One of the questions we hear most before you arrive is whether you need a car to enjoy Orihuela Costa. The honest answer is: it depends on your plans. If your idea of a holiday is beach, pool and switching off in one spot, you’ll manage perfectly well without one. If you want to explore the inland towns and take day trips, you’ll be glad to have it. Here are all the options so you can decide with confidence.
From Alicante airport (ALC)
Alicante-Elche airport is about 55–60 km away, roughly 45–50 minutes by motorway. It’s the gateway for nearly every visitor. There are several ways to cover that final stretch: car hire (all the major companies are right inside the terminal), a private door-to-door transfer booked in advance, or a taxi from the official rank outside arrivals. We go through it step by step in our guide on how to get here from the airport.
With a hire car
This is the most comfortable option if you want full freedom. It’s ideal for hopping between beaches, golf and padel courses, and above all for discovering the surrounding area without depending on timetables. The local roads are straightforward: the N-332 runs along the coast from north to south, and the AP-7 / A-7 connects quickly to Cartagena, Murcia or Alicante.
One reassuring detail: all our apartments have parking, so you won’t be circling the block looking for a space when you get back from the beach. You leave the car and head straight up to the pool.
Without a car
It’s perfectly doable too. Our apartments are set up so you can walk to the beach, the supermarkets and the local bars, so you don’t need to drive for the day-to-day. For slightly longer trips there are local buses running along the coast that link up with Torrevieja and the Zenia Boulevard shopping centre; it’s worth checking the timetables at a stop or with us on arrival, as frequency changes with the season.
For one-off journeys, a taxi is easy and convenient to call, and a bicycle is a joy for getting along the promenade and between coves, with the coast being almost flat. Parque Recoleta, in Punta Prima, makes a great base for anyone travelling without a car: it’s close to Torrevieja and well connected.
Our advice
If your plan is a relaxed beach break in one area, you don’t need a car: everything is a short walk away and you skip the parking. But if you want to take day trips —Guadalest, Cartagena, Elche or the Torrevieja salt lakes— a hire car or an organised tour will make life much easier. Many people mix the two: a few quiet days on foot and, for one specific outing, they rent a car just for that day.
Not sure how to get around depending on the apartment you choose? You book directly with us, the owners, with no platform commissions, and we’ll help you plan your arrival. Message us on WhatsApp at +34 679 120 466 and we’ll work it out together.
