Alicante & the Alhambra Guitar Competition: a guitarist's travel guide
CIGA Alhambra International Guitar Competition · Alicante, Spain
The Alhambra guitar company has staged its international competition since 1990, and for guitar lovers it makes a fine reason to visit the sunny Costa Blanca. Long associated with Alicante, the CIGA is one of the most generously prized guitar contests anywhere, and it comes wrapped in easy Mediterranean holiday weather.
Getting there
Alicante is quick to reach: high-speed trains run from Madrid in a little over two hours and from Valencia in around ninety minutes, and Alicante-Elche airport (ALC) is one of the busiest on the coast. Do check the official site for the host city before you book, as recent editions have been staged in Valencia rather than Alicante.
Compare trains, buses & flights to Alicante on Omio →
Where to stay
Alicante is an easygoing port city with a long beach and a castle-topped old town, comfortable to base yourself in for a few days. Stay near the Explanada or the old quarter and you can walk to the water and the tapas bars alike.
An interactive map of hotels, apartments and B&Bs across Booking, Expedia, Airbnb and more, centred on Alicante.
See stays in Alicante →What you'll hear
The competition is a solo affair rather than a concerto final: players work through an online round to a live semifinal and final, mixing set works with free choice, and there is a dedicated prize for new Spanish music with a commissioned piece. The winners' list runs through names guitar listeners know well, from Marcin Dylla to Goran Krivokapić. The generous first prize and audience award make the final an occasion.
If you play as well as listen, explore Joaquín Rodrigo, the Valencian master on Sheet Music Plus →
Where to eat
This is rice and seafood country. Try arroz a banda, the rice cooked in fish stock and served with alioli, or fideuà, and finish with turrón, the almond nougat that Alicante and nearby Jijona are famous for. Cured mojama tuna and local prawns are worth seeking out too.
While you're there
The Santa Bárbara castle above the city is an easy climb for the view, and the turrón town of Jijona makes a sweet half-day trip. The palm grove at Elche, a UNESCO site, is close by as well. A rental car makes the day trips simple, and GetYourGuide lists guided tours and tickets across the region.
Enter the pieces you play, and GuitarComp shows how your programme maps to this competition's rounds and which other events you qualify for.
See full competition details →Competition dates, deadlines and the current compulsory work change each edition, so always confirm at the official site: fundacionalhambraguitarras.org.