72 hours.
in Sant Joan
A weekend in Sant Joan gives a lot, so we also recommend the heritage routes that we have designed for you, itineraries in which you can get to know our people, besides being able to approach the sea, the uniqueness of the orchard and capital, Alicante.
If you have decided to spend three days with us, you have an interesting and varied tourist offer adaptable to your needs. If you wish to stay in a central location in the town, we recommend you the Hotel Villa de San Juan***, located in the Plaza de la Constitución, in the heart of the commercial area, and close to the bus stop of line 23, and the cab rank.
It is also located five minutes walk from the old town, and five minutes drive from the beach of San Juan. If you want to stay in the outskirts, we recommend staying in a typical manor house built in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries in the middle of the orchard, the Hotel Torre de San Juan***,near the houses of Benimagrell and close to the sea.
Another option is offered by the Hotel Abril***, located on the N-332 very close to its service area, and halfway between Sant Joan, El Campello and the beach. We can also stay at the Hotel Santa Faz***, located in the same area, next to the bus stop, a few minutes from the center of Sant Joan. Another interesting possibility is offered by the Complejo San Juan Grupo PSN, located very close to the Municipal Park, and close to Benimagrell and the commercial area of the center of Sant Joan.
PSN COMPLEX
ABRIL HOTEL
ABRIL HOTEL VILLA SAN JUAN HOTEL
TORRE SAN JUAN HOTEL
If you are looking for more economical options, you can stay in the Monreal or Colónpensions, both located in the center of the town and very well connected. If you wish to stay at a campsite, we offer you the possibility of staying at Bon Sol or El Jardín,all located near the beach, in a well communicated, rustic and quiet environment. Our municipality also has a kennel and parks for pets so you can bring them with you.
When visiting our town, we also recommend you to do it in your own vehicle or by bicycle, because it will give you much more mobility. To connect with neighboring towns you can use public transportation. Sant Joan has line 23 that connects Sant Joan, Mutxamel, Santa Faz and Alicante and recently has also established a connection with the neighboring town of Sant Vicent del Raspeig and its university with line 38. To visit the beach we can use line 23, and in Alicante take line 22. To visit El Campello, we would take line 23, and once in Alicante, line 21. In the summer months (June to September) there are also special lines 30P and 31 that connect Sant Joan with the beach.
Day 1
in Sant Joan
Two days in Sant Joan are a lot of work. On the first day we recommend a breakfast at the Robenove cafeteria, which has typical handmade and home-made products.
From there you can visit the Parish Church of San Juan Bautista (XVII-XIX centuries), where the Baroque chapel of St. John the Baptist (XVII-XIX centuries) stands out. Christ of Peace.
Afterwards, you will find it interesting to visit the Pedro José estate (19th century) and the El Reloj estate (19th century), where you can enjoy pleasant gardens of pine trees and other Mediterranean species.
From there you can take the Camí de Lloixa, a medieval road, to approach Santa Faz. You can do it by car, bike or on foot, always depending on the time you have available. After leaving the gardens of La Concepción and Manzaneta, and passing by the defense tower of Bonanza, you can take a detour to Salafranca to visit the tower (XVI century) and the hermitage of Santa Ana (XVII century). Next to it is the mound of Mount Calvario crowned by its hermitage (XVIII century), from which interesting views of the Huerta de Alicante can be seen. Retomando el camino de Lloixa, llegarás a Santa Faz, donde se encuentra una de las reliquias más importantes de la pasión de Cristo. The hamlet still retains its traditional flavor and the monastery (XVII-XVIII century) houses the chapel where the Santa Faz is; entering it is a journey back in time to the seventeenth century. At the end of the tour we can have an aperitif or a coffee at the Hotel Santa Faz.
Let’s keep discovering
On Saturday mornings you can’t miss the street market (clothing, footwear, accessories, decoration, food, local products from the Huerta, etc.) that is held in Sant Joan, around the food market. Lunch at the market canteen is a good option. That day Sant Joan is a hive of bustle and atmosphere and what better time to approach the downtown shopping area. You can also take the opportunity to go shopping in the various commercial establishments in the center of Sant Joan, or have a snack in the many bars in the surrounding area. On some Saturdays you can also enjoy the concerts of Música a la plaça, in any of the squares of the town.
It’s time to eat, and what better way to do it than to go to Al Plato Vendrás Restaurant, recognized as the most popular cachopo in the world in 2023 according to the Cachopo Guide. Another option is Finca Santa Luzia, located on an old farm in the municipality.
In the afternoon, we suggest you to visit the city of Alicante, closely linked to Sant Joan. In the city, an essential visit is to go up to the Castle of Santa Barbara, a medieval fortress founded by the Muslims on Mount Benacantil – at the foot of the Postiguet beach and the Port – which was renovated in the Modern and Contemporary Ages, and from which you can enjoy interesting views of the Mediterranean Sea and the port of the capital. Afterwards, we invite you to visit the old part of the city, where we highly recommend the Basilica of Santa Maria (XV-XVIII centuries) from where you can appreciate a fantastic panoramic view of the face of the Moro del Benacantil, or the Co-cathedral of San Nicolas (XVII-XVIII centuries). To complete the visit to the city, we recommend a walk through the Esplanade of Spain, which highlights its pavement in Crema Marfil and Rojo Alicante, Alicante stones and Negro Calatorao, a stone from Zaragoza, built in the mid-twentieth century with millions of tesserae with undulating decoration.
Once back in Sant Joan, you can enjoy one of the cultural activities of the Casa de la Cultura. Every week, theater, dance or music, have an appointment in Sant Joan.
For dinner we recommend La Amstelería, on Avenida de la Rambla. Another interesting option may be the Pizzeria Nando, next to the Municipal Park. If you like Chinese cuisine you can go to Nan King restaurant, located in the center, and if you prefer Japanese food we recommend El Taiyo, very close to the City Hall.
After dinner, the wide range of pubs will allow you to choose where you want to go. If you feel like a Chill Out atmosphere we recommend the Hanami. Another option is to visit the Irish pubs: the St. John or the St. Patricks. If you like Jazz, definitely visit El Refugio. If, on the other hand, you are a Rock lover, a good option will be El Euterpe. And if you feel like dancing or an atmosphere with more commercial music, you can go to the O’clock Pub.
Explanada de España (Alicante)
Day 2
in Sant Joan
To start the day we recommend a good breakfast at the Xixona Ice Cream Parlor-Cafeteria, which presents typical handmade products, in the center of the Rambla.
On Saturdays be sure to visit the Municipal Market. Around it, the Street Market is organized, where you can find a variety of products (clothing, footwear, accessories, decoration, food, local products from the garden, etc.). Lunch at the market canteen is a good option. You can also take the opportunity to go shopping in the various commercial establishments in the center of Sant Joan, or have an aperitif in the many bars in the surrounding area.
For lunch we recommend you to go to the restaurant Villa Antonia, located in a traditional manor house of the nineteenth century, which offers Mediterranean cuisine. Another option is to visit the Attica restaurant next to the Municipal Park.
In the afternoon, we suggest you to visit the city of Alicante, an essential visit to the Castle of Santa Barbara, a medieval fortress founded by the Muslims on Mount Benacantil -at the foot of the Postiguet beach and the Port- which was renovated in the Modern Age, and from which you can enjoy interesting views of the Mediterranean Sea. Afterwards, we invite you to visit the old part of the city, where the Basilica of Santa Maria (XV-XVIII century) or the Co-cathedral of San Nicolas (XVII-XVIII century) are highly recommended. To complete the visit to the city, we recommend a walk through La Explanada, which highlights its tesserae pavement with undulating decoration and have a drink to get to know the evening atmosphere of the city in the recently known as “tardeo”.
Once back in Sant Joan enjoy again the cultural offer of the Casa de Cultura, where music and art meet. For dinner, an interesting option is the Pizzeria Duetto, located on Avenida de la Rambla, where we can enjoy especially Galician and Italian cuisine. Otra opción puede ser el restaurante Sis Cuines. Afterwards, as the previous day, we invite you to enjoy the varied leisure offer in the pubs of Sant Joan.
Day 3
in Sant Joan
Ermita Virgen del Loreto (Sant Joan d’Alacant)
We encourage you to have breakfast at Churrería San Juan. Afterwards, you can visit Benimagrell, the Muslim village, which has preserved its original layout. Once there we suggest that you go to the traditional ovens El Horno Antiguo-Panadería Ballesteros and El Forn de Ginés that make one of the most appreciated breads in the region of l’Alacantí, where many people from Alicante come to buy bread from these bakeries every weekend. We also recommend that you walk down the street to the end, where you will find the Villa Ramona estate (pre-19th century), and visit the late-Gothic chapel of San Roque (16th century). On Sundays you can also go to the Craft and Food Market.
Then we suggest that you approach the Sant Joan Assut (XVI-XVIII centuries) on the bed of the Seco river, an imposing ashlar construction, which served to divert part of the water from the Tibi reservoir to Sant Joan through the Gualeró irrigation channel and which irrigated all the orchards in this area. From there you can return through Mutxamel, the neighboring inland town that shares traditions with Sant Joan. In this town we highlight the traditional neighborhood of Ravalet, the alameda and the hermitage of Montserrat, the Palace and the Gardens of Peñacerrada (XVIII century). It is also advisable to visit the Parish Church (XVI-XVIII centuries) of which the defensive tower (XVI century) and the chapel of the Virgin of Loreto stand out.
After this, we return to Sant Joan, where on the second Sunday of each month you can enjoy the Arrels Craft Market of agricultural and organic products. It is also a good opportunity to have a snack in the bars of the Rambla, enjoying their varied offer.
At lunchtime, a very interesting option is the restaurant Mi Casa, specializing in rice dishes, towards the beach, the restaurant La Dehesa del Mazo, specializing in Castilian cuisine, or Marc & Bo, a restaurant specializing in Italian and Mediterranean food, which also has a terrace.
After the siesta, we suggest you to do the Torres de la Huerta route by bicycle through the Condomina, a very pleasant route in plain that takes two hours, starting at the Torre Cadena on the Avenida Pintor Pérezgil, near the Hospital de San Juan. A well-deserved dinner after a bike ride in any of the bars or restaurants in the center of town.
Finca Peñacerrada (Mutxamel)
Torre La Cadena (Sant Joan d’Alacant)
Afterwards, again a good drink in one of our pubs to end the day, never hurts, while you start planning your next visit with us.