Alicante is mainly travelled by TRAM and city bus, within a single metropolitan system, the TAM. The centre, the Explanada and Postiguet beach are easy on foot. Alicante has no metro, and its airport has no train or tram station: the airport is reached by the C-6 bus.
1. Getting around the city
**TRAM d'Alacant.** The network is run by Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV), and all its city lines start at Luceros station, in the centre. Line L1 runs from Luceros to Benidorm, through El Campello and La Vila Joiosa. Line L2 runs from Luceros to Sant Vicent del Raspeig, past the General Hospital and the University of Alicante. Line L3 runs from Luceros to El Campello, stopping at Albufereta, San Juan beach and Muchavista. Line L4 runs from Luceros to Plaza La Coruña, at San Juan beach, through Albufereta and Cabo de las Huertas. Line L5 runs from Puerta del Mar, beside Postiguet beach, to Plaza La Coruña, sharing most of the L4 route. To continue towards Dénia, change at Benidorm onto line L9, which does not start in Alicante.
**City bus.** City buses are run by Vectalia within the TAM and serve the neighbourhoods the TRAM does not reach. Night buses run on Fridays, Saturdays and the eves of public holidays. There is also a shuttle between Puerta del Mar and Santa Bárbara Castle. On TAM lines, children travel free until they turn 5, according to Vectalia.
**On foot and by taxi.** The centre is compact: the Explanada, the old town, the Central Market and Postiguet beach are a short distance from each other, and the Santa Cruz quarter is walked through narrow streets. Official taxis are taken at marked ranks, including those at the airport, the train station and the port.
2. Getting to and from the city
**By plane.** Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC) is run by Aena and stands in the municipality of Elche, at El Altet, south-west of the city. It has no train station and no TRAM stop, even though the railway line passes nearby. The link to the city is the Vectalia C-6 bus, which joins the airport to Puerta del Mar and stops at Alicante-Terminal train station and at Luceros square, among other central points. The C-6 also runs at night, less often.
**By train.** The main station is Alicante-Terminal, owned by Adif and run by Renfe. From it leave high-speed trains to Madrid and other cities, medium- and long-distance trains, and Renfe local trains: line C-1 towards Elche and Murcia, and line C-3 towards the University of Alicante and San Vicente Centro. The station is near the centre, a short walk from Luceros square.
**By intercity coach, by car and by boat.** Intercity coaches leave from the city bus station. By road, the coastal motorway joins Alicante to Valencia to the north and to Murcia to the south. The port of Alicante is a working port, with a marina and cruise calls, and boats to the island of Tabarca leave from the port area. No regular ferry route to another continent is stated here: specific routes must be checked with each operator before travelling.
3. Commuting in general terms
The TRAM is the backbone of the city: it joins the centre to San Juan beach, to El Campello to the north, and to the University and Sant Vicent del Raspeig inland. The bus covers the neighbourhoods and streets the TRAM does not touch, and the centre is done on foot. At busy hours, the TRAM avoids road traffic jams, while buses and taxis share them. In summer, the beach lines run fuller, and at night the service is thinner, so check the last service of the day before going out.
4. What a newcomer needs to know first
This page gives general information about transport. It does not sell tickets or verify times, fares or specific services.
- **Do not look for a train at the airport.** Alicante airport has no station: take the C-6 bus to Luceros or to Alicante-Terminal, and there connect to the TRAM or the train.
- **Note the exact station name.** Luceros is the central TRAM station; Puerta del Mar is the TRAM stop beside Postiguet and the castle lift; Alicante-Terminal is the train station. They are three different points.
- **Check fares and times on the official source.** This page gives no fares or times because they change: for the TRAM, tramalacant.es; for the city bus, alicante.vectalia.es; for trains, Renfe; for the airport, Aena.
- **Keep your ticket during the journey.** Changes within the TAM require validating or showing the ticket on each mode.
- **There are three ways up to the castle.** You can walk up from the Santa Cruz quarter, take the shuttle from Puerta del Mar, or take the lift through the hill from Avenida de Jovellanos, beside Postiguet. Check access before going if you have reduced mobility.