Santa Barbara Castle: live the legend
After a long time without suggesting a trip, we are back to recommend your next stop. This time we are going to an emblematic place in Alicante, the Santa Bárbara Castle!
Having become one of the city’s landmarks, the Santa Bárbara Castle stands imposingly over Postiguet Beach and Mount Benacantil, located in the city centre. From its viewing points you can enjoy one of the most beautiful postcard views of both the Alicante coast and the city.
How to get there?
At Vectalia we want to make it easier for you to get to the castle, so we have put a shuttle into operation that will take you to the entrance of the castle.
You can take this shuttle from the MARQ Archaeological Museum. So you don’t have to worry about getting there.We’ll give you the solution.
If you don’t live in the centre, no problem. We’ll tell you how:
Line 02: From the Florida district you can take line 02 which will take you to the MARQ entrance and from there you can take the shuttle bus. Your stop will be Celia Valls (4010).
Circular buses A and B: Another option for specific days is to take our circular buses A and B. If you don’t have plans on Thursdays or Saturdays and you want to go up to the castle with our shuttle, you can get to MARQ with our circular buses. For circular A, your stop will be Dénia-Canónigo Penalva (4035). If you decide to use circular B, your stop will be Dénia-CC Plaza Mar (4067).
If you live in San Juan or Mutxamel, don’t worry, we can help you get to MARQ:
Line 23: If you take this bus, either in San Juan or Mutxamel, your stop will be Indalecio Prieto-MARQ (2576).
What will you find?
As soon as you arrive at this building you will be transported to another century, thanks to its different areas that teleport you to previous centuries.
Crowning the castle is one of the tourist attractions within it (“La Torreta”), the Tower of Homage where the oldest remains of the fortress are located. These remains date back to the 14th century. Within this area you can also find the Baluarte de los Ingleses, the Parque de los Ingenieros, the Sala Noble or the Casa del Gobernador. In the highest part of the castle, the esplanade is known as Macho del Castillo.
In the middle area of the fortress you can visit areas such as the Felipe II Hall, the Patio de Armas, the Guard Corps or the Queen’s Baluarte. In the lower area you can access the Revellín del Bon Repós where you will find the monument of the illustrious Alicante military man Félix Berenguer de Marquina.
A fortress with a lot of history
Looking back, it is worth remembering the reason for its name. The name of Santa Barbara comes from the conquest of the city, on the day of its feast, from the Arabs by the future king Alfonso X the Wise. Since then it has been reinforced and fortified on numerous occasions by those in power, as it was a great weapon for any war that might arise.
However, this castle could not be visited until 1963, when it was opened to the public, as it was a great attraction for the population. Until then, the fortification had been abandoned. Before it was opened to the public, the fortress was used during the Spanish Civil War as a kind of prison where prisoners of war were held. What’s more, in some areas of the castle you can still see marks and writings that prisoners made during their stay in the fortress.
If you go up to the castle you will soon hear various anecdotes and legends about it. One of the most well-known legends among the people of Alicante is none other than ‘The legend of the Moor’s face’.
Are you really going to miss a place like this? You can also access our app to have all the buses and possible combinations to get to this place, which along with the Central Market is one of the most emblematic in the city.