Alicante / The verdict
Are Alicante's Explanada and old town worth it?
Alicante's two free highlights sit next to each other: the palm-lined Explanada with its 6.6 million marble tesserae, and the whitewashed Santa Cruz lanes climbing the hill under the castle. Do both in one stroll, then come back at night when the old town flips to nightlife.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team.
The Alicante story
Alicante earns its keep the quiet way: a working Spanish city first and a resort second, where Santa Barbara castle looks down on the palm-tiled Explanada and the whitewashed Santa Cruz quarter climbs the hillside behind it. The package crowds stay up the coast in Benidorm, which leaves the tapas bars around the Central Market and the lanes of the old town to actual Alicantinos, with Postiguet beach at the end of the promenade and the long sand of San Juan a tram ride north.
The verdict in 30 seconds
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Alicante's two free highlights sit next to each other: the palm-lined Explanada with its 6.6 million marble tesserae, and the whitewashed Santa Cruz lanes climbing the hill under the castle. Do both in one stroll, then come back at night when the old town flips to nightlife.
Go if
- first-timers who want the postcard Alicante in a single afternoon
- photographers after the mosaic walkway and the blue-potted lanes
- travelers on a budget; everything here is free
Skip if
- stairs are a hard no; Santa Cruz climbs steeply and the lanes are steps
- you want a quiet bar crawl; the nightlife quarter now runs under an acoustic-saturation crackdown
What it costs
- Explanada, old town and Santa Cruz: €0 (public spaces; the Ermita viewpoint, the basilica and the co-cathedral are free to enter). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 14 traveler reports (Feb 2025 to Apr 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 2 were negative.
What people like
- Santa Cruz lanes called the most picturesque corner of the city, like an Andalusian village dropped on the hillside (5 of 14 reports)
- the Explanada's wave mosaic singled out as the city's signature (3 of 14 reports)
- the free Ermita viewpoint praised as the best overlooked lookout (3 of 14 reports)
What people complain about
- nightlife crowds and noise in El Barrio, now answered by an acoustic crackdown (4 of 14 reports)
- steep stairs and hard-to-find access to Santa Cruz (3 of 14 reports)
- loved features removed or worn: the artisan stalls relocated and the Mushroom Street torn up for repaving (2 of 14 reports)
How to do it right
- Walk the Explanada end to end first: about 500 meters of wave-patterned marble under 400 palm trees, from Puerta del Mar toward Canalejas park.
- Then climb into Santa Cruz from Plaza del Carmen; Calle San Rafael is the photogenic lane of whitewashed houses and potted plants.
- Aim for the Ermita de Santa Cruz chapel at the top of the neighborhood for the best free view over the rooftops to the sea.
- Walk back down through the old town to the Basilica de Santa Maria and the baroque town hall facade on the plaza.
- Detour one block to Calle San Francisco, the Mushroom Street, a 15-minute photo stop that reopened in spring 2026 after a full repaving and mushroom restoration.
The trap to avoid
The old town looks flat on the map and is not. Santa Cruz is all stairs and slopes, so the smart order is up through the lanes to the Ermita viewpoint, then down toward the basilica rather than the other way. The other trap is timing: El Barrio is sleepy and photogenic by day but is the city's nightlife core after dark, now under an acoustic-saturation zone that has halved terraces and moved closing to 12:30 am, so the party vibe is deliberately capped.
What to do instead
Why this verdict
The Explanada and the old town are Alicante’s soul, and they cost nothing. Reports are unusually aligned: the wave-tiled promenade is the city’s signature, and the Santa Cruz lanes above it are the prettiest quarter visitors find by accident.
Start on the seafront. The Explanada runs about 500 meters along the marina, paved in the 1950s with 6.6 million marble tesserae in red, cream and black waves, shaded by hundreds of palms. The artisan stalls that crowded it for decades moved to the port in 2025, which returned the walkway to its open, uncluttered look.
Then climb. Barrio de Santa Cruz sits on the slope under the castle: whitewashed houses, blue-potted walls and long staircases that feel more Andalusian village than beach city. Calle San Rafael is the postcard lane; the Ermita de Santa Cruz chapel at the top is the free viewpoint most visitors miss. The climb is real, so take it slowly and drop back down through the old town past the Basilica de Santa Maria and the town hall square. One block off the Explanada, the Mushroom Street makes a 15-minute photo stop, freshly repaved with its giant mushrooms restored in spring 2026.
Timing and tickets
Nothing here tickets. Go early or at golden hour for the mosaic in good light; by day Santa Cruz is sleepy and photogenic. After dark the picture flips: El Barrio is the city’s nightlife core, and since November 2025 it has been an acoustically saturated zone. Terraces were halved, closing moved to 12:30 am and three venues now face suspension after 198 noise reports. Come for the evening atmosphere, but do not expect the wild bar crawl the quarter once had.
Book or check times
Questions
What is the Explanada de Espana?
Alicante's seafront promenade: about 500 meters of walkway paved in the 1950s with 6.6 million red, cream and black marble tesserae in a wave pattern, shaded by hundreds of palms beside the marina.
Where is Alicante's old town?
Climb from the Explanada into Barrio de Santa Cruz, the whitewashed quarter on the slopes under Santa Barbara Castle. It is the oldest part of the city and the most photogenic.
Is the old town hard to walk?
Expect steep lanes and long staircases. It is a real climb, so go slowly, carry water in summer and take the downhill direction on the way back through the basilica area.
What happened to the hippie market on the Explanada?
The artisan stalls that lined the promenade for decades were evicted in February 2025 and now trade at the port beside the Lonja exhibition hall; the walkway itself has returned to an uncluttered look.
Is the old town good at night?
El Barrio is the city's nightlife quarter, but it has been an acoustically saturated zone since late 2025: terraces halved, earlier closing and fines for loud venues. Expect a tamer night out than the reputation suggests.
How long do I need?
Two to three hours covers the Explanada, the climb through Santa Cruz to the Ermita viewpoint and the walk down via the basilica and town hall square.