What to Do in Alicante in a Weekend

A weekend in Alicante has its own shape — not the condensed single day, and not the fuller three-day version, but two days that can be executed at a comfortable pace without covering the same ground twice. Saturday stays inside the city, between museums, the old town and the castle; Sunday leaves it, either by boat or by tram, depending on which plan appeals more. Anyone with only a single day can follow what to do in Alicante in one day, and anyone with three can use Alicante in three days; this route sits between the two.

Saturday morning: the market and the free museums

Start at the Mercado Central, the early-twentieth-century Art Nouveau building that still runs as a working food market, its fish and fruit stalls set under the original ironwork and tile. A short walk away, the MUBAG, housed in the former Palacio de Gravina, and the MACA, by the Plaza de Santa María, are both free to enter year-round and neither needs more than an hour. That leaves enough time for lunch before the climb into the old town.

Saturday afternoon: the old town and the castle

After lunch, climb toward the Barrio de Santa Cruz, the tangle of narrow, sloping streets climbing the flank of Mount Benacantil, whitewashed and stepped in stone all the way up to the castle walls. On the way, the Basílica de Santa María, the oldest church in the city, takes under half an hour to see and is free to enter. From the neighbourhood, walking up to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara is shorter than taking the lift from the beach, and entry to the fortress is free either way. For the way down, skip the same path and take the circular trail through Parque de la Ereta instead: it passes a former air-raid shelter now open to visitors and has its own lookout over the harbour, so there's no need to go back to the ramparts for a view over the bay.

Saturday night: the Explanada and a seasonal dinner

Close Saturday at the Paseo de la Explanada, the promenade paved in millions of red, cream and black marble tiles laid in a wave pattern under four rows of palm trees. Walk down toward Playa del Postiguet, lit up after dark, with terrace restaurants along the sand. For dinner without leaving the centre, Salazones Juanelo is a direct way into a product native to the city — cured tuna roe and mojama in the local style — before finishing the night with a walk back along the palm-lit Explanada.

Sunday: two plans, pick one

The second day leaves the city. There are two reasonable ways to do it, and both get back to Alicante before dark: a boat crossing to an island, or a tram ride up the coast. Neither needs a car.

Option 1: cross by boat to Tabarca island

Boats to Tabarca leave from a jetty next to the Explanada, in the harbour area; it's worth taking one of the first boats of the morning to have the full day on the island. Tabarca is the only inhabited island in the Comunitat Valenciana, enclosed by an eighteenth-century wall built to protect the fishing community from Barbary pirate raids, and the whole thing is walkable in a few hours. Before heading back, caldero tabarquino, the island's own fish-and-rice stew, is the dish the place is known for. Anyone who'd rather not rush the return crossing can treat the island as a longer day out instead of a single afternoon.

Option 2: ride the tram up the coast

TRAM line 1 runs out of Alicante and follows the coast north, stopping at La Illeta dels Banyets in El Campello, a former Iberian and Roman settlement on what is now almost an island, joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. The line continues to La Vila Joiosa, recognisable by the brightly painted houses along its seafront old town, worth getting off for lunch — fish stews are the town's own cooking tradition, found in several spots around the old quarter. Anyone who wants to go further can ride the same line on to Benidorm, though for a single Sunday, Illeta and Vila Joiosa are enough before catching the tram back.

Frequently asked questions

Can you see Alicante in a weekend?

The essentials of the city, yes: the market, the free museums, the old town and the castle fit into Saturday, and Sunday goes to a short trip by boat or tram. For a fuller route through the city itself, without leaving it, a separate guide covers just the single day.

Is Tabarca or the tram better for Sunday?

It depends on whether an island or a coastal town appeals more. Tabarca means catching one of the first boats and giving it the whole day; the tram lets you get off at more than one stop and come back whenever you like, without depending on a boat timetable.

Do you need a car for this weekend?

No. Saturday runs entirely on foot inside the city, and Sunday is solved by boat or tram, whichever option you pick.

Are Saturday's museums free?

The MUBAG and the MACA are free year-round. Neither needs more than an hour, so both fit into the same morning.

How does this route differ from the three-day one?

The three-day route spreads the same old town across two full days and gives the whole third day to Tabarca. This weekend version compresses the same ground into one Saturday and leaves Sunday open between the island and the coast.