Hotels near Explanada de España

The Explanada de España is Alicante's grand seafront promenade, running beside the marina between rows of palm trees. Its most striking feature is underfoot: a wave-patterned mosaic of some 6.6 million red, cream, and black marble tiles, laid in an undulating design that seems to ripple as you walk.

This is where the whole city comes for its evening paseo, browsing craft stalls, stopping for an horchata, or listening to a concert at the bandstand. Cafes and ice-cream parlours line the landward side, and the marina full of yachts sits just across the road.

Pro Tip: Come at dusk when locals fill the promenade and the heat eases. The craft market stalls set up most evenings in summer along the seaward edge.