What's new
What has changed in and around the Old Town, with dates. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Jun 2026 Villa España Hotel (Magic Hotel Group, 4★) held its official opening on C/ del Mercat, on the edge of the Old Town. It has the town's first suspended pool. Alicante Plaza
- Oct 2023 Barceló Benidorm Beach reopened at the Old Town end of Levante after a rebuild of the long-closed Hotel Selomar. Adults recommended; no stag or hen groups. The new owner also helped pay for accessibility works on the lane beside it. Alicante Plaza
- 2024 Car-free centre. The streets around the Old Town are now pedestrian. Calle Tomás Ortuño lost its 80 cm pavements and became one level surface. Benidorm City Council
- 2019–2022 Small hotels on the hill. Hotel Castillo (licensed 2019, 4.9★ on Google) and NR Mirador del Castillo (3★, 2022) opened in the lanes below the church.
- Waiting The old Hogar del Camarada building in the centre is still waiting for its rehabilitation to be finished. Alicante Plaza
- 2026 creators YouTube and TikTok creators filmed the Old Town more than ever this year — a new full tour (Sep 2026), "buzzing" shopping streets (Oct 2026) and the busy Plaza de la Creu crossing. See them below.
Newest on video
The olden days
Before the skyline: a walled fishing village on a rock, a castle against pirates, and a mayor on a Vespa.
- 1st century BCA Roman fort stood on the Tossal de la Cala, the hill at the far end of Poniente. The city runs guided visits. Benidorm City Council
- 8 May 1325Admiral Bernat de Sarrià grants the town charter (Carta Puebla) in the name of King Jaume II. The village grows inside walls on the Canfali headland — locals still call it El Castell.
- 14th–18th c.A castle on the point watches for Barbary pirates. Two of its cannons and the castle ruins are still on Plaça de Castelar.
- 1740By tradition, fishermen find the statue of the Virgen del Sufragio unharmed in a burnt-out ship. She becomes the town's patron. The church of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna is built between 1740 and 1780.
- 1812During the Peninsular War the castle is blown up. Its site becomes the esplanade we know as the Balcón del Mediterráneo.
- 1947–1969The first hotels arrive. The official register lists the Old Town's Hotel Bilbaíno from 1947, then Voramar and Canfali (1965), Alameda (1967) and Bristol (1969).
- 1953Mayor Pedro Zaragoza rides a Vespa to Madrid to defend bikinis on Benidorm's beaches — the story the town tells about how tourism began. El País
- 1956The General Plan zones the town for tourism and shapes the skyline that now surrounds the old village.
The famous places
Everything here is within a 10-minute walk. Ratings are Google listings, snapshot 15 October 2026.
Map: blue = hotels, orange = places to eat and drink, green = sights. Click a pin for its rating.
The hotels
Hotels, hostals and apartments inside or on the edge of the Old Town, sorted by number of Google reviews. Official star rating and rooms come from the Comunitat Valenciana tourism register where we could match the name.
Top of the hill: Villa Venecia (5★ boutique, 22 rooms) and Gastrohotel RH Canfali (4★) sit on Plaça de Sant Jaume beside the church and the Balcón. Best views, quietest nights, short steep walk to everything.
Levante edge: Bristol, Voramar, Tanit, Bilbaíno and Barceló Benidorm Beach are on the flat seafront end. Easiest for older visitors and luggage.
Budget in the lanes: Hotel Castillo (1★, 4.9 on Google), Fetiche (2★, 4.7), Rocamar (2★) and Mirador del Castillo (3★) are small and well reviewed. Expect noise near the bar streets on weekend nights.
| Hotel | Official | Rooms | Address | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Bristol Hotel | — | 209 | 0 | |
| Hotel Voramar Benidorm Hotel | — | 137 | 0 | |
| Barceló Benidorm Beach - Adults Recommended Hotel | — | — | 0 | |
| Hotel Alameda Hotel | — | 77 | 0 | |
| HOTEL BENIDORM CITY OLYMPIA Hotel | — | 62 | 0 | |
| Hotel Montemar Hotel | — | 115 | 0 | |
| Hotel Tanit Benidorm Hotel | — | 83 | 0 | |
| Villa España Hotel Hotel | — | 315 | 0 | |
| Gastrohotel RH Canfali Hotel | — | 40 | 0 | |
| Casual Pop Art Hotel | — | 65 | 0 | |
| Hotel Mayna Hotel | — | 70 | 0 | |
| Hotel Queens Benidorm Hotel | — | 36 | 0 | |
| Villa Venecia Hotel Boutique Gourmet Hotel | — | 22 | 0 | |
| Hotel Internacional Hotel | — | 40 | 0 | |
| Flats Friends Hotel Mar Blau Hotel | — | 48 | 0 | |
| Hotel Castillo Hotel | — | 16 | 0 | |
| Apartamentos Atlántida Holiday apartment rental | — | — | 0 | |
| Hotel Rocamar Benidorm Hotel | — | 26 | 0 | |
| Hotel Primavera Benidorm Bed & breakfast | — | 41 | 0 | |
| Hotel Bilbaino Benidorm Hotel | — | 38 | 0 | |
| Hotel Santa Faz Hotel | — | 33 | 0 | |
| Hotel Colón Hotel | — | — | 0 | |
| Milord's Suites Hotel | — | 28 | 0 | |
| Hotel Irati Resort hotel | — | 8 | 0 | |
| Climia 2Sleep Apartments Hotel | — | — | 0 |
Places to eat and drink
Calle Santo Domingo — "Tapas Alley", or Calle de los Vascos — is the heart of it: Basque pintxos bars side by side. Around it: seafood on the Paseo de la Carretera, rice dishes, British and Irish pubs, and gay bars on Calle del Pal.
- Pintxos: the Aurrera group (Pintxos, Brasería, La Tapería, El Bodegón) owns most of Tapas Alley. Pick at the counter, pay by the stick.
- Seafood and rice: La Mejillonera and Marisquería Córdoba are the most-reviewed restaurants in the Old Town (9,808 and 9,042 Google reviews).
- Cheap tapas: Taperia La Mina on Av. de Ruzafa advertises a drink and tapa from €2.10 (their own TikTok, 2026).
- Pubs: Vincents Old Town (4.5★, 2,657) and the Pig 'N' Whistle music pub (4.5★, 1,121).
- Market: the Mercat Municipal on C/ del Mercat for fruit, fish and a cheap lunch.
What's on
Dated events from the official agenda and the 2026 fiesta programme. Check times before you go.
Who it suits
The Old Town is on a hill. That decides a lot.
Older visitors
The climb to the church is short but steep, with steps on several lanes. Keep to the flat edges — Paseo de la Carretera, Plaza de la Creu, the Levante end of the promenade and Paseo de Colón by the port. Benches and shade at the Balcón and in Parc d'Elx. Go in the morning: quieter streets, cooler air. Choose a Levante-edge hotel.
Families
Cala del Mal Pas (4.7★) is a small sheltered cove right below the headland. Parc d'Elx has fountains and shade. From the port: boat trips to Benidorm Island and guided kayak tours. During the fiestas, Wednesday is the children's mascletà and the sweet-throwing traca de caramelos. Bar streets get loud late.
Couples and food lovers
Sunset at the Balcón, then pintxos on Calle Santo Domingo. The 15th Rice Dishes Days run 16–24 October 2026. For a special night: the gourmet restaurant at Villa Venecia or D-vora on Plaça de Sant Jaume (4.5★, 3,179 reviews).
Groups and nights out
Old Town pubs with live music, a cluster of LGBTQ+ bars on Calle del Pal, and the 12 November Fancy Dress Party (expected date). It's livelier than it looks by day, but softer than the Strip.
On a budget
Tapas from about €2, a busy covered market, and small 1–2★ hotels with 4.4–4.9 Google scores. The Old Town is free to wander; the Balcón costs nothing.
Where to stay in Old Town: hotels ranked
36 hotels scored on TripAdvisor and Google, best first. The list above is sorted by review count; this one by Brenda score.
| # | Hotel | Area | Stars | Brenda score | Last 30 reviews | Trend | Reviews | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hotel Castillo | Old Town | —★ | 9.4 | 4.90 | steady | 705 | Prices nearby |
| 2 | Gastrohotel RH Canfali | Old Town | 4★ | 9.3 | 4.80 | steady | 2,010 | Prices nearby |
| 3 | Hotel Villa Venecia Boutique Gourmet | Old Town | 5★ | 9.3 | 4.80 | steady | 2,740 | Prices nearby |
| 4 | HOTEL FETICHE | Old Town | —★ | 9.0 | 4.83 | steady | 303 | Prices nearby |
| 5 | Pensió La Orozca | Old Town | —★ | 9.0 | 4.80 | +0.30 | 622 | Prices nearby |
| 6 | Hotel Bristol | Old Town | —★ | 8.9 | 4.70 | +0.30 | 2,949 | Prices nearby |
| 7 | Villa España Hotel | Old Town | —★ | 8.9 | 4.57 | steady | 1,112 | Prices nearby |
| 8 | Benidorm Beach | Old Town | —★ | 8.9 | 4.70 | steady | 211 | Prices nearby |
| 9 | Hotel Rosabel | Old Town | —★ | 8.8 | 4.63 | steady | 250 | Prices nearby |
| 10 | Hotel Montemar | Old Town | —★ | 8.7 | 4.47 | +0.17 | 1,130 | Prices nearby |
| 11 | Hotel Colón | Old Town | —★ | 8.6 | 4.47 | +0.17 | 514 | Prices nearby |
| 12 | Hotel Irati | Old Town | —★ | 8.5 | 4.33 | steady | 424 | Prices nearby |
| 13 | Casual Pop Art | Old Town | —★ | 8.5 | 4.30 | steady | 1,016 | Prices nearby |
| 14 | Casa Don Juan | Old Town | —★ | 8.5 | 4.13 | -0.27 | 304 | Prices nearby |
| 15 | Hotel Alameda | Old Town | —★ | 8.4 | 4.07 | -0.23 | 1,207 | Prices nearby |
Brenda score out of 10: 60% all-time rating on TripAdvisor and Google, 40% the latest reviews on both, adjusted for review count (how we score). Trend = last 30 reviews minus all-time. Features come from each hotel's TripAdvisor listing or what Google reviewers mention. Read 15 Oct 2026. Check the hotel before you book.
All 36 hotels in Old Town, with live prices →The media wall
Every TikTok, Instagram post and YouTube video is the creator's own, shown through the platform's official player. Photos are free-licensed from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each tile.
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The database
Everything on this page, as CSV. Checked 15 October 2026.
Google ratings and review counts come from Google Maps listings (snapshot 15 Oct 2026). Hotel stars and room counts come from the Comunitat Valenciana tourism register. Social posts were checked as live through each platform's oEmbed service on 15 Oct 2026. Old Town = the area between Plaça de Castelar, Av. de Ruzafa, Calle Tomás Ortuño and Paseo de Colón.