Benidorm what to see

Benidorm what to see:

•     Paseo Marítimo Benidorm promenade and Platja de Llevant beach ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Balcón del Mediterráneo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Parque Natural de la Serra Gelada y su entorno litoral ⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     Parc Natural del Penyal d'Ifac and the Escalada Vía del Pany (IV+) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•     The village of Guadaleste (Guadaleste) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Benidorm is the pearl of Spain!

Once settled here we have explored several locations in the region at once. Time to visit the city from 4 days and more!

The promenade and beach of Benidorm are a delight! Benidorm starts from the mountain and is divided almost in half by the local landmark "Balcony of the Mediterranean". From the mountain to the balcony is about 2.5 km. There are stores and cafes, a beautiful path and gorgeous views along the way) The balcony itself is nothing special, but it offers gorgeous views of both halves of Benidorm. The second half of the promenade is about 3.5 km, but it's not as attractive anymore)) At the end of the second half of the promenade there is also a viewing platform "Tossal de la cala". By the balcony it is considered that there is an old town... But in fact, there is no old town in Spain a priori, it's more of an old town district with narrow streets and a large cluster of café stores. Walking in the "old town" of Benidorm is possible, but with plenty of time)

Lifftak in Benidorm - to settle on the edges of the city in high-rise buildings with panoramic windows and balconies. Then you can admire the views without leaving home! But the best way to settle at the beginning of the city from the direction of Valencia, then every night you will have dinner at sunset with abaldenny views!

The Park Natural de la Serra Hellada (Ciera Hellada) near Benidorm is another local attraction. There is free parking on site, but you shouldn't count on it during the season. You can try where to stand around for free, too. The park is essentially nature trails, with 2 trails. But the main hiking route is the path to the lighthouse. The most interesting part is through the woods until the turn to the lighthouse itself, when it is already visible. So further the road will be monotonous under the blazing sun with the same views. At the turn there is a beautiful view of the coast and the town of Altea itself. From the residences (beginning of the park area) to the lighthouse one way is about 1.5 hours of walking. It takes about 30 minutes to the turn overlooking Altea. Can be visited, but not a priority, only if you have a lot of free time.

Parc Natural del Penyal d'Ifac is another attraction that you can visit from Benidorm, or you can even settle in Calp. It is also a natural park with a two-part trail. Up to the cave / grotto the trail is a popular tourist trail with amazing views! Then the trail turns into a goat trail and the views become so-so. This walk is a must-see. The trail is easy up to the cave and the travel time is about 40 minutes one way. At the end of the residential area, the beginning of the park - there is free parking, but not much)

The village of Guadalest (Guadalest) is a must-see attraction

It is convenient to get here from Benidorm. The road goes inland and the travel time is about 40 minutes. On site it takes about 30 minutes to walk around and take pictures. The road to get here itself is interesting and the views from the fortress are gorgeous! In the village landmark fortress "de l'Alcozaiba" exactly, it offers views of the lake or quarry) Views remind of France with its green lush vegetation) Beautiful vegetation in Spain is not enough, especially the lush conifers...

A convenient route is Benidorm - Natural del Penyal d'Ifac Park with a view of Calpe - Guadaleste village - Benidorm. It will take almost a whole day of daylight.

Alicante - a large city neighboring Benidorm. Its best sights are the Passeig de l’Esplanada promenade / boulevard and Santa Bàrbara Castle. On the waterfront there is a convenient underground car park, Interparking Plaza del Puerto, from which you can visit all of the places listed.

• Passeig de l’Esplanada - a cute little boulevard for a 20-minute stroll. You can continue the walk along the waterfront past the yachts. But there is not much to see. 
• Castell de Santa Bàrbara is conveniently visited from the waterfront side - Ascensor del Castell de Santa Bàrbara - the elevator entrance, going up costs 2.7 euros per person, going down is free. Visiting the castle itself is free. The elevator entrance is by the road where there is no parking. The nearest convenient paid parking is Interparking Plaza del Puerto; free parking is along P.º de Gomiz street or Platja del Postiguet beach, but hoping to find a spot there is like looking for a needle in a haystack) The ideal route to the "Santa Bàrbara" castle is to go up by elevator, stroll around the top enjoying the views of Alicante and the sea, and then at sunset walk down through the castle wall at Puerta de San Jorge and the Parc de l'Ereta footpath park (route 2). The map below shows a walking route of 1.5-2 hours. The red cross is a dead end of the path along the top of the castle wall (beyond it the wall is in ruins), and you have to switch to paths 1 or 2. Routes 1 and 2 are alternative walking paths for descending to the waterfront of Alicante's old town.

Murcia is a typical Spanish city with an atypical temperature! In March 2024 it was 36 degrees during the day in Murcia! At the same time Benidorm had 21-26 degrees. It is definitely not worth making a special trip to Murcia, as there is nothing to see. But if you are passing through, you can drop by for an hour.

Attractions of Murcia:

• the Paseo del Malecón promenade - a walkway along the "river", good for a one-time stroll...
• Catedral de Murcia - beautiful from the outside; entry inside is paid and not worth it...
• pedestrian street C. Trapería - a nice short pedestrian boulevard with cafés, leading to the Cathedral
• Av. de la Constitució - a shopping street, and the El Corte Inglés department store is here too
• the ravines of Mirador Barrancos de Gebas + Mirador del embalse de Algeciras + Mirador de Librilla in Parque Regional de Sierra Espuña - an hour's drive from Murcia. We visited the first viewpoint, but the view there is nothing remarkable. To reach the water you have to walk 2 hours one way... There are no super views in the surrounding area. We do not particularly recommend visiting)

Terra Natura Zoo on the outskirts of Benidorm. There is also an amusement park and a water park here. It is worth visiting only if you are already in Benidorm; do not make a special trip here. Visit time is 2 hours. There are not that many animals, but the walk through the park turns out to be interesting. You have to walk a lot between the animals, so it is more of a walking park) If you have been to the zoos of Asia, Australia, Rotterdam and Prague, there is nothing for you here) The price is very overstated: 37 euros per person + 5 euros for parking. There is no need to book anything in advance.

Safari Aitana - an hour's drive from Benidorm. Whether it is worth coming here is a big question... If you live nearby, you can obviously visit, but it is not worth making a special trip to explore it as an attraction. The entrance ticket is 25 euros per person. You can visit only in your own car, and you cannot get here without a car anyway)

During any of the park's opening hours (except the break from 14:00 to 15:00) you can drive into the park on your own in your car. However, in that case you cannot stop anywhere or get out of the car... You can enter the park until 16:00. Closing time is 18:00.

At 15:00 the animals are fed - this is the main attraction for visitors... You need to arrive at the park at 14:30 and buy tickets. Until 15:00 you can visit the petting zoo located right there. At 14:50 drive your car up to the gates - this is how the line of cars forms. They will all drive in behind the guide's car carrying the food. 

In fact, it is a tedious 2-hour look at hoofed animals, with the exception of the giraffes and hippos. The animals in the park are not well kept and look hungry( For 20 minutes you drive through a big enclosure with lions and tigers, where only two thin wires separate you from the animals. This is the most interesting part of the whole visit. The tour is in Spanish and nobody translates anything into English...

Cap de Martí  - it takes an hour to get here from Benidorm. The free parking is shown on the map at an arbitrary spot. From the parking it is a 15-20 minute walk to the cape... But the view is not worth the effort!

Fonts de l'Algar  is half an hour's drive from Benidorm. The nature here is of course beautiful. But you pay 5 euros for parking, 4 euros per person for entry... and there is nothing to see or do here! If you have been to Plitvice Lakes and Krka in Croatia, there is nothing for you here! All the local waterfalls can be seen in 15-20 minutes). If you have decided to go anyway, head for the location "Parking Restaurante Les Fonts (privado)" - all the car parks are paid and private, 5 euros each. This one is the closest. If it is full, you will simply have to go back and see which one is free.

The town of Elche is near Alicante and an hour's drive from Benidorm. You can come here for a couple of hours to walk along the palm-lined paths of the park.

• Huerto del Cura botanical garden - a gorgeous garden with landscape design and ancient palms. But in reality there is nothing to do for more than 40 minutes. The entrance ticket of 6 euros per person is clearly overpriced.
• Basílica de Santa Maria - an old Spanish church
• El Palmeral - the palm forest of Elche, where more than 2,000 palms grow, but otherwise nothing unusual) Honestly, it is an ordinary park for the locals to stroll in. Very sweet and cozy, but of no tourist value.

Between Valencia and Benidorm there are not that many towns with gorgeous promenades... Some mediocre ones are still worth mentioning:

• Cullera - the waterfront promenade is pedestrian only, 1 hour one way, there is no road, and there are not many cafés and shops. It seems cozy, but it is not worth a special trip. Nearby attractions are a castle and a lighthouse.
• Passeig Marítim de Neptú in the town of Gandia - although a road runs along it, the promenade is cozy all the same.

The hanging walkway Pasarela de Relleu  + the Embalse Amadorio / Aparcamiento Embalse Amadorio viewpoint

Each of the two locations takes little time on its own, but they lie on the same route and logically complement each other. Both are convenient to visit in the second half of the day, and booking or buying tickets in advance is not required.

The hanging walkway is open until 18:00, but the last entry is at 17:00. The walkway itself is an out-and-back route, not a loop. The map below shows the whole 3 km round walk: parking - a path through the former water reservoir (blue arrow) - the ticket hut (they hand out a helmet here, entry 2.5 euros per person) - the hanging walkway there and back (red arrow) - the path back to the parking, marked with white dots (yellow arrow). In total, the walk takes about 1.5-2 hours. The most beautiful photos come precisely from the hanging walkway in the gorge. Parking coordinates: 38.569269, -0.295073

The Embalse Amadorio / Aparcamiento Embalse Amadorio viewpoint is convenient to visit on the way back to Benidorm after the hanging walkway. The Embalse Amadorio viewpoint itself is basically a dam with a view of the reservoir from it. And Aparcamiento Embalse Amadorio is nothing other than a car park, but this is exactly where the sweet, cozy benches with a view of the same reservoir are. You can watch the sunset here over a romantic dinner, or you can walk down the path to the water itself. In other words, you can spend anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour of relaxing here for sure)

Mirador del Riu Amadòrio - this viewpoint is accessible from the road, and you can also stop here for a couple of photos. The map below shows the route to the viewpoint and a road that is open, but at the end of which you cannot drive any further!

If you love cheesecakes, specifically runny, burnt, Basque ones, in other words real Spanish ones) then look for the Las Tartas de Julita venues in the Alicante region:

• Carrer Periodista Asuncion Valdes, 5, 03540 Alacant, Alicante
• Carrer Portugal, 33, 03003 Alacant, Alicante
• Carrer Porta Oriola, 13, 03203 Elx, Alicante