Alicante airport to city centre: transfers, taxis, and shuttle buses

Planning a trip to Alicante from the UK? After sorting your flights and nearby accommodation, the next thing to do is work out the best way to get to and from the airport.

To help your holiday run smoothly, we’ve put together a handy guide to Alicante airport transfers. This includes the best ways to get to the city centre or nearby resorts by bus, taxi or private transfer.

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What to know before leaving the airport?

Alicante airport is around 12 km from the city of Alicante, and the journey takes around 15 minutes by car/taxi and 25 minutes by bus.¹

The airport is also known as the gateway to Costa Blanca, with a number of beautiful holiday destinations within each reach. These include Santa Pola, Benidorm, Torrevieja and Moraira, all of which are under an hour’s drive away (except Moraira, which is just over an hour away).

The airport has both bus stops and taxi ranks on site, but there aren’t any direct rail or metro links to the city centre or other resorts.

If you need to exchange currency before leaving the airport, you should find both ATMs and currency exchange counters within the arrivals area of the terminal.

But if you already have your Wise card in your wallet, you won’t need to bother. You can start spending in EUR right away, at a far better rate than you’d find at the currency exchange desk.

Alicante airport transfers

One of the most convenient ways to get to your onward destination from the airport is to arrange a transfer yourself. This will take you door-to-door, without the need to wait around for buses or stand in a taxi queue.

And if you arrange a private transfer, you can travel in comfort by yourself or with just your travelling party.

However, private transfers are typically more expensive than using public transport.

Typical transfer routes from Alicante airport

Travellers and holidaymakers landing at Alicante tend to head to Alicante city centre, or one of the following nearby resorts:¹

• Benidorm - 45 minutes away by car or taxi
• Torrevieja - 40 minutes away
• Moraira - just over an hour away² by car or taxi.

Cheap transfers from Alicante airport

The cheapest Alicante airport transfers usually involve booking a seat on a shared shuttle bus, rather than having a private car all to yourself.

For example, it costs around £58 per person for a private car to Benidorm from the airport with Travel Supermarket. But book a shared shuttle bus, and you’ll pay just £7.37 a person.³

You will need to share with other passengers, but you’ll still be dropped off at your hotel doorstep.

How to organise a private transfer?

The easiest way to organise a private transfer is online. You can book and pay in advance, so your driver or shuttle bus will be waiting for you when you land.

There are lots of sites to choose from, including Hoppa, Travel Supermarket and Shuttle Direct to name just a few. You can also book transfers on the Alicante airport website.

Alternatives to private transfers

If you’d prefer to save money on your transfer or need a more flexible option, there are a couple of alternatives available.

Alicante airport is very well-connected in terms of taxis and buses, the latter being the cheapest way to travel.

Taxis from Alicante airport to city centre

As it’s such a busy airport, there are a number of different taxi operators running services to Alicante city centre and nearby resorts. You’ll simply need to head to the taxi rank and hop into one - although you may need to queue during busy periods.

You can also pre-book a ride online with the airport’s own taxi service, ALC Taxis run by Solhop.

Cash is the preferred method of payment, although the official Alicante airport taxis do have credit card payment machines.⁴

How much is the taxi fare to Alicante?

It should cost around €21.00/£18.82* each way¹ for a taxi from the airport to Alicante city centre. Bear in mind, though, that rates can vary unless you book in advance, although many operators offer fixed prices.

The airport’s own taxi service is pricier, with a trip to the city centre costing around €39.00/£34.94*.⁴

How taxis look and where are they parked?

Regardless of the operator, all taxis at the airport are white with a black and yellow taxi sign on the roof.¹

You’ll find all taxis parked in the taxi rank directly outside the arrivals area. There’s also another taxi rank located outside departures.

Shuttle buses from Alicante airport

Lastly, you can hop on a shuttle bus to reach your onward destination. Alicante airport buses are pretty regular and provide connections to the city centre, Benidorm, Murcia, Valencia and other popular holiday destinations.

Here are some of the routes and services you can choose from:⁵

• Alicante Aerobus C6 - running to Alicante every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day. A single ticket costs €3.85/£3.45*.
• Alsa to Benidorm - running several times a day, costing €9.80/£8.78* one-way.
• Alsa to Murcia - four buses a day, costing €5.37/£4.81* one-way.

To catch a bus at the airport, you’ll need to head to the bus stop outside departures on level 2. You can pay the driver once you get on the bus.⁵

After reading this guide, you should be all set to arrange your Alicante airport transfers. You can arrange a private transfer in advance, or simply hop in a taxi or on a bus once you arrive - it’s completely up to you.

And if you’re looking for a cheap and safe way to pay for transport and spend in Alicante or nearby, consider going with Wise. You can get a Wise card for spending abroad that lets you convert GBP to 40+ currencies using a fair exchange rate, the mid-market rate.

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*1 EUR = 0.8960 GBP (28-09-2022)

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