Santa Barbara´s castle is located on the Benacantil hill, at 167 meters height, has a huge strategic value, overwatching perfectly the bay of Alicante and the l’Alacantí Valley.
The origin of the stronghold dates back to the 9th century when Spain was under the Islamic dominance.
Receives its name from the day it was conquered by the prince, future king of Castile, Alfons the X, the wise, to the Islamic rulers on 1248.
On 1296 its conquered by James the II for the crown of Aragón and starts its remodeling.
This led to various transformations in order to adapt the castle to the new advances on warfare, the improvement of the artillery and the changes on the borders of the realms, that ended up on its current and emblematic image overlooking the city of Alicante.
Nowadays the image of the castle is the most emblematic of the city, and offers a wide range of activities to the visitors; from enjoying of the astonishing views from its heights, to guided tours, exhibition rooms, audiovisuals, and events as wine tastings and souvenir store.
In order to access is possible to do it by several means:
There are paths that allows you to walk up by them or over the walls directly to the entrance rampart
You can use the lift located on the El Postiguet beach, next to the bridge over the road. It has a tunnel of 200 meters carved on the mountain that takes you directly to the Philip the II pavilion. It has a cost of 2.70€ per person with a capacity of 8 persons per trip.
There are shuttle buses departing from the Plaza Puerta del Mar Bus Stop, and it takes you straight to the entrance rampart. The cost is 1.45€ per trip per person.
And last, but not least you can hire a taxi ride from the same Plaza Puerta del Mar square, in front of the former Palace hotel (next to Explanada de España nº1). The average cost is 6 € per trip, with 2 visitors the price per person will be 3€.
If you are visiting Alicante, you can’t miss its most remarkable sight and its breathtaking views from its ramparts and from the “Macho” the highest spot on the stronghold and where you can get the typical view of the “Garita de la Campana” with the Mediterranean at the background.
If you want to discover the secrets of its compounds, how it evolved over the centuries and learn all the stories and secrets that hides this wonderful Castle, contact us and we will arrange a visit for you.