Benidorm is a great
place to spend your holiday. One has to be honest though, although
there is a nice old town, Benidorm is not the most authentic
destination to visit. This is not a problem, because only a
bus/tram/car/bike ride away are charming villages without the flocks
of tourists and vibrant cities. History buffs and culture lovers
probably won't see Benidorm as the place to be, and yet, because its
orientation between these beautiful villages and cities, you could
have a magical meeting with the “real” Spain. In this article I
will introduce some of these villages and cities. Later articles will
give a more in dept look.
Do
you like big vibrant cities with a old center? Alicante is the
right excursion for you! This city has it all: a huge castle on a
mountain, tiny cobbled and meandering streets, big avenues with brand
stores, a yachting harbor, hundreds of restaurants and a fine beach!
Alicante is just a tramride (of 2 hours) away and is for me the
number 1 day excursion to do from Benidorm!
Another
big city is Valencia. Old and modern go hand in hand in this
metropolis. Valencia is a long drive (+130 kilometers) and a little
to big to make it a day excursion. But worth while anyways to taste
the Valencian style and eat an original Paëlla.
Are
small fisher villages your thing? Next door neighbor Villajoyosa
offers a small walkable town center with small brightly colored
houses. Included is a free tour in Valor, the chocolate factory and a
fine sand beach to siesta the afternoon away... Villajoyosa is only a
small 20 minutes with the tram.
Another
nice village is Altea. Cobbled streets and white houses. The
only shops you will find in the old town leading towards the church
on the hill, are creative shops who sell art, design and handmade
jewelry. Altea is just a 20 minute tram ride from Benidorm. This
village is rather hilly, so be prepared if you are less mobile.
A
step further from Altea is Calpe. The beaches are lined with
shiny, modern hotels and English bars like in Benidorm, but closer to
the bus stop and tram stop, Calpe has a attractive little authentic
old town. In this old town no loud bars, thousands of shops or neon
signs. People actually still live in this old town!
The
end of the tramline to the north is Denia. Again all the
ingredients for a nice day out: a small harbor, attractive streets
lined with terraces and shops and a castle overlooking the quiet
small city. For a castle with a view, take a bus to Guadalest.
This Moors castle is built on a rock with only one possible entrance.
From the castle you overlook the turquoise lake which is the main
water storage for the drinking water of Benidorm.
For
another mountain view, take the bus to the charming little town of
Finestrat. The town is located at the foot of the mountain
Puig Campana. From the picturesque town , one can have beautiful
views over the surrounding and Benidorm.
Somewhat
further from Alicante is Elche. This town would not be so
popular if it weren't for its palm trees. Elx, as the locals call it,
is the biggest palm oasis of Europe. The Moors made it into a palm
plantation and nowadays the town is still surrounded by a
hallucinatory amount of palm trees. You can visit some of the
beautiful gardens and plantations and climb the church tower.
Even
further (130 kilometers from Benidorm) is the old town of Murcia.
You can see by the beautiful Cathedral and the richly decorated
houses that Murcia was once a rich and important city. The furthest I
went was Cartagena. A strange city that would attract mostly
history buffs. This city is filled with roman ruins and played a big
role in the second Punic war. Every year at end September they
commemorate this battle with HUGE parades and battle simulations.
These
are just some of the possibilities to visit when in Benidorm. If your
booking flights and hotels separately, I would recommend staying a
few days in a big city like Valencia, Alicante... From Alicante one
can visit Murcia and Elche very easy (with a train).
There
are many more villages and cities that I did not visit yet, but are
worth a day trip. Having a rental car can make it easy, but we
visited all the cities mentioned above by public transport (In
Cartagena we stayed 2 nights).
READ
MORE
Villajoyosa
Alicante
BenidormCity
Benidorm Beaches
Benidorm Beaches
 |
| The famous castle of Alicante and the Beach |
 |
| Famous street in Calpe |
 |
| One of the gardens of Elche (entrance fee) |
 |
| The quiet town of Finestrat |
 |
| The colorful houses in Villajoyosa |
