lavillegour

I intend to spend about a month in Playa Flamenca (La Zenia) during July /August this year (2013).

On previous visits I have hired a car .....but Obviously they are expensive during the high season and I plan to get by without (Poor Old Sod).

Are one of you kind people able to give up to date advice about the bus journey from Alicante Airport to La Zenia.

I currently understand that there is a Quickair Bus service from Alicante to Torrevieja every 2 hours starting at 10.00 am...but

My real puzzle is how to get from Torrevieja to (for simplicity) The well known (new) La Zenia Shopping Precinct.

ps Is it possible to walk from Torrevieja to Playa Flamenca /La Zenia Beach area ?......in July ! .......aged 74 ...?

HBG

If you arrive early enough you can get the Torrevieja bus, and there is a bus to Cartagena from there, one of which stops at La Zenia. It's an extremely awkward journey and takes a long time depending on the connections.

You can walk from Torrevieja bus station to Orihuela Costa, and once you hit the beach you can almost stay on it for the rest of the way. If you're extremely fit you could do it in about three hours, but not with a suitcase.

The only realistic way is to take a taxi, for about 70 Euros. For your month in Spain, it would cost you 140 Euros in taxi fares, not too bad considering that once you're in Playa Flamenca everything is on your doorstep.

lavillegour

Thanks for your thoughts..

I'll only be carrying a small rucksac - seems to me that during high season (at least) the number of tourists heading for Torrevieja area AND towards
Orihuela Costa area should be considerable - hence there must be profits to be made by enterprising bus company's.

Had not heard of the Cartegena bus but will investigate.AND maybe I am fit enough for the beech walk after all !

I have deliberately set my arrival time early to enable an 'all day' journey using this method................I have the time

Hope I succeed ..

spainrico

There is an all year round bus service from Alicante airport to Torrevieja bus station - see here

http://www.torrevieja.com/eng/torrev...rvice-bus.html

Then there is a service bus (actually the Alicante - Cartagena service) that leaves Torrevieja bus station which stops in La Zenia.

Last summer they also added an airport bus to Orihuela Costa area (inc La Zenia) but I am not sure what is happening this summer. (Note this is mentioned on above site but that was for last year and the link no longer works)

I would not attempt (and I am a walker) to walk from Torrevieja to La Zenia in very high summer temps but each to their own.

lavillegour

Your advice much appreciated. -- a bus from airport to la zenia would be ideal

I will definitely be attempting this on 17th July and for the sake of similarly minded folk will report back via this topic late in August.

ps Perhaps a trek from Torrevieja in mid July for an oldie is rather foolish after all...........

We'll see ............

mikelincs

Very foolish I would think, the bus to Cartagena runs hourly AFAIK so would certainly be an option, stops in Playa Flamenca and La Zenia.

spainrico

Well if you are not too weighed down and have plenty of water (plenty of bars en route) it is fairly flat and of course you can take the odd dip. It could be done I suppose.

Formentera

Hi, I am new to forum but heres my thoughts on this question.
The bus/bus looks a good option for you or bus/taxi may be better.
I would not rule out car hire as I booked a mid August from Alicante (dickmans) for €124 for 12 days and as you will know 30mins you are at La Zenia! Joking aside don't even attempt to walk from bus terminal!

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lavillegour

For the interest of others viewing this discussion - and (sort of) summarising as far as I am able for the year 2013 .

For the year 2012 (1st July - 31st August) there was a bus service between Alicante Airport and Playa Flamenca (etc) which ran from 9.15 am (4 times only) 11.45, 16.15, 18.45 for Euro 6.90. This did NOT stop in Torrevieja.

I have not been able to find out whether this will be operating for the year 2013 (Grupo Costa Azul Bus Co).

I assume that the Quickair service will be operating as usual to Torrevieja at 2 hourly intervals staring at 0800 hours

HBG

If you're coming to Playa Flamenco for a holiday, do you really want to suffer the inconvenience of dodgy bus connections from the airport? They are dodgy, never mind the websites from Costa Azul and others.

An official taxi will cost you in the region of 70 Euros for a single journey, but if you're struggling with that, there are numerous illegal taxis for half the price, but none of them have passenger insurance and some of the cars themselves and the dodgy drivers really should be avoided.

Some years ago, I opted for one of those illegal taxis from Albir to the airport. The highly recommended guy turned up in a battered English Cortina and was plainly drunk at midday. I declined his services.

But, if you're an adventurous person, get a bus to Alicante coach Station from the airport and keep a close eye on your wallet when you get there, it's alive with pickpockets. You can get a Cartagena coach from there, but not the ones that go down the motorway, which most of them do, but the odd one goes down the N332 and stops at La Zenia.

lavillegour

Well at an age approaching senility plus the need to perhaps prove that senility, I will (hopefully) on the afternoon of wednesday 17th July try to copy the efforts that certain Messrs Livingstone and Scott carried out during their lifetime.......Ha Ha

I should divulge here that I purchased an apartment in Playa Flamenca last August and have hired cars from Alicante Airport on a number of occasions since.....At this time because I am the lone advance party of a family holiday who will be there early and leave late - BUT will have the advantage of car use once they arrive then a try at this method is planned.

O.K. I could pay (perhaps) a total of euros 140 for a taxi but I have deliberately given myself all day to 'arrive' at my destination at both ends of the journey.

This far ahead I intend to be patient and accept the vagaries of a bus service -after all not everybody has euros to spare these days !

He who dares.............

Out of my way Mallory..

ps IF anyone who reads this is travelling from Torrevieja on 17th July and comes across an exhausted traveller please do offer him a lift !

HBG

I fondly remember the more adventurous days before the internet and mobile phones when I could pack a case (carrier bag) in minutes, put my passport and credit card into a money belt and set forth.

A few hours later you could indeed find yourself at a foreign bus or train station and wonder where to go next. There's no point in asking at Alicante bus station for a bus to La Zenia, the Spanish ticket lady will not have heard of it. La Zenia wasn't even built 20 years ago. There were no houses at Playa Flamenca either, there wasn't even much sand there, they had to bring it in.

And for those who live too far away from La Zenia, just google Zenia Boulevard, which is now open. You can spend a day walking round it and you still won't have seen every shop. My wife and her shopaholic friend are there right now, and my credit card is going to come back in tears.

lavillegour

Thought I should give an update............

I was in my apartment in Playa Flamenca for some 'BodyToasting' last week
and decided to test the walk to/from Torrevieja. (Unknown to me at the time is was 1st May and a Spanish National Holiday).

It turned out to be pretty easy although the temperature was only 22 degrees and took one and a half hours to the centre of Torrevieja .

I now feel confident that virtually any reasonably healthy person could do this (say between the new La Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre and Torrevieja ) in 2 hours of steady walking. --- Taking the coastal route is probably the best option.

As previously mentioned the Bus from Alicante Airport to Torrevieja
seems to be a regular daily service.

spainrico

Yes has been for 2 years or so -

http://www.torrevieja.com/eng/torrev...rvice-bus.html