|
|
Find the best Costa Blanca accomodation and car hire here online!
|
|
|
|
Search for the best
car rental
deals in Costa Blanca |
|
|
 |
 Town transport |
 |
Airports
Alicante Airport (ALC)
Intriguingly there has to be a gateway to the gateway to paradise. Alicante's Internacional El Altet Airport directly connects the city all over Europe, with scheduled flights from all major points and cities in the continent such as London, Paris and Rome as well as domestic destinations like Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza. Many international scheduled flights are usually served by British Airways, SAS, Swiss, Aer Lingus, Easyjet, Go, Monarch, Condor and Air Berlin. Aside from that, these airlines also provide for chartered flights.
Laden with clean, dainty halls and marble floors, The El Altet International Airport is 10 km (6 miles) southwest of Alicante's city center.
One of the biggest airports for charter flights in Spain, there are also daily domestic flights to Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza City via Iberia, Spanair, Air Europa and Air Nostrum. There are also a couple of flights a week to Bilbao and Tenerife. As many as 11 flights take off from Madrid every day, plus there are about three flights per week from Seville, and three weekly from Barcelona.
The airport has convenient facilities within the vicinity, even including bars, restaurants and fast food outlets, and several shops, including duty free. Nearby are ATMs and currency exchange facilities. For first class passengers, a VIP lounge offers fax, photocopying and Internet capabilities. Facilities for the disabled are well and sufficient - those with special needs are advised to inform their airline or travel agent in advance.
|
|
Luggage at Alicante Airport
A traveler should always take extra precaution against damaged or lost luggage. If luggage is missing, one should go through a standard procedure of filling in a form, which is also available in English, and let them know where one will stay. A driver from Alicante airport will normally get luggage the next day to the party concerned.
One should not offer to pick it up on his or her own. Not to worry, they will deliver. An emergency bag - a survival package - covers at least the basic needs (clothing, etc.) in exchange for the lost item/s.
One should always check luggage for any damage.
Check - and double check - particularly handles and wheels seem to get damaged quite a lot. If luggage has been damaged, the "luggage claim desk" inside the arrival hall would assist the predicament. One should not leave the building prior - the counter is directly located 20 feet away from the luggage belt. The personnel will take charge of the damage. A printed form will be given which one should promptly send to the airline concerned afterwards.
Bus
One of the most efficient ways to travel around short and long distances in Alicante is the city’s reliable public bus transportation system. Buses regularly ply on the good connecting road every 30 minutes or so for the main bus station in Alicante.
There are about fifteen buses connecting the city everyday to the airport. The fare is about 1.05€ ($1.20). Close to the harbor, Calle Portugal serves as terminus for 17 different bus lines from various parts of Costa Blanca. A wide range of different bus companies operate from this bus station and offer connections to all over Spain. Most of these buses are charter carriers and every hour, there is service from Benidorm and from Valencia. Buses even depart to and fro Madrid, normally a 5 to 6 hour trip. Alsa Enatcar is the Alicante bus station’s foremost bus service. For tickets, one should proceed to Ticket Window 2 which covers most destinations, including Murcia (1 hour, €4.28, up to 19 daily), Valencia (3 hours, €12.95, 13 daily), Almería (4½ hours, €17.11, five daily), Madrid (5 hours, €21.67, seven daily), Granada (5½ hours, €22.05, eight daily), Barcelona (9 hours, €32.46, 12 daily) and Sevilla (10 hours, €38.43, one daily, 11.45pm) via Cordoba. Much slower ones traverse through coastal towns in Costa Blanca such as Benidorm (1 hour). Other long distance destinations include Madrid (4.5 hours).
As of February 2004, a new direct busline from Alicante Airport to Benidorm has been constructed.
Alicante Airport Bus to downtown Alicante:
Line C-6, Bus stop 30 at Alicante Airport,
Cheap - only about 0, 90 Euro to downtown
Slow - needs up to 40 Minutes to Alicante Center
Timetable - comes usually every 45 Minutes to pick you up at the airport
|
|
Taxi
Outside the Arrivals section of the airport, taxis are readily available. Usually taking only 20 minutes, the journey from the airport to the town center only takes. If one is on package tour, the operators usually pre-arrange transport.
Well represented at the airport, car rental companies Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar and National are worth booking. Choosing to pickup and drop off rental cars at the airport, rather than at an off-site location could be arranged in advance.
|
|
Train
Alicante should be very accessible from a multitude of cities through its good railway system. Around twelve trains make the 2 hour trip from Valencia daily, eight trains from Barcelona (3 - 6 hours), and 12 from Madrid (4 hours), every day.
The RENFE Estación de Madrid, the main train station, has trains running back and forth to key Spanish destinations as Murcia (80 minutes, €4.80 - €12.50, up to 23 daily), Valencia (1½ to 2¼ hours, €8.80 - €21.50, up to 10 daily), Madrid (3½ to 4 hours, €29.50 - €34, seven daily) and Barcelona (4½ to 5½ hours, €37 - €41, eight daily). Usually this line is for trains between Alicante - Madrid, Alicante - Murcia, and Alicante - Valencia. The RENFE office is located at the Estación Alicante, Avenida Salamanca.
Every thirty minutes or so, a tram plies north towards as far El Campello, where the trenet, called the little train, takes over. This is via the rail service of Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat Valenciana, of which such trains ply along at times scenically stunning coastal routes. The train runs to Denia via Playa de San Juan, Benidorm and Calpe. Every hour, the trains reach as far as Altea and every two hours to Denia.
The southern terminus of the FGV train line, the Estación de la Marina, is the terminal for trains running between coastal stops such as Alicante - Altea, Alicante - Benidorm, Alicante - Denia etc. Between 6 am and 8 pm daily these trains run up the Costa Blanca every hour to Altea (1½ hours, €3.65) via Benidorm (1¼ hours, €2.95). They continue for the second hour to Denia (2¼ hours, €6.60) via Calpe (1¾ hours, €4.50). Trains run through nighttime, during the summer. There is also a free tram connecting the station with Plaza Puerta Mar.
|
|
Ferry
Relative to the security issues in Algeria, a ferry regularly ambles across the Mediterranean to the town of to Oran (Algeria).
Via Valearia, three ferries run daily back and forth Ibiza departing from Estació Marítim, Puerto de Denia. The trip takes 4 hours.
Parking rates at the airport are as follows:
Per hour: EUR 0.75
Per day: EUR 7.25
In case one lives in Alicante most of the time, long term parking providers are available. One need not buy a parking ticket, if someone drives to the airport.
Mostly located around the airport area, the providers’ prices are lower compared to the airport and they sometimes offer extra service (shuttle to airport etc.)
|
|
Roberto Torrellano (Ptda. Bacarot) 609 614 297 / 965 11 27 20
Claus Parking 965 68 09 41
Global Cars 966 49 03 56
Lucadi 965 68 75 10
Parking "Oskars" 965 68 52 00
Royal Parking 965 68 33 60
New Parking "El Altet" 965 97 02 97
Aupa parking 965 68 77 16
|
|
Check-in at Alicante airport
Alicante airport is a small one. The check-in counters are all located in the same area.
Air Algerie 965 688 200
Air Berlin 965 683 848
Aero Lloyd
Air Europa 971 178 100
Braathens 966 919 314
British Airways 966 919 472
Crossair 966 919 447
Hapag Lloyd 966 919 560
Iberia 966 919 170
Khalifa Airways 966 919 518
LTU 966 919 348
Thomas Cook (Condor) 966 919 314
Monarch Airlines 966 919 314
Spanair 966 919 402
S.A.S. 965 682 530
Transavia / KLM 965 682 410
|
|
Shopping at the airport
Divers - Sweets 966 919 253
Gran Bouquet 966 919 539
Shoetopia 966 919 244
Shopping in Store 965 680 538
Aldeasa (Travel Value & Duty Free) 965 680 538
Divers 966 919 253
Crystal Music 966 919 533
News and Books 966 919 099
Relay 966 919 099
Alicantón (Gift Shop)
Warner Bros (Gift Shop) 966 919 539
Estanco (Tabakshop) (open 10h to 14h and 16h to 20h) 966 919 352
|
|
Restaurants at the airport
Bill Bentley Pub 966 919 025
Cafetería Recyg 966 919 313
Haagen Dazs 966 919 027
Plantaciones 966 919 261
Autoservicio Mediterráneo 966 919 261
Burger King 966 919 025
Restaurante El Palmeral 966 919 261
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Other relevant Travel Guides |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
