Alicante is a province located in eastern Spain, on the Costa Blanca. It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east.
The Iberians were the oldest documented people living in the Alicante province. The area has also been home to the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and the Moors. The latter giving Alicante its name, Alicante is Arabic for "city of lights". Later the territory became under the control of the Kingdom of Valencia, which was a component Kingdom of the Crown of Aragon.
In the Spanish Civil War Alicante was the last city loyal to the Republican government to be occupied by General Franco's troops on April 1, 1939, and its harbour saw the last Republican government officials fleeing the country. Alicante was the target of some vicious air bombings during the three years of civil conflict, including the bombing by the Italian Aviazione Legionaria of the Mercado de Abastos in May 25, 1938 in which more than 300 civilians perished.
Summers are very long, hot to very hot and very dry, winters are cool to mild. Rainfall is very scarce, typically below 300mm. per year and most likely to happen during spring and autumn.
There are important saline wetlands and marshlands along the coast such El Fondó and the former wetlands and now salt evaporation ponds in Santa Pola and Torrevieja. The Alicante province is important for both migratory and resident seabirds and waterbirds.
Important coastal dunes are present in the Guardamar area which were planted with thousands of pine trees during the 19th century in order to protect the ville from the dunes advancing, which has created now an area of remarkable ecologic value.
Fishing is important all along the coast, with important fishing harbours such as Santa Pola, Calpe and Denia.
Alicante has an international airport, El Altet, linking to to both other Spanish airports and major European cities. The following European carriers fly from Alicante; Jet2.com, Monarch Airlines, Globespan, Ryanair and Air Berlin
The currency is the Euro. Standard EU regulations cover passport and visa requirements. Electricity is 220v.
In addition to numerous anchorages, the following can be visited on your yacht charter, the city of Alicante itself, the towns of Cartagena, Denia, Torrevieja and Benidorm. The inland sea known as the Mar Menor is also worth a visit.
Alicante is a historic Mediterranean port and traded in rice, wine, olive oil, oranges and wool. Today most goods go through the port of Valencia to the north but the harbour at Alicante is one of the most important ports in Spain for cruises ships
Visit the the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which sits high above the city.
There are a number of notable museums in Alicante. Archaeological Museum of Alicante shed light on history of the region, presenting artifacts from 100,000 years ago up until 19th century. The archaeological museum won the European Museum of the Year award in 2004. On exhibition in Gravina Museum of Fine Arts there are painting and sculptures of Alicante from 16th century to 19th century.
The most important festival, the Bonfires of Saint John, takes place during the summer solstice. This is followed a week later by seven nights of firework and pyrotechnic contests between companies on the urban beach Playa del Postiguet. Another well-known festival is Moros y Cristianos in Altozano or San Blas district. Overall, the city boasts a year-round nightlife, helped by tourists, fun-loving residents, and a large student population of the University of Alicante. The nightlife social scene tends to shift to nearby Playa de San Juan (St. John's Beach) during the summer months.
Every summer in Alicante, a two-month-long programme of music, theatre and dance is staged in the Paseo del Puerto.
For detailed reports on harbours and marinas in Alicante see here
Weather for the Yacht Charter Area of Alicante
