Places to Explore

• Agua Amarga

  Agua Amarga is perhaps the most pleasant village on the Cabo de Gata coast. Like other coastal hamlets, it started out in the 18th century as a tuna-fishing port. Today it has a boho-chic appeal that attracts... (more)

• Almería

  Warmed by the sunniest climate in Andalusia, Almería is a youthful Mediterranean city, basking in sweeping views of the sea from its coastal perch. It's also a capital of the grape industry, thanks... (more)

• Almuñécar

  Almuñécar is a small-time resort with a shingle beach, popular with Spanish and northern-European vacationers. It's been a fishing village since Phoenician times, 3,000 years ago, when it... (more)

• Antequera

  Antequera became a stronghold of the Moors after their defeat at Córdoba and Seville in the 13th century. Its fall to the Christians in 1410 paved the way for the reconquest of Granada—the... (more)

• The Axarquía

  The Axarquía region stretches from Nerja to Málaga, and the area's charm lies in its mountainous interior, peppered with pueblos, vineyards, and tiny farms. Its coast consists of narrow... (more)

• Benalmádena

  Benalmádena-Pueblo, the village proper, is on the mountainside 7 km (4 mi) from the coast. It's surprisingly unspoiled and offers a glimpse of the old Andalusia. Benalmádena-Costa, the beach... (more)

• Casares

  The mountain village of Casares lies high above Estepona in the Sierra Bermeja, with streets of ancient white houses piled one on top of the other perch on the slopes beneath a ruined but impressive Moorish... (more)

• Estepona

  Estepona is a pleasant and relatively tranquil seaside resort, despite being surrounded by an ever-increasing number of urban developments. The beach, more than 1 km (½ mi) long, has better-quality... (more)

• Frigiliana

  The village of Frigiliana, on a mountain ridge overlooking the sea, has spectacular views and an old quarter of narrow, cobbled streets and dazzling white houses decorated with pots of geraniums. It was... (more)

• Fuengirola

  Fuengirola is less frenetic than Torremolinos. Many of its waterfront high-rises are vacation apartments that cater to budget-minded sun-seekers from northern Europe and, in summer, a large contingent... (more)

• Gibraltar

  The Rock is like Britain with a suntan. There are double-decker buses, policemen in helmets, and red mailboxes. Millions of dollars have been spent in developing its tourist potential, and a steady flow... (more)

• The Guadalhorce Valley

  From the village of Alora, follow the small road north to the awe-inspiring Garganta del Chorro (Gorge of the Stream), a deep limestone chasm where the Guadalhorce River churns and snakes its way some... (more)

• Málaga

  With about 550,000 residents, the city of Málaga is technically the capital of the Costa del Sol, though most travelers head straight for the beaches west of the city. Approaching Málaga... (more)

• Marbella

  Playground of the rich and home of movie stars, rock musicians, and dispossessed royal families, Marbella continues to rise on Europe's social ladder. Dip into any Spanish gossip magazine and chances are... (more)

• Mijas

  Mijas is in the foothills of the sierra just north of the coast. The pretty whitewashed town was discovered long ago by foreign retirees, and, though the large, touristy square may look like an extension... (more)

• Nerja

  Nerja—the name comes from the Moorish word narixa, meaning "abundant springs"—has a large foreign resident community living mainly outside town in urbanizaciones ("village" developments). The... (more)

• Ojén

  For a contrast to the glamour of the coast, drive up to Ojén, in the hills above Marbella. Take note of the beautiful pottery and, if you're here the first week in August, don't miss the Fiesta... (more)

• Salobreña

  This unspoiled village of near-perpendicular streets and old white houses on a steep hill beneath a Moorish fortress is a true Andalusian pueblo, separated from the beachfront restaurants and bars in the... (more)

• San José and the Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve

  San José is the largest village in the southern part of the Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve and has a pleasant bay, though these days the village has rather outgrown itself and can be quite busy in... (more)

• Tarifa

  Tarifa, on the Straits of Gibraltar at the southernmost tip of mainland Europe—where the Mediterranean and the Atlantic meet—has become Europe's biggest wind- and kite-surfing center. One of... (more)

• Torremolinos

  Torremolinos is all about fun in the sun. It may be more subdued than it was in the action-packed 1960s and 1970s, but it remains the gay capital of the Costa del Sol and scantily attired northern Europeans... (more)