The Benidorm Cross (La Cruz): how to walk up and what you'll see

Key facts

How to walk up

1. Start at the tourist information point in Rincón de Loix where Avenida Derramador meets Carrer Gerona. (Alternative start: Carrer Hamburg, turning left at the first junction towards Castell de Mar.)
2. Follow the white and yellow waymarks uphill. The route uses the access road, which climbs steadily through the last villas and up onto the open hillside. The first stretch of road is one-way for cars, so keep to the side.
3. At the top of the climb, turn right for a viewpoint over the Serra Gelada cliffs.
4. Turn left instead for the short path that leads to the Cross and the viewing area.

It's not technical — trainers are fine — but it is a constant climb with little shade. Allow longer in summer heat and take breaks. Come back down the same way. For the wider park, see our Serra Gelada guide.

By car, taxi or bike

Since 2020 Benidorm council has closed the road to general traffic at a control point on Calle Pekín: only residents, authorised vehicles and people with reduced mobility may drive on; walkers and cyclists can carry on up. The council confirmed the restrictions were still operating in August 2026. If you have limited mobility, check with the tourist office (Tourist Info Rincón, 966 805 914, or Tourist Info Centro, 965 85 13 11) before you go. You can also cycle up.

The views

From the top you look straight down on Rincón de Loix and along the whole of Levante beach, across the skyscrapers to Poniente, with the mountains behind the town and Benidorm Island out to sea. Turn the other way and you're on the edge of the Serra Gelada, whose cliffs drop more than 300m into the sea further along the ridge.

Best time: late afternoon into sunset — the sun drops behind the mountains and the city lights come on below. The Cross itself is lit at night. Early morning is cooler and quieter in summer. Check the weather: haze and the east wind affect the views.

History

The Cross dates from a week-long Catholic mission held in the town in late 1961 (some accounts put its raising in early 1962). Benidorm was earning a "sinful" reputation as the first foreign tourists arrived — this was the era of the bikini rows — and the faithful carried a cross in procession from the church of San Jaime up the mountain as a symbol of the town's piety. The first cross was wooden; a storm brought it down in 1975 and it was replaced with the cross you see today. Over the decades it has turned from a religious statement into one of Benidorm's best-known landmarks.

Accessibility

The route is a paved road almost all the way, but the gradient is steep and sustained, and the final stretch to the Cross is a short unpaved path. It is not suitable for most wheelchair users or anyone with heart or breathing problems on foot. People with reduced mobility are among those permitted to drive beyond the Calle Pekín control point.

What to bring

• At least 1 litre of water per person (more in summer)
• Sun hat, sun cream and sunglasses — there's very little shade
• Trainers or walking shoes with grip
• A torch or phone light if you're staying for sunset
• A light layer: it can be breezy at the top

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