Alicante is an attractive city for new talent and businesses, it has a wide range of advanced logistics, transport, educational and health services available. It has an exceptional climate and environment, cultural and tourist attractions and festivities; all of which, together with its balanced “cost of living”, make it the ideal place to reconcile the development of professional projects and family life.
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Strengths and opportunities
City connected to the world
connections, capital of the southern Mediterranean Basin. Alicante has access to a number of motorways, it has an international airport, a cruise ship terminal and an industrial port with links all over the world, and a high speed train service.
Quality of life
Work well, live better. The Mediterranean life is also about enjoying the climate, the beaches, the culture and the environment.
Projection and business opportunities
In traditional consolidated sectors, and in emerging technologies. Commercial spirit. Here, all the ventures are highly valuable and unique.
Security and stability
Alicante has the backing and the stability provided by prestigious, accredited international institutions, through their presence and activity, such as the EUIPO, banks, consulates, health centres… Alicante is the capital.
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Quality of life
Alicante has everything required for the best quality of life, which it does being aware of its Mediterranean spirit, its tradition and its history, but without compromising progress and innovation.
In this sense, it has various institutional plans aimed at turning the city into a leading ‘Smart City’, in order to improve this quality of life for its citizens, the main recipients of its services, and achieve excellence in its environments (housing, companies, mobility, tourism and health care).
As such, there are different activities that are aimed at turning the city into a spearhead for the so-called ‘smart technologies’, to increase efficiency, savings and environmental sustainability and to supply citizens with better services:
- Tax procedures and payments can be processed through the online site of the City Council.
- Information about the city, the traffic, the shops or the beaches is available on the website or through mobile devices.
- Production of theme videos and 360º virtual tours.
- All-round business system or resource bank for entrepreneurs.
- Creation of a sustainable urban mobility plan.
- Digitization of the procedure to process the economic, technical and professional benefits of the Social Action area.
- Website app to manage the maintenance of parks and green spaces.
- Energy savings plan on street lighting and the adaptation of the energy efficiency regulations on outdoor lighting.
Housing and accommodation
Alicante is one of the cities with the most balanced costs of living in Europe, which is estimated at being between 700 and 900 euros a month, bearing in mind the rent for housing, basic expenses, food, transport.
There is a wide variety of quality real estate available in the city, both as a primary residence or second homes. It is distributed over the different districts of the city making it a metropolis of 200 square kilometres, with a city centre that merges in with the beach of El Postiguet and the Marina.
Health and well-being
As a Mediterranean city, Alicante enjoys the benefits of being right beside the sea. With this geographic location its inhabitants can enjoy an average annual temperature of 20º C and more than 3000 hours of sun a year, which makes it the sunniest city in Spain.
“With 3000 hours of sun a year, it is the Spanish city with the most hours of sunlight.”
When it comes to healthcare, Alicante provides citizens with the benefits of the welfare state; the public health system is enhanced by a large number of public health centres (located in the different districts), two hospitals and an extensive network of private centres. Altogether this makes the city a completely safe, reliable and accessible destination.
Education and Universities
Alicante is home to home to talent, research and technology, thanks to Alicante University (UA) and Miguel Hernández University (UMH) that are located in the city, and which also provide human capital and knowledge to society and companies through the Alicante Science Park –Alicante University, and the Quorum Foundation– Scientific Business Park UMH.
Furthermore, in a radius of 2 hours by car there are more than a dozen universities, public and private:
UA · Universidad de Alicante
UMH · Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche
UNED · Universidad de Educación a distancia
UPV · Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
UV · Universidad de Valencia
UIMP · Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo
UM · Universidad de Murcia
UPCT · Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
In addition to the university education, the capital city provides families with a full range of education for their children, which is especially focused on bilingualism for foreign students.
Culture, Leisure, events and festivals
Alicante feels its history and its traditions, and this is conveyed in the Easter celebrations for example, which are of National Tourist Interest, or the pilgrimage to the Santa Faz Monastery, although the most popular festival is the midsummer celebrations of the Hogueras de San Juan in June every year, when hundreds of allegorical sculptures with a take on current affairs, made of cardboard, paper and wood, fill the city, until they are burned as a symbol of renewal and revival. These celebrations end with firework displays at night on the beach of El Postiguet.
As for culture, numerous spaces have been set aside for art and creativity, a wide variety of national theatre productions, shows, exhibitions, trade shows, cycles or festivals are organised, which are designed to be the showcase for the state-of-the-art, new developments and the latest trends in all the artistic disciplines.
Museums and heritage
Archaeology, contemporary art, fine arts, sailing and much much more.
All these areas and many more are included in the wide range of museums in the city, the Archaeological Museum of Alicante (MARQ) or the Contemporary Art Museum of Alicante MACA, are of particular interest. Each and every one of these collections, permanent or itinerant, contains secrets of the local art, sport, history, festivals, and traditions, and they are all well worth a visit.
Alicante also has a wealth of unique and exclusive heritage: the two castles that tower over the heart of the city: the Castle of Santa Bárbara and the Castle of San Fernando. It also has a privileged catalogue of civil and religious buildings, such as the Basilica of Santa María, or the old part of the town that has a fine display of the history, tradition and art of Alicante.
MARQ · Museo Arqueológico de Alicante
MACA · Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante
MUBAG · Centro de Bellas Artes Gravina
MUSA · Museo de la Ciudad de Alicante
MUA · Museo de la Universidad de Alicante
Museo de Fogueres de Alicante
Museo de la Volvo Ocean Race
Museo de Nueva Tabarca
Museo de Aguas de Alicante
Museo de Belenes
Sport, nature and the environment
Among its many attractions, the city has the advantage of being able to give its inhabitants the best of the sea and the mountains, because it is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea with 15 kilometres of beaches; and it is surrounded by mountains and natural areas such as those of the Serra Grossa prebetic mountain range, Mount Benacantil or the Cabecó d’Or mountain range. Indeed, it is one of the most mountainous provinces of the whole Iberian Peninsula.
This wealth of natural environments makes Alicante a hot spot for sports and outdoor activities, especially water sports, scuba diving, rowing, climbing or paragliding.
One of the highlights of this unique range of attractions, just 22 kilometres from the coast of Alicante, is Tabarca, the smallest inhabited island of the Mediterranean, which is only 1800 metres long and 400 metres wide. It is one of the most prized natural enclaves of this sea, whose sea bed was classified as being a marine reserve in 1986, the first ever in Spain, and it also has a valuable collection of heritage and nature.
Gastronomy and the Mediterranean Diet
Alicante is flavour. It is the flavour that makes it a reference point when it comes to rice dishes, wine, oil and the Mediterranean diet in general, which goes far beyond a simple set of ingredients and dishes. It is a lifestyle, a philosophy, an attitude to life, in which, obviously, dishes, recipes, typical products, celebrations or customs all come into play, and this is always outdoors, always in company.
Mediterranean Diet: recipes
Alicante cuisine is distinguished for the quality of the raw materials used, which, in the hands of high-end chefs of recognised international prestige, make the city and the province a culinary destination worldwide, one which has various Michelin stars.
Rice
PDO wines
Olive oil
Mediterranean life
Its climate, its contrast between the sea and the mountains, and in particular, the Mediterranean nature of its people, all give its street life a great atmosphere, day and night, which is enhanced by its bars, restaurants, shops, and a historic city centre with its pedestrian areas, squares and narrow streets that have great charm.
