This half-day shore excursion from the Alicante cruise port visits three of the city's defining landmarks: the Castle of Santa Barbara, the Monastery of Santa Faz, and the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, with free time to explore the old town.
After meeting your guide at the pier, you drive up Benacantil Hill to the Castle of Santa Barbara, which occupies the entire summit and much of the mountainside above the city. The site has been fortified since the 9th century under Moorish rule, though most of the structure visible today was rebuilt in the 16th century, making it one of the largest fortresses in Spain. From its battlements you have sweeping views over the city, the coastline, and the surrounding countryside.
From the castle, you continue to the Monastery of Santa Faz, a baroque church with a pyramid shaped dome. Inside, the monastery holds a relic known as the Santa Faz, a cloth said to have touched the face of Christ, which arrived in Alicante from Rome in 1489.
Your guide then leads you through the old quarter at the foot of the castle, a maze of narrow streets lined with multicolored buildings and balconies. You pass the baroque Town Hall, built in the 18th century, before visiting the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, named for Alicante's patron saint and built between 1616 and 1662. Inside is a 17th century nave and a cloister believed to predate the current cathedral by several centuries. Guests who prefer can ask to visit Alicante's small synagogue instead.
The tour ends with a stroll along the palm lined Esplanade of Spain, known for its wave patterned marble promenade, where you can try horchata, a sweetened drink made from crushed tiger nuts with roots in Moorish-era Spain, before returning to the ship.
Review Location- Alicante 
