Santa Barbara Castle

Santa Barbara CAstle, Alicante, Spain

Perched on top of Mount Benacantil, at a height of 166 metres, stands one of Spain's largest mediaeval fortresses, providing great views of Alicante's perfect bay.

It has three different enclosures from three distinct periods:

The upper enclosure, "La Torreta", is where visitors will find the keep and the most ancient remains of the fortress, which mostly date from the 14th century.

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The mid-level enclosure is home to the most important buildings, which were built in the 16th century. These include:

Santa Barbara Castle - Arch

the Salón Felipe II hall
the Cuerpo de Guardia guardhouse
the Patio de Armas parade ground
the Baluarte de la Reina bastion

The lower enclosure dates back to the 18th century and is home to the Revellín del Bon Repós ravelin.

Visitors can access the castle via a lift built within the rockface opposite El Postiguet beach. You can also reach the castle on foot or by car along the road on the north face of Mount Benacantil, which starts in Calle Vázquez de Mella street. On the sea-facing slope of Mount Benacantil is the La Ereta park, an attractive open-air space with a restaurant, cafeteria and exhibition hall. The park offers superb views of the city and its Old Quarter, which can be reached easily via the various entrances to the park.

Face of the moors

Curiously, when viewed from El Postiguet beach, Mount Benacantil looks like a human face in profile which is known as "La Cara del Moro" or "The Moor's Face" and is one of the city's most emblematic images.

Address: Mount Benacantil

Opening hours (from the 1st of April to the 30th of September):