Costa Blanca, Spain is the perfect destination for a family holiday as there are some great theme parks and water parks to visit, as well as beautiful beaches. The best way to explore the Costa Blanca is by hire car, as you can drive to whichever attraction you want, whenever you want.

Here are details of five of the best family attractions that you can visit during your hire car holiday on the Costa Blanca. All of these attractions are only a short trip from the popular tourist resorts of Alicante and Benidorm.

1. Terra Mitica

Terra Mitica is a huge theme park situated just outside of Benidorm. You can drive from Alicante to Terra Mitica in about 35 minutes in your Costa Blanca hire car.

The park is divided into five historically themed areas, each of which is packed with rides and shows to suit all ages, together with shops and restaurants:

• Egypt: You can ride on an Egyptian boat, get drenched on the Falls of the Nile log flume, take part in The Battle of the Pyramid paintball game, or watch the Heartbeat of the Sea multimedia show.
• Greece: Enter the Labyrinth of the Minotaur, get soaked on the Triton Fury log flume and enjoy a meal at the Acropolis
• Rome: Some of the biggest thrill rides are in this area, including the Magnus Colossus rollercoaster, the Flight of the Phoenix free fall ride and the Inferno rollercoaster. You can also see shows including a gladiator fight.
• Iberia: Ride the Tizonalooping rollercoaster or test your driving skills on the Ariete bumper cars.
• The Islands: Cool down on the Rapids of Argos bumper boat ride, enjoy a ride on the Mithos carousel or learn about mythology on Ulysses Rescue.

2. Mundomar Marine Exotic Animal Park

If you hire a car during your Costa Blanca holiday, you can drive to Mundomar Marine Exotic Animal Park, just one of the attractions surrounding Costa Blanca outside of Benidorm. Here you can see flamingos, turtles, seals, sea lions, penguins, parrots, and a whole host of other animals and birds. The park has a bat cave, a play area for children and a dolphinarium, where you can watch a dolphin show.

It will take you about 40 minutes to drive from Alicante to Mundomar Marine Exotic Animal Park in your Costa Blanca if you try car hiring.

3. Aqualandia

Aqualandia is right next to Mundomar Exotic Animal Park, just outside of Benidorm, and it is easy to reach in your Costa Blanca hire car.

This large water park offers rides and pools to suit the whole family. You can ride the rapids, try out the exciting Big Bang chutes, race family members on the Splash multi-track slide, bob along on the Amazonas and even watch a sea lion show.

4. Terra Natura

The Terra Natura wildlife park is located about 5km outside of Benidorm, and it is a great place to visit during a Costa Blanca hire car holiday.

Terra Natura is home to more than 1,500 animals, and is divided into four separate areas:

• Pangea: You can see lizards, scorpions and snakes here, as well as other animals and reptiles.
• Asia: In this area of the park, you can see elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopards and many other animals and birds.
• America:This area is home to animals and birds such as flamingos, jaguars and monkeys.
• Europe: Residents include donkeys, horses, deer and turtles.

You can also ride a donkey, see crocodiles and alligators being fed, and see a number of different shows.

5. Aqua Natura

Aqua Natura is a water park right next to Terra Natura, and is a great place to cool down from the Costa Blanca heat during your hire car holiday.

Park your hire car at the entrance and enjoy the water slides, wave pool and jacuzzi. There is also a great play area for children, an aquarium where you can see rays, sharks and many different species of fish, and you can even swim with sharks!

¶ 10:46 PM