Boat to Tabarca from Santa Pola 2026
How to catch the boat to Tabarca in 3 steps
Going to Tabarca is simpler than it looks. Here's the whole process, from home to setting foot on the island.
Buy your ticket online (save €3 per person)
Go to viajesislatabarca.com and book your return ticket. You'll get a QR code by email. The ticket is flexible: valid any day of the season, with no fixed return time.
Get to the Santa Pola Fishing Port
Head to Avenida de los Baños, 1, Santa Pola. There's parking 5 minutes' walk away, or you can come by bus from Alicante or Elche. We explain all the options below.
Look for the orange ticket office and board
There are several ticket offices at the port. Ours is the orange one — don't confuse it with Transtabarca's blue one. If you bought online, just scan your QR code and board without waiting.
Reaching the port of Santa Pola
The Santa Pola Fishing Port is at Avenida de los Baños, 1. You can get there by car, by bus or on foot from the centre of Santa Pola.
By car
From the N-332, follow the signs for the Santa Pola fishing port. Sat navs recognise "Puerto Pesquero Santa Pola", or just enter the address directly.
Parking 5 min on footBy bus
The Vectalia C-3 line connects Alicante with Santa Pola (roughly every 30 min). From Elche, take the C-16 line. Get off at the "Puerto de Santa Pola" stop. The journey from Alicante takes about 45 min.
From Alicante ~€2On foot from the centre
If you're staying in Santa Pola, the port is about 10 minutes' walk from the seafront promenade. Walk south along the coast and you'll see the boats.
10 min from the centreParking in Santa Pola near the port
In high season the car parks next to the port fill up fast. We recommend these options, 5 to 10 minutes' walk from the pier.
🅿️ Paseo Marítimo de Levante
Surface parking along the seafront promenade. Free, though in July and August it fills up before 10 am. Allow extra time if you're coming in the summer months.
🅿️ Avda. Zaragoza car park
Surface parking on Avenida de Zaragoza, about 650 m from the port. Quieter than the promenade and there are usually spaces even in high season.
🅿️ Gran Alacant municipal car park
Covered car park with more capacity, open all year. Ideal if you'd rather have the car safely parked without wasting time hunting for a space in peak season.
💡 Tip for July and August
In high season, get to the port at least 30 minutes before your boat. If you'd rather forget about parking, the bus from Alicante or Elche is comfortable and drops you metres from the pier.
The orange ticket office: don't mix us up
Several companies at the port of Santa Pola offer boats to Tabarca. Here's how to tell us apart and why it matters.
Viajes Isla Tabarca — the orange ticket office
Avenida de los Baños, 1 · Santa Pola Fishing Port
Viajes Isla Tabarca
- Company founded in 1972 — the oldest
- 3 glass-bottom catamarans
- Underwater views included in the price
- Pets free with no size restriction
- Flexible ticket all season
- €9 online, €12 at the desk
- Total fleet capacity ~750 passengers
Other options at the port
- Their offer may change each season
- Check whether underwater views are included
- Check the pet policy and the price
- Confirm whether the ticket is flexible
To reach our ticket office: enter the fishing port from Avenida de los Baños, walk towards the piers and look for the colour orange. If you bought online, redeem your QR code and head to boarding.
Where do you catch the boat to Tabarca?
The route leaves from Santa Pola. If you're staying in another Costa Blanca town, here's how to get here.
From Alicante
The most popular optionTake the A-7 motorway or the N-332 towards Santa Pola. By bus, the Vectalia C-3 line from Alicante station (~€2, every 30 min). Leave the car in Alicante and travel comfortably by bus in summer.
From Elche
Just 15 minutes by carFrom Elche, the N-332 takes you straight there. By bus, the Vectalia C-16 line connects Elche station with Santa Pola. One of the easiest options in the southern area.
From Torrevieja
Southern Costa BlancaThere's also a direct boat to Tabarca from Torrevieja (other companies), but the crossing is longer and dearer. If you'd rather take the quickest and cheapest route (25 min, €9), it's worth driving to Santa Pola.
From Benidorm
Northern Costa BlancaThere's no direct boat to Tabarca from Benidorm. The most practical option is to drive down the A-7 to Santa Pola (about an hour). Take the chance to combine Tabarca with a night in Santa Pola or Alicante.
The 25 minutes you won't forget
The crossing isn't just how you get there — it's part of the experience.
Boarding
You show your QR code, step onto the catamaran and choose your spot. Open-air deck or air-conditioned inside — up to you.
Underwater stop
The boat stops in the Marine Reserve. Lean into the glass viewing points and watch grouper, octopus and posidonia without getting wet. Included in the ticket.
Arrival in Tabarca
The catamaran docks in the island's little port. The day is yours from there — beaches, 18th-century walls and caldero tabarquino are waiting.
On board the boat to Tabarca
The Catamarán Nueva Tabarca is part of the trip: a twin-hulled boat, comfortable and built so you enjoy the Santa Pola–Tabarca crossing from the moment you step aboard.
Catamarán Nueva Tabarca: twin hull and underwater views
The route is sailed by catamaran, a stable vessel for a short 25-minute crossing. Along the way, the boat makes the underwater viewing stop in the Marine Reserve so you can look through the glass viewing points without getting wet or wearing any gear.
🏠 Main indoor deck
The main deck has 124 seats and is the area most sheltered from sun and wind. It's also where the boat's practical facilities are.
- Access to the underwater viewing points during the stop
- Bar on board with water, soft drinks and beer
- Separate toilets on the main deck
🌊 Upper outdoor terrace
The upper terrace has 126 seats and open views over the Mediterranean. It's the best spot to watch the island approach, feel the breeze and take photos during the crossing.
⚓ Experience and safety
Viajes Isla Tabarca has run the Santa Pola–Tabarca route since 1972. The crew know the crossing, help with boarding and put a comfortable trip first for families, groups and travellers with pets.
Price of the boat to Tabarca
Return ticket, underwater views included. Buying online saves you €3 per person compared with the desk (€12).
"The orange office: fifty years waiting in the same spot"
— Viajes Isla Tabarca, since 1972Of all the ticket offices on the quay, the orange one has always been there. Since 1972 we've boarded families, couples, groups of friends and their dogs. We know what time the sea is calmest, when to set off for the best view of the seabed and how to plan a day to get the most out of Tabarca. If you're unsure, ask us at the desk or drop us a line — we've been doing that for fifty years too.
Boat to Tabarca — verified practical details 2026
Official information from Viajes Isla Tabarca · Company founded in 1972 · Longest-running operator on the Santa Pola–Tabarca route
Santa Pola Fishing Port. Address: Avenida de los Baños, 1, 03130 Santa Pola (Alicante). Coordinates: 38.1953° N, -0.5573° W.
25 minutes from Santa Pola to Tabarca Island, with an underwater viewing stop in the Marine Reserve halfway across.
€9 adult online (return), €8 child 4–8 years. Under-4s and pets free. €12 at the desk. Flexible ticket with no fixed return time.
Paseo Marítimo de Levante (free, 5 min walk). Avenida de Zaragoza (free, 8 min). High season: arrive 30 min early to find a space.
From Alicante: Vectalia C-3 line, ~45 min, ~€2. From Elche: C-16 line. Stop: "Puerto de Santa Pola". Roughly every 30 min.
Orange ticket office at the Santa Pola Fishing Port. Operator: Viajes Isla Tabarca (founded 1972). Phone: +34 623 526 591. Not to be confused with the blue office (Transtabarca).
Catamarán Nueva Tabarca, a twin-hulled vessel with capacity for 250 passengers and two decks: main indoor deck and upper outdoor terrace.
Main deck with 124 seats, bar, toilets and access to the underwater viewing points. Upper outdoor terrace with 126 seats and panoramic views.
The route is also searched for as ferry to Tabarca or Santa Pola Tabarca ferry. This page refers to the boat to Tabarca operated from Santa Pola.
More than 1,200 reviews · 4.8 out of 5 stars
Everything you need to know before you go
Boat to Tabarca from Santa Pola: the fastest and cheapest route
Tabarca Island, a National Marine Reserve since 1986, lies just 8 kilometres off the coast of Santa Pola (Alicante). The only way to get there is by boat, and the shortest, most frequent and cheapest route is the one operating from the Santa Pola Fishing Port: a 25-minute crossing and from €9 per person with an online ticket.
Why leave from Santa Pola?
Santa Pola is the closest departure point to Tabarca. Compared with options like Alicante (~1 hour crossing) or Torrevieja (also longer), the boat from Santa Pola gets there in 25 minutes and costs less. Santa Pola also has more daily departures (16 a day), which gives you far more freedom to plan your day.
What the crossing on the Catamarán Nueva Tabarca is like
The catamaran leaves the Santa Pola Fishing Port and heads south for the first few minutes. On board you can choose between the main indoor deck, with bar, toilets and access to the underwater viewing points, or the upper outdoor terrace, made for enjoying the breeze and the views over the Mediterranean. Halfway across, once the water has taken on the turquoise typical of the Marine Reserve, the boat slows and stops. This is the underwater viewing stop: through the glass viewing points below the waterline you can watch the seabed without getting wet or snorkelling. Grouper, octopus, moray eels and the famous posidonia meadows that give this reserve its extraordinary clarity (up to 15 metres on calm days). This is included in the ticket price at no extra cost.
What to bring for the boat to Tabarca
There are no cash machines on the island, so bring cash or pay for everything online beforehand (ticket, restaurant, activities). Tabarca is small — roughly 1,800 metres long by 400 wide — so you don't need much luggage. The essentials: sun cream, water shoes for the rocky coves, water and, if you're bringing pets, their lead (though there are hardly any cars on the island).
The flexible ticket: no fixed return time
One of the advantages of the Viajes Isla Tabarca ticket is how flexible it is. You don't have to book a specific return time. Your ticket is valid for any return boat throughout the season. That lets you stretch out the afternoon in Tabarca if the day is going well, without worrying about missing a particular boat. The last return from Tabarca is at 19:45.
The oldest boat to Tabarca: since 1972
Viajes Isla Tabarca has been running the Santa Pola–Tabarca route since 1972. We're the company with the most years on the route, the only one with three catamarans with underwater views and the only one offering a completely free pet service with no size restrictions. More than 1,200 reviews with an average of 4.8 out of 5 back up five decades of experience.
Everything about the trip to Tabarca
Ready to catch the boat?
Book online now and save €3 per person. Flexible ticket, pets free, underwater views included.
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