Are you considering spending a day in Elche, Spain, but not sure how to plan your trip, how to get there, or what you can see in a day?
Fret not! I’ve spent considerable time in Elche lately and even though we slow travel, I’ve curated the perfect one-day itinerary.
The good thing about Elche is that all the main tourist attractions are located centrally and are super close to each other.
This means that if you plan your itinerary well, you can see a lot. Elche is considered Spain’s oasis with its UNESCO World Heritage-protected palm grove in the middle of the city.
Read on for my top tips to plan the perfect day trip to Elche!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hi, I’m Linn Haglund, the face behind Brainy Backpackers. I’ve been based in Spain for the last 10+ years, and travel locally and abroad whenever I have a chance. I’m passionate about responsible travel, slow and off the beaten path travel, and outdoor activities, especially hiking. I’m currently slow traveling in my van Persistence (Persi among friends) with my fiancée Mohammed and rescue puppy Atlas. I’m excited to help you explore this planet responsibly!
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How to get to Elche
Elche is one of the best day trips from Alicante with frequent buses taking only half an hour. It’s an easy walk from the bus station in Elche to the city center. You can check the bus table here.
If you drive, I highly recommend parking outside of the city center. The streets are narrow and it’s hard to park anywhere.
There are plenty of parking spaces within a 10-15 minute walk from the tourist attractions. We often park at a large dirt parking lot next to the bus station and it only takes a few minutes to walk to the Palmeral de Elche.
Getting around Elche
Elche is super walkable and all the tourist attractions and things to see in this itinerary are within a few minutes walk from each other, so there’s no need for using any transportation like bus or taxi after getting to Elche.
Day trip to Elche itinerary
Note that most of the attractions are open from 10:00-14:00 and reopen after lunch – except on Sundays when they stay closed after lunch.
For this reason, if you visit on a Sunday, you need to be quite efficient to see all the places before they close at 14:00. I know I wouldn’t manage/enjoy doing that.
Therefore, I would possibly skip Huerto del Cura since it’s a little bit further away than the other attractions – or take it as the last visit if you get the time.
Huerto del Cura, the Archaeological Museum, and the basilica’s clock tower close at 15:00 on Sundays, so they can be moved to the last thing before lunch if you visit on a Sunday.
The upside of going on an Elche day trip on a Sunday is that all municipal museums are free to enter. These include all the paid sites on this itinerary except from Huerto del Cura.
Huerto del Cura
I suggest you start the morning by visiting the botanical garden, Huerto del Cura. It’s part of the UNESCO-protected palm grove and absolutely the most beautiful and curated part of it.
It’s located a little bit further away than the other attractions so it’s a good place to start. Huerto del Cura opens at 10:00 every day, so it’s not too early if you travel from Alicante or Valencia on a day trip.
Highlights in the garden are the Imperial Palm tree with 8 arms and the replica of the Dama de Elche (the original is located in the Archaeological Museum which you’ll visit later.)
I like to spend about an hour walking around. The ticket can be bought at the entry and it includes an audio guide that is available in English.
Visit the Arab Baths and the old convent of Santa Lucia
Next, it’s time to head into the historic center. It’s only a 10-minute walk. Start by visiting the Arab Baths which are located under the old convent (across the square from Torre de Calahorra.)
The convent was built on top of the old Arab Baths after the reconquest. A few years back, the nuns moved to a newly built convent outside the city center and this was turned into the hands of the town hall which has opened the patio, garden, and baths for tourists.
I really enjoyed the patio, it has a lot of personality and I secretly wanted to have a patio like that in my own house.
The remains of the Arab Baths are small but interesting. They were used to wash when entering the city before prayer, but also for social gatherings.
You’ll get access to an app that shows how it would have looked like back in the day. I didn’t get much out of that app as I thought it would give some information, but it was more a virtual image of the different rooms in the bathhouse.
Visit Torre de Calahorra and Casa Señoral
The Calahorra Tower is located between the Arab Baths and the Parroquia de Santa Maria church. Before climbing to the top for views of the cathedral, make your way through the palatial rooms.
The house museum of Casa Señoral surprised me positively due to the painted and decorated walls and ceilings. It’s well worth the entry fee of 2 Euros.
You can also visit the old cellars which I really enjoyed.
While the views from the top of the tower aren’t as high as the clock tower, it gives a pretty good view of the basilica and the square, so I wouldn’t miss it. I also really like the building across the street so I was stoked to see it from a better angle.
Climb the Clock Tower
Next, climb to the top of the clock tower of the Basilica de Santa Maria. I recommend visiting the church in the afternoon, as it closes earlier than the other attractions and reopens around 17:30. This way you get the most out of the day.
The clock tower, on the other hand, closes at 15:00 and has a separate entrance on the side of the building opposite the Torre de Calahorra.
It’s a steep climb and the steps near the top get pretty narrow. But there are some stops you can make on the way with little museum rooms and a stop halfway with views – though nothing near what awaits you at the top!
What I love the most about the views from the top is that you can see all across the palm grove and to the mountains overlooking the city.
Grab lunch at or around the church square
Whenever you feel hungry, there are plenty of places to choose from around the church square. There are actually cafés and restaurants on every street leading into the church square if I’m not wrong.
Walking towards Placa de la Glorieta you’ll also find a lot of restaurants if you don’t find anything you like near the cathedral.
Besides, there’s one next to the Archaeological Museum, but I haven’t eaten there myself, and the reviews of the service there are quite mixed.
Explore the Archaeological Museum
After lunch, head to the Archaeological Museum. It’s located next to the Altamira Palace. Normally, a visit includes visiting the palace, but at the time being it’s being renovated and is expected to reopen in March 2025. Whether they open when planned or not remains to see.
The Archaeological Museum is modern and has several interactive features which I really enjoyed as it makes it more fun to learn.
There are a lot of artifacts from the Iberian era and the most famous statue there is the original “Dama de Elche”. The statue was accidentally found and no one really knows when or who made it.
However, it’s clear that it’s made of an important woman, most likely from the Iberian times as she’s wearing Iberian jewelry. You can see replicas of her all over the city, including in the Huerta del Cura.
Walk through the Palmeral of Elche
That Elche is an oasis is no exaggeration. The enormous palm park sits in the middle of the city and feels exactly like that. An oasis. This alone is one of the main reasons to visit Elche, if you ask me!
The shade of the tall trees, the fountains, and the walkway down to the Río Vinalopó make it such a wonderful place to go for a stroll.
There are several entry points, but you can easily enter the park next to the Archaeological Museum and the Altamira Palace.
Look out for the dragon in the palm tree and don’t miss out on the duck pond.
Visit Basilica de Santa Maria
After a stroll through the lunch gardens, head back to the Placa de Santa Maria and visit the Basilica de Santa Maria. It opens at 17:30 in the afternoon.
The construction started in the 1670s and it stands on the place of a former mosque. It’s a beautiful example of Spanish Baroque architecture.
I’ve been in there a few times now and what stands out to me every time is the organ.
Stroll through the old town
Spend the rest of the day walking around the old town. I love the architecture you find in between. There are some pretty awesome buildings there if you just take the time to look for them.
In Placa de la Glorieta, you can see a replica of Dama de Elche, but the square itself is also beautiful. If you’re looking for a place to grab a drink and people-watch, this is the place to be.
You should also make it to Placa de Baix where the Town Hall is located. It’s possibly the most beautiful square in Elche.
From there, you can cross one of the bridges to see the river from above. It’s pretty cool with all the paintings on the ground and some of the bridges are really beautiful and ornate.
If you have more time…
If you have more than one day in Elche, fret not. There’s plenty more to do. First of all, I actually suggest you slow down on the above itinerary because it’s worth spending more time on each attraction.
Below, I’ve listed some other nice things to do in Elche with more time on hand.
Hike Pantano de Elche
Hiking Pantano de Elche might just be my absolute favorite thing to do when visiting the city. The hike starts at Aparcament del Pantá d’Elx and takes you through palm groves, and along the river with beautiful waterfalls before you reach the dam.
If you’re looking for a shorter route, many people stop their adventure there. I recommend climbing up the steps to the top to at least get a peek at the lake.
It’s really picturesque with thick reeds adding a layer to the scenery before the majestic mountains at the far end.
The rest of the trail goes through a blend of dry desert-looking landscape, thick vegetation, and orange groves before reaching the lakeside again.
It’s a fairly easy and diverse route that takes about 2.5-3.5 hours to complete.
Visit the Dinosaur Museum
The Dinasour Museum, or Pathological Museum of Elche among experts, is a small, but interesting museum about dinosaurs.
It’s a fantastic museum to learn about these fascinating pre-historic creatures for both kids and adults alike.
Search for statues of the Dama de Elche
As mentioned earlier, there are a whole lot of replicas of the famous Dama de Elche throughout elche city. Believe me when I say that you’ll find statues of her everywhere when you first start looking.
The biggest one we found was outside the congress center, however, my favorite is located on the Placa de la Glorieta in the center.
Visit the Palmeral Museum
If you want to learn more about the history and present of the UNESCO-protected Elche Palm Grove (Palmeral de Elche,) this is an interesting museum to visit.
There, you can learn more about the origins of why the palm grove was built and its usage, as well as how the irrigation system has been used since the palm trees were introduced to this area hundreds of years ago.
Summing up a day in Elche
Summing up, a day in Elche is enough to savor what the city is all about, but after spending so much time there, I must say that it’s one of those places that really grows on you the more time you spend there.
With the massive palm garden, all the museums (yes, there are plenty more museums than what you get time to see in a day,) and the historical sites the city has a lot to offer!
Happy travels!