Getting From Alicante Airport To San Juan and El Campello
After doing a lot of those “How to get from the airport to any town around the Costa Blanca” articles, we finally get to do our local one 😎 .
By local I mean that we ( our family) is living in San Juan de Alicante a suburb north of Alicante, which should make this transportation page a breeze. Unfortunately traveling to San Juan or its neighbor city of El Campello from the airport in Alicante can be a bit complicated. Therefore we list the best options you have to get to the area of San Juan, El Campello, Mutchamel and even Santa Faz. All located just north of Alicante.
How To Get To San Juan de Alicante and El Campello from the Airport in Alicante? | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
|
Duration (approx. incl.waiting time) | Cost (approx.) | See More Details | |
Bus | 1.5 – 2 hours | 5 EUR | Buses from Alicante airport to San Juan de Alicante and El Campello | |
Taxi | 20 minutes ( San Juan ) 30 minutes ( El Campello ) |
30 EUR ( San Juan de Alicante) 40 Eur ( El Campello) |
Taxi from airport in Alicante to El Campello and San Juan | |
Train | – | – | No Train station at Alicante airport | |
Bus/Train/Taxi
Combination |
1-2 hours | 15 EUR (San Juan)
20 EUR ( El Campello) |
Bus – Train – Taxi from Alicante airport to San Juan and El Campello | |
Private Shuttle Services | 30-40 minutes | 30-40 EUR | Private Transfer from Airport to El Campello or San Juan | |
Car Hire | 1 hour | Varies on rental time and car type | Car Hire at Alicante airport | |
San Juan de Alicante, Spain
Spain
Spain
03016 Alicante, Spain
03203 Elche, Spain
Map of the Area:
– Alicante Airport located south of Alicante
– El Campello, San Juan de Alicante, Santa Faz and Mutxamel located north of Alicante.
Buses from Airport in Alicante to San Juan and El Campello
You can not get any direct bus from Alicante airport to Campello, San Juan or Mutxamel. Doing the transfer by local bus lines you will need to change bus at the bus stop at Plaza Puerta del Mar. Your mini trip looks like this:
1) At the airport you get on the C-6 Bus Alicante airport to downtown Alicante ( sun by subus bus-company).
Do not exit the bus at the downtown bus station. Depending on which connecting bus you will need to take, you have to exit the airport bus at different bus stops in Alicante
2a) Getting to San Juan de Alicante ( village), Santa Faz and Mutxamel
Exit the airport bus at the Plaza de los Luceros ( Avenida Alfonso El Sabio). Directly at the Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio No.37 you will see the bus stop for Subus – busline No.23 – which gets you to the village of San Juan and Mutxamel. ( line details over at subus.es )
2b) Getting to San Juan Playa ( beach ) and El Campello
Exit the airport bus at the Puerta del Mar bus stop ( in the harbour area of Alicante). Board the No.21 subus line which takes you along the beach of San Juan straight to El Campello. ( same here, line details over at subus.es ).
Pros and Cons of taking this bus – bus route to San Juan and El Campello:
Well, first of all its a very cheap way of getting around. You will probably spend less than 5 Eur per one way ticket. But this is really all the Pros there is.
While the airport bus to downtown Alicante is relatively comfortable and air conditioned, most local Subus buses are not really as comfortable ( and A/C is not always working).
Additionally there is no extra room for luggage on those local buses, which means if you happen to get on one during busy rush hours you might find yourself a bit “squeezed” in between all those friendly locals. Not really a pleasant way to start a holiday.
The biggest disadvantage is that there is not synchronized time tables between the airport bus and any of the two above mentioned bus lines. This can mean waiting up to 30 or 40 minutes in the heat of downtown Alicante. ( I have done that in the past – and can tell you – it was not a pleasant experience).
Taxi from Alicante Airport to San Juan and El Campello
A Taxi from the airport to where we live in San Juan costs about 30 Eur. On weekends rate increases a bit, but overall its around the thirty Euro mark. From the airport to El Campello a cab will be around 40 Euros, also depending largely on which area of El Campello you need to go.
A taxi is in Spain is allowed to transport up to 4 passengers, so you can make your numbers, it is a relatively cheap way of traveling if you are a family/group of people considering that you getting dropped directly at your hotel or desired destination.
For us, as a family of three, the taxi is the preferred method of transport from Alicante airport to our home in San Juan ( village ).
>> More on where to get a cab at the airport in Alicante is here
Bus – Train – Taxi from the Airport to San Juan and El Campello
This combination is a really funny one. Promised. It is meant for those of you who enjoy traveling by itself and don’t mind switching from bus to train and taxi.
The airport in Alicante does not have a train or streetcar station. This defines your first part of the journey by bus to downtown Alicante. From there you get on by the local streetcar ( called Tram) which runs along the coastline up to the beach Playa of San Juan and El Campello.
Important: The street car stops several times along the BEACH PLAYA of San Juan, this is NOT the village of San Juan which lies about 2km inward. Check where your hotel is located first. If its Playa de San Juan , you are good to take this travel option via the Tram streetcar. If it is the village ( PUEBLO ) of San Juan, you better opt for the Bus – Bus option above using bus line No.23 or take a direct taxi.
An itinerary for this bus-train-taxi journey to San Juan Beach and El Campello looks like this:
1) Take the c-6 Bus from the Airport to downtown Alicante – and exit the bus at bus-stop “Plaza de los Luceros” ( Avenida Alfonso El Sabio)
2) At the TRAM streetcar station “Plaza de los Luceros” take the L1 (red) or L3 (yellow) tram train line. Both streetcar lines will get you directly northward to Playa San Juan and El Campello. The streetcar is super comfortable and allow a pleasant journey literally along the beach of northern Alicante. By itself the Tram train is an excellent way to get into downtown Alicante from the northern suburbs like San Juan or El Campello. ( route maps and more info on our Alicante Tram Train page here.)
3) Depending on where you heading towards, you exit the streetcar at the beach of San Juan or in El Campello. From there you might need to take a taxi to your hotel or wherever you stay.
From the above description, I think it is pretty clear that this way of getting to San Juan de Alicante or El Campello is not a quick one. However, if you are looking for a kind of “sightseeing” and “enjoy the ride” kind of trip, this bus-train-taxi way might be a nice alternative.
Private Shuttle Bus from Alicante to San Juan, El Campello
Several private shuttle companies got their desks at the airport in Alicante. Not all of them offer shuttle services to San Juan or El Campello.
But you should check them out. Sometimes companies like Resorthoppa or Shuttledirect offer lower fares than regular taxi services. Worth checking out.
Car Hire at Airport in Alicante For Your San Juan or El Campello Holidays
Regardless of where you heading to on your Costa Blanca vacations, a rental car is always worth checking out. Especially if you travel off-season, you might find a weekly car hire sometimes cheaper than transportation cost from Alicante airport to San Juan or El Campello for a family.
So, before you discard this option check out various offers from different rental car companies.
>> More information on our car hire Alicante airport page.
Conclusion from a San Juan de Alicante citizen:
Living in San Juan since 2002 we have done all (except car hire) of the above transport options ourselves. The bus-bus and the bus-train-taxi travel options are really for the “hardcore” tourist. Not to be at all considered if you are traveling with children, its just too much time wasted in waiting and switching buses/trains etc.
We as a family or when my wife or I get back from the airport on our own, we always take a taxi to our home here in the village of San Juan de Alicante. It’s just the fastest and most comfortable way to get here.
As with all our hopefully helpful pages: In case you find a faster or cheaper alternative to travel from Alicante airport to El Campello, Mutxamel, Santa Faz or San Juan de Alicante, please post it on our Alicante airport transfer forum here, so we can update this page accordingly.