Benidorm: Beaches, High-Rises and Theme Parks on the Costa Blanca

Benidorm is a high-rise beach resort of about 77,200 people on the Marina Baixa coast, and where you sleep decides the trip: Levante for the long seafront and nightlife, Poniente for a wider, calmer beach, the old town for the viewpoint and the short walk to both sands. Most visitors fly into Alicante and arrive within the hour. It is part of our Costa Blanca guide.

Quick facts

• Where: Benidorm, Alicante province, in the Marina Baixa comarca, between Villajoyosa and Altea.
• Residents: 77,327 (1 January 2025, INE). Summer visitors add many more.
• Beaches: yes, in the town. Levante is 2,084 m long and Poniente 3,100 m, both Blue Flag since 1987 (Visit Benidorm).
• Nearest airport: Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández, about 47 km in a straight line (our calculation from airport and town coordinates); the real road distance is longer.
• Nearest big city: Alicante, a little over an hour by TRAM from Luceros station (TRAM d’Alacant).
• Language: Valencian and Spanish; English is widely spoken in the resort districts.
• Market: Wednesday and Sunday mornings, in Rincón de Loix (mercadillos.org listing, checked July 2026).
• Setting: the Serra Gelada ridge rises between the bays of Benidorm and Altea.

Where to base yourself

Benidorm is compact for its size, and two beaches, a small old town and a headland between them make the choice easy to explain. Choose by what you want to do after breakfast, not by hotel name.

Levante

Levante is the beach most people picture: 2,084 m of sand between Punta Pinet and Punta Canfali, backed by a busy promenade of restaurants and shops. It has the most to do on the sand, with water sports, play areas and beach rentals, and the most going on at night nearby. Choose it if you want to step out of the hotel into the action, if you travel with older children or teenagers, or if you plan to go out after dinner. Skip it if you want a quiet room with the windows open; the seafront is lively until late.

Poniente

Poniente is Benidorm’s longest beach at 3,100 m, with an average width of 74 m, so it is easier to find space on it than on Levante. The promenade is also lined with restaurants and bars, but the feel is more relaxed. It suits families with young children, couples who want a beach day first and an evening stroll second, and anyone who plans to walk the whole length of the sand. It has facilities for visitors with reduced mobility. The walk back to the old town is longer from the far end, so check where on the beach a hotel actually sits.

The old town

The old town lies on the headland between the two beaches and is the oldest part of Benidorm. Here you find the San Jaime Apóstol parish church and the Balcón del Mediterráneo viewpoint, so it suits visitors who want to see something other than sand and who are happy with a smaller, older streetscape. Both beaches are a few minutes’ walk, which makes it the best central base if you cannot decide. Rooms are generally in older or smaller buildings than the beachfront towers; narrow streets and steps mean it is less convenient with a pushchair or a wheelchair.

Rincón de Loix

Rincón de Loix is a district on the Levante side of town and the site of the Wednesday and Sunday street market. It works for longer stays, for self-catering apartments and for people who would rather be near shops and the beach than near the old streets. It is a residential-resort mix rather than a sightseeing base; you reach the old town on foot or by a short local ride.

If your priority is a quiet coast with coves, Benidorm is probably the wrong base; look at Altea or Villajoyosa instead and visit Benidorm for a day.

Things to do

Benidorm has two sides: the old centre with its viewpoint and the surrounding natural park, and the resort side with beaches and theme parks. You can mix them without leaving town.

Balcón del Mediterráneo and the old town

The Balcón del Mediterráneo stands on the site of a former 14th-century castle and looks out towards Isla de Benidorm, the islet in the bay (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). It is a good first stop for orientation and photographs at the end of the day. Our Balcó del Mediterrani page has the details. The San Jaime Apóstol church is in the same old town.

Tossal de la Cala

Tossal de la Cala is a hilltop Roman fort dating from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, overlooking the coast (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). See Tossal de la Cala for how to reach it.

Serra Gelada and Isla de Benidorm

The Serra Gelada natural park protects 5,564 ha, 88 % of it at sea, and is the obvious choice for walking and cycling away from the resort (Generalitat Valenciana, natural parks). Details are on our Serra Gelada page. The nearby Isla de Benidorm is an islet off the town, seen from the Balcón; do not confuse it with other islands elsewhere on the coast.

Theme parks and the city by bike

Terra Mítica is the large theme park in the area. Check the park’s own site for dates and prices, as they change each season. The city has an extensive network of cycle lanes, which makes bicycles a sensible way to move between the beaches.

Festivals

Benidorm’s calendar starts with the Fallas in March, and the Moors and Christians fiestas are held in late September. The patron festival, for the Virgen del Sufragio, is the one where the clubs (peñas) open their doors and run a comic parade; the regional tourism page gives a festival window of 15 March to 11 November 2026 but no day-by-day dates (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Check the city council programme before planning around a single day.

Skip Benidorm if you want a small, quiet, low-rise town; the skyline, crowds and noise are part of the place.

Beaches and places nearby

The two main beaches are enough for most stays. Levante has 21 walkway access points, 19 shower modules and 2 first-aid posts staffed from Semana Santa to October. Poniente has 49 access points, 89 showers and the same seasonal first-aid cover (Visit Benidorm). In summer both have lifeguard towers; swim between the flags.

For something quieter, the small coves are reached on foot: Mal Pas is a small sandy cove with views of Isla de Benidorm, Almadrava is a quiet cove good for snorkelling, and Tío Ximo is a secluded cove between the mountains (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Our pages cover Levante beach and Cala de Finestrat to the north.

Along the coast, Villajoyosa lies to the south and Altea to the north. Calpe and Alicante make longer day outings.

Other town guides nearby: L’Alfàs del Pi (about 5 km in a straight line), Finestrat (about 8 km in a straight line), El Campello (about 27 km in a straight line).

On CostaMap near Benidorm: Benidorm Castle and the Balcó del Mediterrani (0.9 km) · Levante Beach (Benidorm) (1.2 km) · Terra Mítica (Benidorm) (3.3 km) · Tossal de la Cala (Benidorm) (3.3 km) · Cala de Finestrat (3.8 km) · Benidorm Island (Isla de Benidorm) (4.2 km) · Serra Gelada Natural Park (6.5 km) · Faro del Albir (l’Albir Lighthouse) (7.4 km).

Food and drink

The seafront promenades of Levante and Poniente are lined with restaurants, bars and shops, and the menus range from traditional local cooking to international cuisine (Turisme Comunitat Valenciana). Expect tourist menus near the beach and a more local feel in the old town streets. Rice dishes and seafood are the usual regional orders. We do not name individual restaurants we could not verify; check recent reviews and book ahead for weekend dinners in high season.

For self-catering, the Wednesday and Sunday market in Rincón de Loix runs in the morning on Avenida de l’Almirall Bernat de Sarrià, next to the Hotel Pueblo, with more than 200 stalls (mercadillos.org, checked July 2026). A second weekly market in the Foietes area on Poniente’s side is listed for Wednesdays; confirm both before going.

Where to stay

Benidorm has a very large stock of hotels and apartments, from beachfront towers to small guesthouses in the old town. Seafront rooms and apartments cost more in July and August and are cheaper in winter, when the town stays busy with long-stay visitors. Apartments suit families and longer stays, hotels suit short trips, and the old town offers the quietest rooms. We have no prices we can verify, so compare current rates on the date you travel and read recent reviews for noise at night, which matters most on Levante. For a base outside the resort, see Camping La Media Legua.

Getting there and around

By air, fly into Alicante–Elche airport. It is about 47 km from Benidorm in a straight line (our calculation); allow more by road. By rail, TRAM d’Alacant Line 1 runs from Luceros station in central Alicante to Benidorm in a little over an hour (TRAM d’Alacant), and Line 9 continues from Benidorm to Dénia without a change of train. Full service between Villajoyosa’s Hospital Vila stop and Benidorm resumed on 16 December 2025. Since June 2026 the Generalitat has been rebuilding the Benidorm–Benidorm Intermodal section of Line 9 as a tramway, so check the TRAM notices for any changed service before you travel.

In town, you can walk between the old town and both beaches, and the city is well served by cycle lanes. Driving into the centre in summer is slow, and parking near the beachfront is limited, so choose a hotel with a parking space if you hire a car.

Best time to visit

Benidorm is warm for much of the year. NASA POWER climate data for the town give mean air temperatures of 12.2 °C in January, 15.5 °C in April, 25.2 °C in July, 25.8 °C in August and 20.6 °C in October, with July the driest month at 0.16 mm of rain per day. Beach weather runs from late spring through October, July and August are hot and crowded, and winter is mild but cool for swimming. April, May and October are a sensible compromise. Check the forecast on AEMET before you go. Dates worth knowing: Fallas in March, Moors and Christians in late September, the patron festival around November.

FAQ

Which part of Benidorm is best to stay in?

Levante for nightlife and beach activities, Poniente for a longer, quieter beach, and the old town for the viewpoint and walking distance to both. Rincón de Loix suits longer apartment stays near the market.

Is Benidorm good for families?

Yes. Both beaches have children’s play areas, with 4 on Levante and 6 on Poniente, and lifeguards in summer. Poniente is usually the calmer choice for young children.

How do I get from Alicante to Benidorm?

Take TRAM Line 1 from Luceros station, which takes a little over an hour, or drive. Check the TRAM notices for works on the line.

Is Isla de Benidorm the same as Isla Mitjana?

No. Isla de Benidorm is the islet seen from the Balcón del Mediterráneo; Isla Mitjana is a separate place.

When is the market?

The Rincón de Loix market runs on Wednesdays and Sundays in the morning, according to a July 2026 listing.

Sources and freshness

Checked October 2026 · 11 sources Show

Last checked: October 2026. Sources:

• Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Benidorm
• Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, Benidorm’s festivals
• Visit Benidorm, Levante beach
• Visit Benidorm, Poniente beach
• INE, population of Alicante municipalities
• mercadillos.org, Levante market
• TRAM d’Alacant, tourism
• TRAM d’Alacant, Benidorm works
• Serra Gelada natural park
• NASA POWER
• AEMET

Main photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.