10 A guide to


Alicante Head to the colourful coastal city for art galleries full of Spanish masterpieces, quirky cocktail bars and revered local rice dishes. Words: Jessica Vincent


In recent years, Alicante has been busy recasting itself as a food and drink hotspot. Pioneering chefs are breathing new life into age-old ingredients, while a fascinating wine route and chic inner-city bars are helping to promote the award- winning local wine industry. Add to this a medieval old town, beautiful waterfront and sweeping beach, and Alicante is rightfully taking its place as one of Spain’s most exciting coastal cities.


Visit Santa Cruz Any trip should start in Santa Cruz, Alicante’s oldest and most beautiful neighbourhood. It’s a labyrinth of steep steps and intricately tiled homes hidden in the cliffs of Mount Benacantil. Scale the narrow, flower- scented streets until you reach the Mirador De Santa Cruz, a viewpoint that takes in the 16th-century fortress Castillo De Santa Bárbara and the blue-domed Concatedral De San Nicolás. Te neighbourhood is also home to MACA (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante), filled with 20th-century Spanish masterpieces by the likes of Dalí and Picasso. Nearby is the Musei De Hogueras, where exhibits celebrate the Bonfires of San Juan, Alicante’s biggest street fiesta, which takes place each summer. concatedralalicante.com maca-alicante.es A 10-minute walk north takes you


to the Mercado Central, where more than 300 stalls sell everything from enormous olives and cured legs of ham to giant wheels of manchego cheese. El Palé, located on the lower floor, serves the best home-smoked fish and cold meat platters in the city, including rosemary-smoked sardines and oak-smoked duck. On Saturday afternoons, locals flock to the market’s surrounding streets (make a beeline for Plaza 25 De Mayo and Calle Poeta Quintana) for a tapas crawl that, if you pace yourself, can see you through to the early hours. mercado-central- alicante.negocio.site


Culinary highlights If you’d rather settle in for dinner, make a reservation at César Anca, a gastro bar focusing on creative sharing plates such as squid filled with mushroom ragout, and grilled liver, served with peach and dark chocolate. Save room for dessert at nearby


ice cream shop Borgonesse, which sells an exquisite turrón ice cream made with origin-protected nougat from nearby Jijona. Afterwards, sip mint-stuffed mojitos from a teapot at El Coscorrón, a jazz bar on Calle Tarifa, wall to wall with graffiti. grupocesaranca.com borgonesse.com One of Alicante’s newest


boutique hotels, the adults-only Casa Alberola is housed inside a beautifully restored neoclassical building. Its minimalist suites include deep freestanding bathtubs and magnificent views of the marina. Here, you can roll out of bed onto the city’s Explanada De España, a 600-metre-long waterfront promenade lined with artisan stalls and al fresco cocktail bars such as Soho Mar. Be sure to swing by Peret, a kiosk that’s been serving horchata (a sweet drink made with tiger nuts) for almost a century. casaalberolahotel.com sohoalicante.com


Head to the coast Te marina is also where you’ll find family-owned Dársena. All the rice dishes here are excellent, but the arroz con gambeta y calamar, served with a prawn head emulsion and fresh-off-the-boat squid, steals the show. From there, sample some of Alicante’s most exciting wines at Urban Wine Shop & Bar, a relaxed cafe-style hangout where you can try before you buy, over platters of locally sourced cheese and meats. If you’re keen to discover more of the local vineyards and bodegas, follow the Ruta Del Vino on a self-guided tour through the Alicante province, or join an organised wine-tasting trip. darsena.com urbanwine.es rutadelvinodealicante.com But it would be remiss to visit


Pioneering chefs are breathing new life into age-old ingredients, while a fascinating wine route and chic inner-city bars are helping to promote the local wine industry


Alicante and not enjoy its most prized asset: the coast. Hop on the hour-long ferry from the city centre to Tabarca, a mile-long island that once served as a refuge for Berber pirates. Alicantinos flock here in the summer to snorkel or paddleboard the pristine coves before heading to Mar Azul for its legendary caldero — a dish of garlicky rockfish stew and rice. marazultabarca.com alicanteturismo.com


First published in the March 2022 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). Read the feature in full online at nationalgeographic. co.uk/travel


SHOPPERS BROWSE THE STALLS ALONG EXPLANADA DE ESPAÑA/ALAMY


9 MAY 2022 THE TRAVEL GUIDE — AN ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE IN


VIEW OF SANTA BÁRBARA CASTLE FROM THE SANTA CRUZ NEIGHBOURHOOD/ALAMY


HORCHATA, A DRINK MADE FROM TIGER NUTS/JIM NORTON


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31