How to Visit Guadalest – Day Trip from Benidorm

The small mountain village of Guadalest might just be 90 minutes away from Benidorm, but it’s a glorious escape from the beach and nightlife.  Guadalest is a village in the mountains near Benidorm. Guadalest village near Benidorm is set on a granite mountain overlooking both the Costa Blanca and the Mediterranean Sea and the beautiful turquoise reservoir that supplies water to Benidorm.  A Guadalest Day Trip from Benidorm will let you experience this tiny village, escape the heat of the beach, and explore a little further in the Costa Blanca region.

Guadalest dates back over 1,000 years, with a 12^th-century prison and dungeon, a castle, several museums, and fabulous narrow cobbled streets.   The village has just 300 permanent inhabitants.  Day trips to Guadalest from Benidorm are one of the most popular Benidorm day trips to take.  You can also take a trip to Guadalest from Alicante or other resorts along the Costa Blanca.

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Guadalest Valley – a Great Day Trip

It’s easy to take an excursion from Benidorm to come and visit Guadalest, indeed, this is one of the top things to do in Benidorm.  Guadalest is the most visited village in Spain.  But don’t let that put you off, the village is pretty, the views are amazing and it’s a refreshing change.

There is the Guadalest Benidorm road in from Benidorm, which winds up through the picturesque Guadalest Valley, through citrus groves, almond trees, and pine forests.  While the village itself is small and compact with a distinct lower and upper village area there is more than enough to occupy your time for a few hours.  Stay longer to experience the peace and quiet once the day-trippers go home! > You can find our recommendations for where to stay in Guadalest here.

How to Get to Guadalest from Benidorm

There are four simple ways to get to Guadalest from Benidorm.

1. Rent a car and drive > Check out the best prices for Benidorm Car Rental
2. Take a paid-for tour > Book Day Trips to Guadalest from Benidorm now
3. Get a free trip with Round Town Travel Benidorm – details below
4. Take the Guadalest Benidorm bus – details below

How to Get to Guadalest from Alicante

1. Rent a car and drive > Check out the best prices for Alicante Car Rental
2. Take a paid-for tour – Book a Day Trip to Guadalest from Alicante
3. To get from Alicante to Guadalest Valley take the tram and then the local bus.
   1. Take the 0843 tram from Alicante to Benidorm.  The tram from Alicante to Benidorm takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then catch the number 16 Guadalest bus from Benidorm.  You can catch the 16 bus from Benidorm to Gudalest just outside the tram station.  It is on your right as you come out of the tram.

How to Get to Guadalest from Albir

1. Rent a car and drive > Check out the best prices for Albir Car Rental
2. Take a paid-for tour – Book a Day Trip to Guadalest from Albir now
3. Take a number 10 bus from Albir to Benidorm and then the number 16 bus from Benidorm to Guadalest – you can find more details in this post.

Where is Guadalest

Guadalest is 63km from Alicante, and 21 km from Benidorm.

Guadalest Spain Map

How to Drive from Benidorm to Guadalest

Take the CV-70 in the direction of La Nucia.  Go past Polop and follow the signs to Guadalest.  The route is around 29 kilometers and takes around 45 minutes to drive depending on traffic.  For a more scenic drive, stay on the CV-70 until Polop and switch to the CV-775.

There is public parking in Guadalest, right at the entrance to the village.  It is well signposted and parking costs €2 all day.  There are several overflow car parks.  Most of the museums and cafes in the village will not open until 1000 or slightly later, so there’s no need to arrive TOO early.

Take a Tour to Guadalest from Benidorm

Depending on the provider that you sign up with a day trip to Guadalest can cost from €15 depending on the time of year of your trip.  This will maximize your time in Guadalest – and you can grab wine at lunchtime too! – book now!

Free Tour to Guadalest from Benidorm with Round Town Benidorm Travel

You might have seen the TV version of this in the sitcom Benidorm.   You’ll be taken to Guadalest for free, but there’s a demonstration or sales pitch that you have to sit through to take the trip.  They’re often called “Blanket Trips Benidorm” because in the past these trips have involved a sales pitch for merino wool blankets.  To get your Benidorm Blanket Trips, just find the Round Town Tours Benidorm office closest to you and see what’s available if you don’t mind the sales pitch.

Local Bus from Benidorm to Guadalest Valley

The local bus company Ilorente runs a single coach every day from the Plaza Triangular in Benidorm to Guadalest.  You need the number 16 bus to Guadalest from Benidorm.  It leaves La Cala Finestrat at 0945 and gets to the Ave Mediterraneo at around 1005.  There is no need for a bus timetable for Benidorm to Guadalest – there is just one bus.  The cost of the Bus 16 Benidorm Guadalest bus ticket from Benidorm to Guadalest is €3.75 each way per person.  You can buy a single ticket or a return.  It’s the same price.

There is just one Benidorm Guadalest bus a day each way.    The route takes 60-70 minutes to go from Benidorm to Guadalest by bus– it’s uphill most of the way.  The bus returns from Guadalest to Benidorm at 1330.  That is plenty of time – unless you’ve booked a room and are staying longer.

Benidorm to Guadalest Bus Time

DAILY  10:05am

Guadalest to Benidorm Bus Time

DAILY 1:30pm

Guadalest Day Trip Itinerary

Unless you are self-driving or have taken a private tour you will have around two hours to spend in Guadalest.   Here’s an itinerary for Guadalest for 2 hours.

Once you’ve confirmed the return time of your bus, head straight to the upper part of the village.  Follow the route through the lower village, go past the map on the board and go straight ahead towards a short series of steps.  Follow this path along the cobbled path, the path is joined by a route on the right that you’ll use to return.   At this point, you’ll find a photographer taking photos (for around €5).  Your photo will be ready for you when you return down to the lower village.   They’re not pushy, so just say no if you don’t want one.

Go through the tunnel in the rock to the upper village area.

Walk as far as you can, and look down to see the magnificent views of the Guadalest reservoir which supplies the water to Benidorm and the surrounding area.  There are great photo opportunities here.  Walk around the walls and take a peek at the shops and cafes here.

Head back towards the tunnel in the rock.  Guadalest has several museums, including the Casa Orduña, a typical House of the 18th century, near the entrance to the rock tunnel.  Upon entering you’ll be provided with an information sheet in English (or any other European language of your choice) to describe what’s on display here.

You can then also go higher up to the Guadalest Castle. The entrance is €4 for adults and €2 for children.  There are great photo opportunities from here.

Exit the rock tunnel and head back towards the lower village.  Take the left-hand fork of the path, and marvel at the views down to the coast.  Along this cobbled street, you’ll find souvenir shops.  You probably have time now to visit either a museum (or two) or partake of a quick lunch stop.

Guadalest Map

This map of Guadalest is on display at the entrance to the lower village of Guadalest.

Check out other awesome day trips from Benidorm in our guide here

16 Things to do in Guadalest

As most people only visit Guadalest as a day trip from the Costa Blanca reports, there are lots of things to do in Guadalest – here are our recommendations of what to do in Guadalest.

Take photographs of the Guadalest Valley views

There are some great viewpoints in the village that make for interesting snaps.  Be sure to get a shot of the tunnel hewn into the rock – the only entrance to the upper village.  The view down to the coast is spectacular and the turquoise color of the reservoir is stunning in the right light.

 The white bell tower of Penon de la Alcala is the symbol of Guadalest that you’ll see on postcards and paintings of the area.

Visit the Museo Microgigante in Guadalest

Situated on Calle del Sol, close to the car park, this museum contains miniatures and gigantic sculptures.  This museum costs €4 for adults and €3 for children.  You get to view the miniatures through a magnifying glass.  Your ticket always allows you to enter the Museum of Miniatures inside the castle also.  Check out the free example at the entrance to the museum if you don’t want to explore further.   The museum is open from 10 am until 8 pm.

Feel big in the Museum of Miniatures, Guadalest

The museum of miniatures is found inside the castle in the upper village.  Entrance is via a joint ticket with the Microgigante museum.   You’ll find such curiosities as the statue of liberty inside the eye of a needle, a rose painted on the section of a hair, and a Goya painting on a fly’s wing.

Grit your Teeth and take in Guadalest’s Torture Instrument Museum

Head to the Torture Instrument museum if you want to check out barbaric practices of ridicule and torture from Medieval times until the 20^th century.    You’ll find all sorts here – more than 70 devices in 11 rooms.

Explore Guadalest Castle and the Orduna Family House

You’ll get some of the best views in Guadalest here, as the entrance enables you to not only view the home of the Orduna family but also to go to the top of the castle walls and look down on the village. The entrance fees are €4 for adults and €2 for children.  The house was built in 1644.  The Castell de Guadalest or the Castell de San Jose is only accessible by walking through the tunnel hewn from the rock and then by paying the fee for the museum.  The Guadalest Castle opening times are Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00 h. and 15:00 to 17:00

Check out the 18^th Century Museum of Ethnology House in Guadalest

Entrance to this museum in the upper village is free.  You’ll even be provided with a printed sheet (available in many languages) that guides you through life in the 18th century in Guadalest.  This is also known as the Ethnology Museum.

 

Explore the Motorcycle Museum Guadalest.

The Guadalest motorcycle museum is around 7 kilometers from Guadalest and is only accessible if you have your vehicle or if your tour stops there on the return to Benidorm.    You’ll find more than 100 motorcycles and some small cars from the 1920’s to the 1970s.

The Dolls House Museum of Antonio Marco in Guadalest

The Museum of Antonio Marco has taken 15 years to put together.  The entrance fee is €5 and the museum is set over three levels.  All the doll houses here are displayed in intricate detail – they’re created using real materials – bricks, stones, tiles, and wood.

Get a photo souvenir in Guadalest town

As you approach Guadalest castle before the rock tunnel there’s a photo opportunity.  You can get your photo taken for around €5 or get your photo on a keyring too.  Photos will be ready for you when you return from the upper village.

Visit the Museum of Ribera Girona in Guadalest

On your return from the castle area, you’ll find this museum, entering through a Magic Garden bordering the path as you exit the tunnel.  The museum contains contemporary art and architecture.

Eat lunch in Guadalest restaurants

If you’ve taken a day trip from Benidorm, then you have around 2 hours to enjoy Guadalest.  Have a quick look around and then a leisurely lunch stop at one of the many restaurants in Guadalest.  Be sure to let your server know that you have a bus to catch!

Buy Souvenirs from Guadalest

Tourism is the primary income for the 300 inhabitants of Guadalest.  If you’re looking for souvenirs then there are plenty of opportunities here.  Take home a painting of the area, a real leather belt or bag, and perhaps some ceramics.

Map of Things to do in Guadalest

You can see the full map of Guadalest things to do here.

What to Buy in Guadalest

Here in Guadalest, tourism provides the primary income for inhabitants.  So you’ll find great examples of handmade clothing, knitwear, and scarves.  There are also paintings of the local area, showing the symbolic tower above the village. You’ll also spot gorgeous ceramics – bowls, artwork, cups, and mugs.

What we do recommend you spend your euros on in Guadalest are some of the hand and homemade marmalades and mountain honey.   You’ll find jams and marmalade made from local fruits, olive oils, and sweets.

We recommend the specialist shop El Perolet which sells gourmet oils and flavored balsamic vinegar (try the mojito flavor!).  The store sells various sizes, including hand luggage sizes and you can also buy online.

Guadalest Restaurants – what and where to eat in Guadalest

There are numerous places to eat and drink in Guadalest.  Most of the cafes are to be found close to where you exit the car and bus park. You’ll find 6 or so directly there.  There are also several restaurants in the castle area of the upper village.

All serve snacks including sandwiches and salads.  You can easily buy pizza and standard English dishes as well as Spanish specialties.  All cafes will serve a Menu del Dia – here for a set price you get a starter, a main, and sometimes a dessert.  These are usually great value.  There are also several tapas options in Guadalest.

An example of Menu del Dia in Guadalest includes tapa, a first course, a second course, bread, one drink, and either a dessert or coffee for €8.50.  You can share one of these Menu del Dia’s for a small additional charge.   The sandwiches cost from €3.50.

Hotels in Guadalest – Apartments- Stay Longer than a Day

If you want to indulge in a little peace and quiet after the day-trippers have gone home, then there are some highly rated places to stay in Guadalest.

• The Sale El Salat Apartments are situated in the center of Guadalest – you’ll get A/C, a living room with a sofa and a TV, plus there’s also heating for the colder months.  A well-equipped kitchenette has a fridge and microwave.  Check availability and BOOK NOW!

Guadalest Weather

Guadalest is 600 meters above sea level, so the temperature in Guadalest tends to be a little cooler than Benidorm, Alicante, or the other coastal resorts

Guadalest Accessibility

If you have walking or mobility difficulties you may have difficulty accessing the upper (castle) areas of Guadalest.  The path is well-made, but a little steep in places, it may also be slippery in wet weather.  The lower part of the village, where most of the museums, cafes, and restaurants are is flatter and easily accessible.    There are viewpoints in both the lower and upper village.

And there’s more here on the best day trips to take from Benidorm.

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