If variety is the spice of life, Alicante takes the cake, however you look at it. This city with a population of over 300,000 combines both classic and modern, it offers business and pleasure, entertainment and educational opportunities, and manages to fit mountains and beaches within its city limits. It even has an island off the coast – the only inhabited island in the Land of Valencia.
Alicante has a long history reaching back to prehistoric times, with archaeological remains having been found here from the third millennium before Christ. This is the site of an ancient Iberian urban settlement dating from the late 5th century BC. The city later became a Roman municipium, Lucentum, at the behest of the Emperor Augustus at the beginning of the Christian era. It has been a Spanish city for over 500 years, with a charter granted to it by Ferdinand the Catholic in 1490. Its title includes the praiseworthy epithets of “illustrious, eminent, noble, loyal and always faithful”, bearing a golden fleece on its coat of arms since 1524 by permission of Carlos V. Today it is a first-rate tourist area thanks to its splendid beaches and its excellent climate, offering charm, tradition, monuments and tourist attractions, and an exciting festivities and cultural calendar throughout the entire year.
Alicante’s provincial economy is strong, ranking as Spain's fourth largest province in terms of its Gross Domestic Product and number of inhabitants, plus its highly active University with 40,000 students distributed amongst the Alicante and Miguel Hernández faculties. This strength has given rise to a well-consolidated tradition in the field of organising congresses, conventions and professional encounters of all kinds.
The 21st century and the new millennium will usher in a prosperous city in ongoing evolution, with the added dynamics of being one of the offices of the European Union. It will shortly become the site of a unique theme park called “The City of Light”. Apart from this, there is lots of local warmth, with local hospitality and cordiality rating highly, plus a multifaceted entertainment and cultural lineup – described on the pages that follow – that attracts people to this city at any time of the year.
Let Sasha guide you through sunny Alicante!
