Editor’s note: Andalusia is my favorite part of Spain, probably because Seville is easily my favorite city in this amazing country. When (not if) I go back, I intend to fill in the seaside portion of that region, anchored by the city of Malaga. Lucky for me, TRT writer Sam Spector has done a lot of my research for me with this piece on the Costa del Sol! For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit his index page.
A few years ago, I went to Barcelona, Spain. I had heard from friends that it was their favorite city in Europe and it had been ranked the best beach town in the world by Lonely Planet (just ahead of my beloved Tel Aviv). While Barcelona was great, I found a city that was not thrilled to have tourists and felt like many other cities with the exception of having spectacular contributions by Antonin Gaudi. Among international tourists, especially from the United States, Barcelona overshadows the beach towns of Spain’s southern coast, called the Costa del Sol (the Sunny Coast).
The Costa del Sol is in the culturally and historically rich Andalucia region of Spain. The region is home to Grenada’s Alhambra, Cordoba’s Mezquita, the incredible castle and cathedral of Seville, and white painted quaint villages, all of which can be fantastic day trips. But, wait, there’s more! You can actually even get out of Spain from the southern coast, where you can drive over to the British territory of Gibraltar, or even take a quick boat to Africa by visiting Tangier, Morocco. While I did not go to Gibraltar or Tangier, I still had a blast in the towns of Malaga, Nerja, and Marbella.
With a population of 600,000, Malaga has an airport that you can fly into from all over Europe. The town felt like a smaller version of Barcelona, and while Barcelona has Gaudi’s masterpieces, Malaga is the hometown of another one of Spain’s artistic national treasures, the legendary Pablo Picasso (not to mention it is also the birthplace of one of Spain’s most famous actors, Antonio Banderas). As a result, you will see street art replicating Picasso, souvenirs, and two museums dedicated to him in Malaga. One museum is the Museo Casa Natal del Picasso, or the Museum of Picasso’s Birth Home, which has some works of Picasso, but is mostly biographical about his life in Malaga. The main museum is the Picasso Museum that has more of his works. Unfortunately for me, tickets were entirely sold out to the museum, so make sure to get yours in advance! The museums are located right in the heart of historic Malaga. Also in the historic section of town is Malaga’s cathedral. This large cathedral is imposing with a 276 foot bell tower, and inside has many beautiful masterpieces of art and stained glass windows. The cathedral is built in the Renaissance architectural style and took more than 250 years to complete, having been started in 1528 and finished in 1782.
My favorite part of Malaga was the promenade that goes along the port and eventually to the La Malagueta Beach. Prior to arriving at the beach, you will pass many kiosks and shops, as well as high-end international restaurants. Malaga’s beach is sandy and beautiful with vendors selling drinks and popsicles to sunbathers. Find yourself a good restaurant with a view on the beach (you might have to wait a bit, but it is worth it), and order yourself delicious fresh seafood. A must-try is the local specialty, espetos. These are sardines that are skewered and then grilled or fried on a beachside fire. Having espetos as an appetizer followed by another grilled fish, also from the same fire, is bound to leave any seafood lover happy. If being outdoors requires more than just a beach for you, make sure to head up to the Alcazaba Moorish castle dating back to the 11th century, which looms over the city. At the base of the Alcazaba is a well-preserved Roman theater to check out too. The castle provides great views of the Mediterranean Sea and Malaga.
From Malaga, you have a great option to the east and to the west. East of Malaga is Nerja (pronounced Ner-hah), a coastal town that reminded me a bit of La Jolla, California. For those without mobility issues, a popular attraction is the local caves with stalactites and stalagmites However, with babies and strollers, that was not in the cards for us. Instead, we went to the main thing to see in Nerja, the Balcony of Europe. This lookout plaza offers beautiful views up and down the coast, and is today lined with trees and numerous street performers. The Balcony of Europe was initially built in 1487 on the ruins of an old castle. Beneath the Balcony of Europe are numerous pristine, award-winning beaches, and at the start of the plaza of the Balcony of Europe are many ice cream shops. A perfect end to the day is grabbing an ice cream, sitting at the viewpoint, and watching the sunset as musicians play nearby. In Nerja, spend some time walking through the winding pedestrian streets and visiting the many shops and great restaurants. Just to the west of the Balcony of Europe is a small, but beautiful, baroque Catholic church, called El Salvador Church, that dates back the 17th century. It is a quaint and pleasant church for a quaint and pleasant town.
To the west of Malaga is Marbella, a ritzy beach town where numerous celebrities have homes, and golf courses abound for tourists to play at from all over Europe. Marbella has numerous beaches, lots of nightlife, and great shopping. Marbella is a great place to go if your idea of travel is to lounge by a poolside bar sipping cocktails, and diving in when you get too hot, all the while getting great views of the Mediterranean. In Marbella, there are not as many sights to see, but there is a nice little park to visit that is one of the main spots to sit and read a book beneath Andalucia’s orange trees.
When you are thinking of planning your Mediterranean vacation, if Spain is on your mind, people will likely tell you to go to Barcelona or maybe to the party mecca of Ibiza, but put the Costa del Sol at the top of your list for a quieter, more relaxed feel that still has plenty of culture and is a jump, skip, and a hop away from some of the best historical attractions on the continent.
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