By: Gabrielle St George Yorke

Alicante

Published: 23/07/2025 Spain, one of Europe’s most visited countries, with a broken record of 10.9 million tourists visiting the Costa Blanca area in July 2024 alone, is more than just “the perfect vacation spot”. With the incredibly wide variety of fun and relaxing activities ranging from sunbathing to festivals, to adventuring the area along with its spectacular natural landscapes, we will dive into what Southern Spain has to offer to its yearly and international visitors.   Watersports and beach fun: Due to the great heat in Southern Spain which can typically vary between 26-36 degrees Celsius, the most common way to cool down would be to go to the beach and swim in the sea. However, Southern Spain has much more to offer than just sitting in the sand and swimming. Usually from May to September, beaches especially along the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol regions, provide fun and energetic activities that are also appropriate for children and teens including kayaking, sailing classes, banana boats, bouncy castles on the sea, as well as scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, and parasailing, although some of these activities may have either some age and/or height restrictions to be able to attend them. In addition, most beaches in Southern Spain have bars and restaurants known as chiringuitos, in which sea food and authentic Spanish dishes such as paellas and tapas are served, and they can either be located on or next to the beach.   Including the whole family: In order to make the experience unforgettable for all ages of the family, a spirit of adventure and joy can grow throughout a stay in Southern Spain by trying some of the most popular yet busy zoos and waterparks of the region such as the “Aquopolis” water park in the town of Torrevieja, “Aqualandia” in Benidorm,  the “Río Safari Elche”, and the “Terra Natura” in Murcia, both of which are a zoo and waterpark combined. Moreover, the city of Alicante, which has a port, even offers day trips to the small island of Tabarca, which is 20 kilometers away from Alicante. Furthermore, the unique views of both the coastline and landscapes can even be admired just by travelling to these sites, as the sites mentioned above are numerous and physically spread out from each other,and the Southern regions of Spain are known for being large and spacy, which can give us a sense of adventure and exploration as well.   Nightlife and partying: Do you feel like you need to unwind and disconnect with your family and friends? Well, a common and relatively modern Spanish tradition which even runs all year round to do that is to become a night owl and join parties and nightclubs which can even run far after sunrise! However, opening times can vary, with some nightclubs opening in the late afternoon, others in the middle of the evening, and others at midnight, according to their opening times posted on the internet. The most popular ones include, but are not limited to “Marmarela” and “Magma Club” in Alicante, “The Tropical House” and “Penélope Beach Club” in Benidorm, as well as “Black tag” and “Sala Magna” in Murcia, which have average ratings of 4 or 4 and a half stars out of 5, according to some reviews posted on Google Maps.   Local gastronomy and cuisine: If Spain is known worldwide for being the world’s largest producer of olive oil along with being famous for its unique jamón and oranges which are exported all over the globe, then authentic Spanish dishes must be unquestionably worth tasting. In the more Southern regions of Spain, there are some more unique and specialised dishes such as the paella, a rice dish which originates in the city of Valencia, as well as the gazpacho, which is a cold, cucumber and pepper soup which comes from the city of Seville. Additionally, local restaurants and bars mostly offer tapas, which can be considered either as a snack or a starter, and they can consist of a variety of small dishes ranging from patatas bravas to tortillas to croquetas, which are popular and enjoyed by most people. Finally, most Spanish desserts are pastries and can include but are not limited to churros and hot chocolate, magdalenas, and Turrón (these are the most common). Therefore, Spain can undoubtedly be put onto the “ideal holiday destination” list, as it has all of the activities suitable for all ages which are fun and physically active, along with natural treasures such as the grand landscapes, gorgeous coastlines, the high temperatures, along with the sub-tropical yet dry climate.