Alicante airport to Calpe, Altea, Jávea or Moraira: every way to get there

Alicante-Elche airport is the gateway to the northern Costa Blanca, but the towns most visitors are heading for (Altea, Calpe, Moraira and Jávea) are an hour or more up the coast. These are all the ways to cover that last stretch, with real journey times and fares.

At a glance

Driving times are without traffic. Bus fares are the ones ALSA publishes; taxi prices are our estimate at the regulated daytime rate (see below).

By car: A-70 and AP-7, toll-free

From the airport, follow the N-338 to the A-70 and then join the AP-7 northbound, towards Valencia. The AP-7 between Alicante and Valencia has been toll-free since 1 January 2020, so the fastest route costs you nothing but fuel. For Altea take exit 64; for Calpe, Moraira and Jávea follow the signs for your town and the N-332.

The coastal N-332 runs parallel to the motorway. It's handy for short hops between towns, but it goes through town centres and is slower for the airport run.

By bus: the ALSA direct lines

Coaches leave from the stop on the departures roadway (level 2). These are the timetables ALSA publishes for its airport lines:

• Altea and Calpe, line L527, every day: from the airport at 9:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 19:00. It stops at Alicante bus station and the AVE station on the way, so it takes about 1 h 35 to Altea and 1 h 55 to Calpe. €8.75 to Altea, €11.11 to Calpe.
• Jávea, line L526: on weekdays at 9:15, 11:15, 14:15 and 17:15; on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at 9:15, 14:15 and 19:15. About 2 h 05, stopping at Benissa, Teulada and Benitachell. €14.17.
• Benidorm, line L520: around 20 departures a day between 7:00 and 23:00, about 45 minutes, €7.99.
• Moraira has no direct bus. You'd take the Jávea bus to Teulada and then a local bus (Autobuses Ifach, line 3), which only runs a few times a day.

Timetables change with the seasons, so check alsa.com before you travel.

By tram: scenic, but not from the airport

Line 9 of the TRAM d'Alacant runs along the coast from Benidorm to Dénia, stopping at Altea, Calpe and Teulada, but there's no tram at the airport. You'd take the C-6 bus into Alicante (€4.70), tram line 1 to Benidorm and then line 9. From Luceros in Alicante it's about 1 h 45 to Altea and just over two hours to Calpe, plus the bus from the airport. A lovely ride on a free afternoon; not the best plan with suitcases.

By taxi

Taxis wait on the arrivals roadway. There's no fixed airport fare to these towns: interurban taxis in the Valencia region charge regulated maximum rates, currently €2.25 plus €1.46 per km by day on working days, and €2.80 plus €1.68 per km at night, on Sundays and on holidays. At the daytime rate that comes to roughly €100 to Altea, €115 to Calpe, €140 to Moraira and €150 to Jávea, before any airport supplement.

Car hire with airport delivery

Taxis there and back to Calpe come to around €230, which can be more than a whole week of car hire, and you'll want a car to get around once you're there anyway. At Neptuno we deliver cars at Alicante airport 24 hours a day at no extra cost. Give us your flight number when you book: we track the arrival and wait for you in the terminal even if it's delayed. Only cars are delivered at the airport; scooters and vans are delivered at our other points.

Insurance with no excess, unlimited mileage and no deposit on cars are included. See car hire at Alicante airport, or go straight to your town: Calpe, Altea, Moraira, Jávea. If “meet and greet” is new to you, our glossary explains it, and British drivers will find everything about licences in driving in Spain with a UK licence.

Official sources

• Aena: buses from Alicante-Elche airport
• ALSA: timetables and fares, Valencian Community
• TRAM d'Alacant: timetables and planner
• Generalitat Valenciana: interurban taxi rates
• Ministerio de Transportes: AP-7 toll-free since 2020

Cover photo: Alicante-Elche airport terminal. Werner Wilmes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.