Coastal Spain Road Trip: Alicante, Valencia & NYE in Barcelona

Drive into the New Year in style along the stunning Mediterranean coastline. This six-day road trip takes you from Alicante up to Barcelo... Full details, photos and itinerary: https://urbanaturetravel.com/event/coastal-spain-road-trip-alicante-valencia-nye-in-barcelona/ Drive into the New Year in style along the stunning Mediterranean coastline. This six-day road trip takes you from Alicante up to Barcelona, passing dramatic hilltop fortresses, hidden mountain villages perched on rock spikes, and a seaside Roman amphitheatre. Pause in Valencia to taste authentic paella where it was invented. The journey culminates at Barcelona’s official New Year's Eve celebration with an unforgettable open-air party by the sea. 🌞Why Go? Kick off the new year at one of Europe’s biggest open-air celebrations, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and towering fortress views. This road trip traces over 600 kilometers of Spain’s eastern coastline, taking you from sunny sea-level promenades up into winding mountain passes, with every stretch offering something spectacular. It begins on the Costa Blanca, in the port city of Alicante, and ends in Barcelona, with a stop in Valencia to taste authentic paella in the exact city that invented it, cooked over open flames to achieve that perfect, crispy socarrat bottom. Along the way, we will stop in Villajoyosa, a seafront town of brightly painted fishermen's houses that has been making chocolate since 1881. You will explore Guadalest, a small, picturesque village perched on a sheer rock spike above a turquoise reservoir, and drive cliffside roads down to Tarragona, where a second-century Roman amphitheatre overlooks the ocean. The main highlight of the route anchors your New Year’s Eve in Barcelona. As night falls, join the city's massive outdoor party along Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina beneath the illuminated Montjuïc Castle. Watch midnight hit with synchronized drone shows, ringing chimes, and a massive firework display over the plaza, all just a short walk from the Mediterranean shore. The momentum continues into the new year with a visit to the Sagrada Família, which raised its final tower in 2026 and is now the tallest church in the world, and a walk up to the Bunkers del Carmel for a sunset view across the entire city. From mountain castles and winding coastal drives to delicious food and an unforgettable midnight celebration by the sea, this trip delivers the ultimate Mediterranean escape. ⭐What are some of the Highlights? • New Year's Eve in Barcelona: The city's official celebration on Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, below the Magic Fountain and the MNAC. Projections and music from late evening, the twelve chimes at midnight, then fireworks and drones over Montjuïc. • Guadalest: A small, picturesque village on a rock spike in the mountains behind Benidorm, with the castle entrance cut as a tunnel through the stone and a turquoise reservoir in the valley below. One of the most photographed villages in Spain. • Roman Amphitheatre Tarragona: An amphitheatre built into the cliff above the beach in the second century, with the Passeig Arqueològic running along the old Roman walls behind the cathedral. The whole Roman ensemble is UNESCO listed. • Paella in Valencia: Spain's most famous dish, eaten in the city that invented it. A wide flat pan of saffron rice cooked over the fire, the Valencian original with chicken, rabbit and beans, and the prize is the socarrat, the toasted crust at the bottom. • Castell de Santa Bàrbara, Alicante: A fortress on top of Mount Benacantil, 166 m straight up from the sea, with a lift that runs through the inside of the rock from Postiguet beach. You walk back down through the Barri de Santa Creu, the whitewashed lanes on the castle slope. • Gaudí's Barcelona: The Sagrada Família raised its final tower in 2026, 144 years after the first stone was laid, and is now the tallest church in the world. Inside, the stone columns branch like a forest and the stained glass floods the nave with red and blue as the sun comes round. • Xàtiva Castle: A double fortress strung along a ridge above the town, thirty-odd towers, Iberian and Roman foundations under Moorish walls. On a clear day you can see the sea from the top. • Bunkers del Carmel: Civil war anti-aircraft positions on a hill above Gràcia, and the best view in Barcelona. At sunset the whole city, the Sagrada Família and the sea line up in front of you. 📋Trip Details 📅 Start & End Date: Monday, December 28 - Saturday, January 2 (5 nights) 📍Meeting location: Alicante (city centre or airport) - Meet your guide from 2:00 PM on Monday. • Note: If you are arriving earlier or later, please let us know in the sheet that will be shared with you closer to the event date, so that we can accordingly make the relevant pickup arrangements. 📍Finishing Location: Barcelona city centre - 3:00 PM on Saturday. • Note: If you are leaving earlier or later, please let us know in the sheet that will be shared with you closer to the event date, so that we can accordingly make the relevant drop-off arrangements. • Distance: • Day 1 (Monday): Alicante on foot - the castle rock, the Barri de Santa Creu and the Explanada. Approx. 5 km, lift up and walk down. • Day 2 (Tuesday): Villajoyosa, Guadalest and Xàtiva, ending in Valencia. Approx. 4 km on foot, with steep cobbles at Guadalest and Xàtiva. • Day 3 (Wednesday): Valencia - the old town, the Turia park and the beach. Approx. 9 km, flat. • Day 4 (Thursday): Valencia to Tarragona to Barcelona. Approx. 4 km on foot in Tarragona, plus a late night out. • Day 5 (Friday): Barcelona - the Sagrada Família, Passeig de Gràcia, Park Güell, Bunkers del Carmel and Barceloneta. Approx. 10 km, 150 m ascent. • Day 6 (Saturday): Barcelona - Montjuïc, the castle and the MNAC terrace. Approx. 5 km, with the funicular and cable car up. 🥾Difficulty: This is a road-trip style trip with lots of walking. Although there are no hikes, there is an uphill climb to the castles of Guadalest and Xàtiva, so you need comfortable shoes for walking. ✈️How to get to Alicante? • Flying is the easiest way in. Alicante-Elche airport has direct flights from most of Europe and sits twenty minutes from the city centre by bus. Overland, Spain's high-speed line reaches Alicante from Madrid in about two and a half hours. • We finish in Barcelona, which has one of the busiest airports in Europe and fast rail links in every direction, so you can fly home from there or keep travelling. ✅What is included ? • Community leader & local guide for the entire duration (Guide is fluent in English, German & Spanish) • 5 x nights shared accommodation. Note: additional accommodation upgrade options are available, including a single-room supplement. • Private transportation for the entire trip. • Guided walking tour of Alicante, including the castle and the old town • Guided visits to Castell de Guadalest and Xàtiva Castle • Guided city tour of Valencia, including the Mercat Central, La Lonja de la Seda and the cathedral • Guided walk through Roman Tarragona • Guided walks in Barcelona, including the Gothic Quarter, Passeig de Gràcia, the Sagrada Família and Park Güell.