Car Rental Alicante Airport, Spain: Do You Need a Car?

For a city break, honestly, no. Santa Bárbara Castle, the Archaeological Museum, the Co-Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari and the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts all sit within about half a mile of the centre. A hire car would mostly spend the week parked.

The picture changes if you want the coast. Playa de Agua Amarga is around 2 miles from the centre, Playa de la Albufereta and Playa de la Almadraba about 2.5 miles, and Cala dels Cantalars roughly 3 miles. El Campello is some 7.5 miles up the coast, with the Illeta dels Banyets archaeological site beside it. Having your own wheels lets you string these together in a day, and car hire in Alicante also opens up longer runs, such as the 40 miles to Dénia.

If you are weighing a taxi fare from Alicante to Benidorm against a few days of hire, the comparison on this page lets you see what a car would cost for your dates.

Most British travellers collect at Alicante airport (ALC), which has direct flights from the UK and puts you in the city in around 9 minutes, or in El Campello in about 19. The car hire companies at Alicante airport cluster around arrivals, so you can land, collect and be at your hotel quickly.

Murcia airport (RMU) also has direct UK flights, but it is roughly 73 minutes' drive from Alicante. If your flight lands there, collecting a car on arrival usually makes more sense than a long transfer. The comparison above shows car rental companies at Alicante airport, and you can switch the pick-up point to see other options.

Distances around Alicante are short. Most of the trips worth making by car are coastal hops of a few miles, from the beaches north of the centre to El Campello. Longer drives head north to the ferry ports, about 40 miles to Dénia and 70 miles to Valencia.

Summer heat matters more than distance. Daytime highs reach 30°C in July and August, so a car with working air conditioning is worth checking at collection, and it pays never to leave children or anything heat-sensitive in a parked car. September and October bring more rain days, around six a month, which can mean slick roads after a dry spell. Winter is mild, with highs of 16 to 18°C, and quieter roads make it a pleasant season for touring.

Choose a full-to-full fuel policy where you can: you collect with a full tank and return it full, paying only for what you use. Read the excess carefully, as the standard deductible on rental cars in Spain can be high, and decide before you travel whether to take the desk's cover or arrange your own.

If you are travelling with children, reserve child seats when you book rather than at the counter, especially in July and August when school holidays push up demand. Booking early for those weeks also gives more choice of car. If you are after cheap car hire in Spain, Alicante airport is a good place to compare, because several providers are listed side by side here; just check what the quoted rate actually includes before you commit.