Getting Around Elche
Elche (officially Elx / Elche) is a city in the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, and it forms part of a conurbation with Alicante and other nearby municipalities. For a visitor, the practical reality is that the city is compact enough to explore largely on foot, with a local bus network filling in the gaps and regional trains and buses linking Elche to the coast, the airport and the rest of Spain.
Walking
The city centre is the natural base for sightseeing, and walking is often the simplest way to get around it. Elche is noted for its urban Palm Grove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Palm Grove itself includes the National Artistic Garden, the Palm Grove Museum, the Route of El Palmeral and the Municipal Park — all of which are best experienced on foot. The central railway station, Elx Parc, sits near the university district and only a short walk from the bus station, so arriving by train or coach still leaves you within easy walking distance of the centre.
One caveat applies if you are driving: at certain times of day it can be impossible to find a parking space downtown, so it is often better to leave the car and continue by bus or on foot.
Rail: Cercanías, Media Distancia and High Speed
Elche has three railway stations, each serving a different purpose.
- Elx Parc (Avda del Ferrocarril Este 10) is the central station, about 200 m from the bus station and near the university district. It is served by Media Distancia, Intercity and Cercanías trains.
- Elx-Carrús (off Camí de Mallorca) is in the west-side residential district and is served only by Cercanías C-1 line trains.
- Elche Alta Velocidad (Elx AV) (Avda Llibertad) is the high-speed station, located about 6 km south-west of the city centre. It handles services to Madrid, Murcia, Alicante and Málaga, and is served by bus R4 roughly every 10 minutes.
On the regional network, a Cercanías train runs between Alicante, Elche and Murcia every two hours on line C-1. A practical tip: at most of the barriers you can use a contactless bank card instead of buying a ticket. For longer journeys, AVE fast trains run every 2–3 hours from Madrid Atocha or Chamartín, taking about 3 hours via Albacete, Villena and Alicante, and continuing to Orihuela and Murcia.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Autobusos Urbans d'Elx (AUESA) operates a fairly extensive network of local bus routes. A single journey costs €1.35, payable to the driver on entry, while night journeys cost €1.45. If you plan to use the bus frequently, it is worth buying a Bus Bono card, which gives you ten journeys for €8.40.
An overall route map, plus detailed route maps with schedules, can be downloaded online, and the MovilidadELX smartphone app is a useful tool with a route planner and estimated travel times.
For travel beyond the city, the modern bus station — Estació Autobusos Elx, on Avda del Alcalde Vicente Quiles — has connections to both Spanish and international destinations, and its facilities include a restaurant and a 24-hour convenience shop. It sits about 200 m east of the main railway station. Operators serving Elche include Alsa, Autocares Melillense, Mollá (Grupo Subús), Serrano, Autobuses Urbanos de Elche and Vegabús.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
The source material does not describe a taxi or ride-hailing network in Elche, so this guide cannot offer reliable specifics on operators, ranks or apps. In practice, your best bets are to ask at your accommodation or at the bus and railway stations, where staff can point you to the nearest rank.
Getting There from the Airport
Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC, also known as L'Altet Airport) is the main airport of the province of Alicante and lies inside Elche's municipality, serving both Elche and Alicante. It is the fifth-busiest airport in Spain and has flights to over 50 destinations at least weekly. One terminal is in service, known as Terminal N or the new terminal; the older T1 and T2 terminals are no longer in use.
The airport is roughly 13 km from Elche. The source material does not specify a dedicated airport bus or train service into Elche, so plan on either a taxi or a bus connection — check locally on arrival, or use the MovilidadELX app to plan the onward trip. If you are heading to Alicante instead, note that the port of Alicante is about 20 km away and has ferries from the Balearic Islands and Oran in Algeria.
Arriving by Car
If you are driving, the A-7 (European route E15) runs along the Mediterranean coast, connecting the city to the French border in the north and to Algeciras and beyond in the south. The A-31 connects Elche to central Spain, and regional roads link the city to places such as Alicante and Murcia. Once you are in the centre, though, parking can be difficult at peak times, so consider leaving the car behind.