Flights from Belfast to Alicante
Three hours from Belfast to a city most people walk straight past on their way to Benidorm. Both the city and the coast are better than their reputations.
- Flight time
- 3h 5mfrom BFS
- Airport
- ALCAlicante–Elche
- Season
- April to October
- Direct from Belfast
- Yes
Why this route matters from Belfast
Alicante is one of the shortest reliable routes to real Mediterranean heat from Belfast, and it opens onto about two hundred kilometres of coast with more variety than anywhere else on mainland Spain you can reach direct.
The Costa Blanca gets written off because Benidorm dominates the mental image. That skyline is roughly four kilometres of a coastline that also includes limestone headlands, a whitewashed hill town and some of the best diving in the western Mediterranean.
Who the Costa Blanca suits
Book it if you want a short flight, genuine value, and more than one kind of resort within an hour of each other.
Look elsewhere if you want somewhere quiet in August, or you dislike built-up coastlines and are not willing to drive north to escape them.
Benidorm, honestly
It is worth being straight about this, because the jokes have outlasted the reality.
Benidorm was planned. In the 1950s the mayor pushed through a development plan that concentrated building vertically on a small footprint instead of spreading low-rise sprawl along the coast. The result is a wall of towers — and, behind them, a coastline that is far less developed than the Costa del Sol, plus two wide beaches that are cleaned daily and never quite full because they are enormous.
It is cheap because capacity is high, not because standards are low. It also has a genuine old town between the two beaches that most day visitors never find.
If none of that appeals, drive twenty minutes north to Altea and the entire character of the coast changes.
Where to stay
- Value, and more than you expect
Benidorm
Two enormous beaches, a surviving old town, and Europe's densest skyline outside a capital city. Cheap, efficient and far less grim than its reputation.
- A city break with a beach
Alicante
Santa Bárbara castle on its rock, the marble Explanada promenade, and a tapas scene that does not exist for tourists.
- A landmark and a quieter beach
Calpe
Built around the Peñón de Ifach, a 332 m limestone rock rising straight out of the sea. You can climb it, and you should.
- Prettiness
Altea
A whitewashed hill town with a blue-domed church above a pebble beach. The most photogenic place on the coast.
- Long stays and value
Torrevieja
South of the airport, popular with long-stay northern Europeans, and next to pink salt lagoons that genuinely are pink.
When to go
Alicante claims some of the highest sunshine totals in mainland Spain. The sea, as everywhere in the Mediterranean, lags well behind the air.
| Month | Air | Sea | How busy |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17°C | 14°C | Very quiet |
| February | 18°C | 14°C | Very quiet |
| March | 20°C | 15°C | Quiet |
| April | 22°C | 16°C | Easter spike |
| May | 25°C | 18°C | Sweet spot |
| June | 29°C | 22°C | Busy |
| July | 31°C | 25°C | School holidays |
| August | 32°C | 26°C | Peak, and hot |
| September | 29°C | 25°C | Sweet spot |
| October | 25°C | 22°C | Quiet, warm sea |
| November | 20°C | 19°C | Very quiet |
| December | 17°C | 16°C | Very quiet |
Typical averages, not forecasts. Sea temperature lags air temperature by roughly two months, which is why October often swims better than June.
Mistakes people make
Assuming Benidorm is one thing. Levante beach and Poniente beach are different holidays with different crowds, and the old town between them is a third one again.
Booking Jávea or Moraira without a car. The pretty northern end of the Costa Blanca has poor public transport. It is a hire-car coast.
Skipping Alicante city. It has a castle on a rock, a palm-lined seafront and a proper tapas quarter, and most visitors see only its airport.
Going in August and expecting to sleep. Coastal nights in August stay in the mid-twenties, and a room without decent air conditioning is a mistake you make once.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Benidorm from Alicante airport?
Around forty-five minutes by road. There is also a tram line along the coast from Alicante city, which is slower but cheap and scenic.
Is Benidorm worth it?
For value, genuinely yes. Two large clean beaches, enormous hotel capacity, and prices that reflect competition rather than scarcity. It is not pretty and it does not pretend to be.
Which is the nicest part of the Costa Blanca?
The northern end — Altea, Calpe, Jávea, Moraira — is the scenic half. It is also the half that needs a car.
Is there a train from the airport?
No direct rail link from the terminal. Buses run to Alicante city, from where the coastal tram serves Benidorm and points north.
Before you book
- Guide
What actually fits in hand luggage
Why bags that fit at home fail at the gate, and the measurement everyone gets wrong.
- Explainer
Flight only, or a package?
What the bundle is really worth, and the protection you lose by booking the parts separately.
- 3h 10m
Málaga
Three hours from Belfast, and the only Spanish beach coast where you can walk off the plane, get a train, and be on a promenade in twenty minutes without booking anything.