First Time Visitor Guide to Costa Blanca

Two international airports serve the southern Costa Blanca. Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC) is the main one — a busy, efficient modern terminal used by Ryanair, EasyJet, Jet2, TUI, Vueling, BA and dozens of European carriers. It handles nearly 18 million passengers a year and has flights from almost every UK, Irish and central European city. Driving time to Torrevieja is 40–45 minutes along the AP-7 motorway.

Murcia International Airport (RMU) is the alternative. It opened in 2019 replacing the old San Javier airport, and although it’s smaller it’s actually closer to Orihuela Costa, Campoamor, Cabo Roig and Pilar de la Horadada — around 25–30 minutes by car. Ryanair operates the most RMU routes, with fewer alternatives.

Our honest recommendation: compare prices on both airports when booking. Sometimes Murcia is £80 cheaper for the same day, sometimes Alicante is. Don’t just default to Alicante.

You have four realistic options for getting from the airport to your holiday rental.

Pre-booked private transfer is what 80% of our guests choose. Book online before you fly and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall holding your name. Typical cost: €40–€50 for up to 4 people from Alicante to Torrevieja, €55–€70 for larger vehicles. You skip the taxi queue, the driver knows the address, and prices are fixed.

Airport taxi from the rank is fine but more expensive — €65–€75 to Torrevieja from Alicante, typically. Meters are regulated and you will get a receipt.

Car hire makes sense if you want to explore. Book online in advance (never at the desk) and budget €20–€35/day off-season, €40–€70/day in August. Always decline the excess insurance at the desk and buy it online beforehand for a fraction of the price.

Public bus is the cheapest but slow — ALSA runs a direct service from Alicante airport to Torrevieja for around €5 one-way, taking about 75 minutes.

For a first trip we steer most guests towards central Torrevieja or Orihuela Costa. Both have Blue Flag beaches, plenty of restaurants, English spoken everywhere, and a good range of apartments and villas to suit any budget. Central Torrevieja is best if you want to be able to walk everywhere — beach, supermarket, marina, old town, tapas bars all within 10 minutes on foot.

Orihuela Costa is better if you want a villa with a private pool and don’t mind driving (or walking 15 minutes) to reach amenities. The coves here — Punta Prima, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig and Campoamor — are some of the prettiest on the coast. La Zenia Boulevard, the area’s big open-air shopping centre, is free and handy on a rainy day.

For quieter trips, La Mata (5 km north of Torrevieja) and Guardamar del Segura are both excellent — more Spanish in character, beautiful beaches, and better value for long stays.

Pack light. Everything you forget can be bought cheaply at any local supermarket or the La Zenia Boulevard shops. A few essentials that first-timers often miss:

• High-factor sunscreen (SPF 30–50). The UV index is regularly 9–11 in summer and “British summer” sunscreen is not strong enough.
• Reef shoes or jelly shoes if you plan to swim at rocky calas like Cala Ferris or Cala Capitán.
• A light jacket or long-sleeved top. Even in August, air-conditioned restaurants can be surprisingly cold, and October–April evenings drop to 12–15°C.
• A power adapter — Spain uses the European two-pin Type F plug.
• EHIC / GHIC card for UK visitors — still valid in Spain and gives you access to public healthcare.
• A refillable water bottle. Most apartments have jug filters or bottled water supplied; fountains in public parks are also drinkable.

Don’t bother packing beach towels unless you have room — every rental on our books supplies them, and if not, a decent beach towel costs €6 at any supermarket.

Language: Spanish is the national language and Valencian (a dialect of Catalan) is co-official in the Valencia region. In Torrevieja and the resort coast you can get by perfectly in English — menus are multilingual, waiters switch languages without blinking, and most shop staff speak at least basic English. A few Spanish words are always appreciated though: hola (hello), gracias (thanks), por favor (please), una cerveza por favor (a beer please), la cuenta (the bill).

Currency: Spain is on the euro. ATMs are everywhere (look for Caixabank, Santander, BBVA) and charge around €2–€3.50 for non-Spanish cards. Card payments are accepted almost everywhere, including market stalls. €100 cash in your wallet is more than enough for most trips.

Tipping in Spain is much lighter than in the UK or US. Rounding up or leaving €1–€2 per person at a decent restaurant is fine; 10% is very generous. No tip is expected for a coffee at the bar or a short taxi ride.

A few Spanish habits catch first-time visitors off guard. The most famous is the siesta: most smaller shops and many businesses close between around 2pm and 5pm every day and reopen in the evening. Big supermarkets and tourist shops in resort areas stay open, but the ferretería (hardware shop), the local butcher, and many independent boutiques will have their shutters down. Adjust your shopping to the morning (9am–1.30pm) or the evening (5pm–8.30pm).

Mealtimes are genuinely later than you’re used to. Spanish lunch is 2pm–4pm and is traditionally the main meal of the day. Dinner rarely starts before 8.30pm, and 9.30pm or even 10pm is perfectly normal. Restaurants in tourist areas compromise and open at 7pm, but you’ll see locals arriving two hours later. Embrace it — having a proper siesta yourself and eating at 9.30pm is part of the holiday.

Sundays are very quiet. Most smaller shops close completely, and many restaurants only open for lunch.

Free tapas with drinks still happens at traditional Spanish bars — order a caña (small beer) and you’ll often get a free olive or tostada. It’s a lovely tradition that’s dying out in tourist areas but alive in inland villages.

1. A sunset walk along Torrevieja’s Paseo Vista Alegre. The promenade runs from the marina to Playa del Cura and the whole coast goes pink around 8.30pm in summer. Finish with an ice cream at Dino Gelato or a caña at one of the seafront terraces.
2. The pink salt lakes of Torrevieja. Las Salinas are a protected natural park and the water turns genuinely pink from the carotene in the Dunaliella algae. A 6 km free walking trail loops around the lake. Best at late afternoon.
3. Friday morning market in Torrevieja. One of the biggest weekly markets in Spain — hundreds of stalls along the Avenida Delfina Viudes selling everything from fruit to leather belts. Go early (before 11am) and haggle politely.
4. A proper seafront arrocería lunch. Order arroz a banda or arroz del senyoret for two people at any of the rice-specialist restaurants along the seafront. Budget €20 per person including wine and coffee.
5. A day trip to Guadalest and the Algar waterfalls. An hour and a half’s drive inland to a cliff-top village with a castle carved into the rock, then on to the natural pools at Fuentes del Algar for a swim. One of the best day trips in the region.