Tabarca Island Round-Trip Boat from Alicante

Alicante harbour and the Explanada

Your day starts on the waterfront of Alicante, at the boat departure point on Passeig Màrtirs de la Llibertat, next to the marina. Behind you stretches the Explanada de España, the palm-lined promenade paved with millions of small marble tiles in a wave pattern, and above the city rises the hilltop castle on Mount Benacantil, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain.

Arrive about 30 minutes before departure to find the boat and choose a seat on the open deck. As you leave the marina, you get a fine view back to the Postiguet beach and the old town houses climbing the slopes below the castle. If you have time after returning in the evening, a stroll along the Explanada at sunset is the classic end to a Tabarca day trip from Alicante.

The crossing and the glass-bottom boat

The crossing to Tabarca takes about an hour and follows the coast south past the salt flats and beaches towards Santa Pola, with the island appearing as a low, flat line on the horizon. On a calm day the sea is turquoise and the Costa Blanca mountains stand out behind the coast. The open upper deck is the best place for photos, while the lower deck offers shade.

Most boats on this route have a glass-bottom section. As you approach the island, the captain slows down over the protected waters, and you can look down at shoals of fish, rocks and the meadows of Posidonia seagrass that keep the water so clear. Two of the three boats on the route have this feature, so look for the viewing window when you board.

Tabarca's walled village

Tabarca is the smallest inhabited island in Spain, less than two kilometres long, and its village is a rare example of an 18th-century planned fortress town. In the 1760s the Spanish crown built walls, bastions and gates here to protect the coast from pirates and to settle families of Genoese origin who had been rescued from captivity on the island of Tabarka in Tunisia, which gave the new island its name.

Today the whole village is a protected historic site. Inside the golden stone walls you find a grid of quiet streets, whitewashed houses, a fortified baroque church and small squares shaded by trees. Is Tabarca Island worth visiting? For history, sea views and calm, yes: you can walk around the walls in under an hour and enjoy a slow lunch of caldero, the island's traditional rice cooked in fish broth.

The marine reserve and Tabarca's beaches

The waters around Tabarca became the first marine reserve in Spain in 1986, and fishing is strictly limited. The result is some of the clearest water on the Costa Blanca, with groupers, bream, octopus and colourful wrasse among the rocks. The main beach sits on the narrow neck of land between the village and the eastern side of the island, with calm water and fine sand mixed with pebbles.

Around the island you also find small rocky coves where snorkellers can explore the reserve. Bring a mask, water shoes and a towel. The best time to visit Tabarca Island is from May to October, when the sea is warm enough for swimming; in July and August arrive on the first boat for a quieter beach and take the later return to enjoy the afternoon light.

The lighthouse and the wild east of the island

Beyond the beach, the eastern part of Tabarca, known locally as the countryside, is open, flat and almost empty of buildings. A simple path crosses dry grassland and low shrubs to the 19th-century lighthouse near the end of the island and a lonely stone watchtower built to guard the coast. The walk takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way and gives wide views over the sea to Santa Pola and the mountains.

There is very little shade on this side, so carry water, a hat and sunscreen. Seabirds such as gulls and shearwaters nest along the rocky shore, and the sunsets from here are spectacular if you choose the later return. Combining the village, a swim and the lighthouse fills the free time on this Tabarca tour comfortably.