Alicante shore tours

anyone been to Murcia or Orihuela from Alicante?

I also answered your post in the other thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1486659

What sort of thing do you want to do and see?

When are you coming (time of year, day of week)? What ship are you on?

What makes you mention Murcia and Orihuela? Are there ships excursions going to these places?

Let me know these things and I will see if I can help.

great, please reply to this new one to keep it easy.

You said elsewhere that you are a religious group of 100+ on the Eurodam in May.

I looked at HAL's website and it seems you are only there from 8am to 3pm. That does not give you much time.

With such a large group I suggest you stay in or near Alicante. There is San Nicolas Cathedral which is within walking distance of the port

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Nicolas_Cathedral,_Alicante

or

http://www.aspainattraction.com/spain-attractions-ad/catedral-de-san-nicolas.htm

There is also the Santa Faz monastery 8 miles outside the city to which there is a pilgrimage once a year. This pilgrimage is on the 2nd Thursday after Easter which is probably a bit before your visit. But it is probably still worth a visit.

Alicante is more of a Spanish city than many others visited by cruise ships. Just walking around the city is a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

There are some English speaking tour guides in Alicante. Let me know if you want to contact them and I will let you have an email address.

Other things in and around Alicante

In Alicante, there is a castle called Castle Santa Barbara. This is a 13th century castle on a hilltop over 500 feet above Alicante. There is not a great deal to do there but it is worth going if only for the magnificent views. There is an elevator not far from the port which costs €2.40. Otherwise there is no entrance fee.

Back down at sea level you can take a walk along the nearby Explanada de España. This palm tree lined promenade is composed of 6.6 million colourful marble tiles and is a lovely walk.

If you are interested, there is MARQ (Alicante's Archaeological Museum). A couple of years ago it won an award for Best European Museum. I must confess I have not been there but keep meaning to.

For those that like to shop, there are some nice shops within walking distance of the port. These are not tourist shops. If you want more details let me know.

You can get more information on Alicante from this website

http://www.alicanteturismo.com

with a street map here

http://www.alicanteturismo.com/generales/callejero.asp

On this map, underneath the copyright in the bottom right hand corner, you will see a strip of land going out to sea. The cruise terminal is down there, just off the bottom of the map. How far it is depends on where your ship docks. Smaller ships dock within walking distance of the port gates but for larger ships there will be a shuttle bus.

GUADALEST

Guadalest is a village up in the mountains about 65km (40 miles) north of Alicante about one and half hours drive. The drive there depends on which route the driver takes. It is possible to get there by a fairly direct, not very interesting, main road. There is also a more scenic route.

If you decide to go to Guadalest, I would recommend taking the ship’s tour or pre-arrange a tour for your group with a guide as mentioned above.

Guadalest is one of the first places we take people who come to stay with us. Apart from being very scenic there are a couple of very interesting small museums there.

You can get more information on Guadalest here http://www.guadalest.eu/

ELCHE

The town of Elche is about 25 km (15 miles) from Alicante. It is known as “The Palm Forest of Europe”.

There you can visit the Huerto del Cura (Priest's Garden).The garden features a large variety of palm trees and cactuses as well as other typical Mediterranean species, such as lemon and orange trees, pomegranate trees, carob trees and jujube trees along with other subtropical species gathered throughout the years to create a stunning collection of plants from the most unexpected places. The garden’s focal point is the magnificent eight trunked ‘Imperial Palm’ .

The entrance fee to the garden is €5.

If you have time in Elche there are other interesting things to do including a visit to the Municipal Park.

BEACHES

There are some wonderful beaches in the area. There is one right by the exit from the port (behind the Melia Hotel) but that will probably be very crowded if the weather is good.

There are other (in my opinion better) beaches nearby. If you are interested in this let me know and I will let you have details.

If you have any questions on Alicante and the surrounding area please let me know and I will try to answer them.

thanks Carol,

do you have any comment on Orihuela and Murcia? they seem more religious.

thanks Carol,

do you have any comment on Orihuela and Murcia? they seem more religious.

I do not know either town very well. I have been there but only for shopping :o

You might like to email Emilio Cano. He is a registered English speaking guide. He may have more information than me

info@costablancatour.com

Do let me know how you get on.

thanks Carol,

do you have any comment on Orihuela and Murcia? they seem more religious.

I assume you will be on the Eurodam which calls at Alicante on 15th May. If that is the case you are only in port from 8am to 3pm.

I contacted the Alicante tour guide about possible tours for you.

He has suggested the following

1) Alicante:- Old Town with Town Hall, San Nicolas, Santa Maria; Santa Faz and the fortress Santa Bárbara. 4-5 hours.

2) Orihuela:- The Cathedral, Santiago´s Church, Santa Justa & Rufina Church (all of them National Monuments) and also the famous Easter Week Museum (very interesting!!).4-5 hrs.

3) Murcia:- The Cathedral, Fuensanta´s Sanctuary and the famous Museum Salzillo with his church and the Nativity Scenes sculptures. 4-5 hrs.

If you are interested in looking into any of these further then please email him (Emilio Cano) directly as I am not familiar with the Murcia or Orihuela places.

info@costablancatour.com