Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport to Torrevieja

South along the N-332

Torrevieja is the main town of the southern Costa Blanca, and it lies on the far side of the airport from Alicante. The road heads south rather than into the city: down the coast past Santa Pola and Guardamar del Segura, across the Segura river, and into town alongside the pink salt lagoons. It is about 45 km. With clear roads a car takes around 40 minutes. On a Saturday changeover in August, the N-332 through Guardamar can add a good deal more.

A lot of people on this route are not tourists. They own apartments in Torrevieja, La Mata or Orihuela Costa, or they are visiting family who have retired here. That is one reason the public bus is unusually good: the airport-to-Torrevieja run is a busy all-day service, not a token connection.

Costa Azul line L40

The scheduled link is Autocares Costa Azul (part of Avanza) line L40, Torrevieja–Aeropuerto. It runs direct, with no intermediate stops, between the airport and the Torrevieja bus station on Calle del Mar. The fare shown in the operator's online sales system for October 2026 is €7.00 one way.

The timetable is dense for a regional bus. On a sample Friday (23 October 2026) the operator's system listed 23 departures from the airport: 07:20, 08:15, 09:00, 09:45, 10:30, then roughly every 30–45 minutes until 21:00 and a final 21:30. On a sample Sunday (25 October) there were 18, from 08:00 to 21:00, about hourly in the afternoon. Every listed trip is scheduled at one hour. Aena's page gives a shorter journey time of around 40 minutes, so treat the hour as a padded timetable figure.

Tickets can be bought online through Costa Azul's sales page, which also handles changes and cancellations. Buying ahead is sensible in summer, when the evening buses fill with returning residents. Like the other long-distance services at Alicante-Elche, the L40 leaves from the bus bays on Level 2, the departures floor. Go upstairs from arrivals and cross the road outside the check-in hall.

Season and traffic

Two things change the trip in practice. The first is the time of year: from June to September, and around Easter, flights land in waves and the evening L40 runs can sell out, so a ticket bought earlier in the day is safer than one bought at the bay. The second is the road. The coastal N-332 goes through Santa Pola's and Guardamar's junctions, which back up on summer Saturdays, so the timetabled hour can stretch on changeover days.

Getting from the bus station to the house

Torrevieja bus station is near the centre and the seafront, a manageable walk to the town's central streets. Many people heading here, though, are going to urbanisations several kilometres away: La Mata, Los Altos, Punta Prima, La Zenia. Costa Azul also runs Torrevieja's town buses, and there are taxis at the station. Build the extra step into your plans if you are staying out of town.

Taxi fares

The official airport taxis come from Radio Taxi Elche and Servitaxi Elche, and you can recognise them by the green stripe and the Elche crest on the front doors. The trip is charged on the meter. Welcome Pickups' August 2026 survey gives about €66 by day and €76 at night to Torrevieja. Those figures include the airport supplement but not tolls. The jump at night reflects the regional special tariff (€2.80 to start and €1.68 per km, against €2.25 and €1.46 on the ordinary rate). Radio Taxi Elche's website lets you book ahead and see the price before you travel.

Booking a car to the door

For an apartment out in Orihuela Costa or a villa off the CV-905, a pre-booked car can make more sense than the bus plus a second taxi. The driver goes to the exact address, and the price is fixed whatever time the plane lands. hoppa lists private cars from about £72 (roughly €83). That is a little above the metered taxi, which is the usual pattern on this route. You are paying for knowing the price and the pickup in advance.

If you land late

The last L40 from the airport is around 21:30 on weekdays and 21:00 on the sample Sunday. Later than that, the choices are the taxi rank, which is open all night, or a car booked in advance. A late arrival at the end of a Saturday in high season can mean a taxi queue, so a booking is the calmer option if you know you will be late.

Notes for residents

• Costa Azul's website has a page on the advantages of the Valencian Móbilis card on its interurban lines. If you are a resident, check the conditions there before buying single tickets.
• Costa Azul's helpline is +34 965 710 449.
• For Orihuela Costa and Pilar de la Horadada, Costa Azul runs other interurban lines that stop along the N-332. A direct L40 to Torrevieja and a short local hop is often the simplest combination.