Fortress funds: Alicante plans tourist entrance fee for Santa Bárbara Castle

Alicante Council is progressively unveiling the specifics of a planned entrance fee for tourists visiting the Santa Bárbara Castle.

Both the local tourism industry and opposition parties have expressed conditional support for the measure, emphasising that it should exclude Alicante residents and ensure the funds raised are directed toward the castle’s upkeep, restoration, and improvement.

Ticket Prices

Once officially approved, ticket prices for the historic fortress will range between €3 and €10, though the final amount is still to be determined.

With Santa Bárbara attracting over 500,000 non-resident visitors last year, city officials project the new fee could generate between two to four million euros annually, assuming similar visitor numbers in the future.

Maintain & Modernise

Toni Gallego, the councillor for Finance, has stated that the revenue will be used to “maintain, improve, and modernise heritage sites” and “enhance their value.”

However, it remains unclear if the money will be earmarked exclusively for the castle or funnelled into the city’s general budget for later allocation.

The council is also still evaluating the best approach for implementing paid entry into council-owned museums, which will soon follow the castle’s model.