Looking for day trips from Alicante Spain to explore more of Costa Blanca and its inland? Then you’re in the right place!
I’ve spent several months in Alicante and the surroundings and needless to say, I’ve covered a lot of the area and done multiple day trips from the city.
In this post, I’ll share some of my absolute favorites, from popular resort towns to hidden gems in Spain that truly deserve to be seen.
Read on for the best day trips from Alicante Spain.
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Best day trips from Alicante Spain
Altea
Altea is the picture-perfect white hilltop village in Costa Blanca making it the perfect day trip from Alicante if you’re looking for a village feel place to spend the day.
Among the things to do in Altea, I highly recommend getting lost in its steep streets and just take in the Spanish village charm.
There are plenty of art galleries where you can find unique items to bring home. The restaurants and bars are also plenty with a great variety of traditional and international options.
But I also recommend taking a walk down to the seaside to take in the beautiful beaches of Altea before heading back to Alicante.
Driving from Alicante to Altea only takes 40 minutes and you can park in the residential areas below the old town. This makes an Alicante to Altea day trip very easy by car. If you take the bus, you need to change buses in Benidorm which can take you about 1.5 hours.
Villajoyosa
Villajoyosa is the total splash of colors in Costa Blanca and and a favorite day trip from Alicante. There are a few nice things to do in Villajoyosa, but the highlight is by far walking around Villajoyosa Old Town takin gin the colorful buildings and murals.
But Villajoyosa also has a beautiful beach and plenty of restaurants and bars where you can enjoy food and drinks with seaviews.
If you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll be thrilled to know that Villajoyosa has its own chocolate museum and factory producing Valor chocolates.
Valencia
A day trip to Valencia is always a good idea. There are so many amazing things to do in Valencia and in reality, you should spend a week there.
But if a day is all you’ve got, I suggest you divide your time between the old town and the City of Arts and Sciences.
I highly recommend joining one of the bike tours in Valencia that take you to the City of Arts and Sciences as it’s an easy and educational way of exploring the area considering it’s at least a 30-minute walk from the Old Town.
The highlights in Valencia Old Town that you shouldn’t miss out on are the Silk Exchange, the cathedral (including climbin gto the top for the views,) and the impressive Church of San Nicolas.
Not quite sure if it’s your cup of tea? Read my post Is Valencia worth visiting before you go.
If you decide that one day isn’t enough and want to spend 2 days in Valencia, check out the best areas and hotels to stay here.
Elche
Elche is one of the lesser-known day trips from Alicante that I think should be on everyone’s Spain bucket list.
There are plenty of fun things to do in Elche, but the highlight is the Palmeral de Elche, or palm grove. It’s the largest one in Europe and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in year 2000.
A day trip to Elche gives you enough time to explore the paid part of it, Huerto del Cura and the free park, as well as explore some of the attractions in the old town, which are all very close to each other.
I highly recommend visiting the Arab Baths, the Calahorra Tower end its house museum, and finally climb the clock tower of the cathedra, for the best views of the city and palm grove from above.
Not sure if it’s the right Alicante day trip for you? Check out my post: Is Elche worth visiting?
Madrid
It’s hard to overlook that Spain’s capital city is an easy 2,5 hours train ride from Alicante. That makes it a great day trip option from Alicante.
Madrid is a big city with plenty to do and see. Yet, you can get quite a lot out of one day in Madrid if you plan it carefully.
Make sure you get to tour the Royal Palace – it’s actually the largest royal palace in Western Europe!
Across from the palace, step inside the stunning Almudena Cathedral. Not too far from these two sites, you can explore the Egyptian Temple of Debod which was donated by the Egyptioan government in the 20th century.
Other sites not to miss are Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and the impressive Gran Via. But on a day trip to the capital, you should also try all the tapas, there are also heaps of vegan joints where you can eat fantastic food.
Not sure if it’s the right day trip for you? Check out my post: Is Madrid worth visiting?
Santa Pola
Santa Pola is one of the best day trips from Alicante if you’re looking for a relaxing day without too many attractions to cover.
It’s one of the small beach towns in Spain that is worth visiting if you need to kick back and slow down a bit.
Among the things to do in Santa Pola, make sure you visit the castle and its museums to learn about the town’s intriguing past and fishing history.
It’s also nice to stroll along the beach and marina, and if you feel adventurous, you can take a boat trip to Tabarca Island.
Relleu
Looking for Spain’s hidden gems? Then Relleu is a great option for you. It’s a small but cute traditional village, but the highlight is the Pasarela de Relleu hike that you can either do straight from the village or drive to a closer parking lot to do a shorter route.
The wooden path is pinned 60 meters above the gorge floor and is set in a spectacular, narrow ravine. This is not for the faint hearted, though!
The village itself doesn’t have many attractions, but I highly recommend going to the old castle ruins overlooking the village, walking around the streets, and grab some tapas and drinks at a local bar. Relleu will certainly make you feel like you’re in a Spanish smalltown.
Getting to Relleu is better by car, as there aren’t many daily buses making it hard to go on a day trip from Alicante.
Calpe
Calpe is a popular beach destination with beautiful nature you easily can access by foot from the town. I highly recommend you get a permit to hike the magestic Peñon de Ifach for the best views of Calpe.
It’s a 2-3 hour hike, so if you think it’s a bit too much, you can walk up to the visitor center and take in the views from there.
If you prefer a relaxing day trip, the beaches in Calpe are beautiful with incredibly fine sand.
There are plenty of things to do in Calpe, and one of the coolest is to see flamingos in the salt lake in the middle of town.
Yes, you heard me right!
You don’t have to drive there, you can just walk a couple of minutes from the beach and spot flamingos all year round.
Calpe also has a cute little marina and a walk halfway around the rock from the marina which is very nice. You get the vertical view of the rock walls where birds are nestin gin cracks and holes high up from land predators.
Besides, Calpe Old Town is wonderful with so many cute streets and squares, so I hihgly recommend spending a couple of hours walking around there to take it all in.
Not convinced? Read my post: Is Calpe worth visiting? (it’s very honest and I include what we didn’t like too!)
Murcia
Murcia is a fantastic city only an hour’s bus drive from Alicante. It’s such an underrated city which we totally fell in love with.
Murcia Cathedral is stunning and there are nice restaurants and bars outside (without inflated prices) so you can admire both the cathedral and the pink facade of the Epicopal Palace.
It’s also possible to tour the opulent rooms of the Real Casino de Murcia on request. The impressive 19th-century palace is a private genleman’s club to this day.
It’s also nice to walk along the river – don’t miss out on the giant fish in the middle of it!
Reflections on Alicante day trips
Summing up, there are some incredible day trips from Alicante you can take to both popular tourist destinations like Calpe and to lesser known gems like Relleu and Elche.
I love how accessible other destinations on the Costa Blanca re by bus or train, though some places are better reached by car.
Happy travels!