Alicante
City is a growing part of Spain that has a
diverse mix of people and activities. It is a
beautiful place to visit and there is something
for everyone whether you want to relax, party
the night away, go shopping or go sight-seeing.
There is a good harbour with
a variety of bars and restaurants where you can
sail to Tabarca and islands such as Majorca and
Ibiza
History
After long periods of Iberian and Roman
rule, Alicante was conquered by the Moors in AD
713. It became part of the great estate of Al-Andalus
and new ties were established with the vast Islamic
Empire. Alicante's name, Arabic for 'The City
of Light', is one of the remnants from this period.
The Muslim reign lasted until the 13th century
when King Jaime I recaptured the city and made
it part of his newly created Kingdom of Valencia.
Nightlife & Entertainment
There are many places where great
nightlife can be found in Alicante. The old part
of town, called Barrio, is where you will find
the night action for those wishing to either party
the night away or just to socialise and have a
few drinks.
Bars & Discos
Between 11pm and 4am, dozens
of bars and discos open their doors and transform
the normally tranquil streets of the El Barrio
into an energetic mass of bodies and music.
La Mission (Calle Virgen de Belén
9) contains three packed floors of Spaniards dancing
to local beats. Just as big, but a little less
crazy, is La Biblioteca (Calle Montengon 6).
If you like house, drum and base
or hip hop music, try out Ovuca (Calle San José
10). They have fresh DJs every weekend.
Playing a mixture of Spanish
and European dance music is Astrónomo (Calle
Virgen de Belén 22).
A good place to chill out, in
the middle of it all, is Tasca El Coscorrón
(Calle Tarifa 3). Look for the hobbit sized door
with the pillow atop, an obvious improvement over
the ‘watch your head' sign. You can't leave
without trying a Mojito (a chilly concoction of
mint leaves, rum, sugar, and lemon).
Around 4am, a slow and steady
migration occurs towards El Puerto (the port).
Here, large modern clubs pump out the dance music
until 6am. Puerto Di Roma takes over where La
Mission left off in El Barrio, while Potato pulls
in house music fans. A good mix of music can be
found at Directo Café.
The cosy bar Coscorrón,
Calle Tarifa 3, serves the best mint-infused mojitos
in town, while LaHavana, in Rambla de Méndez
Núñez 26, is one of the most popular
bars. TheLittleDuke, Calle Doctor Gadea 9, is
a typical Irish pub.
Down in the port area, relaxing cafés
double up as crowded clubs every night: AyCarmela,
Muelle de Levante, 6 bloque 1 local 3, plays popular
Spanish music, while a few doors down, elPuertodiRoma
is the biggest bar in this area. All the clubs
in the port are open until the sun comes up.
Bus
The Alicante city bus station. Alicante's
bus station (tel 96-513-07-00) is primarily served
by Alsa Enatcar (tel 90-242-22-42, www.alsa.es).
Ticket window 2 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.
Train
Destinations from the main train station,
RENFE Estación de Madrid (tel 90-224-02-02,
www.renfe.es), include 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). This is
the main line for trains between Alicante - Madrid,
Alicante - Murcia, and Alicante - Valencia.
Banks and ATM's
Money Banks and ATM's are scattered throughout
Alicante. To change travellers cheques, your best
option is the BBVA (Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio
12) next to the Mercado Central. Western Union
is available at the main post office (see Post
& Communications).
Laundry
Strangely, there is a complete absence
of public laundry facilities. However, most Alicante
accommodation options will do your laundry for
about €6 a load.
Medical Services &
Emergency
In case of an emergency, dial tel 112
for police, fire or ambulance. Hospital de Alicante
(tel 96-593-83-00, Calle Maestro Alonso 109) is
1.6 km north of the Mercado Central. |
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