Vivre à Alicante

Alicante is a beautiful city with a mix of daily life in the autonomous region of Valencia mixed with tourism. Alicante is still too often seen by tourism as a gateway to the seaside resorts on the Costa Blanca, while it can be such a nice final destination. In this blog, we will give you some insights about the city, environment, activities, public transport, housing, and healthcare. We will provide you with some links that give you even more information on the topics we are about to share with you.

Did you know:

• The Valencian name for Alicante is Alacant.
• Alicante is the starting point for the Volvo Ocean Race, the most important sailing competition in the world.
• A hotspot of Alicante is the Explanada de España. It is lined with 400 palm trees and paved with no less than 6.600.000 marble tiles.
• In Alicante, on average produces 115.000 tons of rice annually.

City overview 

Alicante is a city in the Spanish autonomous region Valencia, and the capital city of the province of Alicante. It is the second biggest city of the region Valencia, with more than 330.000 citizens. It is located in Costa Blanca. The opening of the railway line to Madrid in 1858 increased the port of Alicante to the port of exports of goods produced in central Spain.

The history of Alicante goes back to 230 before Christus when the city was called ‘Akra Leuke’, which means “White Headland”, founded by Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barkas. After that, the city became a port of the Roman Empire and in 711 the Moors occupied the city. They gave the city the name Alicante. From the 8th to the 13th century, the city was in the hands of the Moors. They build on the Benacantil, a 166-meter-high hill that dominates the city, a fortress to protect the city from attackers. After the conquest of Spain, it grew into the castle ‘Castillo de Sante Bárbara’.
In 1298 the city was handed over to the Kingdom of Valencia.

Environnement

If you are going to visit Alicante, there is a good chance that you will have to deal with sunny and often warm weather. Alicante has a steppe climate with warm summer months and occasional peaks to the top. Of course, it is colder in winter than in summer and the sun is also less visible. But the winter months are pleasant to bike, walk outside, and sit on the terrace. But there are periods when it rains from time to time. 

From the beginning of June till the end of September the maximum temperatures are continuously about 25 degrees Celsius. In the evening it often stays warm for a long time. The temperature in July and August often remains above 20 degrees until well into the night, only to reach the lowest point near sunrise (often between 18 and 20 degrees). In June, July, and August are almost guaranteed to exceed 300 hours of sunny weather per month. 

In an average year, there is about 250 to 300 millimeters of precipitation in Alicante. Rain falls in Alicante mainly in the period from September until May. They are usually not large amounts.

Activités

Alicante has so much to offer! Like the beach of San Juan, the city has a historical heritage called San Nicolás Co-Cathedral, as well as many natural wonders such as the Tabarca Island Marine Reserve. Alicante is a relaxed city, you can walk the boulevard, chill on the beach or if you like shopping for hours. The city center and the Old Quarter are neighborhoods where you will find the most tourist sights and cultural sights.

The following list is a summary of a few things we recommend.

• Visit Parc El Palmeral
• Barrio de Santa Cruz, the old town
• Castillo de Santa Bárbara
  Pirate Island, Isla de Tabarca
• Boulevard Explanada de España
• Eat tapas as lunch in the pubs around the Central Market.
• Visit the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts

Transports en commun

You can easily discover the city on foot. Even the beach is a stone’s throw from the Old Quarter. Walking is a good opportunity to discover the city, but public transport is also generally good. There is a network of trams and city buses. City buses of the bus company TAM (Transporte Alicante Metropolitano) run through the city. There are also five tram lines in Alicante.

A single bus ticket costs €1,45, which you can buy on the bus. Please note, bus drivers give change up to €10. If you think you are going to use the bus a couple of times, it could be a good idea to buy a rechargeable card named Móbilis. You can buy a rechargeable card at the TAM office, located at Calle Díaz More 6 (near the Central Market) and at Muelle de Poniente (close to the Port, in the Central Bus Station of Alicante). A rechargeable card costs €2,- or €4,- when you personalize it with a picture. You can put money on it depending on how many rides you want to make. A single ticket costs €1,45, but with a 10-ride Móbilis card it costs €8,70, or a 30-ride Móbilis card for €26,10. These cards can also be used for the tram.

An alternative to the Móbilis card is the Alicante Tourist Card. This card is available in three variants and can also be used for the tram:

• A 24-hour card for €13,-
• A 48-hours card for €16,-
• A 72-hours card for €18,-

You can buy these cards at kiosks and Estancos (Spanish for tobacconists). There is also an app that keeps you informed about the buses with information and notifications, called ‘Alicante Bus’.

The tram lines are being expanded further and further. There is a beautiful coastal route and there is a tram that brings you from the center of Alicante to Benidorm in 70 minutes. The metropolitan area also includes nearby cities such as San Juan, San Vicente del Raspeig, and Campello. In the center, there are three metro stations:

• Luceros, at plaza de los Luceros
• Mercado, near to the Central Market, at the corner of Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio and Rambla Méndez Núñez
• MARQ-Castillo, between the MARQ-museo and Castillo de Santa Bárbara, at Plaza del Doctor Mas Magro

Logement

Rental prices in Alicante are very divergent. A one-bedroom apartment in the city center is between €475 and €700 per month. Outside the city center, a one-bedroom apartment is between €375 and €600 per month.

Alicante has so many beautiful neighborhoods to live in. For you, we will highlight the best neighborhoods in Alicante.

• Casco Antiguo is near the beautiful beach Postiguet with a lot of historical sites. It is a lively area with lots of bars, restaurants and shops.
• Ensanche Diputacíon is a gorgeous seaside neighborhood that connects to the old town. This is where El Postiguet Beach and the pam-lined promenade Explanada de España are located.
• Vistahermosa is a privileged environment, close to the sea with green areas. It is an extensive, safe and perfect neighborhood to live all year round. This area has many shops, hypermarkets, and gyms. A lot more to make your day-to-day more comfortable.
• District of Ensanche-Deputation is in the heart of the city, it has everything that you need. Shops, schools, and fantastic places to walk or ride a bike. Ans the Marina is located in the same neighborhood.

To prepare you for finding a home, we will give you some tips.

• Think carefully about where you want to live. You may fall in love with the old center, but it can get noisy in the evening due to the volume of tourists.
• Start early with preparing all the paperwork you need before you will live in Alicante. For example a NIE-number (foreigner’s identity number), Social Security number, and documents for opening a bank account.
• Be careful with estate agents. The industry is not tightly regulated in Spain, almost anyone can open an estate agency and start selling property without any real training. There are numerous ways you can check the reputation of an estate agency such as:
• • Check to see if they belong to a regulatory body known as the API (Agents de la Propiedad Inmobiliaria).
  • Look for social media comments and Google reviews.
  • If possible, speak to anyone who has used the agency’s services.
  • Visit the apartment before you make an agreement and pay the bills.
• Hire a translator if you do not have a strong command of the Spanish language.

Santé

Le système de santé espagnol est considéré comme l'un des meilleurs d'Europe. De plus, les ressortissants de l'UE titulaires d'une Carte Européenne d'Assurance Maladie peuvent l'utiliser gratuitement (CEAM).

La Carte Européenne d'Assurance Maladie (CEAM) est une carte d'assurance maladie gratuite qui vous donne droit à des soins médicaux d'urgence lors de vos déplacements dans l'un des pays de l'EEE (Europe, Norvège, Islande et Liechtenstein) ou en Suisse si vous résidez dans l'UE. La CEAM vous couvre pour les soins médicaux d'urgence. Cependant, elle ne couvre pas les soins privés ou non urgents, ni les soins dentaires ou gratuits si le traitement est la seule raison de votre visite. Rappelez-vous que certains traitements gratuits dans votre pays d'origine peuvent ne pas être gratuits en Espagne. La CEAM ne couvre pas les frais dans cette situation.Pour plus d'informations sur la CEAM, veuillez consulter le siteSchengenVisaInfo.com.

En cas d'urgence, vous pouvez appeler le 112 ou le 061.

Il existe deux types de prestataires de soins de santé en Espagne : le système de santé du gouvernement espagnol, connu sous le nom de Seguridad Social, ainsi qu'un grand nombre d'assureurs privés. Le système de sécurité sociale espagnol est appelé Seguridad Social. Cela s'applique non seulement aux soins de santé, mais aussi aux soins aux personnes âgées, au chômage et à la pauvreté. Vous pouvez vérifier qui est admissible à la Seguridad Social dans le tableau ci-dessous.

• Si vous êtes salarié en Espagne, votre employeur versera une cotisation à la Seguridad Social pour vous.
• Si vous êtes employeur, vous devez vous charger du paiement vous-même.
• Si vous percevez une pension, vous payez la cotisation via la contribution d'assurance maladie à la Caisse d'Assurance Maladie.

Vous recevrez un document pour vous inscrire auprès du Centro de Salud local après vous être enregistré auprès de la Seguridad Social. Vous devez d'abord vous inscrire avant de choisir un médecin. Lors de l'enregistrement, on vous propose souvent de choisir un médecin. Demandez quel médecin parle l'anglais ou une autre langue que vous connaissez.

Il existe plusieurs assureurs privés parmi lesquels choisir en Espagne. Il est important de comprendre que les antécédents de réclamations sont presque toujours supprimés de l'assurance et que tout le monde n'est pas accepté. Lors de la demande d'assurance privée, vous devez toujours remplir un formulaire d'antécédents médicaux. Vous serez ensuite évalué pour déterminer votre admissibilité. L'avantage de l'assurance privée est que vous pouvez presque toujours consulter un médecin qui parle l'anglais. Selon votre compagnie d'assurance, vous pouvez ou non choisir le lieu où vous recevez les soins.

Quelques mots pour commencer

L'espagnol est la langue nationale tandis que le valencien est une langue co-officielle régionale. Cela signifie que c'est une langue qui n'est officielle que dans sa région d'origine, c'est-à-dire la Valence. À Alicante, on parle le valencien. Le valencien provient de la langue catalane.

Il existe une différence entre le valencien et l'espagnol. Par exemple, la prononciation est différente. Le valencien sonne un peu plus doux et plus plat que la prononciation espagnole. Le valencien a aussi beaucoup moins de voyelles finales que l'espagnol. Ce sont les « a » et les « o » si caractéristiques du vocabulaire espagnol. En général, les mots qui se ressemblent ont tendance à être légèrement plus courts en valencien, avec suppression des voyelles et des consonnes. Le « o » et le « e » ont souvent une prononciation « ouverte » en valencien.

Pour vous aider un peu avec les langues espagnole et valencienne, nous avons créé une petite liste avec les mots les plus courants. Il y a certaines lettres qui se prononcent différemment en espagnol que vous pourriez avoir l'habitude d'utiliser :

• H = ne se prononce pas
• J = G
• Ll = j
• Ñ = nj
• V = B

Anglais

Valenciano

Espagnol

What is your name?

¿Com et dius?

¿Cómo te llamas?

Je m'appelle

Em dic

Me llamo

Comment allez-vous ?

¿Com estàs?

¿Como estas?

Je vais bien !

¡Tot va bé!

¡Estoy bien!

Où habites-tu ?

¿On vius?

¿Dónde vive?

J'habite à

Jo visc a

Vivo en

Bonjour

Bon dia

Buenos días

Bonsoir

Bona nit

Buenas noches

Merci !

Gràcies

Gracias

S'il te plaît

Per favor

Por favor

You're welcome

De res

De nada