The Coast from Nerja to Gibraltar
Costa del Sol is one of the best European winter destinations if you want to escape the cold. Malaga, the southernmost largest city in Europe, has about 300 days of sunshine and the warmest winters of all European cities with up to almost 20°C, even in January.
The Costa de Sol can be split into two sections: the eastern section between Nerja and Malaga and the south-western section from Malaga to Gibraltar. This year we drove all the way from Switzerland to Andalucia in our campervan to enjoy the great climate at the end of autumn and to explore the eastern section.
In-between campervanning we booked a lovely house for a few nights in the hills between Torrox and Frigiliana. The views across to the white village of Frigiliana right in front of the Sierra de Tejeda mountain range and down to the seaside town of Nerja, were just spectacularly amazing!
This mountain range goes up to 2000m and it was a stunning sight, especially in the evenings when the clouds turned pink and orange. In the mornings, beautiful sun-rays shone from the sea behind the tourist area of Nerja. What a way to start another sunny day at the Costa del Sol ☀️!
Frigiliana
Frigiliana is a gem of a town, higher up in the hills overlooking Nerja. It was inhabited by Moors until they were expelled from Spain even when they converted to Christianity. This village has been labelled as one of Spain's most beautiful and well-preserved villages. And we agree.
The place has a great atmosphere and we enjoyed walking through the beautifully cared for little alleys. There are also lots of bars and restaurants. We had lunch at the Restaurant Gloria Bendita, and we ate way too much because we couldn't resist trying so many of the delicious dishes on their menu.
After lunch we explored the coast west of Nerja. This protected area is called Maro-Cerro Gordo and the mountains meet the sea here. It marks the beginning of the Costa del Sol. We stopped at several bays and because it's a Natural Reserve there's hardly any infrastructure. If you're into nude sunbathing, these beaches are the place to go 😊. The best place to get an impression of the coast is from the old guard tower of Torre Vigia de Cerro Gordo.
Nerja
About 20 years ago we spent great time on holiday with friends in Nerja. Today, it's still got its good vibes and has several nice beaches, such as the Playa Calahonda seen from the Balcón de Europa.
The balcón is the centre of the old town where all the alleys come together. It was King Alfonso XII in 1885 who loved the view from this place so much, that he said that this must be the balcony of Europe!
Most of the alleys in the old town are free of traffic so they're great to stroll along. We walked to the Playa Carabello, the main beach of Nerja, and saw many beautiful houses and lots of restaurants and shops. At the beach, we enjoyed a great and very relaxing tapas lunch at ‘Paco El Churretero’ together with our lovely buddies, Bea & Dani, who'd just spent a long weekend in Granada.
Torcal National Reserve
Our next visit was to the Torcal de Antequera Natural Reserve, which is more off the beaten track for international tourists. On the way there, we stopped in Viñuela for a walk along the turquoise water reservoir and then had a great Indian lunch at the restaurant Indian Palace.
From here the road took us up higher and higher and the temperature started to drop. At the top at 1’200m it was 8°C colder than at sea level 🥶. We'd just pulled in to a viewpoint almost at the top of the mountain when suddenly we spotted a group of ibexes. This was an amazing welcome!
From the visitor center there are some short and longer hikes through the bizarre and rugged landscape. The rocks form many natural sculptures, one of which is shaped like Snoopy 😊.
Some of the sculptures were given an official name, such as “El Tornillo", the screw, and it's pretty amazing how the rocks are mounted naturally like a stack of pancakes. Aaron couldn’t stop taking photos from all different angles and in different lights, from sunset to sunrise - his hands almost froze off though... But his effort was well worth the while - the photo below is a stunner 😊.
The night was very clear and the stars were so bright. In the distance there were frequent flashes of lightning that came from the hurricane-like weather over the Mediterranean Sea and this resulted in strong ice-cold winds during our overnight stay.
After a hot cup of coffee to warm us up when the sun started to rise, Aaron got his last photo and off we were, on the road again.
Long Weekend in 2019
In 2019 - just before the Covid outbreak started - Aaron met his lifelong friend, Patrick from New York to do a bit of sightseeing along the coastal region between Malaga and Gibraltar.
Malaga
Malaga is one of the oldest cities in Europe. In 218 BC, the Romans took control and the Roman Theatre is the biggest evidence there of their presence. It’s also the best place to begin discovering the city's highlights.
The Renaissance Cathedral above was constructed between 1528 and 1782. It's the second-highest cathedral in Andalucia and the interior is really beautiful. It’s a shame about the rather ugly buildings next to it and the mix of old and not so pretty 'new’ spoils the charm of the city.
During the Muslim conquest of Spain (711–718), Malaga fell under Islamic rule for almost 800 years! The Alcazaba fortress that overlooks the Roman Amphitheater, is an Arabic fortified medieval palace and is one of the most important Muslim works in Spain today. Aaron’s not a typical museum-loving guy, but he really liked this place.
Walking further up the Gibralfaro hill, the path leads to the Castle of Gibralfaro and offers spectacular views across the city, harbour and the bullring of Malaga. The city was well protected by its fortresses and castles and the siege of Mālaqa by the Catholic Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in 1487 took about four months. Shortly after the Muslims in Spain were gone and 5 years after that, the King & Queen sent Christopher Columbus off to discover the world.
Marbella
It's about an hour's drive from Malaga to get to Marbella. The tourist hubs of Torremolinos and Fuengirola are clearly visible from the highway. Lonely Planet describes Torremolinos as 'a concrete high-rise jungle designed to squeeze as many paying customers as possible into the smallest possible space’ :-)! So we had no reason to stop there! We were headed straight to Marbella, the ‘Walhalla’ to watch the rich and famous!
It all began in 1954 when a German Prince was driving his Rolls-Royce near the fishing village of Marbella, and their car broke down. During their stop to fix the car, he decided to buy some land. It was there he built the legendary Marbella Club Hotel which attracted many celebrities such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.
Puerto Banús is the most famous marina in Spain. This is the Spanish version of Saint Tropez, where you can spend lots of money in the expensive boutiques, watch the rich drive by in their luxury vehicles, and check out the incredibly huge yachts.
Here you’ll also find many great restaurants, Marbella alone has 6 Michelin rated restaurants and 17 golf courses! We ate deliciously at the Japanese Nobu Restaurant. And we really loved the relaxed atmosphere at the Mahiki Beach Bar which was very close to our hotel, the Amare Beach Hotel.
Marbella has a very pretty old town all in white. We were there in November and there were lots of orange trees full of fruit! There's a beautiful Plaza de los Naranjos, the orange square and it’s here you’ll find the heart of the old town, with beautiful monuments and many restaurants where you can sit outside, even in late autumn.
There’s also a castle, lots of little alleyways and squares, restaurants and bars and the vibe was completely different from the posh Puerto Banús or the Golden Mile. The royal family of Saudi Arabia built a huge palace with several houses, four mansions, a mosque and a heliport at the Golden Mile.
Gibraltar
A further hour's drive takes you to another special place: the state of Gibraltar. It felt pretty odd being in the middle of Spain and suddenly we had to show our passports! Welcome to Gibraltar, famous for the huge Rock of Gibraltar, which is 426m high.
There are many funny things and facts in Gibraltar which makes the place unique:
Just after the border, you need to cross the runway of the local airport.
With just 29 km of roads, the only other places on Earth with less tarmac are Tuvalu and Cocos Islands.
With a population of 33'000 people it has the 5th highest density in the world after Macau, Monaco, Singapore and Hong Kong, and:
last but not least - John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married there 😊.
Close to the southernmost mosque in Europe you’ll get the first good view across the strait of Gibraltar to Africa which is only 14km away. It's amazing to see the huge container ships in the water and it makes one realise why this entrance to the Mediterranean Sea has such a strategic importance. Gibraltar has been British foreign territory since 1704 and it includes the red telephone boxes!
We took the cable car to get to the top of the Rock. The hike and view from up there is well worth the trip. Another highlight is the only wild monkey population in Europe with around 300 Barbary Macaques.
Ronda
Another interesting place to visit is inland to Ronda, famous for its spectacular location and the famous bridge across a deep gorge and the historic town. Patrick was there before we met up and he said the place was packed with oversees tourists, so you should take your time and stay for at least one night, get up early and enjoy the place before the buses arrive. Times were very different and much calmer when we visited Ronda 20 years ago with our friends. We dug out these two funny photos from then, where we were in one of the oldest bullfighting arenas in Spain, which is said to be the birthplace of bullfighting. Definitely one of the most stupid human inventions ever created.
There are surely many more interesting places to discover along the Costa del Sol and it is definitely very touristy, just these highlights are well worth a visit for a long weekend. Aaron had a really great time with his mate, Patrick!
Besides the coast, there are many more great places to discover and enjoy in Andalucia further inland too, such as Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba. These last two photos were taken 20 years ago when we visited Granada and Sevilla during the beautiful Feria Abril celebration.
The Costa del Sol is a very popular place for expats especially from the UK, but also from other European countries. Around 18% of the population are foreigners and in Marbella it’s even around 50%. Who knows, maybe one day we will also enjoy this beautiful place as retirees! One thing is for sure: it wasn't our last trip to this area. Hasta luego, Andalucia!
Our other blogs of Spain that we have published cover the following areas (with links):
"One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name"
(The Call - Thomas Osbert Morsdaunt, 1730-1809)
Travel blog and travel guide by Aaron Matzinger & Clare Walker
© Aaron Matzinger & Clare Walker