Being one of Spain’s most popular coastal spots, Alicante is often a top choice for road-trippers who are searching for the perfect scenic drive and smoothest driving experience. Alicante is famed for its medieval Old Town, gorgeous beaches, vibrant harbour and lively nightlife. Understandably, it is one of Spain’s most popular holiday cities.
If you’re planning to drive when visiting Alicante, Holiday Cars is your go-to for the best reliable and secure vehicles to hire for your trip. Not only do we provide you with vehicles that are perfectly suited to your needs and requirements, but we’ll also give you the lowdown on driving in Alicante. Here’s your ultimate guide to driving in Alicante, from general rules of the road to the best parking spots around the city:
Driving Rules and Regulations in Spain
Overall, driving in Alicante has been cited as pretty easy, with numerous scenic drives and main inner city roads, all of which are signposted and well-maintained to make driving as easy and efficient as possible. Spain has several general nationwide driving rules you should consider before hitting the road, which are:
- To drive in Spain, you should be aged 18 or above. To hire a car, the minimum age requirement is 21.
- Spain’s maximum national speed limit is 120 mh/h (75 mph). In built-up areas like inner city roads, the speed limit is 50 km/h (30 mph), and for more rural areas, you can expect to drive at speeds of around 90 km/h (55 mph).
- In Spain, you drive on the right and overtake on the left, which is the opposite of the UK, where driving is on the left side of the road. This may make driving in Spain difficult if it’s your first time doing so, so it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the roads before you drive.
- UK and EU driving licences are generally accepted, but it’s still a good idea to ensure you have any relevant documentation to hand, such as driving licence, insurance and proof of age. You usually need these documents for the car booking process too.
- Some roads in Spain have toll roads, although most are toll-free. Alicante is generally toll-free when driving.
Top Tips for Driving in Alicante
Alicante has numerous urban roads in its city centre, and mountainous country roads outside of the city, most of which are well signposted and easy to navigate. Remember to drive on the right side of the road and to give way and overtake to the left. Each type of road in Alicante has its own speed limit, e.g. urban inner city roads, country roads, etc. Residential areas usually have a speed limit of around 25 km/h (around 15 mph), so bear this in mind when driving through residential streets or smaller.
Parking in Alicante: A Guide
Parking in Alicante is abundant, with numerous parking spaces, zones and garages. Generally, the zones you want to look out for are orange, white and blue zones, which mean resident parking, free parking and paid parking respectively.
White Parking Zones are usually in high demand as they’re the only free areas to park around the city, so you’ll be lucky to find a parking spot in these zones. If you don’t want to pay a parking fee, you can try your luck at a white zone car park.
Orange Parking Zones are usually intended for residents of the particular zone or area you are parking in, so to avoid any unwanted hassle or potentially a fine, it’s probably best to avoid these areas if you are not a resident.
Blue Parking Zones indicate paid parking with rates of around €2 per 2 hours, which is the general maximum time you can stay in the car park– you can renew your parking if you need to via an app or parking machine with a physical ticket.
Alicante also has several parking garages/multi-storey car parks around the city centre, which are usually better for leaving your car for a longer period of time than the basic street parking. Rates are similar to street parking, with parking rates costing around €2-€3.
Hiring Your Car from Alicante Airport
It’s usually popular to hire a car from the resident airport of the city you’re in, as airport car hire is usually cheaper than downtown or city centre car hire. Alicante Airport is around 10 miles south of the city, so you can hop off the plane and begin your journey almost immediately, especially if you’ve booked your car hire online or ahead of time. Avoid any connecting transport to the city by booking your car hire from Alicante Airport.
Prices for car hire from Alicante Airport with Holiday Cars start at £8 per day. Alternatively, hiring your car from Alicante city centre sees starting prices of around £19 per day. The main car hire suppliers at Alicante Airport include Avis, Budget, Centauro, Europcar, OK Mobility, Sixt, Hertz, Goldcar and RecordGo. If booking in advance online with Holiday Cars, you’ll find a larger array of car hire suppliers, such as Drivalia, Keddy, Enterprise, National and Thrifty.
Types of Vehicles for Hire in Alicante and Prices
When booking with Holiday Cars, you can expect to find a variety of car types, makes and models available for hire from both Alicante Airport and Alicante city centre. These include small and large economy cars (these tend to be the cheapest types of cars to hire), SUVs, minivans/7-9 seaters and estate cars. From Alicante Airport, the cheapest make and model of car to hire is the Toyota Aygo with a starting price of £8 per day, whereas the most expensive make/model is the Renault Espace, with a starting price of £120 per day.
From Alicante’s city centre, the cheapest car you can hire is the Peugeot 108 which has a starting price of around £18 per day, and the most expensive make and model of car for hire is the Volkswagen Caravelle Passenger Van, with a starting price of £95 per day.