Europe · Beach and resort guide
Unapologetically lively, often excellent value and much more varied than its shorthand reputation.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Groups, entertainment, easy packages and budget-conscious breaks.
We would think twice for
Anyone who wants quiet authenticity, because Benidorm is a purpose-built resort city and proud of it, and no hotel choice will make it feel like a fishing village.
What we would want you to know
Old Town, Levante and Poniente do not offer the same experience.
We’ve been here
Benidorm is one of the places we price both ways, as an operator package and as a package we build ourselves under our own ATOL, then compare like for like for the same week. We have been ourselves as well, so this guide draws on our own time there, that quoting work and research into each quarter of the town.
Map and areas
The famous side of town, where the high-rises stand shoulder to shoulder behind a long, straight beach. The promenade is busy from breakfast until the small hours, and front-line balconies get the classic skyline view. Rooms facing the bars can be loud late at night, so ask for the back of the building or a higher floor if sleep matters.
The eastern end of Levante, where British bars, cabaret venues and all-day breakfast cafés are packed into a few streets. It is the loudest part of Benidorm and the reason many groups come. The lower streets are flat, but the upper part climbs steeply towards the Serra Gelada, so check exactly where a hotel sits before booking.
The original fishing village on the headland between the two beaches, now a knot of narrow lanes, tapas bars and small squares. Hotels here are few and modest, but both beaches are close on foot and the food is better than on the seafront. Weekend nights are lively, and some lanes are steep or stepped.
The calmer western half of town, with a long beach and a curving modern promenade that is flat and easy with a pushchair or a walking stick. Spanish families and long-stay winter visitors outnumber groups, and evenings are mostly dinner and a stroll. The catch is distance: the far end of Poniente is a long walk or a bus ride from the Old Town and Levante.
A small cove beyond the far end of Poniente, officially in the neighbouring municipality of Finestrat, with a short promenade of restaurants and tall apartment blocks on the slopes around it. It feels more like a Spanish seaside village than a resort city. The hills behind the beach are steep, and the main Benidorm action is a bus or taxi ride away.
Weather and seasons
Benidorm runs three seasons, each with its own crowd. From November to March the long-stay regulars arrive for days of around 18°C in January, chilly nights near 7°C and a sea at 15°C that only the hardy swim in. Easter and the UK half terms bring families, then July and August belong to everyone at once, Spanish holidaymakers included, with highs near 32°C, sticky nights and the water at its warmest, about 26°C. Late September and October keep that warm sea with emptier sunbeds and lower prices, although autumn storms can bring a day or two of heavy rain. Fiesta week in mid November, with its famous fancy dress day, fills the town with British groups.
Worth timing a trip around
Benidorm's patron saint festival honours the Virgen del Sufragio and Saint James with parades, fireworks and street parties, remembering the image of the Virgin said to have washed up on a burning boat in 1740.
On one day of fiesta week, traditionally a Thursday, thousands of British visitors dress up and fill Levante and Rincón de Loix. Groups love it; if you want a quiet week, choose other dates, as rooms sell out months ahead.
A week of parties, concerts and a parade along the seafront. Hotels near Levante fill quickly, so book early if you want to join in, or pick another week if you would rather not.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°C | 7°C | 15°C | 38 mm |
| February | 19°C | 8°C | 14°C | 16 mm |
| March | 20°C | 10°C | 14°C | 53 mm |
| April | 22°C | 12°C | 16°C | 34 mm |
| May | 25°C | 15°C | 18°C | 25 mm |
| June | 29°C | 19°C | 22°C | 6 mm |
| July | 32°C | 22°C | 25°C | 3 mm |
| August | 32°C | 23°C | 26°C | 21 mm |
| September | 29°C | 20°C | 25°C | 44 mm |
| October | 26°C | 15°C | 22°C | 63 mm |
| November | 22°C | 11°C | 19°C | 80 mm |
| December | 19°C | 8°C | 16°C | 39 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Alicante, 38 km away at 82 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Sand, shingle and swimming
Fine, pale sand, cleaned every morning, that slopes gently into usually calm water, with lifeguards, showers and rows of hire loungers in season. It is the busiest beach in town, so families with small children should claim a spot near a lifeguard post early.
The longer and quieter of the two main beaches, with the same fine sand and gentle slope but more room between towels. Beach bars are fewer, so bring water and snacks, and the wide promenade behind it makes the walk back easy.
A small, sheltered cove tucked between the harbour and the Old Town headland. The water is calm and the sand fine, but it is tiny and fills quickly, so think of it as a quick swim rather than somewhere to spend the day.
A cove of sand and fine gravel framed by rocky headlands, with calm water on most days and a handful of restaurants behind. It is small and popular with Spanish families at summer weekends, so weekdays are easier.
Things to do
The blue and white balustrade at the tip of the Old Town headland looks along both beaches at once, with Benidorm Island out in the bay. Come at dusk, when the towers light up and the heat has gone out of the day.
A road and path climb from the top of Rincón de Loix to the hilltop cross, the best viewpoint over the whole bay, and trails continue along the cliffs of the Serra Gelada natural park. There is no shade, so set off early and carry water.
Boats leave the harbour below the Old Town for the rocky islet in the bay, part of a protected marine park with clear water for snorkelling. Glass-bottomed boats suit children, but the crossing can be bumpy when there is a swell.
A large water park on the lower slopes of the Serra Gelada, with steep drop slides for teenagers and shallow pools for younger children. It opens for the warmer months only, so check the season before promising it to the family.
A theme park in the hills behind town, with zones themed on Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia and the Mediterranean islands, and several big rollercoasters. Opening days vary through the year, and weekdays outside August are the calmest.
A castle village perched on a rock in the mountains inland, entered through a tunnel cut in the stone, with a turquoise reservoir far below. Coach excursions arrive from mid-morning, so go early or late in the afternoon for a calmer visit.
A chain of waterfalls and cold, clear pools in a green gorge near Callosa d'en Sarrià, linked by footpaths, with swimming allowed in some pools. The water stays chilly even in August, and summer weekends are busy, so a weekday morning works best.
The narrow Old Town lane that visitors call tapas alley, lined with bars laying out small bites along the counter. It fills up after 9pm, so go early in the evening with children, and choose a bar where Spanish customers are eating.
Live entertainment is Benidorm's calling card: tribute acts, drag cabaret, comedians and karaoke, concentrated around Rincón de Loix and the eastern end of Levante. Many shows are free if you buy drinks, so the bar prices set the cost of the night.
Food and drink
Rice cooked in a deep fish stock and served on its own with a pot of alioli, the everyday rice of the Alicante coast. Most restaurants make it for a minimum of two people.
A chilled, milky drink pressed from tiger nuts, with long, sugar-glazed fartons for dunking. It is naturally dairy free, very sweet and at its best on a summer afternoon.
An espresso poured over a glass of ice, often with a strip of lemon peel. It is the local way to take coffee on a hot day, so ask for it by name in Spanish bars.
Salt-cured tuna loin, sliced wafer thin and served with Marcona almonds and a cold beer, a reminder of the tuna fishing Benidorm lived on before tourism arrived.
Money
Here the price follows the week, the walk to the sand and the board basis. School holidays and fiesta week cost the most, while a month in January can work out cheaper per night than a week in August. Front-line rooms on Levante or Poniente carry a premium, and many cheaper hotels sit further back, some up steep slopes, which makes for a hot climb home. We would spend extra on a level walk to the beach before a bigger room, and think twice about all inclusive when cheap food is on every corner.
Flights and transfers
Direct flights to Alicante run from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle across the year, and the transfer to Benidorm is one of the shortest on the mainland. This is an easy journey, which is a bigger part of its appeal than people admit.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
1 hour ahead of the UK
Euro (€)
Spanish and Valencian; English is spoken almost everywhere in the resort
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Safe to drink but heavily treated, so most visitors buy bottled for the taste
Not expected; round up in bars and leave 5 to 10 percent for good table service
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Levante if you want the nightlife, the famous skyline and everything on the doorstep. Poniente if you want a calmer beach, quieter evenings and a flat promenade for pushchairs or long winter walks. The Old Town in between gives you tapas streets and both beaches on foot, which is why couples often like it.
Yes, as long as the hotel is chosen with care. The main beaches shelve gently, are cleaned daily and have lifeguards in season, and there are water parks and a theme park close by. Families with toddlers usually do best in Poniente, away from the late bars of Rincón de Loix, in a hotel with a level walk to the sand.
Mild, sunny and sociable rather than hot. January averages around 18°C by day with cool evenings, and most visitors are long-stay regulars, many of them retired. Plenty of bars and shows keep going all winter. Ask whether the hotel pool is heated if swimming matters, because the sea is cold at about 15°C.
Parts of it are. Rincón de Loix and the eastern end of Levante are built around British bars, breakfasts and entertainment. The Old Town, Poniente and La Cala feel far more Spanish, and in August and at weekends Spanish holidaymakers make up a large part of the crowd. Where you stay decides how British your week feels.
Packages include a coach or private transfer. Travelling independently, a direct coach runs from the airport to Benidorm's bus station several times a day, and taxis wait outside arrivals. The coastal tram links Alicante city with Benidorm but does not currently serve the airport, so it suits day trips better than arrivals.
Four nights suits a group weekend or a first look, and a week covers the beaches, a boat to the island and a day in the mountains. In winter many people stay a month or longer, and long-stay rates can make that surprisingly affordable.
Photographs
Also worth a look
Your world, your way
Tell us roughly what you have in mind. We will compare the flights, hotels, routes and operators, explain the trade-offs and build the version that works for you.
Start your trip
