Alicante is about an hour and a quarter south of Dénia by car, or a longer run on the TRAM light rail down the coast. It makes a full day: a castle, an old town, a long seafront, and a small geographic curiosity in the town hall.
Castillo de Santa Bárbara
The castle sits on Mount Benacantil, a bare rock rising straight above the city. A lift runs up through the inside of the hill from near Postiguet beach, or you can walk or drive up. The walls and terraces give a full sweep of the bay, the port and the old town below.
The old town and the Explanada
Below the castle, the Santa Cruz quarter is a steep tangle of whitewashed houses and flowers. Down at sea level, the Explanada de España runs along the harbour — a wide promenade paved with millions of red, cream and black marble tiles in a wave pattern, shaded by palms.
Kilometre zero
Inside the town hall, the Ayuntamiento, the first step of the main staircase carries a small bronze marker: the Cota Cero, the sea-level reference point from which the official height of every place in mainland Spain is measured. You can walk in and see it during opening hours.
Good to know
- About 75 minutes from Dénia by car; the TRAM from Dénia connects via Benidorm and takes longer
- The castle lift is the easy way up; the walk is steep and exposed
- Postiguet is the city beach, right below the castle; the marina and Explanada are a short walk on
- Easy to combine with Villajoyosa, 30 minutes back up the coast