Alicante Airport: how to reach your hotel or resort

Alicante Airport (ALC) is 12 km southwest of Alicante city centre and serves the Costa Blanca — one of the most popular British and northern European holiday coasts in Spain. The airport has a direct bus connection to Alicante city (line C-6, EUR 4.60) and to other towns. Taxis are available at the rank and run on the Valencian Community's regulated tariff plus a fixed EUR 4.25 airport supplement (Aena). For the major resort areas of Benidorm (55 km north), Torrevieja (50 km south), Calpe (75 km), or Denia (95 km), a taxi or pre-booked private transfer is the practical option since no direct bus connects these destinations.

Alicante Airport has a single terminal building with good signage in English. EU passport holders from Schengen countries skip immigration and go directly to baggage claim. Non-EU passengers queue at passport control, which is efficient outside peak periods.

Baggage claim can be slow in peak summer (July-August) when multiple charter flights arrive simultaneously. Waits of 25-40 minutes have been reported during busy summer slots. The arrivals hall has ATMs, a currency exchange desk, car rental counters, and a café.

Free Wi-Fi is available. The terminal is modern and air-conditioned. From arrivals, the bus stop is a short walk to the left outside the terminal, and the taxi rank is directly outside.

There is no train connection from Alicante Airport.

Bus C-6 - The airport express bus, run by Vectalia (branded Alicante Aerobus), goes directly to Alicante city centre (Luceros square). The operator's published single fare is EUR 4.60, with reduced tickets for over-65s and large families. Journey time is approximately 25-35 minutes. Buses run regularly during the day, less frequently in the evening, and stop around midnight. For Alicante city, this is excellent value.

Other buses - Buses to other towns (Elche, Santa Pola) exist but the main resort destinations of Benidorm, Torrevieja, Calpe, and Denia do not have convenient direct airport bus connections. Reaching these places by public transport involves going to Alicante bus station first and changing — adding significant journey time.

Metered taxi - Taxis queue outside the arrivals exit. The official operators are Radio Taxi Elche and Servitaxi Elche; the airport sits in the Elche municipality, so a journey is charged on the urban tariff if it stays inside Elche and the intercity tariff if it leaves. Either way a fixed EUR 4.25 airport supplement (Aena) is added. Neither Aena nor the Generalitat publishes a fare table by destination, so this guide will not put a figure on individual routes — ask the driver or the Radio Taxi Elche desk in arrivals for an estimate before you set off, or book a fixed price. Taxis are the default option for anyone not going to Alicante city directly.

Pre-booked private transfer - Driver meets you in arrivals with a name sign. Fixed price, flight tracking, variety of vehicle sizes. Particularly useful for the longer Costa Blanca routes and for larger groups.

Car rental - All major companies operate at the airport. The Costa Blanca is a popular self-drive destination. Roads are good: the AP-7/A-7 motorway runs north along the coast to Benidorm and beyond, and the N-332 serves the southern coast towards Torrevieja.

Bus to Alicante city (line C-6): EUR 4.60 for a single, per Vectalia, the operator. Reduced fares exist for over-65s and large families, and a rechargeable Bono Alicante-Aeropuerto is sold on board the airport buses.

Taxi: every journey carries a fixed EUR 4.25 airport supplement (Aena) on top of the meter. Beyond that, this guide does not publish per-destination taxi fares for Alicante, and that is deliberate. Taxi tariffs here are set by the Generalitat Valenciana for intercity trips and by the municipality for trips inside Elche, and neither the airport nor the regulator publishes a destination-by-destination price list the way some Spanish cities do. Any table of route prices you find — including the one that used to sit here — is somebody's estimate rather than an official figure.

What you can do instead: Radio Taxi Elche runs an information desk in the arrivals hall (roughly 09:00 to 01:00) that will quote a route before you commit, and the meter is the regulated maximum. Night, Sunday and public-holiday tariffs are higher than the weekday daytime rate.

Private transfer: priced and fixed when you book, tolls included, so the quote you see is the quote you pay.

The C6 bus to Alicante city stops running around midnight. For flights landing after that, taxis are the option.

Taxis at Alicante Airport are available 24 hours. Late-night queues are generally short — this is not Ibiza, and the taxi supply is adequate relative to demand. Night supplements increase fares from 10 PM.

For late arrivals going to Benidorm (55 km) or Denia (95 km), the roads are quiet at night and the journey is faster than during the day. A taxi to Benidorm at midnight takes around 45-50 minutes on the AP-7.

Pre-booked private transfers are the comfortable option for late-night arrivals, particularly for longer Costa Blanca routes.

Alicante Airport is the main gateway to the Costa Blanca. Key distances and journey times:

• Torrevieja: 50 km south, 35-50 minutes via N-332
• Benidorm: 55 km north, 45-55 minutes via AP-7 (tolled)
• Villajoyosa: 45 km north, 35-45 minutes
• Altea: 65 km north, 55-65 minutes
• Calpe: 75 km north, 60-75 minutes
• Denia: 95 km north, 75-90 minutes
• Javea / Xàbia: 90 km north, 70-85 minutes
• Guardamar del Segura: 35 km south, 25-35 minutes
• Orihuela Costa / Campoamor: 60 km south, 45-60 minutes

The AP-7 motorway heading north is the fast route to Benidorm and beyond. It is tolled — rates change by section and season, so check the current one if you are driving yourself, and ask a taxi driver whether the toll route will be used and whether it goes on top of the meter.

Take the bus if: you are going to Alicante city, travelling light, arriving during the day, and want the cheapest option (EUR 4.60).

Take a taxi if: you have moderate luggage or are in a small group heading to any coastal resort, arriving during the day or early evening, and comfortable with the metered fare.

Book a private transfer if: you are going to Benidorm, Denia, Calpe, or other distant resorts; you have a large group; you need a child seat; you are arriving late at night; or you want a fixed price for a longer journey.

Rent a car if: you plan to explore the Costa Blanca independently and your accommodation is not on a bus route.