Coach Rental Across Spain

Alicante, Up to the Castle and Along the Coast

Alicante is one place where the smaller vehicle opens a door the big coach cannot. The road up to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara is closed to full-size coaches, but a minibus within the size limits may drive up, which spares your group the climb.

The castle on Mount Benacantil

The road up from the Calle Vázquez de Mella is open only to taxis, service vehicles and minibuses up to 8.50 m long and 6,800 kg. Mention the castle when you book, so the operator sends a minibus inside those limits. Larger groups take the lifts that rise through the mountain from the Avenida de Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite the Postiguet beach, or walk up.

Entry closes 40 minutes before the castle does, which is easy to forget at the end of a long day. Plan the visit for the morning, and the rest of the day stays relaxed.

Minibus interior with individual seats
Minibus interior with individual seats

Around the centre

Below the castle, the old Barrio de Santa Cruz climbs the slope around the Basílica de Santa María, and the palm-lined Explanada de España runs along the port. The MARQ, the provincial archaeology museum, is a good choice for a hot afternoon. There is no official list of set-down points, so the operator confirms one close to your plans.

The low-emission ordinance has applied since 1 January 2025 in rings. Real limits apply only in the innermost ring, the Casco Antiguo, which stays reserved for residents, garage owners and authorised vehicles. Elsewhere the city can switch on temporary restrictions during high-pollution episodes only. The operator checks the current position before travel.

Airports for Alicante

Places worth a stop in Alicante

  • Palmeral of Elche — Palm groves of Elche, a UNESCO World Heritage site (inscribed 2000), about 29 km away
  • Isla de Tabarca — Small island reached by boat from Alicante and Santa Pola
  • Barrio de Santa Cruz and the Basílica de Santa María — Old quarter on the slope below the castle
  • MARQ (Museo Arqueológico de Alicante) — The provincial archaeological museum
  • Explanada de España — Palm-lined promenade along the port
  • Castillo de Santa Bárbara — Castle on Mount Benacantil above the city; lifts inside the mountain start on the Avenida de Juan Bautista Lafora, opposite the Postiguet beach

Easy places to be collected

  • Near the airport (Elche / Torrellano)
  • Playa de San Juan
  • Postiguet beach
  • City centre and the Explanada

Palms, islands and mountain villages

Santa Pola, where boats leave for the small island of Tabarca, is about 35 minutes away, and so are the UNESCO-listed palm groves of Elche. Benidorm is about 50 minutes, Altea and Calp around an hour, and the castle village of Guadalest about 1 h 10 min. Inland, Villena and Orihuela take about an hour. Murcia is about 1 h 15 min, Cartagena about 1 h 50 min, and Valencia about 2 h 30 min.

What travellers ask us

Where do we meet the driver at the airport?

Alicante-Elche has no published meeting point for group vehicles, so you fix one with the operator. The airport lies in Elche, about 16 km from the town hall, roughly 25 minutes. Most tour-operator desks are on floor -2, with one in the arrivals hall.

Can a full-size coach drive up to the castle?

No. Only minibuses up to 8.50 m and 6,800 kg, taxis and service vehicles may use the road, so coach groups take the lifts from opposite the Postiguet beach.

We are coming for the Hogueras. Anything to know?

The Hogueras de San Juan fill the city every year around 20 to 24 June, with streets closed in the centre. Pick-up points move outwards, so allow extra walking time and keep the driver's meeting place simple.

More trips we can arrange

Other vehicles with a driver