The Pink Lake and Alicante's historic quarter

The Pink Lake is one of the highlights in the area around Al[icante](https://www.livetheworld.com/post/strolls-and-festivals-in-alicante-er6g). The amazing color is created by bacteria and algae. When you pay a visit to Alicante the lake is just one hours drive away and is the perfect place to enjoy the sunset and close your day’s journey. If you are in Alicante before, make sure to climb up to the ci[ty’s castle](https://www.livetheworld.com/post/alicante-s-grand-castle-wn66). The best way is through the old historic quarter of Santa Cruz with its small streets full of beautiful houses and plants. It is obvious that the inhabitants care a lot for their homes and are proud of their unique quarter. Take a day off and enjoy this extraordinary part of Spain. 

The quarter of Santa Cruz is situated at the foot of the castle’s mountain. If you want to pay a visit to the castle don’t use the lift, instead stroll through tiny streets and go up to the castle by foot through Santa Cruz. The houses and streets are beautiful and the view over Alicante stunning. This recommendation is also written down at the entry to the quarter and you will not be disappointed to follow it!

If you leave the quarter of Santa Cruz behind, you will have to go through La Ereta Park and uphill to the castle of Alicante. It is one of the city’s highlights and highly frequented, but it is for sure worth a visit. Especially the view over the city, its port, its beach, its surrounding mountains and the sea are amazing. Check out this article by Helena Guerrero Gonzalez to get more information.

After the visit to the castle it is surely time for a lunch break. There are a lot of good restaurants in the city of Alicante. When you take a stroll through the street you will certainly find a good place. Many restaurants offer menus for decent prices. For instance we had a lunch menu for just 8€ consisting of a drink, salad, a wrap or a crepe and a dessert at Yog&Bluffin, close to the city centre.

After lunch you can check out more of Al[icante’s sightseeing](https://www.livetheworld.com/post/strolls-and-festivals-in-alicante-er6g) like the beach or the street of mushrooms, or like we did, head to the Pink Lake to be there on time for the sunset. It takes an hour to drive to Torrevieja (where you'll find the lake).

Honestly the lake was not colored as bright pink as you can see in the cover picture, when we were there in the middle of February. Anyway a certain pink/red coloring was noticeable and the place was very quiet and peaceful. I would guess that this could be different during holiday season, because the town of Torrevieja seems to be full of holiday houses. It was very nice to walk along the beach full of salt, feeling like I was walking in snow, because of the sound of one’s footsteps.

The pigments of the Halobacterium bacteria, which live in very salty environments like the Dead Sea or the Great Salt Lake or in the Pink Lake are the cause for the pink coloring. The alga Dunadiella Salina is responsible for the red coloring of the lake of Torrevieja, which is more often called the ‘Pink Lake’.

We highly enjoyed the sunset there and I would like to come back to see an even brighter coloring of the lake and to spot Flamingos, which are there during certain times of the year.