BENIDORM

When looking for days out with the family in the Spanish Costa Blanca ... there are places other than Benidorm to venture ... but when you see the wealth of opportunities provided in Benidorm for family entertainment ... its difficult to avoid heading towards this part of Spain's Costa Blanca.

I admit .. never to have been .. I admit .. never to go .. I admit .. I'm a little too old.
Phew Weeee !! ... I thought I was expected to do the business & ride the slide ..
Even I have to admit that it looks pretty cool .. the view (above) probably did not do the place justice (as it was a miserable day weather wise) although it is a nice photograph .. I think so anyway. Aqualandia is situated on the eastern side of Benidorm, was opened in 1985 and apparently has some real scary slides to suit the really brave.

(Note : this was Benidorm's Aqualandia in May 2010 ... not too crowded at that time of year).
The Aqualandia report was all good ... price was not belittled (always a good sign) & the kids were happy (an even better sign). It looks a long way to the top of those slides from the bottom.

As already stated - Benidorm has that something special ... sure the beach walkways get crowded peak season .. but venture inside .. to feel the "vibe" and Benidorm has so much more to offer.

Desafio Medieval Castle - Castillo Conde De Alfaz.

Along this stretch of Benidorm beach walkway there are kids swings etc and also lots of exercise machines - which are free to use. They call it Parque de Elche .. not really a park - but you could call it that I suppose. This is just passed the Marina on the "old" Poniente beach side of Benidorm.

Lets be serious .. Benidorm is one BIG HOTEL not to mention the B&Bs, guesthouses, private rentals etc .. the official estimate (2010) is 40,000 beds available in Benidorm ... and then there are 10 camping sites.

Impossible to list them all here .. Google and thou shall find, no problemo.

Airport - Benidorm air travel

The closest Airport to Benidorm is Alicante 47km.. about an hours drive.

Train / Tram - the Benidorm train travel network.

Benidorm is connected by tram to Denia and Alicante. From Alicante you can reach most Spanish cities using the Renfe Train Network.
For Benidorm Tram information.

The main Benidorm Tram Station map C/Estacion - Telephone : 965 851 895.

Bus - Benidorm travel routes, operators & station.

Bus routes run to all major cities. Benidorm inter-city bus information ...
The Estacion de Autobuses ( Bus Station ) is on Av de la Comunidad Europa. Telephone number of the Benidorm Bus Station is 965 851 311.
The bus operator Llorente covers the city of Benidorm area.
The bus operator Alsa covers transport to other towns to & from Benidorm.

There is also a tourist bus which you can catch .. around 7€ adult.
Benidorm Touristic Bus Information.

Boating - and Benidorm Marina ...

The Benidorm Marina is comparatively small (when compared with the likes of Alicante & Torrevieja Marinas). Boat excursions to both Alicante & Tabarca Island operate from the Benidorm marina, but it's a long way to both from Benidorm and more than likely expensive.

Car - parking your car in Benidorm.

As with all major cities .. free parking is hard to come by ... and the time you waste driving around trying to find free parking can be better spent ..
If you are just visiting Benidorm for the day & you can afford it .. take one of the many pay parking lots .. (be sure to mark your location on a map - it can be sometimes hard to find your way back if you wander too far afield).
We have found this 24 hour pay parking to be ideally located for a walk around Benidorm on foot. It is located close to the "old" Poniente beach side of Benidorm and the Marina is close by.
Print this map as a location guide to this .. the best place to park your car in Benidorm, address is Carrer Mercat (or Calle del Mercado) and the car park is right by Intersport marked on the map.

Note : the blue lined parking spaces along the streets are pay & display parking areas where you should find a parking ticket machine close by.