Alicante Day Trips by Ferry, Rail or Road
Alicante’s train station, tram terminus and ferry dock all sit within a ten-minute walk of each other, which is a genuinely unusual advantage: six distinct day trips, each reachable on a different mode of transport, none requiring a rental car.
Isla de Tabarca, by boat
Spain’s smallest permanently inhabited island is 1,800 meters long, walled, and was founded by Carlos III as a refuge for Genoese captives rescued from Tabarka, Tunisia. Cruceros Kontiki catamarans leave Puerto de Alicante at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:15, a 50 to 60 minute crossing, €23 to €25 for an open return; a Tabarca cruise with lunch bundles the crossing with a sit-down meal. On the island, snorkel the marine reserve (Spain’s first, from 1986), walk the scrub isthmus out to the 19th-century lighthouse, and eat caldero tabarquino, a two-course rockfish stew followed by saffron rice cooked in the same broth, at a beachfront restaurant like Restaurante Gloria. A taxi-boat from Santa Pola marina is the shorter alternative, 15 minutes each way for €12 to €15.
Elche, by train
Renfe Cercanías line C-1 runs from Alicante-Terminal to Elx Parc in 25 minutes for €2.05 to €2.60, cheaper and less hassle than driving into a city with limited parking. Elche’s Palmeral is Europe’s largest palm oasis, over 200,000 date palms planted under Muslim rule in the 10th century and UNESCO-listed since 2000. Pay the €6 to see the eight-armed Imperial Palm in the Huerto del Cura botanical garden, then walk to the Baroque Basílica de Santa María, stage for the medieval Misteri d’Elx drama each August.
Villajoyosa and Altea, by tram
TRAM Line 1 from Luceros reaches Villajoyosa in 45 minutes for €2.80, a fishing town of pastel-painted houses, originally colored so returning fishermen could spot their own homes from the water. The free guided tour and tasting at Museo del Chocolate Valor is worth timing around, and tramalicante.es has the current L1 timetable. Push on to Altea, a clifftop white village under the blue-tiled dome of Nuestra Señora del Consuelo, by transferring at Benidorm onto the L9 diesel train; total journey time from Alicante runs about 1 hour 25 minutes.
Guadalest and the Algar waterfalls, by car
Castell de Guadalest sits 60 kilometers northwest, its entrance cut through a tunnel in sheer rock, overlooking a turquoise reservoir. Nearby, Fuentes del Algar has natural spring pools carved by the Algar River, €5 entry, with mandatory reservations in July and August through lasfuentesdelalgar.com . Both are an hour’s drive via the AP-7 and CV-70, or bookable as a coach excursion through GetYourGuide for €35 to €48.
Coves del Canelobre, by car or taxi
A 30-minute drive northeast to Busot reaches this karst cave system at 700 meters in the Sierra del Cabeçó d’Or, where a 70-meter cavern known as the cathedral has hosted concerts for its acoustics. Entry is €7.
Jijona, the turrón town
25 kilometers north, Jijona is Spain’s center for Christmas nougat. The Museo del Turrón at the El Lobo / 1880 factory walks through almond harvesting and historic packaging machinery for €3, with live production visible from June through November.
Check Cruceros Kontiki directly for Tabarca sailing times before you plan the rest of the day around it; missing the last return leaves you stuck on an island with no evening ferry. For inland routes strung together over several days rather than one, see the multi-day trips guide .