My Escapes Spain Costa Blanca Summer Heat Alicante Alluring Alicante Trip The Santa Bárbara Fortress

The Santa Bárbara Fortress

Alicante's top landmark is the Monte Benacantil with the Santa Bárbara fortress.
The fort is a historic attraction, but the views from up there are breathtaking.
The sight of the deep blue Mediterranean and the sound of the seagulls is serene, calming. Yet another great setting for recharing your batteries.

The 169 m high Mount Benacantil visually dominates view of Alicante. It's also a wonderful viewpoint. I've found it the best!

It's said that the cliff's name comes from the Arabic Banu-I-Qatil, as it was mentioned by Muslim geographer, Muhammad Al-Idrisi in the 12th century.

Alicante's name itself is said to have been given by the Muslim Moors and it's supposed to mean "city of lights".

The southwestern part of the mountain has a face-like formation, known as La Cara del Moro, which translates to "The Moor's Face.
Here's a photo of it by El País. I omitted this, so I could not photograph it.

The Santa Bárbara Castle on top can be reached either by foot - could be tiring in the summer heat. But there's also a tunnel from the direction of the beach, just across the road. If you go into the tunnel, at its end you'll find a lift, which will take you all the way to the top!

The massive fortress was built by Muslims sometime in the 9th century and, was taken by the Christians in 1248 on December 4th, on Saint Barbara's day - therefore the name.

Subsequent reconstructions have altered the look of the fort.

The fortress was used for military purposes and even as a prison until the 18th century, then it was abandoned until 1963, when it was opened to the public.

Besides the museum area, the fact that it's a historic attraction, I mentioned the Santa Bárbara Castle is also the best viewpoint for seeing the city and the beach from above.

Various cultural events are held at the castle periodically. In order to be up-to-date with what goes on there, use the official site.

The Castle Evenings event is the most notable one - held during July and August. Concerts and other events are held at the castle in this period.

The fortress itself has an intricate layout. It will be fun walking around and taking photos from various angles.

Up there, it's quiet, it's serene. Despite central Alicante being a rather noisy place, the top of the Benacantil is a rather calm retreat area. You can contemplate the city below...

...as if you'd be looking down from a cloud.

It's quiet up there. Besides nosy tourists, only the seagulls' voices are heard. And the wind...

The views were thrilling from up there, so I put Alicante's skyline on the list of my favourites - ever seen.

After a hot day at the beach, feeling like a roasted chicken, I chilled down up there, closer to the sky, with the seagulls keeping me company.

Particularly beautiful is the deep blue-coloured Mediterranean sea with the boats floating on it.
In the distance, the clouds seemingly merge with the sea.

Walks along seashores are calming, serene, provided that the sea is calm and the weather is good.

But there was nothing like this tranquil refreshing experience on top of Mount Benacantil.
Nothing I've previously experienced.

The beautiful seagull on the right-side photo has kept me company for long minutes, as I fired my photos, admiring the breathtaking views of Alicante from above.

Eventually, he (or she?) took off slowly and engaged into a gentle beak-dive flight towards Postiguet Beach.

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