Alicante on Foot: Four Routes Worth Walking
Alicante’s center is small enough to cover entirely on foot, and its terrain varies enough that four different routes here feel like four different cities: one climbs a mountain, one goes underground, one is entirely flat.
The fortress ramparts and Santa Cruz climb
From Plaza Puerta del Mar, the winding pine paths of Parque de la Ereta lead into the cobbled alleys of Barrio de Santa Cruz, past the 18th-century Ermita de Santa Cruz, then into the lower fortifications of Castillo de Santa Bárbara via Calle Vázquez de Mella and up through the Salón Felipe II to the 166-meter summit. It runs 3.5 kilometers with 170 meters of elevation gain, all stone stairs and inclined cobbles, and it is not passable with a stroller. The castle itself is free; only the alternate tunnel elevator opposite Postiguet Beach charges anything, €2.70 a ride. Current hours are on the official castle site .
The Civil War air raid shelters
Alicante was one of the last Republican strongholds to fall in 1939, after more than 70 aerial bombardments. A guided 2-hour tour run by Alicante Turismo visits the restored underground shelters at Plaza Séneca, built inside a former bus depot, and Plaza Balmis, with audio simulations of air-raid sirens and original bomb damage still visible on the concrete. It costs €5.00 per person, with advance booking required through alicanteturismo.com .
The market and tardeo food walk
A guided walk through Mercado Central takes in cured tuna mojama and roe at Salazones Vicente Leal, local sheep cheeses and Iberico ham, finishing at Horchatería Azul on Calle Calderón de la Barca for fresh tiger-nut horchata and sweet fartons. Guided groups run 2.5 hours for €45 to €60 per person; a self-guided Mercado Central tapas walk covers similar ground for travelers who would rather book ahead.
The Cota Cero heritage circuit
The flattest route on this list: Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where a brass plaque at the base of the marble staircase has set mean sea level for mainland Spain since 1874, then Plaza Santísima Faz, the Basílica de Santa María, MACA, the Concatedral de San Nicolás, the giant Ficus trees at Portal de Elche, and the Explanada de España. Two hours, entirely flat, and the only one of the four that works with a pram or wheelchair.
Before you go
Start the fortress climb before 10:00 in summer; the upper ramparts have almost no shade, and stone surface temperatures climb past 40°C by midday. For the city’s museums, which pair naturally with the Cota Cero route, see the attraction tours guide .