Every road leads to fun

If Alicante is your base, a rental car turns the whole region into a day-trip menu. Five we recommend, all under ninety minutes from the city.

Guadalest (1 hr north). A castle perched on a knife-edge ridge above a turquoise reservoir. The drive up the CV-755 is half the experience.

Calpe and the Peñón de Ifach (45 min north). Park near the harbour, walk the rock, eat at the marina. A clean half-day with one of the best coastal views in Spain.

Tabarca Island (via ferry from Santa Pola, 25 min drive). Drive to Santa Pola, leave the car at the port, take the boat across. A car-free island lunch and back by sunset.

Elche (25 min south). Europe’s largest palm grove and a UNESCO-listed mystery play in summer. Skip the train — parking is easy and lets you continue inland after.

Villena (50 min inland). A hilltop fortress, a Bronze Age treasure in the local museum, and lunch in a town the tourist coaches do not visit.

With a car you can do two of these in a single day. With a bus, you would be lucky to do one.