Basílica de Santa María

Alicante


Flanked by twin towers, this old-town church's flamboyant, 18th-century baroque facade and ornate, gilded altarpiece contrast with the nave’s Gothic simplicity. It was built over the city's main mosque after the Reconquista.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Alicante attractions

1. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante

0.02 MILES

This splendid museum, inside the 17th-century Casa de la Asegurada, has an excellent collection of 20th-century Spanish art, including works by Dalí, Miró…

2. Playa del Postiguet

0.16 MILES

Immediately northeast of the port is the attractively coloured sandy beach of Playa del Postiguet, Alicante's city beach. It gets packed in summer.

3. Castillo de Santa Bárbara

0.18 MILES

There are sweeping views over the city from the ramparts of this large 16th-century castle, which houses a museum recounting the history of the city and…

4. Icarus

0.19 MILES

This splendid waterside bronze figure of a pin-headed Icarus bearing his wing (or is it a surfboard?) as he emerges from the water is by contemporary…

6. Museu de Fogueres

0.26 MILES

In addition to a wealth of photographs, costumes and the most popular ninot (effigy) of each year, saved from their normal fiery fate by popular vote,…

7. Mercado Central

0.38 MILES

Alicante's main market hall is a feast for the eyes and other senses. Dating from the 1920s, it has a few Modernista flourishes; it suffered extensive…

8. Museo Volvo Ocean Race

0.45 MILES

On the pier, this museum brings to life the gruelling conditions of the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race with a simulator, videos, photos and a display of…