Alicante - City Card
Eating
Budget: Meson de Labradores (c/Labradores), tapas bar specialising in seafood; La Rotonda (Avenida de Alfonsa X El Sabio), popular tapas bar; Restaurante Casa Ibarra (Calle de Rafael Altamira 19), good for tapas and grilled meats.
Mid-Range: El Flamenco (c/San Francisco), taberna in the new town with outside tables and menu del dia for 12 Euros; Restaurante Jumillano (c/Cesar Elguezabal 64), one of Alicante’s best restaurants. Try the pickled partridge; Boutique del Mar (Calle San Fernando 16), famous for seafood and rice dishes.
Luxury: Restaurant Darsena (c/Muelle 6), stylish restaurant in the Marina Deportivo; Restaurante Marrakech (Calle de Gravina 15), atmospheric Moroccan restaurant.
Drinking
Budget: Head to ‘El Barrio’, the old town which has numerous bars and clubs around Plaza Carmen and Plaza San Cristobal. A particularly atmospheric bar is Nepal and one of the city’s most well-known bars is Sante Fe, with its railway-themed décor. Desden is a popular music bar.
Mid-Range: Behind the Explanada, around Avenida de Ramón and adjoining streets San Fernando, Canalejas and Alemania, is ‘La Zona’, a lively area with a wide range of drinking spots to suit all tastes.
Luxury: Around the port and marina you’ll find a number or more refined places to eat and drink the night away. On the Explanada de Espana is the popular meeting place Pacha, overlooking the harbour.
Things To See And Do
- Take a stroll along the wide, palm-lined Explanada.
- Take the lift from El Postiguet beach to Santa Barbara castle with great views of the city and coast.
- Visit the Museo de la Asegurada modern art museum, with works by Spanish artists Dali, Miro and Picasso.
- Walk around the steep narrow streets of the old town, with its whitewashed houses and historic buildings.
Shopping
Alicante’s big new shopping centre is Panoramis, east of the port.
El Corte Ingles department store is on Avenida Maison Nave.
For smaller shops, head to Calles Mayor, Castanos, Gerona and San Francisco in the new town, or around Calle Mayor in the old town.
Typical crafts from Alicante are botijos – earthenware jugs for drinking - ceramics, leather goods and small mosaics.
Beyond The City
- Visit the subtropical palm forest and World Heritage site of Elche, a 30-minute train journey from Alicante.
- Take the kids to Terra Mitica theme park outside Benidorm, recently renovated to include many more rides and attractions.
- Visit the attractive old town of Denia, and the lively seaside resort and port of Javea, both a short journey north of Alicante.
- Take a day trip to the inhabited island of Tabarca, off Alicante, a former pirates’ haven and fortress.
Cost Of Living
33cl bottle of beer - €1
One-litre bottle of mineral water - €0.90
36-exposure colour film - €7.50
City-centre bus ticket - €1.10
Adult football ticket - €20
Three-course meal with wine/beer - €12
Key Phrases
Please, thank you – Por favor, gracias
How much? – ¿Cuanto es?
Good morning/afternoon/night – Buenos dias/buenas tardes/buenas noches.
Excuse me – Perdon
How are you? – ¿Como esta?
I don’t understand – No entiendo
Do you speak English? – ¿Habla usted ingles?
I don’t speak Spanish – No hablo espanol.
I would like… – Quisiera…
Is there a bank/post office near here? – ¿Hay un banco/correos cerca de aqui?
Do you have…? – ¿Tiene…?
The time – la hora
A double room – una habitacion con cama matrimonial.
Where is…? – ¿Donde esta…?
The train station – la estacion de ferrocarril
The bus station – la estacion de autobuses
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