
Near the center of Alicante, you can indeed find a classic city beach (Playa del Postiguet) at the foot of the Santa Barbara Castle hill, which, however, is nothing special and gets quite crowded during peak times. If you’re looking for more spacious beaches, you could consider the San Juan area, for example.
- Hotel Cervantes (modern center): 2-star hotel with rooms for 2-3 people at great prices, 24-hour reception, wifi, TV, parking, pet-friendly;
- Barrio Boutik Hostal (old town): a place with well-kept interiors and rooms with private bathrooms for 2-3 people, wifi, A/C, pet-friendly;
- La city Mercado (modern center): near the city market, a 3-star hotel with 24-hour reception, parking available, and facilities for disabled guests, bar, wifi;
- Hospes Amerigo (old town): 5-star hotel housed in a 19th-century convent with rooms and suites for up to 4 people, free wellness center, sauna, pool and gym, wifi, parking, pet-friendly;
- Hotel Sercotel Spa Porta Maris: on the port pier, an incredible 4-star property whose photos will surprise you, with views from the sea up to the hill, rooms or suites for 2-3 people, with wifi and breakfast included, bar/restaurant, and parking available.
Playa de San Juan
Playa de San Juan, which isn’t just the name of a beach but also of the neighborhood closest to it, is located about 6-7km east of Alicante’s center, roughly enclosed in the green area on the map above.
Choosing Playa de San Juan to stay in Alicante can be an interesting choice for those traveling in summer who don’t necessarily want to be right in the center (which is still easily reachable by L1-L3 trams) and prefer to have a wide beach a short walk away and good nightlife.
In Playa de San Juan, the coastline consists of a classic long, sandy beach, equipped with all services, more extensive and less crowded than Playa del Postiguet, the beach in front of Alicante’s center.
By the way, we’re not talking about a natural beach here, given the large apartment buildings in this neighborhood; if you were looking for wild coastlines, you would have chosen other travel destinations anyway.
However, if you want to see a stretch of sea that’s a bit less urbanized and more natural, I recommend heading to the southern end of the San Juan area. Here, after a walk along some short paths, you’ll reach a stretch of coastline completely different from its surroundings, rocky and wilder. These are the areas between Cap de L’horta and Cala des Cantalars, corresponding to the yellow star on the map above.
- Hotel Boutique Calas de Alicante: 3-star with medieval-themed details near Cala Cantalars (if you fancy reaching it often), with rooms for 2-3 people;
- Port Alicante Playa de San Juan: 4-star with modern rooms for up to 3 people, free parking, breakfast included, all-inclusive option available, gym, and pool;
- Hotel Castilla Alicante: 150 meters from the sea and near the busiest areas in the evening, offers rooms for 1 to 3 people, parking, bar, restaurant, pool, and room service available.
Around the Center
If San Juan is too far for you and the center is already fully booked, you can consider staying in Alicante in the areas within the blue polygon on the map, where the accommodations found are mainly private small apartments.
From this area, you can reach the center on foot if you’re very close to it, for example, in the blue area just west of the center, also called the city’s commercial area by some due to the numerous shops present.
Alternatively, if you’re in blue areas a bit further from the center, such as in the Carolines and Campoamor neighborhoods, you can reach the center by the L2 tram (or by some buses).
If you plan on doing long walks, keep in mind that outside the center, the city isn’t perfectly flat, and you might have to deal with uphill and downhill slopes.
Where to Stay in Alicante for University Students
If you’re reading this guide not for a trip but because you’re moving for studies, the areas we’ve looked at so far for staying in Alicante might not be particularly useful for you.
The University of Alicante is located in the Sant Vicent del Raspeig neighborhood, which is about 7-8km north of Alicante’s center and is served by the L2 tram line (indicated by the green line on the map above) that runs between Sant Vicent and the center.
So, for those moving to Alicante for studies, it might be useful to stay, if not right in Sant Vicent, somewhere near this tram line, so you can quickly reach both the university area and the center by public transport.
Where to Stay in Alicante for Young People?
- Playa de San Juan, if you’re traveling in summer, where you can enjoy the beach and the bars/disco-bars near the shore or some nightclubs found a bit further inland from the coast.
- The city center all year round, great for those looking for clubs or nightlife without going over the top, as in the Old Town, at the port, and on Calle San Francisco, you’ll find numerous restaurants, bars, and some disco-bars.
Now that you know all about where it’s best to stay in Alicante… do a search in the box below that compares all possible flights, highlighting the cheapest and fastest ones:
Finally, if you don’t want to rely on public transport and prefer to reach your hotel with an affordable private transfer, take a look at the prices for WelcomePickups, a taxi-like transfer service with a driver who will wait for you at the airport (and/or vice versa).
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