Castillo de Santa Bárbara

A fortress on top of Mount Benacantil (166 m) in the centre of Alicante, dating back to the 9th century. Its walls offer a 360° view of the city, port and bay, and a lift runs up from the Postiguet beach side.

Santa Bárbara Castle is a fortress on top of Mount Benacantil (166 m above sea level), overlooking the centre of Alicante and its bay. Traces of Bronze Age, Iberian and Roman settlement have been found on the hill, while the fortress itself dates from the late 9th century, during the period of Muslim rule. It takes its name from its capture by Prince Alfonso of Castile, the future Alfonso X the Wise, on 4 December 1248, Saint Barbara's feast day. In 1296 James II of Aragon took possession of the castle and ordered it to be remodelled, and the largest rebuilding took place in 1562–1580 under Philip II, to designs by Juan Bautista Antonelli and Jorge Palearo, known as El Fratín. The fortress suffered during the French fleet's bombardment of Alicante in 1691 and the fighting of 1706–1709 in the War of the Spanish Succession, and it last came under fire in 1873 from the ironclad frigate Numancia, held by cantonalist rebels from Cartagena. The castle has three levels, and on the highest, known as La Torreta, you can see the remains of the keep, traces of 11th–13th-century buildings and the Baluarte de los Ingleses bastion. The middle level holds the Salón Felipe II, the parade ground and the chapel of Saint Barbara, while the lowest, dating from the 18th century, contains the Revellín del Bon Repós. Some of the rooms house MUSA, the Museum of the City of Alicante, and you can also visit the former dungeons and the cistern. From the walls there is a 360° panorama of Alicante, the port and the coast, and on clear days you can also see Tabarca island. The castle opened to the public in 1963, when two lifts were installed that travel about 142.7 metres inside the mountain, reached through a tunnel opposite Postiguet beach. Two walking routes of moderate difficulty, each taking about 30 minutes, lead to the top: from the centre through the old-town streets and La Ereta park, or from Postiguet beach along Calle Virgen del Socorro. A minibus also runs up from a stop opposite the MARQ museum, but cars are not allowed into the castle grounds, and the nearest car park is in La Ereta park on the slope of Benacantil. One visitor writes that from the car park it is about a 10-minute steep walk up to the gate. In the upper part, above the chapel of Saint Barbara, there is a café, and reviews often praise how well kept the grounds are. The castle hosts guided tours, theatrical visits, tastings and concerts, and its official website suggests it as a place to watch the sunset over the sea. Dogs on a lead are allowed in the grounds but not inside the buildings. The castle is linked to the legend of the Cara del Moro: according to the tale told on the castle's official website, the rocky profile of Benacantil, clearly visible from the beach, is the petrified face of a Moorish ruler, the father of Princess Cántara.