Costa Blanca
Most people picture Benidorm before they ever set foot in it — and get it wrong. In reality it’s two towns side by side, which is exactly why it works for a family with young kids and a group of twenty-somethings alike.
Two beaches, two completely different holidays
Benidorm is built around a single rock with the old town on top of it. To its left is Playa de Levante — wide, sociable, with a promenade that comes alive after dark. To its right, Playa de Poniente — longer, calmer, lined with palm trees, the kind of beach where families bring their own parasol. The two are twenty minutes apart on foot, and yet it’s a different holiday.
Between the two is Balcón del Mediterráneo, a viewing terrace on the edge of the rock where you can see both beaches at once. If Benidorm in your head is still just a photo of concrete towers, this is where that picture gets filled in fast: sea on both sides, mountains at your back, and the city somewhere in the middle.
Benidorm doesn’t split into day and night. It splits into the left side and the right side of the rock — and you choose which one you’re staying on.
Four theme parks you won’t find anywhere else on this coast
Terra Mítica is a classic rollercoaster park split into Egypt, Greece and Rome. Aqualandia is a water park on the slope of the Sierra Helada, one of the oldest in Spain. Mundomar is marine and exotic animals — the pick for younger kids. And Terra Natura is a zoo built so there’s no bars between you and the animals. All four are in the city or a few minutes from it.
One thing worth knowing before you book: the parks are seasonal. In 2026, Aqualandia ran from 23 May to 27 September, and Terra Mítica opened its season on 15 May, with only part of the park accessible until 26 June. So if you’re travelling in May or October and the parks are the reason for the trip, check the dates before you book flights. This is exactly the kind of detail people write to me about.
Why it works better here with kids than elsewhere
Benidorm is built for families from the ground up. The promenade runs along both beaches without a single step, so you can push a pram from one end of town to the other. The sea shelves gently, the beaches are lifeguarded in season, and the hotels sit close enough to the sand that an afternoon nap isn’t a logistical problem. Ice cream, nappies and a pharmacy are never more than five minutes away.
And one more thing most resorts don’t have: Benidorm stays alive in November too. Restaurants stay open, the promenade is full, and the town doesn’t feel switched off. For a family that isn’t tied to the summer holidays, that’s a completely different experience — and a different price.
And why people come here even when sleep isn’t the plan
The other half of the truth about Benidorm is its nightlife, and there’s no point pretending it isn’t there. It’s concentrated, loud and remarkably cheap — and, crucially, packed into a handful of streets.
The English quarter around Calle Gerona is loud, cheap and upfront about what it is: karaoke, tribute bands and beer for a couple of euros. The opposite is Casco Antiguo, the old town between the two beaches, where you go for tapas and a glass of wine, not a competition.
And then there are two names the younger crowd will find without my help: Penelope Beach Club right by Levante, and Benidorm Palace , an old-school Spanish variety show that’s outlasted every trend and still sells out.
And here’s the whole trick to this town. The busy part is squeezed into a few streets at the eastern end of Levante. Choose a hotel on Poniente or in the old town, and you’ll only hear about Benidorm’s nightlife secondhand. You won’t get this from photos online, and it’s the one detail that decides the whole holiday.
Where to go from here
A boat leaves from the harbour for Isla de Benidorm, a rocky island a couple of kilometres offshore where you can snorkel and still be back for lunch. Above the town is the Sierra Helada natural park, with the Cruz de Benidorm viewpoint. And by car you’re half an hour from Altea, an hour from the mountain village of Guadalest, or the Fuentes del Algar waterfalls.
If you don’t have a car, the TRAM runs here from Alicante on line L1. It goes roughly every half hour, the ride takes about an hour and twenty minutes, and a one-way ticket costs a little over two euros. It’s also one of the most scenic rail lines I know in Spain — the final stretch runs right along the sea.
And what Benidorm isn’t
It isn’t a quiet fishing village, and it never will be. It’s a city of high-rises — reportedly with more skyscrapers per resident than anywhere else in the world — and in August it’s full. If you’re after an empty beach and quiet after nine in the evening, the Costa Blanca has places for that. They just aren’t called Benidorm.
I’m saying this on purpose. Better to know it in advance than find it out once you’re here.
Who Benidorm is for
Benidorm at a glance
Not sure which side of Benidorm is yours?
I know the Costa Blanca from Dénia to Mar Menor, and Benidorm out of season too. Tell me who you’re travelling with and what you want from the trip, and I’ll tell you straight — whether Benidorm fits, or somewhere else on the coast suits you better.