Alicante, a lively city on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, is a popular vacation destination for many gay travelers. Although much smaller than Madrid or Barcelona, Alicante offers numerous opportunities to enjoy an unforgettable summer vacation.
Most tourists are attracted to its fascinating beaches. With endless miles of golden sand and sunny summer weather, Alicante is the perfect place to get in touch with the Mediterranean. The most popular beaches among gays and lesbians are undoubtedly the nudist beaches of Alicante: Urbanova and Cabo de las Huertas. Urbanova beach is located in the southern part of the Alicante coast, several kilometers from the city center. It is quite close to Alicante airport and you can often see planes flying over the beach. It can be accessed by car following the N-332 road, towards Elche. Another option is to take bus number 27 in front of Alicante’s main train station RENFE, which communicates once an hour. Urbanova is a long sandy beach, which offers a lot of space and an impressive view towards the port of Alicante. Another option is the rocky beach of Cabo de las Huertas. It is a place with the wild character of unspoiled nature and a lot of flat rocky plates. You can reach it by bus number 22 or by simply walking back from San Juan beach along the rocky coast, passing by the lighthouse.
Upon returning from one of your favorite beaches in Alicante, you can start socializing already in the afternoon or early evening. Just visit one of the gay coffee bars. Or i Ferro (Oro y Hierro) is an old bar with a pleasant atmosphere, located on Calle Belando near Plaza Luceros. Another is Pikadura, located on Calle Rafael Altamira next to La Rambla and Paseo de la Explanada. These two bars are the best places to find out more about Alicante’s gay nightlife. Have a drink, a snack, and read the newspaper and gay reviews.
After midnight, you can start partying in various pubs and clubs. They offer a diverse environment, always full of people during hot summer nights. You can start with Canibal Pub, definitely the most popular gay bar with youngsters. It is located in the Plaza Nueva (there is an interesting Aquarium in the square with large Mediterranean fish, so you cannot miss it). The Canibal pub regularly hosts special events, such as Halloween parties, featured music nights or New Years celebrations. You can have a drink, have a good time for half an hour and then go to the next bar, they are all within walking distance of each other.
Crossing the Rambla we enter El Barrio – Alicante’s Old Town. El Barrio is a large pedestrian area with numerous discos with good music for all tastes. You will meet thousands of young people having fun on the streets. If you like Europop music, visit the Divina bar. You can find it on Calle Montengon, near the Cathedral. It is quite small and is always full of people. Around the corner, we come to Santa Faz, a beautiful historic square behind the town hall. Here is the El Forat bar. It is the oldest gay bar in Alicante and one of El Barrio’s veterans, attracting a large number of gay-friendly visitors. Passing the main square and entering Gravina street, you can finish your walk in Missing. This nightclub is close to the MUBAG museum and the Esplanade promenade. Its darker atmosphere and special nightly events mix a pub atmosphere with the look of a nightclub.
Once you close the circle, you can start another round, visiting the club that you like the most. The old town of Alicante is quite small, everything can be easily reached on foot and there is a lot of fun both inside and on the street. Finally, once the bars in El Barrio are closed, you can continue partying in one of the Alicante nightclubs. The usual choice for gays and lesbians is the Byblos nightclub, located on Calle San Francisco parallel to the Paseo de la Explanada. Enjoy dancing, drinking and having fun until dawn.