Beaches, mountains, water activities, restaurants… Benidorm has become the third most visited city in Spain (After Madrid and Barcelona) and it´s for a reason. The city located in Costa Blanca offers everything a tourist needs.
Today we are going to tell you all the things to see and do in Benidorm:
1) Chill at the beach
When someone thinks of Benidorm, the first thing that comes to their minds is a beach with many people and an incredible atmosphere. Going to the beach is one of those must do things in Benidorm… Actually, if you visit the city and you don´t go to the beach is like not visiting it at all.
There are 5 beaches in Benidorm, but two of them are the ones everyone visits. On one side, you can go to “Playa de Levante”, which is around 2km long and it´s where young people like to go. This beach has plenty of activities, music and of course, there are more crowds. On the other side, you will find Poniente beach, which is quieter and it´s perfect for families and people who just want to chill.
You can also go to small beaches like Playa del Mal Pas or Cala Almadraba that are very small, but also have less people.
2) Visit the old town of Benidorm
Another of the activities to do in Benidorm is visiting the old town, which is located right between the famous two beaches. This area is the major tourist attraction in Benidorm, so if you don´t want to see it with many tourists, we advise you to wake up early in the morning.
In the “Casco antiguo” or old town of the city, you will see the church of San Jaime and Santa Ana, the rests of an old castle, and the famous “Balcon del Mediterraneo”, which is not only beautiful because of its architecture, but also because there´s a look out where you can admire the skyline of Benidorm.
For us, it´s also one of the best areas to go to a restaurant and have a lunch, there is an incredible atmosphere on the surroundings, plus, you can enjoy a great view.
3) Do a hike to La Cruz de Benidorm
One of the best places to visit in Benidorm is “La Cruz de Benidorm”, it´s a look out point, where you can admire an incredible view of the city and its skyscrapers.
This large wooden cross has a very interesting story. Apparently, Benidorm was the first city in Spain that allowed bikinis on its beaches. As you can imagine, those were different times, and the church was completely against that, so as a way of complaining, the priest of the church, decided to climb all the way up while carrying the cross.
Besides the story, we enjoyed a lot visiting this place, and the hike is actually not too bad. In case you don´t want to go walking, there is also a touristic train that takes you almost to the top.
4) Eat a paella!
One of the best things to do in Benidorm (Well, in the whole Valencian Community) is eating a paella or Alicante-style rice. Although there is a huge argument saying that the rice of Alicante is not a paella, we can guarantee you that is delicious.
During our trip to Benidorm, we got to eat three different paellas, and we enjoyed all of them. The good thing is that they are so specialized making rice, that they even have vegetarian paella.
Almost every restaurant in Benidorm gives you the chance of eating paella, but if we had to recommend you a good place, it would be restaurante Ulia.
5) Water activities
Of all the fun things to do in Benidorm, we have to highlight their water activities. On their blue flag beaches, they offer all kind of facilities, and that includes the possibility of doing water sports like scuba diving, surf or cable sky.
Doing scuba diving or snorkeling is our favorite as we are nature lovers and in these are there is a huge biodiversity under the sea. Unfortunately, the weather wasn´t the best when we visited the city, so we got to do Paddle surf and it was surprisingly fun!
6) Boat trip to Benidorm Island
One of the best things to see in Benidorm is its small island known in Valencian as L’illa de Benidorm, and there is no better way to do it than taking a boat.
This small island is seen from everywhere in the city and there are multiple myths of why is there. The most famous story says that it was a giant who kicked part of the mountains and threw it right there.
Other than the island (Which is beautiful), on your boat trip you will be able to admire the skyline of Benidorm, and it´s even more beautiful from that point of view.
7) Ride a bike to Sierra Helada
Benidorm is the Paradise for cyclists and people who like to ride a bike. With the goal of being a more responsible city, they have constructed many kilometers of bike lanes.
When we visited the city, we got the chance of taking an electrical bike and it made our hike to sierra Helada much more fun…plus, riding up the hill was way easier. It was one of our favorite activities in Benidorm.
Sierra Helada is the national park of Benidorm, and no matter if you go with a bike or you go walking, you cannot miss this place. At the end of the hike, there is a look out to a cliff which will make you feel you are inside a movie…it surprised us a lot to see that type of scenery in Benidorm.
8) A day in Terra Mitica
Another must do in Benidorm is going to Terra Mitica, which is for sure one of the largest theme parks in all Spain. If you are spending a long holiday in Benidorm and you don´t want to be all the time at the beach, riding some rollercoaster is a very fun option.
The best of Terra Mitica is that it´s not a normal amusement park, in this case you can find areas designed with different subjects like the ancient Egypt, the old-time Greece and the Roman empire.
If you are not a thrill-seeker and you prefer other type of activities, don´t worry because there are also splash pools that are much more calmed.
Imagen: Booking.com
9) Cooking experience
During our 4-day trip to Benidorm, we didn´t have a very nice weather, so we had to look for unusual things to do in Benidorm. One of those was a cooking experience where you learn how to cook meals that are typical from Spain and Alicante.
It was very fun because the experience consists of three different stages. The first one is where you go to the market and you buy all you need to cook. The second one is basically the process of cooking, while the chef is teaching you. Last of all, you enjoy your lunch (hopefully you have done a great job and your food taste delicious)
The experience was completely worth it, plus, we got to learn how to make our own paella!
10) Excursions from Benidorm
Last of all, to finish our top 10 things to do in Benidorm, if you have enough time, we recommend you doing excursions to the different towns that are in the surroundings.
Some of our favorite day trips from Benidorm are to Calpe and its famous crag, to Altea and its popular white streets, to Guadalest and the incredible blue water of its dam and to the popular beaches of Villajoyosa, which by the way are located very close to Benidorm.
You can also do excursions to the mountains. There are many hikes where you end up having fantastic views of Benidorm.
Enjoy the best activities in Benidorm
That´s all you need to know about the best places to go in Benidorm. As you have seen there are multiple things you can do in the city and its surroundings.
Hope you enjoyed reading this article, and if you have any question or suggestion, please let us know!
