Santa Cruz and the Old Town

Alicante's old town is two neighbourhoods in one. The flat part around the Town Hall, the Basilica of Santa Maria and the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolas is the historic civic core, full of Baroque facades, plazas and small bars. Above it, climbing the slope of Mount Benacantil, is the Barrio de Santa Cruz, a tangle of narrow stepped lanes with whitewashed houses, geraniums in painted pots, tiled street names and tiny squares where cats sleep in the sun. Santa Cruz was once a poor fishermen's district; today it is the most photographed corner of the city and still a place where people live, so voices drop as you climb. A guided walking tour stitches the two halves together and gives you the stories you cannot read from street signs: how the Baroque Town Hall holds the zero-altitude benchmark used to measure heights across Spain, why the Basilica of Santa Maria sits on the site of the city's main mosque, and how the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolas de Bari, built in the seventeenth century, got its cool, dark interior and its elegant cloister. Expect a pace that suits all ages, with plenty of photo stops and a few steps.

A good route runs roughly like this. Start in the shade of the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where the Town Hall facade and its twin towers face a small square of terraces. Walk a block to the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolas de Bari, a Herrerian-style church whose blue-and-white dome is a local landmark, then to the Gothic and Baroque Basilica of Santa Maria, the oldest parish church in the city.

From there the street rises into Santa Cruz past the little Ermita de Santa Cruz, a chapel that gives the quarter its name and hosts a procession on Holy Week nights. The lanes then narrow into the postcard stretch of balconies and flowers.

Guided tours differ in length and focus, from compact historical overviews to longer cultural walks with a tasting stop, so read the description when you choose. Group sizes also vary; smaller groups move more easily through the tight lanes. Wear comfortable shoes with grip, because stone steps and cobbles are uneven. The district is steep but short, and nothing is far from a cafe, so it suits most mobility levels with a little patience.

Timing matters. Early morning is cool and quiet, and the shutters are still closing on the night before, which makes it the best light for photographs. Late afternoon is warm and golden but busier. Evenings are lively around the squares, and the barrio is lit softly, but be considerate of residents. Local festivals add colour; during the Hogueras of late June giant satirical sculptures appear in plazas across the old centre, and during Holy Week the processions pass through.

Combine the walk with the castle above and the central market a few streets away for a full first day, and finish with a glass of local wine in one of the small bars on the pedestrian streets.

A few small habits make the walk better. Carry a little cash for a coffee or an ice cream at the small cafes along the way, since some tiny places do not take cards. Look for the tiled street names and the painted doors, which change in colour from lane to lane, and notice how the houses stack up the hill with roofs at different heights.

If you hear a guitar or a radio from an open window, remember that people really do live here. Photographs of the lanes are welcome, but pointing a camera into a doorway is not. The upper streets also lead to viewpoints that are less busy than the castle, which is a pleasant surprise for visitors who want a calm moment with the bay below.