terra-miticaIn the next in our series of posts about attractions in Spain, we take a look at Terra Mitica, a theme park situated just outside of Benidorm, on Spain’s Costa Blanca. It will only take you about 10 minutes to drive to Terra Mitica from the centre of Benidorm and about 35 minutes to drive there from the Costa Blanca’s main city, Alicante, so it’s a great place to visit on a day-trip during a car hire holiday.

You’ll need to set aside a whole day in order to really explore the Terra Mitica theme park, as it’s packed with rides and other attractions. The park has six themed areas, each of which includes rides, shops and food outlets:

  • Egypt – the highlight of this section of the park is the Falls of the Nile water rollercoaster, in which you’ll travel down a 20m drop and a 10m backwards drop in a sarcophagus-shaped boat. There is also a junior version of the ride, Akuatiti, for young children, which doesn’t include the drops.
  • Greece – The main ride in this area of Terra Mitica is the Triton’s Fury water ride, where you’ll float past scenery which represents some of the stories of sea voyages made by ancient explorers from Crete and Mycenae, before getting a rush of adrenaline as you head over the waterfalls. Other rides in the area include The Labyrinth of the Minotaur laser gun ride, the Titanide rollercoaster and Synkope, a  ride on which you’ll be suspended 35m from the ground on a spinning disc.
  • Iberia – This area of the park includes the Arietes bumper car ride and Jabato, a smaller bumper car ride for younger children. You can also watch the Red Beard pirate show here.
  • Rome – Adrenaline junkies will find three excellent rides to entertain them in this section of the park: the Magnus Colossus rollercoaster, which reaches a speed of 100 kmph; Inferno, a vertical coaster which takes you spinning upwards, forwards and upside down along the track at 60mph; and The Flight of the Phoenix, a thrilling free-fall ride. The Rome area also includes some excellent rides for children, including  Ayquesutus, a junior version of The Flight of the Phoenix, and if you head for Roma Square, you can watch gladiators battling under the warmth of the Costa Blanca sun.
  • The Islands – Rides in this area of Terra Mitica include the Rapids of Argos water ride and The Anger of Akiles pendulum ride. You can also take a trip to the Mermaids’ Coast and even to Hell on Ulysses’ Adventure, watch the Tarantela show or ride on the Mithos Carousel.
  • Ocionia – Terra Mitica’s most recently opened section of the park is home to the Pyramid of Terror and The Battle of the Pyramid paintball game. You can also try out the zip wires in the Atalya Adventure Park, see the views from the top of the Infinnito observation tower or head to the Port of Alexandra to board a boat for a relaxing trip on the river.

Terra Mitica is one of many attractions that you can visit on a Spain car hire holiday, and you can book your hire car in advance and pick it up when you arrive at Alicante airport.

Image: Virdu