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Postiguet beach in Alicante with swimmers and sunbathers, palm trees and apartment blocks below Mount Benacantil and the walls of Santa Bárbara castle.

Where to stay in Alicante

Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Alicante

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About Alicante

Alicante-Elche airport serves the whole Costa Blanca: the city is about 17 km away by road, Benidorm about 61 km and Xàbia about 102 km. No tourist tax was found in force, and a tourist let in the Valencian region ends at 10 days.

Spain. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández (ALC), 9 km south-west of the city in the municipality of Elche according to Aena; about 17 km by road to the town hall. Source
Tourist tax
None found in force. The Valencian tourist-stay tax of Ley 7/2022 was repealed by Decreto-ley 12/2023 before it applied. No official 2026 statement confirming the absence was found. Source
Tourist lets
Valencian law: a tourist dwelling is a whole property let for 10 days or less to the same tenant, never by rooms. Every advert must show its exact location and its tourism register number. Source
Alicante city licences
Press reports say the city suspended licences for tourist flats in residential buildings for two years in December 2024 and extended the suspension to apartment blocks in July 2025. Source
National registration number
The national registration procedure was largely annulled in May 2026, regional registers still apply, and whether a national number must still appear on a listing is unsettled as of September 2026. Source
ID at check-in
Real Decreto 933/2021: every guest over 14 signs a registration form with ID details at check-in. Source
Alicante old town
Traffic in the historic centre is for residents with an authorisation. Others may request a one-off access authorisation within ten calendar days of entering. Source
Alicante street parking
Blue ORA zone EUR 1.80 for the 2 hour maximum, weekdays and Saturday mornings, free on Sundays and holidays. Orange zone EUR 1.40 for one hour at most. Source
Benidorm camera zone
Since 1 July 2025 only residents, public transport and permit holders may drive into the centre, whatever the label. Hotels and public car parks inside register guests' plates. Source
Tolls
The AP-7 north to Benidorm and Valencia is free. South towards Torrevieja it charges EUR 5.10 per barrier from June to September and EUR 2.85 the rest of the year. Source
Monthly stays
From the 11th day with the same tenant a let is no longer a tourist dwelling: a month is a seasonal lease under article 3.2 of the lease law, with a deposit of two months' rent. Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Alicante

A stepped lane in the Santa Cruz quarter of Alicante with white and yellow houses and plants, and Santa Bárbara castle on the rock above.
Photo: Varondán, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alicante old town and centre

The old quarters of the Casco Antiguo and Santa Cruz below Santa Bárbara castle, the city beach at El Postiguet and the shopping streets of the centre. It suits city breaks, first visits on foot and a month with city services.

Airport by road
about 17 km
Postiguet beach
under 1 km
Playa de San Juan
about 8 km

Car and parking

The historic centre is for residents with an authorisation, and the innermost ring of the low-emission zone is restricted, but hotels and car parks inside can register guests. Blue ORA spaces cost EUR 1.80 for the 2 hour maximum; orange spaces cost visitors EUR 1.40 for one hour.

The wide sand of Playa de San Juan seen from above, with parasols, a palm-lined promenade and cars parked along the road.
Photographed in 2016. Photo: JPOK, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Playa de San Juan

The beach district north-east of the centre, with apartment blocks and a promenade. It suits beach holidays with the city close by, and a month by the sea.

Airport by road
about 27 km
Beach
under 1 km
Alicante old town
about 8 km

Car and parking

Playa de San Juan lies outside the restricted inner ring of Alicante's low-emission zone; the outer rings carry no restrictions. Street rules specific to the district were not verified as of September 2026.

The high-rise apartment towers of Benidorm behind Levante beach, with waves breaking on the sand and hills behind.
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Benidorm

The resort of high-rise towers on two beaches, Levante and Poniente, with the old town between them. It suits holidays with everything on foot, less so anyone looking for a quiet village.

Airport by road
about 61 km
Levante beach
under 1 km
Alicante
about 47 km

Car and parking

Since 1 July 2025 cameras restrict the centre, in three parts called Centro, Levante and Poniente, to residents, public transport and permit holders, whatever the label. A hotel or public car park inside registers the plate, so tell the hotel which car is coming.

Altea seen from the old town, with tiled roofs in the foreground, the seafront, the marina and the Serra Gelada headland across the bay.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Altea

A white old town on a hill above the sea, with a seafront and a marina below. It suits couples and slower stays, and day trips inland.

Airport by road
about 68 km
La Roda beach
about 2 km
Alicante
about 53 km

Car and parking

The AP-7 north from Alicante has been toll-free since 2020. Altea's rules for driving in the old town were not verified as of September 2026, so ask the host where to park.

The bay of Xàbia in the evening sun, with palm trees in the foreground, the harbour wall, the Arenal beach and houses on the hills.
Photographed in 2020. Photo: Francesc Fort, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Xàbia

The north of the Costa Blanca: a bay beach at the Arenal, rocky coves and villas on the hills. It suits families and villa holidays with a car.

Airport by road
about 102 km
Arenal beach
about 4 km
Alicante
about 86 km

Car and parking

In 2026 the coves of Granadella and Portitxol had controlled access every day from 2 June to 13 September and at weekends until 12 October, at EUR 9 a car per day, with barriers that close when the car parks are full.

Aerial view of the rocky coast of Torrevieja, with the town, its beaches and a lagoon inland.
Photographed in 2020. Photo: Werner Wilmes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Torrevieja

The southern resort town, with town beaches and a rocky coast. It suits long stays and beach holidays closer to the airport than the northern resorts.

Airport by road
about 46 km
Playa del Cura
about 1.4 km
Alicante
about 69 km

Car and parking

The AP-7 south of Alicante is a toll road: EUR 5.10 per barrier from June to September and EUR 2.85 the rest of the year. Parking rules in Torrevieja were not verified as of September 2026.

Guides

Questions

Does Alicante have a tourist tax?

None was found in force. The Valencian tax on tourist stays, created in 2022, was repealed in November 2023 before it applied, and no newer regional or municipal tax was found.

Can a rental car drive into central Benidorm?

Only with a permit. Since 1 July 2025 cameras restrict the centre to residents, public transport and permit holders, whatever the car's label. Hotels and public car parks inside the zone register their guests' plates.

How long can a tourist let last in Alicante?

Ten days or less with the same tenant. Valencian law does not treat a let of 11 days or more as a tourist dwelling, so a longer stay is a seasonal lease under the national lease law.

Which areas are closest to the airport?

By road, Alicante's centre is about 17 km away, Playa de San Juan about 27 km and Torrevieja about 46 km. Benidorm is about 61 km and Altea about 68 km, on the AP-7, toll-free since 2020.