Best Bars in Benidorm Old Town: Tapas Alley, Live Music & Pubs

If you want the bit of Benidorm that still feels Spanish, go to the old town after dark. The best bars there are the pintxo bars on Calle Santo Domingo ("Tapas Alley") and around Plaza de la Constitución, plus a handful of British pubs with live music and karaoke on the lanes behind. It's smaller, calmer and a lot more charming than the Levante strip, which is exactly why so many over-50s end up here.

Quick facts

• Where: the Casco Antiguo, on the headland between Levante and Poniente beaches, around the church and the Balcón del Mediterráneo.
• Tapas Alley: Calle Santo Domingo, running into the little Plaza de la Constitución.
• Tapas hours: most pintxo bars run from midday to 11pm or midnight.
• Music pubs: open from early evening until around 3am.
• A beer: around €3 for a half-litre on average in Benidorm (Numbeo, October 2026).
• Crowd: mixed ages, and much calmer than the Levante strip.

Calle Santo Domingo: Benidorm's "Tapas Alley"

Spaniards call it the street of the Basques, because the bars here do Basque-style pintxos: little bites on bread, lined up on the counter. It all started with La Cava Aragonesa on Plaza de la Constitución, which opened in 1980 as a tiny bar serving a glass of cava with a canapé. It's much bigger now, with a dining room and a huge pintxo bar, open every day from noon to midnight. It gets rammed, so go early or be ready to stand.

A few doors along:

• Gaztelutxo (Santo Domingo 7): small, popular and hard to get a seat in. It's closed Monday and Tuesday, and opens 12.30 to 3.30pm and 7.30 to 11pm the rest of the week.
• La Tapería Aurrera (Santo Domingo 6): a Basque place for pintxos and raciones, open from noon to 11pm.
• El Rincón del Ribera (Plaza de la Constitución 8): a tapas bar right on the square, noon to midnight daily, good for a sit-down with a beer.

My tip: do a slow crawl. One drink and two pintxos per bar, then move on. Arrive by 8pm in winter if you want a spot at the counter.

The old town squares

Plaza de la Constitución is where the alley opens up, and it's the best place to sit outside with a drink and watch the evening start. Olivers Bar (number 6) is a friendly British-run bar right on the square. It opens from 11am Wednesday to Saturday (5pm on Tuesday) and goes on until about 1am, closes at 6pm on Sunday and doesn't open on Monday.

Before you settle in anywhere, walk up to the Balcón del Mediterráneo at the tip of the old town. It's Benidorm's best-known viewpoint, built where a 14th-century fortress once stood, and it's best at sunset. It's free, and it's the perfect start to a night out.

Old town bars with live music and entertainment

• The Pig 'N' Whistle Music Pub (Calle del Pal 5): a proper music pub with live acts and a landlord who chats to everyone. No food, just drinks and music. It opens at 6pm and goes on until 3am, and it's closed on Tuesday.
• Vincents Old Town (Avenida de los Almendros 8): a British bar that has been going since the 1960s, with karaoke, sport on the screens and Sunday roasts. It opens from 9.30am until 3am every day, so you can do breakfast and a singalong in the same place.
• Hagars Bar (Calle Sant Roc 33): a tiny, quirky bar with handmade decor on one of the back lanes. Evenings only from 8.30pm, closed on Monday.
• O'Maras (Calle Cuatro Esquinas 9): a relaxed pub with good-value pub grub. It's more for a quiet pint and a chat than for a show.
• Marrs Bar (Calle Los Gatos 4): cocktails and shots for later on, Friday and Saturday only, 10pm to 4am.

Acts change week to week and through the season, so check each bar's Facebook page or ask at the bar for that week's line-up.

Benidorm bars for over-50s

Here's how I'd do an easy, sociable night if you'd rather skip the stag parties. Start with a drink in the sun at Olivers on the square. Have pintxos at La Cava Aragonesa or El Rincón del Ribera instead of a big dinner. Watch the sunset from the Balcón. Then pick your music: live acts at the Pig 'N' Whistle, or karaoke at Vincents. If you'd rather sit and talk, O'Maras is the quiet one.

Want views instead? La Terrasse does cocktails with a view over the bay, and the Gran Hotel Bali sky bar is high up but pricier. For a singalong in the newer part of town, Sinatra's on Calle Lepanto opens from 7.30pm until late. The Shamrock Irish Pub on Calle Gerona is the place for a Guinness, though that's in the livelier British quarter, not the old town.

LGBTQ+ bars in the old town

The old town is also the heart of Benidorm's gay scene, with dozens of bars packed into a few streets around Calle Santa Faz and Calle Alicante. Brief Encounter (Calle Santa Faz 21) is a friendly, easy first stop that opens at 8.30pm. Lots of bars here are cash only, so bring some notes. Benidorm Pride is in early September.

Closing times and prices

The tapas bars wrap up between 11pm and midnight. The pubs go later: under the 2026 regional rules, pubs in towns over 50,000 people close at 3:30am, and the council can extend that to 4am (DOGV, Orden 3/2025). A half-litre of draught beer averages around €3 in Benidorm, with a range of roughly €2.50 to €4.50 (Numbeo, October 2026). La Cava Aragonesa lists a lunch menu at €17. For the full picture, see our Benidorm prices guide.

Getting there

The old town is walkable from most hotels on both beaches. Coming from Alicante, the tram is the easy option: see Alicante to Benidorm by tram, and check the last tram back if you're not staying over. Coming in winter? Our Benidorm in winter guide covers what stays open. More on the town is on the Benidorm area page.

FAQ

What is Tapas Alley in Benidorm?

It's Calle Santo Domingo in the old town, a short street packed with pintxo and tapas bars that leads into Plaza de la Constitución. La Cava Aragonesa started it in 1980.

Which Benidorm old town bars have live music?

The Pig 'N' Whistle Music Pub on Calle del Pal is the main live music pub, and Vincents Old Town does karaoke. Line-ups change, so check with the bar for that week.

Is Benidorm old town good for over-50s?

Yes. It's calmer than the Levante strip, with tapas bars, terraces on the square and pubs with music that suit a mixed-age crowd.

What time do the old town bars close?

Tapas bars close around 11pm to midnight. Pubs such as the Pig 'N' Whistle and Vincents go on until about 3am, and a few late bars open until 4am at weekends.

Do I need cash in Benidorm old town bars?

Carry some. Many of the gay bars in the old town are cash only, and it saves hassle in the small pubs too.

Eat your way down Santo Domingo, catch the sunset, then find the music. That's the night.