If you are in the area, this is a must see. You are welcome…read moreto be adventurous and walk up the road or take an elevator. This 16th century castle overlooks all of Alicante. Great architecture, history and fantastic picture opportunities. Enjoy!

9th century Muslim castle atop a 170m high hill accessible by walking, lift (closed during…read morepandemic) or car (no parking during pandemic). The approach and descent from the hill is gorgeous with hilltop residences lining one side, and stairs/ramps on another. There is a restaurant up there with spectacular views at sunset but is currently closed due to the pandemic. The bar closer to the top is open serving ice creams and beer. Free admission. There are trees atop this fortress.

This is a DUPLICATE of the existing Yelp listing here -- https://yelp.to/lZWSyRet3P…read more This UNESCO World Heritage Site is something I'd only vaguely heard of prior to researching for this trip. I'm embarrassed that Americans don't seem to be more familiar with this amazing city and it's Palmeral planted in Roman times, improved by Moors and enjoyed for centuries in the farming of dates. Prior to our visit I couldn't really decipher from maps where the Palmeral actually was within the city. It wasn't until we got there that we could see there are just palms EVERYWHERE and the city basically IS the Palmeral. Yes, there is an official park space with signage, big Spanish flag, groomed landscape and extensive paved paths. However, to miss the ravine area adjacent to the main park is to miss A LOT! We arrived at lunch time, hungry, so our restaurant location fed us into the ravine area before we could work our way to the park proper. The ravine is just out of a dream. It was something to paint, to sit and stare at for days, just so intense and incredible. This city should be so much more well-known, it's fantastic and I need to go back and spend more time. I definitely recommend dedicating at least 3 hours to wandering the length of the ravine. It has up to 3 levels of trails at certain points, meaning street level gets super high up as the ravine gets deep, then trail level, then the riverbed is a dry paved area with small channel in it for permanent water flow. But the paved riverbed is painted with vibrant colorful murals and the locals use it as las ramblas, taking dogs, strollers, bikes, etc down for their daily exercise. While the ravine seems to be the sporty exercise area, the formal park is more for nanny excursions and lunch hour in nature. Everyone there was more dressed up and out for a city folk type stroll. There are waterfowl in one area that had extra temp fencing up--thank God--which made me feel better with recent Bird Flu concerns. Many public art sculptures, statues of historic Spanish figures, and creative water fountains and hardscaping. Plenty of seating every so many meters, as well. There are Palmeral tours which I wish we'd been able to schedule but scheduling was off during Semana Santa. This is definitely something I want to do next time! They show you the process of date harvesting and even offer the option to climb a palm tree (with gear)! Just an absolutely stunning place to visit! Well worthy of UNESCO's recognition!

This is the location of the white palms market, which is held only 2 days per year leading up to…read moreElche's Palm Sunday religious parades. I admire the Spanish in the way they approach faith via tradition. Considering how historically significant and unique Elche is in making these palm emblems, it is a wonder to me that this market isn't more well known and featured on a multitude of travel shows. Honestly all I could find were mostly Spanish language videos ahead of my trip. I just can't say enough about how amazing this tradition is, both for its religious significance as well as its folk artistry, which to me is just absolutely museum-worthy! Having seen so much footage of these fretfully reincarnated palms in the Semana Santa parades, I began crying when I saw the market, I was so excited and moved. The square itself is beautiful with the gorgeous city hall looking like a fancy castle, and the palms and hint of the Palmeral ravine at the far end. Truly a breathtaking spot to repose and enjoy a drink or snack. The palmas blancas are sold cash only due to the pop-up nature of the market. The Spanish have caught up to us in c-card use at all retail stores but they have yet to embrace the payment apps we have at street markets in the US.

This is an awesome park with paved and unpaved paths winding up a hill. At the top is a lighthouse…read moreand a magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea and the town of Altea. It was so much fun to run! I want to go back and explore more! There's a section of the park overlooking the ocean where during certain times of the year, you can see dolphins swimming. It's also not too far from the boardwalk in Altea for someone who wants to take a stroll or run along the beach!

The Castillo de Santa Barbara is like a huge historic fort located right next to the amazingly…read morebeautiful ocean. The entrance to the top of the Castillo though is quite interesting. You have to get in a lift, then walk through tunnels, dungeons and bridges. When you get up there, you will see pretty well-maintained Castillo. It's pretty touristy, but the view overlooking the whole city from the top is quite amazing. Definitely a must-stop when you are in Alicante.

I've never been to a castle like this before in my life, there is so much to do up there ! At first…read moreI thought it looked boring but once I went up I didn't wanna go back down its beautiful especially going just at the sunset