Cheap Holidays to Alicante: When to Go and How to Save

The busy stretch in Alicante runs from May to October, peaking in July and August when highs reach 30°C and rain almost disappears. That is also when school holidays push demand up, so if you have the freedom to travel outside them, the shoulder months are where cheap holidays in Alicante usually turn up: January, February, March, April, November and December.

Those months are far from grim. January averages 16°C by day and only three rain days; December is similar at 18°C. March is the wettest month on the sheet, with around eight rain days, so April and November are the more reliable picks if you want sunshine for walking up to the castle or around the old town. November still manages 20°C highs.

If you are searching for cheap holidays to Alicante in October, it is a sensible compromise. Highs sit around 24°C and nights around 17°C, the summer crowds have thinned and the school half-term week aside, the month tends to be calmer than September. Expect roughly six rain days, often in short bursts.

Alicante city is the natural base if you want to keep costs down. It is the largest place on this stretch of coast, with a population of nearly 349,000, which means a wide spread of hotels and apartments and plenty of competition between them. It is also the shortest transfer you will find from the airport, and most of the sights are walkable: the Basilica of Saint Mary, the Alicante Museum of Contemporary Art, the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts and the old port lighthouse all sit in or right by the centre.

El Campello, about 7 miles up the coast, is the quieter alternative. It is a much smaller town of around 28,000 people, 19 minutes from the airport by road, with the Illeta dels Banyets archaeological site on its shoreline. Staying there can suit families who want a calmer beach base, while the city's beaches, from Playa de la Almadraba to Cala dels Cantalars, lie between the two.

Package deals to Alicante bundle your flight, hotel and transfer into one booking, and with an airport this close the transfer element is as short as it gets. On this page you can compare Alicante package holiday deals from Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach side by side, then check hotel prices separately if you would rather build your own trip. Cheap package holidays to Alicante are easiest to find when you stay flexible on dates.

A few habits help. Midweek flights are often less in demand than weekend departures, and flying from a regional UK airport rather than one of the London hubs can widen your choice of dates. Self-catering apartments make sense in a city with markets and cafés on every corner, while half board or all inclusive can suit families who want a fixed budget. Booking well ahead for school holidays, or watching for cheap breaks to Alicante closer to departure in the shoulder months, are both worth trying.

Days out need not cost much either: the castle, the old town churches and the city beaches give you plenty to do. If you plan to explore further, you can compare car hire and tours and tickets here too.

Alicante airport (ALC) has direct flights from the United Kingdom and lies 9 minutes from the city by road, or 19 minutes from El Campello. That makes it one of the easiest arrivals on the Spanish coast, and it is usually where cheap deals to Alicante will fly you.

Murcia airport (RMU) also has direct UK flights and is a reasonable fallback if dates or prices suit better, though the drive to Alicante takes around 73 minutes. For those travelling with their own car, the ferry ports at Dénia, about 40 miles away, and Valencia, about 70 miles away, are the nearest.