A day trip to Tabarca island from Alicante

When a guest asks us what to do for a day outside Alicante, Tabarca almost always comes up. It’s one of the two day trips people ask us for most. The other is Altea.

It makes sense. It’s a small island with a walled village and the sea all around, and you get there by boat from Alicante’s own harbour, no car needed. Here’s how to get there, when the boats leave and what to do once you’re there.

Getting there: the boat leaves from Alicante harbour

The regular service between Alicante and Tabarca is run by Cruceros Kontiki. Boarding is at the harbour, on Paseo Mártires de la Libertad: open the map from the studio and you’ll see it’s within walking distance.

You don’t need to book. There are several departures a day and the boat runs all year round. The days and times do change, though, so check them before you set off.

Boat times

These are the times Kontiki publishes on its website.

Outward, Alicante to Tabarca

• Monday to Friday: 9:45, 10:45 and 12:15.
• Saturdays and Sundays: 9:45, 10:45, 12:15 and 13:15.

Return, Tabarca to Alicante

• Monday to Friday: 16:00 and 17:30.
• Saturdays: 16:00 and 18:15.
• Sundays: 17:30 and 18:15.

The company itself warns that times are confirmed when you buy your ticket at the kiosk. Check them the day before on the Kontiki website and, when you board, ask what time the last boat back leaves.

Our advice: take one of the first ones. With the 9:45 or the 10:45 boat you have the whole morning and afternoon on the island.

What to do in Tabarca: get lost

Our recommendation is not to have a plan. The island is about 1,800 metres long and 400 at its widest: you can walk the whole thing, and the fun is in wandering and peeking round every corner.

What you’ll come across along the way:

• The walls. The village is surrounded by walls that follow almost the whole coastline. You go in through one of its three gates: San Miguel (or the Alicante gate), San Rafael and San Gabriel.
• The church of San Pedro y San Pablo, inside the walled village.
• The torre de San José, a three-storey defensive tower.
• The lighthouse, at the eastern tip of the island.
• The Museo Nueva Tabarca, to understand what life has been like here.
• The beach, a sandy one, on the isthmus. The rest of the coast is rock and coves.

All of this is protected. The village was declared a historic-artistic site in 1964, and in 1986 the waters around the island became Spain’s first marine reserve.

And between walks, there are the village restaurants. Part of the trip is sitting down to eat looking out at the sea before catching the boat back.

Before you go and when you get back

The boat leaves early, so it’s best to have breakfast in the studio. If you book directly with us, we provide the pastries for your first breakfast. And every studio kitchen has a coffee maker and a toaster.

On the way back you reach the harbour mid-afternoon, with plenty of time to spare. The Mercado Central is five minutes from the door: pick up something for dinner and eat in peace in the studio, which after a day of sun and boats beats looking for a table.

Everything else around us, from the beaches and the Baños de la Reina to the old town and where to eat, is on our Area guide page.

Information checked in September 2026. Boat times change with the time of year: check them on the ferry company’s website before you set off.