Alicante’s coastline, a favoured destination for summer holidays with the family, is famous for its splendid and comfortable urban beaches, which are all clean, well-equipped and located just a few steps from the city. These are the best beaches in the region’s capital of Alicante that you cannot miss.
San Juan Beach
This beach, about 7 kilometres from the city centre, in the residential neighbourhood of San Juan, is the best known beach in Alicante. Although it is located on the outskirts, the area has a golf course, a shopping area, hotels and many properties that serve as a second home for the inhabitants of the more central areas of the Peninsula, who come during the summer months to enjoy the sun.
Almost 7 kilometres long and 100 metres wide, San Juan Beach covers two municipalities: Alicante and Campello. Although people know the stretch of sand in Campello as Muchavista beach. In this area of the coast, as on most of Alicante’s coastline, there are hardly any waves, the water on the shore is really clean and the sand is fine. There are also volleyball and beach football courts, as well as a children’s playground. In short, it’s the perfect family beach.
Next to the beach, and right alongside it, there is a huge promenade with bars, restaurants, a handy cycle lane for exercise and electric scooters can be rented to tour the surroundings. There are also many places that offer activities and some of the most popular are surfing, kayaking and diving.
Postiguet Beach
This beautiful beach, almost 700 metres long, spreads out almost like a carpet at the foot of Santa Bárbara castle. In the past, one of the entrance gates to the city was built in this area (its name comes from a word in Spanish that can mean door, postigo). As it is located in the city centre, and very close to the famous Paseo de la Explanada, the tourism and culinary offering is really diverse, with endless restaurants, hotels and leisure establishments.
It is an easily accessible beach, both on foot and by tram, connected to the city’s main roads and with a promenade that is perfect for a walk at sunset or exercise on weekend mornings. Postiguet has all the services you’d expect from a blue flag beach: a lifeguard, children’s play area, sports area, toilets, showers, physical exercise instructors and even a recreational and educational area during the summer months.
Almadraba Beach
This semi-urban beach is known for its rocky shore and dark sand. The place was very popular among fishermen, as the schools of tuna paid for this area during their migratory journeys. The technique used by the fishermen, which consisted in catching tuna by taking advantage of their migration, was known as almadraba and it gave its name to this area of the coast.
As with other beaches in the city of Alicante, the waters are calm and shallow, although this one has something special about it: just below this beach flows an underground river, which at times makes it look like a swamp.
Cabo de la Huerta Coves
From Cabo de la Huerta to Almadraba beach, along the coast, there are small beaches that are difficult to access, and yet which are extremely beautiful. Unlike the rest of the city’s beaches, these small coves receive fewer visitors and allow you to enjoy their wild beauty. La Palmera cove, somewhat hidden and quite rocky, is popularly known as a nudist beach, although it is not an official one. It is followed by Cantalares cove, one of the most beautiful and authentic coves in the area. It is common to see people with chairs, beach umbrellas and Tupperware containers filled with Spanish omelette, and the more adventurous even dare to spend the night in the huts. Before reaching Almadraba beach, you will find cala de los Judios, commonly used by residents as a dog beach despite there being a ban on this.
Albufereta Beach
3 minutes by car from Postiguet is the Albufereta district. An area where the sea was once divided by a narrow tongue of sand. Today, despite having dried up long ago, both the beach and the neighbourhood are still known by this name.
Although the beach is not as well developed as the ones closest to the centre, it has lifeguards, an area for children and outdoor exercise machines. Near the neighbourhood you can visit the Roman remains of the first civilisation in Alicante that began building the city (then known as Lucentum) in 4th century BC.
Agua Amarga Beach
If you’re travelling with a four-legged friend, this dog-friendly beach is for you. Not only are dogs allowed to swim here, but it also has a closed area to let them off their leads to encourage interaction between owners and pets. On this beach, barely 200 metres long, there is even a refreshment stall that offers food and drinks for dogs.
Saladares Beach
This beach is located in an old salt mining area. Today, it shares space with the residential district of Urbanova and a wetland rich in fauna and flora. The beach, which is about 2 km long, has wild sand dunes at its northern end and an area designated for nudism.
