The Benidorm Bulletin — Issue 68 | 12–19 July 2026

From the Editor

First, a word of apology. A couple of details in last week’s issue did not hold up to scrutiny, and that is on us. When you read something in this newsletter you ought to be able to take it to the bank, and last week you couldn’t quite. I’m sorry.

So we’ve changed how we work. Every factual claim now goes through a second pair of eyes and is checked against a current, dated source before it reaches you. If we can’t stand a fact up, it doesn’t go in, or we tell you plainly that it’s unconfirmed. Dull work, but it’s the difference between a newsletter you trust and one you skim with a raised eyebrow.

With that said, there is a genuinely lovely week ahead. The town’s oldest and most heartfelt fiesta comes to the water, the sea is warm enough to forgive almost anything, and we’ve finally answered the question every arriving holidaymaker asks in the taxi queue: how on earth do I get from Alicante airport to my hotel without being fleeced?

The Virgen del Carmen Comes to the Water, 15–19 July

Benidorm’s fishing heritage takes centre stage this week, and it’s the most authentic thing you’ll see all summer.

Long before the high-rises and the happy hours, Benidorm was a fishing village, and the Fiestas de la Virgen del Carmen are its memory of that. From 15 to 19 July the town honours the patron saint of fishermen and sailors with five days of processions, Masses, a proclamation and open-air celebration centred on the port.

The heart of it is the maritime procession. An image of the Virgin is carried down to the water and out into the bay aboard the local fishing fleet, escorted by a flotilla of small boats, following a floral offering on shore. It is a genuinely moving sight, and a world away from the neon of the strip a few streets inland.

A marquee goes up in the port area for concerts and evening celebrations across the run of the fiesta, and you can expect the familiar Spanish festival furniture of a mascletà, the daytime firecracker display that you feel in your chest rather than simply hear. Exact timings shift year to year and are set by the organisers, so treat the town’s official listings as gospel over anything you read elsewhere.

What this means for you:

• Head for the port and Old Town side for the atmosphere, not the English zone
• The maritime procession is the one to catch; ask your hotel for the confirmed day and time
• Evenings are busiest, so arrive early if you want a spot near the water

☀️ What’s On This Week

The week belongs to the Virgen del Carmen, and it’s worth planning around.

Coming Up: The town’s other great fiesta, San Jaime, honouring patron saint Sant Jaume, falls around 25 July with an open-air verbena, orchestra and the traditional fireworks. More on that nearer the time.

🎭 Tonight’s Entertainment

If you want the real thing this week, walk uphill rather than along the front.

The Old Town tapas hop — Casco Antiguo

Any evening  |  Pay as you go

The streets behind the Balcón del Mediterráneo, Calle Santo Domingo above all, are where Benidorm eats properly. Calle Santo Domingo, known to most as Tapas Alley, is a pedestrian run of small Spanish bars where you order a drink, a plate or two, then move on to the next. It’s busy after seven, so if you’re set on a particular spot, get there early or book. With the Virgen del Carmen filling the port a few streets away, the whole quarter has a lift to it this week.

The port marquee — Virgen del Carmen

15–19 July  |  Free

For live music with a local flavour, the fiesta marquee down at the port hosts evening concerts and open-air celebration across the five days. It won’t be a West End tribute act, and that’s rather the point.

A note on the showbars. The new town strip is where the big tribute nights and cabaret live, and the line-ups change constantly. In the spirit of our new double-checking, we’d rather you look up each venue’s own page for this week’s acts than take our word for a bill that may already have moved on. If a show matters to you, confirm it before you head out.

☀️ Weather Watch — July 2026

Peak summer, doing exactly what it says on the tin. Hot days, warm nights, and precious little chance of rain.

What to pack: Light everything, a proper hat and stronger sun cream than you think you need, since the midday sun in mid-July is fierce. The sea at around 25°C is bath-warm and forgiving, so swimming is a pleasure morning and evening alike. Carry water when you’re out and about, and take the Spanish approach to the hottest hours by finding shade rather than fighting them.

❓ You Asked…

Q: How do I actually get from Alicante airport to my hotel in Benidorm?

The eternal question, and we’ve written it all up properly here: Alicante Airport to Benidorm: bus, shuttle or taxi.

The short version. The ALSA public bus is the budget choice, with more than thirty departures a day from around 7am to roughly 11pm, about 45 minutes to Benidorm bus station, and a fare of roughly €8 to €15 per person, cheaper booked online, with one bag up to 20kg free. A shared shuttle drops you nearer your hotel for something like €7 to €16 a head, though the multiple drop-offs can stretch the journey to well over an hour. An official airport-rank taxi runs about €70 to €90 for a car, and a pre-booked private transfer is usually cheaper than the rank at roughly €48 to €95, with the driver watching your flight for delays. Families, late arrivals and anyone wanting certainty tend to pre-book; daytime budget travellers take the bus. The full guide has all the detail.

Q: Is it worth crossing town for the Virgen del Carmen if I’m staying up in the English zone?

Yes, wholeheartedly. It’s a short walk or a quick bus down to the Old Town and port, and it’s the one week you’ll see the Benidorm that existed before the tower blocks. Go for the maritime procession if you can catch it.

🔥 Hot Topic

Trust Is Built Slowly and Spent Fast

A newsletter, like a fiesta, only works on trust. You give us ten minutes of your week on the understanding that what we tell you is true, and last week we didn’t fully earn that. Hence the apology up top, and hence the boring new checking routine behind the scenes.

Here’s the wider point, though. The internet is awash with Benidorm “guides” recycling the same stale listings, some of them cheerfully recommending bars that shut two summers ago. A page existing online is not proof a place is open, and a fact repeated across five sites is not five sources if they all copied the same one. We got caught by exactly that, and we’d rather admit it than pretend otherwise.

So our promise is simple. We’d sooner leave a gap than fill it with a guess, and we’ll tell you when something is unconfirmed rather than dress it up as certain. Being useful matters more than sounding sure.

💡 Tip of the Week

Book the Airport Bus Online

If you’re taking the ALSA bus from Alicante airport, buy your ticket online before you travel rather than at the desk. The fare sits at the lower end of that €8 to €15 range when booked ahead, you skip the queue at a busy arrivals hall, and you’ll know your departure rather than gambling on the next available seat. Have the confirmation on your phone ready to show the driver, and remember your first bag up to 20kg travels free. Small effort, real saving, and a calmer start to the holiday.

🤔 Did You Know?

The whole spectacle of the Virgen del Carmen exists because Benidorm was, within living memory, a small fishing village of a few thousand souls. The saint being carried out into the bay this week is the patron of the fishermen and sailors whose boats once were the town’s entire economy, before the sunloungers arrived and rather changed the business model.

It’s a useful thing to remember as you look up at forty storeys of hotel. All of that grew from a village that prayed for a good catch. The fishermen would no doubt be astonished, though probably not displeased with the room rates.

Community Noticeboard

⭐ Getting here sorted — Our full Alicante airport to Benidorm guide covers bus, shuttle and taxi, with real prices.

⭐ Virgen del Carmen — 15 to 19 July, port and Old Town. Catch the maritime procession if you can.

⭐ Join the chat — Our Facebook group is the friendliest corner of Benidorm online. Come and say hello.

A gentler, more local sort of week, this one, with the town honouring its fishing roots down at the water and the sea warm enough to swim from dawn. Next week we’ll look ahead to San Jaime and the fireworks that close out July.

Thanks for reading. Pass it on to anyone with Benidorm on their mind.

Until next time — keep the sun on your face and the sangria cold. ☀️

— The Benidorm Bulletin Team