The 3 Best Benidorm Boat Tours

Following the coast of Benidorm northwards, you will find some of the most beautiful landscapes on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. There are also some charming towns, such as Calpe and Denia. And only from the sea can you contemplate their most spectacular views.

But a boat trip offers you much more. It's an ideal plan for spending time with the family, enjoying a romantic moment with your partner or simply experiencing one of the best things to do in Benidorm. Want to know more? Here I'll tell you about the best boat trips from Benidorm.

Sunset on the Levantine coast is magical. And the best way to soak it all in is on board a boat. On this cruise, you won't just be admiring the colours of the sunset on the horizon. You'll also witness the sun setting over the stunning landscapes of the northern Costa Blanca. Without a doubt, it's one of the best activities you can organise in Benidorm.

The cruise I suggest departs from the port of Denia, a town located at the foot of the Montgó Natural Park and near the Cabo de San Antonio Nature Reserve. Before the sun begins to set, the boat travels along a small stretch of coastline where you will see steep cliffs, the occasional secret cove and several caves.

One of these caves, perhaps the most spectacular on the entire Costa Blanca, is Cova Tallada. This is a cave at sea level that was used as a quarry for centuries. The stone used to build many of the monuments in the surrounding villages was extracted from here. Its natural pool, arches and galleries are spectacular.

The boat trip will not allow you to go inside, but you can enjoy its beauty and that of the cliffs that protect it. After admiring it, and on the way back to the port, the sunset will be your companion on the journey and will put the finishing touch to one of the many activities you can do with children in Benidorm to create unforgettable memories.

Useful information

• Price: approximately £18 for adults. Children under 13 and over 65 receive a discount. Infants up to three years old travel free.
• What the excursion includes: boat trip along the coast and a drink on board (soft drink, soda or beer).
• Advantages of this option: it's the perfect plan for those who want to enjoy a romantic experience. It's also great for sailing with the family.
• Disadvantages of this option: a minimum number of passengers is required for the trip to take place.

Now I suggest you go from Benidorm to Calpe. This is one of the most unique towns on the Costa Blanca, thanks to the imposing figure of the Peñón de Ifach. At its port , you will board a modern catamaran that will allow you to see one of the most iconic postcards of the Spanish east coast from the sea.

On board the boat, you can watch as the shadow of the rock, reflected in the water, gives way to the twinkling lights of Calpe. A word of advice? Make sure your mobile phone or camera is fully charged because you won't be able to stop taking photos.

After an hour and a half of sailing, you will return to port for dinner. The experience is sure to have whetted your appetite. Don't worry! The best rice dishes and fish in the area will be waiting for you. If you enjoy good food, you will have a wonderful time trying some of the typical dishes of Alicante's cuisine.

If you want to round off the day and the experience, I recommend organising a day trip to the coast. During the day you can admire the landscapes of part of the Alicante coastline from land and, at dusk, you can do so from the sea.

Details of interest

• Price: adults pay around £85. Seniors over 65 and children under 13 receive discounts. Children under three travel free.
• Duration: 3 hours and 30 minutes.
• What this excursion includes: sailing, a glass of champagne (adults) and a soft drink (children) on board. Traditional dinner with a full menu.
• Advantages of this option: in July and August, there is the option of preferential access to the catamaran's mesh deck to enjoy the experience even more. In addition, it is possible to request a vegetarian menu by giving at least 24 hours' notice.
• Disadvantages of this option: the cruise and dinner must take place on the same day.

Denia Bay is perfect if you just want to take a short but relaxing trip on the Mediterranean Sea. The image of its castle, perched on a large rock, is one of the most recognisable on the Costa Blanca. On board a catamaran, you can admire it, as well as the beaches, the port and the mountains surrounding the town.

If you choose this experience, you will sail on a special boat: an eco-friendly catamaran that harnesses the power of the wind to glide smoothly across the surface of the sea. Let yourself be rocked by the gentle sway of the catamaran and feel the sea breeze envelop you as you contemplate one of the most beautiful postcards to remember or share on social media. The choice is yours!

If you're looking for a fun plan to have a good time with your family, this cruise is perfect. Children will feel like real adventurers or fearsome pirates. What's more, the duration of this trip, just one hour, means that it won't be tiring for the little ones.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately £12. Children under 10 and over 65 receive a discount. Babies up to three years old travel free.
• Duration: one hour.
• What this excursion includes: boat trip.
• Advantages of this option: it is an ideal activity to organise with children, even if they are very young.
• Disadvantages of this option: for the more adventurous, the duration of the trip may be too short.

If you prefer to explore the coast at your own pace and enjoy complete freedom to discover the entire Benidorm coastline, the alternative is to hire a boat. It is a more expensive option, but you will have complete flexibility to design an itinerary to suit your tastes.

There is a wide variety of boats available for hire, ranging from large catamarans to smaller sailing boats or motorboats. Don't worry if you've never been at the helm before, as in most cases there is the option of hiring a skipper.

• Price: from approximately €230. Prices vary according to the season and are higher during periods of high demand.
• Duration: rentals are usually for full days.
• What this excursion includes: a day of sailing, with or without a skipper.
• Advantages of this option: freedom to organise the trip as you wish, with no restrictions. What's more, you can have the boat all to yourself and your fellow adventurers.
• Disadvantages of this option: the price is high and a full day's hire may be too much in some cases.

Booking a boat trip is very easy. You can do it online in just three steps. The first thing, of course, is to choose the experience you want. Then you'll need to select the number of passengers and the date you want for the activity.

If there are places available, all you have to do is enter the participants' details, as well as an email address and contact telephone number. The last step is to confirm the booking. You won't have to do anything else, just save the confirmation to present before boarding.

Just a quick note. If you are making plans in Benidorm in October or later, you should take the weather into account. Even in winter it is usually mild, but there is a chance that the day you choose to board may be unpleasant.

If bad weather forces the activity to be cancelled, you will have two options: get your money back or change the date of the boat trip. If you are going to be in Benidorm for a few days, I recommend that you don't miss the opportunity to see the Costa Blanca landscapes from the sea, they are really beautiful.

The landscapes vary slightly depending on the excursion you choose, although on all of them you will see a spectacular coastline. The coastal strip between the Serra Gelada Natural Park and Cape San Vicente and Denia is really beautiful and has nothing to do with the urban image of Benidorm.

The Peñón de Ifach in Calpe, mountains that plunge into the sea in the form of cliffs, and beaches that you can enjoy in good weather are some of the places you will see from the sea. With a bit of luck, you may also spot some of the varied marine fauna in this area, or even the occasional dolphin!

You don't need much to have a great time on board. The most important thing is the desire to have fun. However, a few tips never hurt:

• Wear comfortable clothing and footwear: ideally, wear clothes that allow you to move freely and footwear that has good grip and is waterproof.
• Bring a jacket: if you choose an afternoon boat trip as part of your plans to enjoy Benidorm in September, don't forget to bring something warm to wear. It will be hot during the day, but when the sun goes down it can get chilly.
• Don't forget your sunscreen and sunglasses: these are essential for any boat trip during the day. Remember that even in winter or on a cloudy day, you should protect yourself from the sun's rays to avoid sunburn.
• Try to arrive at the meeting point a little early, so that any unexpected delays won't ruin your trip.
• Do not forget to bring your booking, either printed on paper or on your mobile phone. It is essential in order to enjoy the experience.
• If you are prone to seasickness, you may not enjoy the boat trip. If you want to see the Costa Blanca from the sea, there are alternatives. I suggest taking part in one of the kayaking activities in Benidorm. There are activities for all levels.

The duration is usually short, between one hour and an hour and a half of sailing. However, you should bear in mind that those that include dinner will last at least another hour and a half.

There is another important aspect: the journey to Calpe or Denia if the excursion departs from one of these towns. It doesn't take long to get there from Benidorm, between 25 and 40 minutes, but it is essential that you don't forget this so that the boat doesn't leave without you.

In any case, adding the dinner cruise and travel time, boat trips do not take up much time. Therefore, they are a good alternative to combine with other activities. Here's just one idea: enjoy one of the best water parks in Benidorm during the day and then relax watching the sunset from a boat. Great, don't you think?

The price will depend on the route you choose. In general, it is one of the most affordable activities you can enjoy if you opt for experiences that only include sailing. Adults pay from €12 for the shortest excursions. As for dinner cruises, the price can rise to around €100.

Bear in mind that seniors and children pay less. Discounts usually start at 10% and can reach up to 40% for children. However, the age at which these discounts apply in the case of children may vary. In some cases, the limit is 10 years old, while in others it is 14 years old.

The main reason is to admire the semi-wild landscapes that the Costa Blanca also hides, the northern ones being the most spectacular in the province of Alicante. And they are just a stone's throw from Benidorm! But there are other good reasons:

• Spend some time in complete relaxation after an exhausting day enjoying everything Benidorm has to offer.
• Discover the contrasts between an almost untouched stretch of coastline and the silhouette of some of the most attractive tourist resorts on the Costa Blanca.
• A boat trip is one of the most enjoyable activities to do alone, as a couple or with the family.
• Most of these experiences are affordable for any budget.
• From the coast, you will see places on land that are so beautiful that you will surely want to visit them on foot, such as the Cabo de San Antonio viewpoint or the Peñón de Ifach rock. This makes it a good way to plan other excursions.
• Boat trips from Benidorm are an activity you can enjoy at any time of year. You can include it in your plans for Benidorm in August or even in December. The weather on the Costa Blanca allows for calm sailing for most of the year.

The Costa Blanca enjoys a very pleasant climate most of the year. In fact, the sun shines here more than 300 days a year, and the average annual temperature is around 19 degrees. To give you an idea, even in December it is very difficult for the temperature to drop below 13 ºC, and it usually reaches between 16 and 18 ºC.

This means that you can enjoy a boat trip at practically any time of the year. Sunset cruises are especially pleasant in the warmer months: milder temperatures than during the day and the sea breeze create the perfect atmosphere for sailing and viewing the scenery from the deck.

What about daytime cruises? The truth is that these experiences can be enjoyed at any time. However, in spring, autumn and winter, the warmest hours of the day are the most recommended.