When is the best time to visit?
Peak Season:
The high season runs from May to October, and Benidorm is most crowded and at its hottest in July and August. Visitors throng the area, overcrowding the town, and making accommodations hard to find and flights a bit more expensive.
National Day is October 12 when the Spanish are also on holiday.
Off Season:
Even though winter is a popular time, prices are lower and flights cheaper than in summer and it is easier to find a rental for an extended period of time. However, many of the bars, restaurants and attractions are closed over this period.
Fallas is celebrated throughout the Valencian region of Spain, including Benidorm, where it is considered to be its most internationally known festival. To mark this occasion, there are street parties, parades and individuals wearing spectacular costumes. The festival lasts for five days and finishes with specially built giant paper mache monuments being set on fire. This celebration symbolises the welcoming of spring.
In November, a fiesta is held for one week, in honour of Benidorm's Patron Saints, who are the Virgin of the Suffrage and Saint James the Apostle. To celebrate this occasion, there are processions, fireworks displays, flower offering, a parade of floats and live music. Festivities go well into the night, some for practically 24 hours a day. It is recommended to book flights in advance for the festival.
Why visit?
High-rise Benidorm is one of the most important holiday resorts in Spain. Each year millions of tourists seek flights to the city. In the 1950s it pioneered mass tourism, deciding to build up into the blue sky and leave lots of space for parks and pools and outdoor spaces rather than sprawling outwards. This way, visitors have short strolls to the beach and beautiful sea views.
The hot sun is beating down most of the year, there are two wonderful beaches, "W" in shape, and sparkling waters The Old Town sits on the promontory between the sweeping beaches.
There is an abundance of pubs and clubs and restaurants serving anything from tapas to all-day breakfasts.
Back to top
Getting from the Airport to the CityBenidorm doesn’t have its own airport but is served by Alicante Airport (ALC), located 36 miles away. Many hotels organise airport transfer or you can pre-book a private or shared shuttle. Car rental companies also operate from the airport.
Back to top
Benidorm is small enough to get around on foot. There is a local bus operating a service around the city as well.
Back to top
- If you’re visiting Benidorm at the height of the tourist season and want to spend the day at one of the town’s two beaches, arrive early to grab a spot on the sand.
- You can pick up souvenirs just about anywhere you choose: from the many gift shops, from the touts wandering the beach, from the hotel lobbies… One of the more enjoyable places to visit though is the outdoor market. Held every Wednesday and Sunday in the market square in the new town, it’s the place to buy clothes, leather, art or sunglasses. Further out of town, but also worth a visit is the Flea Market, El Cisne. It’s held at the weekends only and you can get there either by taxi or on the number 10 bus to Altea.
- If you don’t decide to stop off at the flea market but keep going to Altea itself you’ll be pleasantly surprised. A much more “real” town than its neighbour Benidorm, Altea has great beaches and some beautiful old buildings – though the town is now undergoing a similar kind of construction that started in Benidorm in the 1960s and led to the huge array of skyscrapers. Many who fly to Benidorm also like to visit Altea.
- Sample some churros – a Spanish speciality similar to a straight doughnut. It’s a deep-fried pastry which is popular in Spain and particularly the Valencia region.
- One of Benidorm's top tourist attractions is Terra Mitica, a theme park with Europe's longest wooden rollercoaster. Another is Terra Natura, a new-generation wildlife park on 320,000 square metres with four themed areas: Pangea, America, Asia and Europe.
Back to top
Content Manager at Cheapflights whose travel life can be best summed up as BC (before children) and PC (post children). We only travel during the school holidays so short-haul trips and staycations are our specialities!