Regions & Cities
Discovering Alicante
By Alfonso Ballesteros
Dec 3, 2003, 03:01

The Santa Barbara Castle, Alicante

Alicante's exceptional location between the mountains and the sea provides the city with a special kind of enrapturing beauty. This typical Spanish city, wherever one roams, is pervaded with the taste of the sea, playing its deeply-felt role as a seaport, as it has always done.

If you've ever dreamed of castles in Spain, Alicante is that dream come true. The brooding Moorish castle of Santa Barbara looms over this seaside city on the "Costa Blanca", Spain's shining southeast coast, an ever-present reminder of the city's ancient roots.

Below the castle hill are the narrow, winding streets of Santa Cruz, the "old town," and along the harbour, a point of departure for North Africa and Mallorca, runs the palm-fringed Esplanada de Espaņa, wonderful for strolling, people watching, and contemplation.

Alicante enjoys a wonderful climate year round, its splendid beaches winning the Blue Flag Awards from the Eurpean Union every year.

With 500,000 inhabitants, Alicante offers the advantages of a medium-sized city, in an exceptional location, with a wonderful cultural life and such fascinating age-old traditions as the festivals of the 'Moors and Christians'.

Finally, the atmosphere in Alicante is very international, people from all around the world come here to learn Spanish. So, if you are interested in a language holiday, Alicante is the ideal destination.

For information about Spanish courses in Alicante, contact Alicante International

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