The most impressive views of Alicante
Located on the top of Benacantil Mountain, the Santa Barbara castle is a large fortress which was of great strategic value to the city of Alicante during hundreds of years. The castle is situated at approximately 160 meters above sea level in the center of Alicante and offers impressive views of the city and the Mediterranean coastline.
On the slopes of the Benacantil mountain archeologists have found remains from the bronze age and also from the Iberian and Roman period. During the Muslim rule of Medieval Spain the construction of the fortress was started in the late ninth century
However the biggest part of the walls and buildings which are visible today were constructed during the late Middle Ages when the fortress was adapted to different ways of warfare, including the use of more modern artillery.
Santa Barbara has witnessed many battles and sieges of the city of Alicante. In the seventeenth century it was bombed by the french fleet and during the War of Succession it suffered several attacks of the british army which seriously damaged parts of the fortified walls.
The castle offers guided tours which offer a wealth of historical and cultural information and enables visitors from all over the world to see certain places of the fortress which are not open to the general public, like the dungeons. You can find information about the tours in the city tourist information offices.
Inside the fortification the Museum of the city of Alicante can be found. The museum, which is divided into different exhibition halls offers visitors the possibility to admire archeological materials found in Alicante.
The castle has everything to make a visit an enjoyable experience, including old cannons and a watch tower and even two small bars where tourists can enjoy a cold drink during the hot summer months on the Costa Blanca.
