Alicante certainly has more than enough to offer visitors during a day trip, so this would be my guide to a memorable day in Alicante. If you arrive by car, head towards the center and follow the signs for the department store “El Corte Inglés”, where you will find a handful of underground car parks. The average price is one euro per hour, but if you park in the parking lot of the “Corte Inglés” department store, with a few purchases you will get a good discount.
Once you’ve parked, visit “Avenida Maisonnave” to shop for clothes and shoes at the “Corte Inglés” or other well-known street shops and then find time for a bite to eat at one of the many cafes and tapas restaurants around. located in the adjacent streets. At the end of “Avenida Maisonnave” you will see the “Calvo Sotelo” square, where you can sit down to rest and enjoy the views of the surroundings. If you need to visit the British Consulate during your stay, it is located in front of the square and nearby you will also find “Hacienda”, the internal revenue office, in case you need to solve your tax matters.
After that, you need to head down Calle Frederico Soto towards “Plaza de los Luceros” which is another beautiful square that has recently been modernized due to the tram that will eventually pass underneath to the train station. Then walk down the street “Alfonso El Sabio” which is another important shopping street and at the end of the street you will find the municipal market of Alicante and the tram station.
Take a walk around the market just to see how things are made here and then walk down La Rambla towards the sea. La “Rambla” actually means a flood escape that normally handles the rainwater that comes into the city from the mountains after heavy rain storms called “La Gota Fria”. La “Rambla” was traditionally a shopping street, but nowadays you are likely to find more restaurants than anything else, but I suggest you go up “Calle Mayor”, one of the oldest streets in Alicante and in the heart of the old Town. You will find many well priced restaurants along Calle Mayor and if you go down one street you will find the town hall, as well as another beautiful square and the Museum, which highlights the ruins of how Alicante used to be.
From here you can go down to the “Postiguet” beach, which is only a couple of minutes away, and enjoy a walk along the “Explanada” and don’t forget to stop for a drink on one of the terraces along the of the beach. From there you can return to the port of Alicante, where you will see many luxury yachts moored and take a look at the shopping centers in the port that offer a variety of fine dining restaurants.
If you cross the street you will be back on the “Esplanada” and you will find a variety of artisan stalls offering some unique handmade items, ideal as souvenirs. One thing to remember is that you need to be aware of safety in Alicante, especially in the tourist areas of the city, but just like in any major tourist city in the world.
At the end of the “Esplanada” you will find “Doctor Gadea” street which will take you back to “Avenida Maisonnave” and your car. By now you should at least have a good idea of what Alicante has to offer visitors and perhaps want to come back another day to enjoy the wonders of the historic city of Alicante and the great selection of shops and restaurants that you will have seen during your visit.