Santa Barbara Castle

Santa Barbara Castle is the thing every Alicante postcard is pointing at: a huge fortress crowning Mount Benacantil, looking down on the marina, the palm-lined Explanada and the curve of Postiguet beach. The hill has been fortified since at least the Muslim period, and the present walls are a layered record of Moorish, Castilian and later Habsburg-era building. The Castilian army took the place on 4 December 1248, the feast of Saint Barbara, which is how the castle got its name. Today it is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain that you can walk through freely, with three enclosures stepping up the hill, a parade ground called the Plaza de Armas, a maze of vaulted galleries, dry moats and bastions, and a small museum of the city that explains how Alicante grew from a hillside settlement into a port. The reward at every level is the view. From the upper terraces you see the whole bay, the island of Tabarca on a clear day, and the high-rises of the coast running north toward Benidorm. The approach is half the fun: you can walk up from the old town along a winding road, or ride the lift that rises through the rock from a tunnel off Postiguet beach and drops you near the top. Visiting with a guide pays off, because the castle is large, signage is modest, and a good storyteller turns bare stone into sieges, smugglers and the odd ghost story.

Plan around heat and light. In summer the exposed ramps are brutal at midday, so go early or in the last two hours before closing, when the sun turns the walls gold and the lights come on across the bay. In spring and autumn any time of day works. Wear shoes with grip, because the paving is polished by centuries of feet, and carry water, since there is little shade and only basic refreshments at the top.

Inside, the layout rewards a slow loop. The lower Plaza del Almacén and the Salón Felipe II hold the interpretive displays, the middle terraces have the cafe and the best lookout over the old town roofs, and the highest bastions give the wide horizon. Look for the rock profile that locals call the Cara del Moro, the Face of the Moor, on the flank of the hill above the Santa Cruz quarter; the legend of a Moorish princess and a Christian knight attaches to it, and guides tell it well.

The castle also plays a part in the city's biggest festival, Les Hogueras de San Juan in late June, when the skyline fills with fireworks launched from the area.

Combining the castle with a small-group highlights tour is a sensible way to use half a day. A guide links the fortress to the Santa Cruz lanes below, the Explanada and the central market, so you leave with a mental map of the city rather than a single photo. If you prefer to go alone, walk up through the old town, which is free and steep, and take the lift down.

Allow around two hours inside, longer if you linger for sunset. Opening hours and any charge for the lift change with the season, so check before you go; the castle grounds themselves have long been free to enter. It suits almost everyone, but the climb and uneven stone make it harder for wheelchairs and very small strollers, and the lift is the better option for tired legs.