Costa Blanca in Spain: Resorts, Weather and Getting There

Think of the Costa Blanca as several holidays strung along one shoreline. Benidorm is the big name, a resort town of around 70,000 people built around two long beaches and a cluster of theme parks. Alicante, with almost 350,000 residents, is a working Mediterranean city rather than a resort, crowned by Santa Bárbara Castle and home to the Archaeological Museum of Alicante, the Co-Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari, the Basilica of Saint Mary and the Alicante Museum of Contemporary Art.

North of Benidorm the coast grows more rugged. Calp sits beneath the rock of the Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park, Altea and Villajoyosa are smaller seaside towns, and around Moraira, Teulada and Benitachell the scale drops again. Dénia, at the northern tip, has its castle, the Montgó massif behind it and a ferry port. To the south, Santa Pola has its fortress and Torrevieja is a sizeable resort town of more than 80,000 people.

Benidorm suits anyone who wants everything within reach: Platja de Llevant and Platja de Ponent for the beach, Terra Mítica and the Aqualandia waterpark for a day of rides, and Mundomar for families with younger children. Alicante works for a city-and-beach break, with the bullring, churches and museums a short walk apart and the castle above it all. El Campello lies just up the coast and is under 20 minutes from the airport.

If you prefer a slower pace, look north. Calpe has platja de la Fustera and the natural park on its doorstep; Altea and Villajoyosa are smaller towns between Benidorm and Calpe; Moraira and Benitachell are quieter still. Jávea and Dénia, the latter with its castle and El Montgó Natural Park, are the furthest from Alicante airport but reward the extra drive. In the south, Torrevieja and Santa Pola are the quickest to reach from either airport and appeal to those who want a resort with fewer crowds than Benidorm.

The main season runs from May to November. At Benidorm, July and August bring highs of 30 to 31°C with lows of 23°C and barely any rain; June and September sit around 26°C, which many find more comfortable for walking up to castles or along the coast. October still reaches 25°C and November around 21°C, making late autumn a good choice for a warm week away from school-holiday crowds.

The wettest spells are short rather than prolonged: May and September see around 50 to 56mm of rain over about seven days, and October around 42mm. From December to April, highs of 16 to 20°C and only a few rainy days make the coast a sensible winter-sun option, though evenings drop to 9°C in mid-winter, so pack a jumper.

Two airports serve the coast with direct flights from the UK. Alicante (ALC) is the main gateway: it is about 9 minutes by road to Alicante and Santa Pola, 19 minutes to El Campello and 31 minutes to Torrevieja, and it is the natural choice for Benidorm and the northern resorts too. Murcia (RMU) suits the southern end, with Torrevieja around 38 minutes away, Santa Pola about 58 minutes and Alicante roughly 73 minutes.

If you plan to explore beyond your resort, car hire makes it simple to combine Alicante's sights with Calp or Dénia in the same trip. Dénia also has a ferry port, and Valencia lies around 48 miles further up the coast.

Most British travellers book this coast as a package holiday, meaning flights, hotel and airport transfers in one booking. In practice that usually means flying into Alicante or Murcia, a coach or private transfer to your resort, and a choice of board basis from room only to half board or all-inclusive. Prices rise during UK school holidays, so families tend to book early and couples often aim for June, September or October.

On this page you can compare package deals from Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach side by side, so if you were looking for a Jet2 Costa Blanca holiday you can weigh it against the others in one place. You can also check hotel prices, browse tours and tickets for places like Terra Mítica, Mundomar and Aqualandia, and compare car hire for days out along the coast.