Home Europe Spain Trips from Malaga vol.2 - coastal edition

Trips from Malaga vol.2 - coastal edition

března 05, 2025
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března 05, 2025


It follows on from the introductory article with practical information about Malaga and the first part of the trips focusing on the inland. In this post, I will mention places along the coast that I think you should definitely not miss. Let's do it!
 


1. Castillo de Colomares

Let's start with the place from the opening photo. Although it has quite a flashy name with the word "castle", it's not quite true. It is a modern monument built as a tribute to Christopher Columbus in the town of Benalmádena, about 20 minutes drive from Malaga. Why do I write modern? Because it was built by Dr. Esteban Martín with the help of just a few people between 1987 and 1994, so don't really imagine a castle in the true sense of the word. It's actually a ship-shaped monument full of turrets, curlicues and viewing platforms. These, of course, serve as photo spots for all sorts of influencers and instagrammers who come here to crouch in perfect makeup and princess dresses.

Practical - You can leave your car in the street near the entrance for free, but there are not many parking spaces. On the other hand, people don't stay that long in Castillo de Colomares, so the turnover is really high, so just wait a few minutes and there will be some parking. For the entrance fee, be prepared to pay €3 for an adult and €2 for a child over 3 years old.

Family TIP: in Benalmádena I recommend going to Parque de la Paloma. It's a very beautiful park with a pond where you can show the kids the turtles and green parrots. There is also a cool playground where kids of all ages can have fun. They can also check out the goat and chicken enclosure. Parking is free in the surrounding area and there is no entrance fee.


2. Estupa de la Iluminación

A building you don't quite expect to see in Spain - a Buddhist stupa, which symbolizes the reaching of Buddha's enlightenment => Stúpa Enlightenment. At 33 metres high, it is even the highest stupa in Europe. What makes it special is that you can also enter it - inside you will find a meditation room, which you can easily peek into from the position of a tourist. There is no entrance fee, you can just make a voluntary donation to the money box.


Practical - it's only a kilometre from Castillo de Colomares, so it would be a shame not to go here, as there's a great viewing deck around the stupa from where you can see all the way to the coast. Free parking. TIP: you can still visit the Mariposario de Benelmádena butterfly park across the street from the climb, full details of opening times and entrance fees can be found on the official website here.




3. Bioparc Fuengirola

Quite frankly, I've given a lot of thought to visiting this biopark. First of all, we don't seek out these "attractions" that much and secondly, the entrance fee seemed quite overpriced. But in the end we agreed to splurge and arrived straight to the opening. I'll cut it short - I've never seen a nicer zoo! Such beautifully and sensitively done animal enclosures are really not standard everywhere. Each one always has several viewing points from different angles, so you really are guaranteed to see the animals. For specific species, they have chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, tigers, hippos, warthogs, toucans and many more. I, for one, was most impressed with the sloths that were just walking, well, more like creeping :), right past us in one of the pavilions. Wonderful.


Throughout the day, there are various feeding sessions and special guided tours throughout the park, where you have the opportunity to really be close to the animals. For example, we were with the lemurs. At most of the enclosures you will find a sign with a QR code from which you can find out the exact current info about the times.


Practical - adult admission comes to €28,50, children from 3 years old pay €21, more on the official website here. I recommend arriving first thing in the morning when you have some park time to yourself. It is forbidden to consume snacks inside the area, so beware of that - you'll have to keep everything in your backpack and unpack it at the food zone. You'll also find a restaurant with a fairly decent selection and prices, and a very nice playground.


 


4. Mijas

One of the so-called pueblos blancos = white towns typical of Andalusia. Although they are not located directly on the coast, they are mostly scattered in the hills, but some of them are just a very small detour. Mijas, for example, is only 10-15 minutes from Fuengirola. 

We usually take a "let's walk around and find something" approach to visiting these villages. Many times it is enough just to admire the stone streets and houses decorated with different coloured pots. For myself, I definitely recommend the Mirador del Paseo de la Muralla viewpoint, where you get a really beautiful view of the white houses and the surrounding countryside. You can also visit the Plaza de Toros bullring or the little church of Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña. A big attraction here are the donkey rides that "park" in front of the information centre. The rides can be done either as an individual or with several people in a carriage. Either way, I have rarely seen so many donkeys in one place :)


5. Dunas del Artola

Protected sand dunes, where you can enjoy a beautiful walk on wooden paths, which you can then easily disconnect and walk on the beach. The defensive tower of Torre de los Ladrones can be seen here, and there's a nudist beach a short distance away. Parking is free and there is no entrance fee for this natural gem.




6. Estepona

In this area, I debated between the famous Marbella, where football teams go for training camps, and the more moderate Estepona. So the choice wasn't so difficult after all :) The historic centre of Estepona boasts typical white Andalusian houses just like in pueblos blancos. In the narrow streets you can notice not only the stunning floral decorations, but also the various quotes on the facades... oh, and we even came across a slide! :)


Accommodation in Estepona - we even spent two nights nearby. One in a huge golf resort Ona Valle Romano, which had great off-season prices. For a beautiful apartment with kitchen, terrace, living room and two bedrooms we paid €86. And mind you, the price included breakfast with quite a wide selection. In short, we recommend it. But we were also thrilled with the second night because I managed to book the whole house right on the beach. Specifically, this is Playa Paraíso 86 and you have absolutely everything you could possibly need to live here, including a fully equipped kitchen and outdoor seating area with a grill. A night here cost us €87 and I actually regretted a lot not booking more nights. Any other tips for accommodation as follows:


7. Nerja

And now we'll move on to the eastern Costa de Sol. Specifically to a small seaside town about 45 minutes from Malaga. It can be used as a day trip or you can take the route from Malaga to Granada, which you read about in the previous article, or vice versa. There are some interesting things to see here, so it's definitely worth the slight detour.

  • Cueva de Nerja - accessible caves, where unique cave paintings can be seen. I recommend buying the entrance fee online for €15,50 with audio guide, or €19,50 with tourist train transport. Otherwise, you can also get here easily either by car, which you leave (free of charge) parked at the site, or by bus leaving directly from Nerja.

  • Akvadukt Águila - an interesting structure that you will pass on your way to the caves. It's no small thing: it consists of 4 floors and a total of 37 arches. In the 19th century, this aqueduct fed water to the local Las Mercedes sugar factory, but it is no longer in use.


  • Balcón de Europa - a wide promenade built on a cliff, from where you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the sea and the cliffs. It's a very touristy place, so you'll find plenty of souvenir shops, restaurants and ice cream parlours in the area.


  • Beaches - there are several. One smaller sandy one is right under the Balcony of Europe - Playa de la Calahonda. The other is Carabeillo (in the photos): small, with lots of shells. Above it is the Mirador del Bendito, where you can park if you're lucky. The most protracted and longest one is Burriana, surrounded by X restaurants and bars.


If you'd like to spend more time here, check out the local accommodation on offer, for example:


8. Frigiliana

And let's have another white beauty! This one is located just above Nerja, and if you are in these parts, you should definitely not miss it. It's typical for its tangle of narrow, cobwebby streets that you can wander through in peace and admire the colourful pots or the shops with handmade products. Peace and quiet, oh and views!

My tips for accommodation in Frigiliana are as follows:


9. Cueva del Tesoro

I have already mentioned the cave in connection with Nerja, but there is still this European unique in this area. There are three caves of this kind in the world => 2 in Asia and one right here near Malaga! And what makes it so special? Because it was created by water from the Mediterranean Sea, which mixes with freshwater currents. In real life, it is a very nice spectacle, because the water in the cave is beautifully lit.

Practical - Parking is free in front of the cave in the large parking lot. I would say the entrance fee is directly symbolic: 4,65 € for an adult and 2,75 € for children from 4 years old. You can then explore the underground spaces on your own without a guide at your own pace. They're not particularly large, so you can do it perfectly fine with smaller children. The advantage is that there's no need to bring excessive winter gear - in February we were fine with a sweatshirt. But I can imagine that in summer it can get quite pleasantly cool here :)

We'll stop with these nine points focused more on the coast around Malaga today, but if you have more time to spend in Andalusia, be sure to continue on to other articles:



If this information has helped you to save some time or money or both, you can "invite me for a coffee" and contribute to the running of Travel with Donuts :) account number / QR code: 1257951017/3030


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