Alicante Attractions

Castle od Santa Barbara is a fortification in the centre of Alicante, Spain. It stands on the Mount Benacantil (166 m), built in the ninth century by Muslims. The castle provides for great views over the town and harbour. Visitors can choose to walk from Plaza de Carmen which is a sight in itself, through some narrow winding streets. For the less energetic, there is an elevator in the core of Mount Benacantil itself. The castle can also be reached by a car, but parking is limited. Entry to the castle is free. A round-way trip by the elevator from the ground floor costs € 2.40. Use of the elevator is currently free until the end of May 2011. The ticket machine is near the end of the tunnel. Maps are provided and travel between the two castle levels is free. From April to September, the castle is open from 10:00 to 22:00, while the elevator runs from 10:00 to 20:00....

The Archaeological Museum of Alicante is an archaeological museum in Alicante, Spain. The museum won the European Museum of the Year Award in 2004, a few years after significant expansion and reallocation to renovated buildings of the antique hospital of San Juan de Dios. The museum houses eight galleries that use multimedia to allow visitors to interact with the lives of past residents of the region.

Gravina Museum of Fine Arts (Spanish: Museo de Bellas Artes Gravina, MUBAG) is a museum in the city of Alicante, Spain, located in the Palacio del Conde de Lumiares, a four floor building constructed between 1748 and 1808 and declared a historical monument. The museum is devoted to painting and sculpture of Alicante from the sixteenth century to the early decades of the twentieth century. In the museum there are nearly 500 works from funds of the provincial council, including a sculpture by Francisco Salzillo, and a portrait of Ferdinand VII by Valencian painter Vicente López Portaña. The museum has also several works of the most important regional painters of the nineteenth century: Antonio Gisbert, Joaquín Agrasot, Lorenzo Casanova, and Fernando Cabrera. These works reflect the major trends of the nineteenth: historicism, customs, portraits, landscapes.

San Fernando Castle, situated in the northern part of the centre, is a beautiful castle that guards the city from the top of the Tossal hill. Dating back to the 19th century, its main purpose was the protection of the city against the strong Napoleon Bonaparte. The castle is now a popular sightseeing attraction in Alicante largely due to its breathtaking views of the city. It is surrounded by a series of monuments of significance for Alicante such as Jorge Juan Institute, the Estels Square and the Huerfanos de Ferroviarios College.