2 Best Sights in Costa del Sol and Costa de Almeria, Spain

The Axarquía has a number of tourist trails that take in the best of local scenery, history, and culture. Two of the best are the Ruta del Sol y del Vino (Sunshine and Wine Trail), through Algarrobo, Cómpeta (the main wine center), and Nerja; and the Ruta de la Pasa (Raisin Trail), which goes through Moclinejo, El Borge, and Comares. The trails are especially spectacular during the late-summer grape harvest or in late autumn, when the leaves of the vines turn gold. A visit to nearby Macharaviaya (7 km [4 miles] north of Rincón de la Victoria) might lead you to ponder this sleepy village's past glory: in 1776 one of its sons, Bernardo de Gálvez, became the Spanish governor of Louisiana and later fought in the American Revolution (Galveston, Texas, is named for him). Macharaviaya prospered under his heirs and for many years enjoyed a lucrative monopoly on the manufacture of playing cards for South America. Gálvez was named Honorary Citizen of the United States in December 2014, and his portrait now hangs in the Foreign Affairs Committee room in the Capitol. A sculpture of the family around a fountain stands next to Málaga train station.

The capital of the Axarquía is a pleasant agricultural town of white houses, mango and avocado orchards, and vineyards. It's worth a half-day trip to see the Thursday market, the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), the ruins of a Moorish castle, and the church of Santa María la Mayor, built in the Mudejar style on the site of a mosque that was destroyed when the town fell to the Christians in 1487. The town also has a thriving flamenco scene with regular events, usually on Fridays ( www.flamencoabierto.com).