hotels in Alicante

Museums in Alicante

• Archaeological Museum - discover the various epochs and civilizations, from prehistory to present day of Alicante's rich past, but with a unique spin that keeps you both enthralled and immersed in history from start to finish; Tuesday-Saturday 10am-7pm. The Hogueras Museum - Learn all about the history of Alicante's most famous festival. Gravina Museum of Fine Arts - The permanent collection features an impressive 500 works by major artists of the 16th through 20th centuries, with special attention given to those from Alicante and its surroundings; Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm, Sundays: 10am-2pm, Closed Mondays. La Asegurada Museum - Featuring 177 works from 114 representatives of various artistic genres, the Asegurada is actually one of Spain's most important and comprehensive collections; Mondays: Closed , Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-1pm, 5pm-8pm, Sundays: 10:30am-1:30pm. 

Exhibitions / Art galeries Alicante

• Museo Eusebio Sempere. 

Cultural activities in Alicante

• Concert in paseo de la explanada by the sea. Hogueras de Sant Joan (ires of Saint John) 24th June. 

Historic monuments in Alicante

• Castillo de Santa Bárbara: On the top of Mount Benacantil at a height of 166 metres, it is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain, built in the ninth century by Muslims  
• San Nicolás de Bari Co-Cathedral: Built over the remains of a mosque and with a sombre exterior, construction of the Co-Cathedral took the greater part of the 17th century but the cloister dates from the 15th century, with the later addition of the Baroque doorways, a style that is again reproduced in great splendour in the Communion Chapel dating from the 18th century  
• Tossal de Manises Iberian Settlement:Remains of the Ibero-Roman fortified town of Lucentum are to be found in Tossal de Manises, the origins of present day Alicante, dates as far back as the 3rd-4th centuries BC and continued to be inhabited until the end of the 3rd century AD  
• The Town Hall: This building is a superb example of Baroque civil architecture, laid out at the end of the 17th century and construction began in 1701, lasting throughout the greater part of the 18th century  
• Palacio de Gravina: Dating from the 18th century and belonging to the family of the Count of Lumiares, it houses the Provincial Archives and has recently become home to the Provincial Fine Arts Gallery (MUBAG), which exhibits the Government Delegation (Diputación) art collection, consisting mainly of paintings dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Shopping in Alicante

• Avda. Maisonave. La Rambla. C/Castaños. Centro Gran Vía. Centro panonamis. 

Other in Alicante

• Moros y Christianos - commemorates the expulsion of the Moors from Alicante in the 13th century, literally thousands of locals celebrate the festivity by way of donning often elaborate costumes and parading through the city streets; late April. Las Hogueras de San Juan - street procession, with huge wooden and papier-mâché effigies sitting atop the floats and scattered around the city centre, they are then consumed by flames as the finale to the grand palmera (fireworks display) where all floats and monuments are burnt to cinders; last week of June. Feast of San Pedro - semi religious fiesta with Christian undertones but essentially celebrating the summer solstice; end of June. Alicante e Esena - This music festival started in 1985 promoting mainly Spanish music and musicians, but has since developed featuring music from all over Europe and the Americas with several parallel events such as book and record fairs, photographic exhibitions and courses; end of September. Festitíteres - the international puppet festival has acquired prestige due to its unique approach and international participation, with its programme aimed at both adult and family audiences, the many venues include both indoor and outdoor locales; end of November. 

Day trip

• 1_Paseo marítimo/ Tabarca Island: The only inhabited island in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, Tabarca is located off the Cabo de Santa Pola 11 nautical miles from the city of Alicante. The main beach on the island is approximately 250m in length. Located nearby is the village, which has been listed as both an Historic-Artistic Monument and a Cultural Asset. The waters surrounding the island have been officially declared a Mediterranean marine nature reserve.
• 2_Marina Baja: South zone, Torrevieja happening through all the South coast, with visit to Orihuela. “Tallas de imagenerias” is very tipical.
• 3_Visit to the birthplace of turrón: Jijona is 28 km of Alicante. You should not miss a visit to the birthplace of turrón (a specialist Spanish confectionery). And, nearby, there are the caves of Canelobre, a true wonder of the nature.
• 4_Alicante Interior: Tour to Vall de Gallinera, Vall d’Alcalá y Vall d’Ebo. During two hours you can make a tour for small villages with a nice views.
• 5_Provincial Archaeological Museum (MARQ): Located in the old Hospital San Juan de Dios and constructed in 1930, the premises occupy a surface area of 9,000m2. The extremely valuable collection housed here consists of 81,000 pieces dating from the Stone Age to Medieval times, the most important piece among them being the Lady of Guardamar from the Iberian settlement of Cabezo Lucero. In May 2002 new exhibition rooms and halls were inaugurated. Guided tours are available on request. There is access for the handicapped at the museum.

Group activities

• 1_Bull Ring and Bullfighting Museum: Rebuilt in 1888, the Bull Ring has a capacity for up to 10,695 people. The Alicante Bullfighting Museum shows a permanent exhibition of the most famous local bullfighters and contains a library. Conference room and exhibition lounge.
• 2_The Old Quarter: Artistic and historical monuments as well as lively nightlife can be found inside the historical walls.
• 3_Santa Bárbara Castle: One of the largest in the Mediterranean region. It dominates the slopes of Mount Bonacantil soaring out of the sea to a height of 166 m. Its privileged location has ensured consistent human settlement, since its founding in Roman times.
• 4_Concatedral de San Nicolás de Bari: Built over the remains of a mosque and with a sombre exterior, the style is Herrero-Renaissance. Construction of the Cathedral took the greater part of the 17th century. The cloister, however, dates from the 15th century, with the later addition of the Baroque doorways, a style that is again reproduced in great splendour in the Communion Chapel dating from the 18th century. The organ also dates from this century.
• 5_Lonja de Pescado: Inaugurated in 1992 as an exhibition hall and enlarged in December 2000, this curious building with clear Arabic influences dates from the beginning of the 20th century and was designed by the engineer Próspero in the Historicist style.