Explanada de España

The Explanada de España is Alicante's signature promenade, running along the port between rows of palm trees. Its trademark is a wavy mosaic of more than six million marble tiles in three colours, evoking the waves of the sea. It is the classic place for an evening stroll, with cafés, craft stalls and an open-air bandstand.

The Explanada de España is Alicante's best-known promenade, stretching for almost 600 metres along the port and lined with four rows of palm trees, two on each side. It runs along the line of Alicante's old sea wall. It began to take its present form in 1830 under civil governor Perfecto Manuel de Olalde and was then called Paseo de Olalde. After the revolution of 1868 it was renamed Paseo de los Mártires de la Libertad, and it received its current name after the Civil War. Its trademark is the wavy mosaic laid in 1959 to a design by architects Miguel López and Alfonso Fajardo, inspired by the paving of Rossio Square in Lisbon. It is made of about 6.5 million marble tiles, each about 4 cm across, in red, cream and black, creating the optical effect of sea waves. The stone comes from quarries around Novelda, Pinoso, La Algueña and Monóvar, and the mosaic was restored in 2009 for its 50th anniversary. It is a favourite walk for locals and visitors alike, especially at sunset and in the evening. On one side lie the sea, the marina and the commercial port; on the other, cafés and restaurants with terraces and some of the city's most emblematic buildings. Craft and souvenir stalls have operated here since 1979, and street performers such as magicians, mime artists, musicians and painters also work along the promenade. La Concha, the shell-shaped municipal auditorium, regularly hosts concerts by the Municipal Symphony Band and bands from across Alicante province, and in summer also outdoor performances and festivals such as Alacant Rock. The most striking building on the promenade is the modernist Casa Carbonell, built in the 1920s to a design by Juan Vidal for the textile industrialist Enrique Carbonell. Santa Bárbara Castle rises above the northern end, while to the south the Explanada leads into Canalejas Park with its old ficus trees. Palm trees are the most frequent topic in visitors' reviews; one mentions the shade they give and the patterns their shadows cast on the mosaic, and another recommends a stroll with an ice cream in hand. In the evenings the promenade is full of life, and it is the heart of seafront Alicante.