Benidorm

Benidorm is a seaside resort on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante. It has a large Spanish population and a large retired British population. Tree-lined wide avenues give a feeling of space, and there are over a thousand places to eat and drink and watch the town in full swing. The streets offer a very vibrant atmosphere day and night with something to offer visitors of any age group.

Understand
Benidorm was built compact thanks to the foresight of the town's mayor, who in the 1960s had a vision of a resort which grew upwards. Now it is slowly spreading westwards. Today Benidorm is famous for tall hotels and holiday apartment blocks, some of which are over 25 floors high. Benidorm offers a range of quality of accommodation, and the city attracts package holiday visitors and tourists who demand 5-star hotel and spa complexes. Due to the July–August crowd of young people, many apartments will insist on a refundable deposit for certain times of the year.

There are over 41,000 hotel beds and modern tourist apartments. The biggest assets are the 4 km of Blue Flag safe sandy beaches which draw people from all over Spain in the summer months and from all over Europe 365 days of the year. Benidorm is an ideal sun destination both in summer and winter due to the mild climate where day-time temperatures rarely fall below 18°C.



By plane
Alicante Airport is serviced daily by over 30 low-cost and scheduled airlines from most major European cities. The majority of incoming flights are from the UK which offer the best value seat prices due to high competition in this sector.

There are a number of online shuttle services from the airport to Benidorm for €10 or less each way. Private transfers operate from the terminal building with a journey time of 30–45 minutes to Benidorm.

By rail
Tram Alicante (el Trenet) operates a light rail train connecting all major settlements along the coast between Dénia and Alicante, with the exception of Xàbia. L1 (line 1) connects Benidorm with Alicante (1 hr 9 min) and Villajoyosa, while the hourly L9 connects the city with Dénia and other points between. You will need your ticket's barcode to get out of the station. For travelers with smartphones, there is a helpful official app (iPhone and Android) with a route planner and timetables. Guide dogs and small pets in carriers are permitted.



By car
Benidorm is close to the autopista A7 and well connected to the rest of Spain via the national motorway network, with both Madrid and Barcelona less than a five-hour drive away. Parking in Benidorm can be difficult as most streets have cars parked day and night on both sides of the road (some are pay spaces). A few hotels will have their own parking areas.

By foot
Discovering central Benidorm is easy on foot as that area is very compact especially the Levante Playa area which is chosen by most visitors as the area to stay. It is easy to walk a few miles and still remain in town. Walking time from one end of the resort to the other is over an hour's walk.

There are a few companies opposite the Wednesday/Sunday market which hire or sell motability scooters for the disabled and sometimes just plain lazy who want to get around town.

By bus
Llorente Bus is an excellent local bus service which runs until midnight, and also runs buses to the neighbouring towns of Altea, Finestrat, and Villajoyosa. Buses run between 06:00-24:00, and there are night buses between midnight and 06:00; schedules and route maps are available online. Individual fares are €1.50/€1.65 (day/night), payable directly to the bus driver.

Visitors who plan to use the bus a lot may want to consider purchasing a Tourist Card, valid for 24 hours (€11), 3 days (€20), or 7 days (€38), and which cannot be topped up. For those staying for a longer period the Eco Card is valid for 30 days and can be topped up (€54, +€2 for the plastic card). Both card types are for individual use only and cannot be shared with others; they can be purchased directly on the bus.

See
As a purpose-built beach resort, everything is geared toward fun and enjoyment; there is therefore not much to see for those looking for culture. The surrounding towns and villages, which are less than 20 minutes drive by car or 30 minutes by bus are well worth exploring for anyone looking for 'real Spain'. In Benidorm the old town does still retain some of the quaint past, from when the town was a small village. Head for the old town church, where you will find the most interesting part of the town.



Do
As a large resort, Benidorm offers a huge number of different activities for holidaymakers, in town and in the nearby area.

Blanket trips are free tours to nearby resorts, towns and markets. Unlike timeshare sales, there is no hard sell and if you do not want to buy anything, that is fine. The downside is that by the time you have sat through two demos and had something to eat, you arrive at a place at 12:30 or later as the shops are shutting and leave two hours later as they are opening again, or you get there when a market is mostly over.

Beaches
There are 4 km of safe, sandy beaches in Benidorm, including two spectacular Blue Flag beaches.



Walking
For those who enjoy walking there are many interesting places to walk if you take a local bus to the outlying villages such as Finestrast, Villa Joyosa and Albir, or Calp.

Another good walk is from the beach at La Cala. Use the number 2 bus from Benidorm, which goes to the out of town shopping malls. Here you can take an uphill walk to an old watchtower, which was once used as a look-out post for pirates and smugglers. There is a picnic site at the top. A good footpath, with benches every now and then to sit and rest. You can continue walking along the coast, through an olive grove for a few miles to Villajoyosa and return to Benidorm by tram.



Boat excursions
There are boat trips to the wildlife sanctuary and to Calp. You can also take a trip to Tabarca, a small but inhabited island off Alicante.

Buy
An abundance of cheap leather and shoes are on offer all year. Also look out for artisan markets which take place throughout the year during fiesta times and in July and August. At these you can buy local cheeses and produce plus jewelry, pottery and paintings. Most visitors from outside of Spain also take advantage of the cheap alcohol and cigarettes. Tobacco prices are set by the government in Spain so buy at any of the tobacco shops – there's no need to shop around. There are a number of bazaars around which sell products from €1 and up, and have a wide selection of essentials, knickknacks, food and other things at that price.



Eat
There are over a thousand places to eat. The best area for restaurants and tapas bars is in the old town, where you will find of course Spanish cuisine and also English, French, Algerian and Dutch food. It is best to search the old town if you want some real quality local food such as jamón and excellent local wines from the Jalón valley.

In the Levante area the food is typical tourist fare with many English café-bars offering home-style food to English visitors. There are also many Chinese restaurants from a fairly large Chinese community who also have shops with items from China. Breakfast is a favourite of many with a large fried breakfast starting at €2.

Drink
There are 800 bars selling alcohol and as such the competition is huge, with happy hours, two-for-one, etc. – whatever your tipple you will find it in Benidorm. Many small bars offer bottled beer at €1 and themed bars are in abundance. You will find British pubs, Dutch bars and Irish bars plus the many Spanish cafetería-bars which offer local Spanish favourites. Football is shown on large TV screens at many of them. A number of bars have live acts and other entertainment including karaoke.

Sleep
Benidorm offers over 240 Hotels and holiday apartment complexes with 1- to 5-star ratings. Everyone will find a room to fit their budget. It should be remembered that hotels have daily maid service and apartments have a less frequent maid service (once or twice a week). Competition is massive therefore prices are some of the lowest in Spain especially out of season. Shop around for good deals. Be aware that you may have to pay a €50-100 deposit before check-in.

The most popular places to stay are the lively Levante, which is ideal for families and groups. The old town is preferred by couples and more mature visitors offering a less frantic holiday. The Poniente is ideal for beach holidays and peace and quiet. Also La Cala Finestrat on the outskirts of Benidorm is preferred by those who want a relaxed holiday away from the late nights and discos.

Stay safe
One feature over the last few years on travel forums is pick-pocketing and even some cases of mugging in Benidorm. When someone asked about "Muggers Alley", two different locations were given. Be careful in crowds, notably the Sunday-Wednesday market which has general things which you can buy as cheap elsewhere and the Sunday boot sale market which has older things and collectibles. Valuables should not be left in (empty) cars or apartments. Lock all doors and windows when leaving your apartment. Most rooms will come with a safe.

Despite these warnings visitors should remember that at peak times Benidorm hosts up to 200,000 people, therefore the true crime numbers are actually quite small. Sadly crimes are talked about around the many bars and tend to be exaggerated somewhat. In reality Benidorm is as safe as any other busy tourist resort where the majority of petty crime takes place late at night and usually involves alcohol fueled crimes. The police have a very visible presence, in cars.

Connect
There are a number of internet cafés, some coin-fed. Free Wi-Fi is available at many pubs and restaurants.

Go next
If you hire a car you will be able to discover that the entire region is a hive of small villages and picturesque mountains. The following nearby towns are especially worth a visit:
 * Altea is a quiet up-market town with much more Spanish culture and a stunning well-preserved old town, as well as a weekly outdoor market.
 * Guadalest is a village worth visiting, as many of the houses here are over 400 years old and there are spectacular mountain views.
 * Wine lovers should head toward Calp (a 30-minute drive) and take the signs for Jalón, where you will find the wine-growing region and almond groves.
 * A recommended driving route to see the 'real Spain' is to head toward Finestrat, just 9 km from Benidorm, and drive from there into the mountains where you will find a different world.
 * The Algar waterfalls near Polop are a lovely place to escape the hustle and bustle of busy Benidorm.
 * For a great day out, the city of Valencia is a must, which you can reach by express coach in 90 minutes from Benidorm.