By-Car Hire Guide To Costa Blanca

A favourite holiday seaside destination for families from around the world, the Costa Blanca is a varied and popular 150-mile stretch of Mediterranean coastline in the Alicante province of Spain.

Costa Blanca Overview

Costa Blanca is Spanish for the 'White Coast', and the name refers to the miles of white sandy beaches that lie between the warm turquoise waters and the breathtaking mountains of the Alicante interior.

The Costa Blanca is a diverse mix of bustling tourist resorts, picturesque fishing villages and fascinating medieval towns, so to truly appreciate it you need to hire a car. The geography of the Costa Blanca is ideally suited to scenic road trips, and hiring a car is the perfect way to get the most out of your holiday.

A good place to start any holiday in Costa Blanca is Alicante, a strikingly unspoilt and culturally inspiring Spanish city that's within easy reach of the region's main airport. Alicante has a number of attractions worth visiting, such as the 16th century Castillo de Santa Barbara (St. Barbara's Castle) on Mount Benacantil, which offers great views of the city, and the Iglesia de Santa Marí­a, the city's oldest church, which dates back to the 13th century.

Alicante has some wonderful beaches, and there are many parks and gardens to stroll through. The city is also famous for its nightlife, with one of the most popular areas being "el barrio", near the Concatedral de San Nicolás de Bari (procathedral), which is packed with clubs and bars.

Alicante is a great place to use as a base for exploring the Costa Blanca, but if you hire a car you can visit other locations both on the Costa Blanca and in other regions of Spain, such as Dénia, Calpe, Baza and Granada.

You can find out more about some of the attractions along the Costa Blanca if you hire a car here:

• Costa Blanca Car Hire - Attractions within one hour's drive of Alicante
• Costa Blanca Car Hire - Attractions one to two hours' drive from Alicante
• Costa Blanca Car Hire - Attractions two to three hours' drive from Alicante
• Costa Blanca Car Hire - Attractions more than three hours' drive from Alicante

Getting to the Costa Blanca and Car Hire

The Costa Blanca's main airport is Alicante Airport - also known as El Altet - and you can hire a car from here.

You could also make your own way to the Costa Blanca, by flying to one of many destinations outside the region, and hiring a car there. If you drive from the north of Costa Blanca, you can pass through the beautiful mountain scenery of Dénia, or if you approach from the south you can pass through Torreveija - either way, the weather is usually favourable for driving all year round.