Area guide Benidorm

Benidorm has excellent beaches, the Mediterranean Sea for swimming, a tourist complex full of bars, restaurants and nightclubs; no wonder it is so popular.

With the fifth largest population in the Alicante province, Benidorm is located 45 kilometers northeast of the city of Alicante and just south of Altea.

It is the central destination on the Costa Blanca with its dominant skyline sometimes called the "Manhattan of Spain" due to the high-rise tower blocks. Benidorm's backdrop is the magnificent mountain range known as Sierra Helada.

There are an excellent number of attractions, of course there are nightclubs, bars and restaurants galore, but Benidorm also has a number of unique attractions not found anywhere else, namely Benidorm's five theme parks.

Terra Mitica is the biggest and the best, with many roller coaster rides, but also many rides and shows for the little ones.

Terra Natura and Aqua Natura are a zoo and water park next to each other near Terra Mítica.

Aqualandia and Mundomar are sister parks a short distance from the Levante area of Benidorm. Aqualandia is the water park with slides and pools and Mundomar is a marine-style water attraction with marine life.

The reason why Benidorm has become so big and popular is the beautiful surroundings with three miles of fine sandy beaches and crystal clear waters with wonderful weather all year round and warm sunny weather in the summer.

There are two wonderful long sandy beaches, Playa Poniente (sunset beach) and Playa Levante (sunrise beach), separated by a rocky promontory, the Canfali viewpoint offering great views in every direction. At the foot of this viewpoint is the Mal Pas cove.

Benidorm also has a beautiful old town between the Levante and Poniente beaches. This area is very traditional, very Spanish and quite quiet. This area focuses on the Canfali viewpoint (Balcón del Mediterráneo) and the Elche Park.

The old town district has all the major shops in Benidorm, as well as some good bars. The streets are narrow and winding. Be sure to see the church of San Jaime with its iconic blue dome.

From the beaches of Benidorm you can see a rock known as Isla del Pavo Real (Benidorm Island) for the birds that inhabit the island.

You can take a boat there from the port or better yet take the boat along the coast to Calpe. The waters are very clear and full of schools of fish, making it an ideal place for a diving trip.

You can also take boat trips south to the island of Tabarca, which is close to the city of Santa Pola.

Visitors to Benidorm can enjoy a wide variety of shopping from the markets, cheap Chinese bazaars to designer stores such as Zara in Benidorm's La Marina Shopping Center.