Getting Around Benidorm: Buses, TRAM & Taxis (No Car Needed)

Benidorm packs two enormous beaches, a tangle of Old Town streets, and a wall of high-rise hotels into a stretch you can walk end to end in under half an hour. That’s the first thing to know about getting around Benidorm: for most of your trip, your feet will do the job. When you want to go further, you’ve got the orange Llorente city buses, the TRAM light rail (perfect for coastal day trips), metered white taxis, a few bike and e-scooter rentals, and a tourist mini-train doing slow loops of the resort.

Here’s the honest version up front: you almost certainly don’t need to rent a car. Public transport here is cheap, frequent, and easy to figure out. This guide breaks down each option with real fares in euros, route numbers, and journey times so you can plan before you arrive. If you want the wider picture, the full Benidorm travel guide covers everything beyond transport.

Exploring Benidorm on Foot

The town splits into three parts. Levante Beach sits to the east, backed by most of the big nightlife and the package hotels. Poniente Beach runs west, quieter and more residential. The Old Town (Casco Antiguo) is located between them, with the rock headland and the Balcón del Mediterráneo viewpoint marking the divide.

Walking from Levante to Poniente through the Old Town takes about 20 to 25 minutes at a relaxed pace (and it’s a great place to stop for a refreshing drink between places). Both seafront promenades, the Paseos, are flat and fully pedestrianised, so a buggy or wheelchair is no problem along the front. The exception is the climb up to the Balcón del Mediterráneo: it’s a short but genuinely steep haul up from the beach level. Worth it for the view down both bays, but go slow in the heat.

If you do one walk, make it the Poniente promenade at sunset. The wavy ceramic paving glows and you get the sun dropping behind the headland. Where you base yourself matters here too, so it’s worth checking where to stay in Benidorm before booking, since Levante and Poniente feel like different holidays.

Local Buses in Benidorm

The orange city buses run by Llorente Bus cover everywhere the walk doesn’t. They’re cheap, frequent (usually every 15 to 30 minutes on the main lines), and the drivers give change, so you don’t need exact coins.

The routes most visitors use:

• Line 1 – runs the length of the seafront, linking Levante and Poniente beaches
• Line 9 – heads out to Terra Mítica theme park
• Line 11 – serves La Cala de Finestrat and the Benidorm shopping centres

Lines also connect to Aqualandia and Mundomar, the water and animal parks above Levante, which is handy if you’ve got kids and don’t fancy the uphill walk.

For the airport, the Beniconnect shared shuttle is a separate service from the city buses and a budget alternative to a taxi. If you’re still sorting your arrival, see getting to Benidorm from Alicante Airport for the full rundown on shuttles, buses, and transfers.

Tickets and Fares

A single city bus fare is around 1.6€ (checked 06/2026), paid in cash to the driver as you board. There’s no need for a travel card or app for a short holiday. Just hop on, pay, and grab a seat. Prices are approximate and can change, so check the fare posted at the door if in doubt.

The TRAM (Tram-Tren): Coastal Day Trips Made Easy

This is the option that turns Benidorm from a beach resort into a base for exploring the whole Costa Blanca coast. The TRAM light rail (Line 1 of the regional network) runs south to Alicante and north along a scenic narrow-gauge line through Altea, Calpe, and on to Denia. I use TRAM on weekly basis between my home and Alicante downtown, and occasionally take trips to Villajoyosa or Benidorm from here (although now that I have a scooter I tend to use that for longer trips).

Benidorm’s TRAM station sits slightly inland, near Calle Murcia, roughly a 10-minute walk from Levante Beach. The ride south to Alicante takes about 50 to 60 minutes, with stretches hugging the coast and cutting through hills. Fares work on a zone system, so the further you travel, the more zones you cross, but day-trip tickets stay genuinely cheap compared with driving and parking. For example, a one-way ticket between Benidorm and Alicante costs a mere 2.8€ and the views are great.

The northern line is the prettier one, climbing past clifftops with the sea on your right most of the way. Once you reach Alicante, you’ll want to know how to navigate the city itself, so pair this with our notes on getting around Alicante. But in general Alicante downtown is the same size as Benidorm and you can and should just walk between the places if you are able to do so.

Popular TRAM Day Trips from Benidorm

• Alicante – the big city to the south: castle, marina, tapas, and museums (~50–60 mins)
• Altea – whitewashed Old Town climbing to a blue-domed church, plus artsy boutiques
• Calpe – the Peñón de Ifach rock rising straight out of the sea, with a marina at its foot
• Denia – the northern end of the line, a working port town with a hilltop castle

For ideas on what to actually do once you’ve stepped off the platform back home, the things to do in Benidorm guide covers the resort itself.

Taxis and Ride Apps

Benidorm’s official taxis are white with a green roof light when free. You’ll find ranks outside the bigger hotels, near the Old Town, and along the main avenues, or you can flag one in the street. Fares are metered, with supplements for luggage, late nights, and airport runs.

A short hop across town typically costs €5 to €8. The bigger expense is the airport: expect roughly €60 to €70 for the trip to or from Alicante Airport, depending on time of day and traffic. For a group or a family, splitting that across four people often beats the shuttle on convenience.

Don’t count on Uber or Bolt here, as availability is patchy at best. Instead, download the Pidetaxi app to book an official cab, or just ask your hotel reception to call one. Both are reliable and avoid the guessing game with rideshare coverage.

Bikes, E-Scooters, and Tourist Trains

For pottering along the front without a sweat, a few options stand out:

• Bike rental – shops near both beaches rent bikes from around €8 to €12 a day, and the promenades have dedicated cycle lanes that run flat along the sea
• E-scooters – available from local rental shops; rules ban riding them on pavements, so stick to the cycle paths and roads to avoid a fine
• Tourist mini-train – the road train loops the resort at a crawl, with cheap tickets and a route past the main beaches and Old Town. Slow, but a hit with younger kids and anyone giving their feet a rest

The flat, traffic-free promenades make all of these family-friendly, especially for keeping older children entertained between beach sessions.

Do You Need a Car in Benidorm?

Short answer: no, not for a standard beach holiday. The buses, TRAM, and your own two feet cover everything most visitors want. Parking is limited and pricey in summer, and town traffic is slow.

A car only earns its keep if you’re chasing inland spots the train doesn’t reach, like the mountain village of Guadalest, or stringing together several rural day trips. Even then, a guided day tour (easy to book through GetYourGuide or Viator) often works out simpler than driving mountain roads and hunting for parking.

• Rent a car if: you want Guadalest, the Algar waterfalls, or multiple inland nature stops
• Skip it if: you’re sticking to beaches, the resort, and coastal towns on the TRAM

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Benidorm easy to get around?

Yes. Benidorm is compact and flat along the seafront, so walking covers most of the resort. Cheap orange Llorente buses (around €1.55 a single) fill the gaps, and the TRAM light rail reaches Alicante and the coastal towns. No car is needed.

How do you get from Benidorm to Alicante?

Take the TRAM Line 1 from Benidorm’s station near Calle Murcia. The ride takes about 50 to 60 minutes along the coast, with cheap zone-based fares, and it’s far easier than driving and parking.

Are taxis expensive in Benidorm?

Short trips around town run about €5 to €8 on the meter. The airport run to or from Alicante is the costly one, at roughly €60 to €70. Use the Pidetaxi app or ask your hotel to book one.

Can you walk everywhere in Benidorm?

Almost. Levante Beach, the Old Town, and Poniente Beach link up on flat promenades in a 20 to 25 minute walk. The only real climb is up to the Balcón del Mediterráneo viewpoint.