Malaga City And Costa Del Sol in Spain

Benalmádena Marina, Costa del Sol, Spain Español: Puerto Deportivo de Benalmádena, Málaga, España (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Spain has not only firmly established in world football, but as well in the cruise sector it is has a prominent position. Thus Málaga, the capital of the Costa del Sol, has become in recent years an important cruise ship destination in Spain.

Overall, Malaga has experienced in the last 15 years a rapid economic development and is representing today a meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and an ideal city destination. Ready accessibility by sea, land and air, the climate, the historical old town with impressive buildings and the wide range of gastronomic and cultural offer, with 23 museums, such as for example, the Picasso Museum (Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso) make the city worth visiting and encourage guests to chose Malaga for a trip and combine it with a stay of one or more nights.

Since the port is a few steps away from the old town of Malaga, cruise guests can easily explore the downtown area of Malaga on their own. Also, the recently expanded Malaga airport is conveniently situated only a few kilometres from the capital of the Costa del Sol.

As a main tourist destination of the province, the Costa del Sol offers a large amount of opportunities to enjoy leisure, the beaches and the climate and to make the holiday stay eventful. All these opportunities have turned Malaga over the years into one of the most popular holiday destinations on the Iberian Peninsula for domestic and foreign visitors.

In this section of coast are the largest towns of the province which have made tourism, sun and beach their trademark: Benalmadena, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Estepona and of course Marbella, are the most visited towns on the Costa del Sol.

In addition to these communities visitors can find the smaller villages situated next the coast, enjoying a great location between sea and mountains, such as Casares, Benahavis, Manilva, Mijas, etc., to name a few. In these places you can enjoy the fantastic surroundings of nature and an impressive view of the coast.

These places can be reached best with a car and it is advisable to reserve a car hire at Malaga airport in advance, because here the transport is scarce. Discover during your stay the other side of the Costa del Sol, which offers so many cultural, historic and beautiful natural places.

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Manilva, discover Malaga by car

Manilva location in Malaga

Manilva remains one of the few relatively untouched holiday destinations. The views are clear of horrible high buildings blocking the Spanish horizon. The buildings here have that typical white Andalusian style. This is the perfect place for the kind of tourist who wants to take it easy on their vacation. The village still preserves those sulphur baths that are still used today and date back to the Roman times. There is also an aqueduct belonging to this previous civilization.

Just down the road from Manilva, lies the little fishing village of San Luis de Sabinillas, which has many bars and restaurants that serve very delicious and freshly caught seafood. If your passion is the sea then I suggest a visit to the west of Manilva where you’ll find Puerto Duquesa, a sports marina with a wide variety of water sports, safe berthing for boats & yachts and a championship golf course with 18 holes. Travelling further west will take you to Castillo de la Duquesa, another little village packed with Roman relics: The Roman Baths and excavations that have uncovered findings from a fish paste industry that was a prime source of food for this prehistoric civilisation. There is also a castle that is now used as municipal offices and for temporary museum exhibits, music concerts and any other traditional event. Finally, Punta de Chullera is the perfect mix of farmland and coast. Its beaches are considered more pleasant than other stretches of flat beach. It’s also great for fishing and very popular for divers.

These local towns and villages do have a wide range of shops for that unique souvenir to take home but if you want to really fill that shopping list then I would recommend a relatively short drive into Marbella (just under 30min), as it offers a large shopping centre called La Cañada, but it’s worth visiting the center of the town that has some wonderful shops. It also offers many other facilities if you want a break from the peaceful and traditional Andalusian lifestyle in Manilva.

Although Manilva is 100km away from Malaga airport, it is relatively unspoilt, so, as you can imagine, places like these are being sought out by expats and those who choose to live in a traditional Spanish setting. The best way to really enjoy this beautiful area of Malaga is to rent a car, which will enable you to get around the local towns and villages easier and even take a shopping visit or a round of golf. If travelling by car to Manilva for the first time, make sure you research your route first. Renting a car is also recommended booking ahead.

Remember, when hiring a car in Malaga, it’s not just about searching for the best price, but also for a company you can trust and that won’t let you down. May I recommend one that I was absolutely delighted with: Malagacar.com

Useful links

• Malagacar.com reviews (By Facebook real users)
• Malaga car hire reviews (Malaga.us travel guides)

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Transport in Malaga

Image via Wikipedia

In Malaga, there are two suburban trains available. The more popular one runs along the Costa del Sol and has stops at all major points, such as the train station Maria Zambrano, Malaga Airport and the major resorts of the coast, to Fuengirola.

Who wants to continue to Marbella, Estepona and Manilva, is better off with a rental car or private transfer instead the public transport in Malaga. The other train goes out into the country to Alora and the largest reservoirs in the province in a fantastic landscape. From the train station Maria Zambrano there are available inter-city trains to all major cities in Spain.

Next to the train station in Malaga is situated the bus station with many destinations within the province of Malaga, Andalucia and Spain. Taxis are relatively expensive, especially if the resort is located further away from the airport (about 60 € to Marbella and about 75 € to Estepona). Not only in this case is recommendable a car hire.

There are very cheap rates for car hire at Malaga airport and it is helpful in any case if you spend a week of holiday or more on the Costa del Sol because a car gives you the possibility to move on your mood and get to know the beautiful surroundings.

For those who are looking in the off-season for a car hire Malaga can find incredibly cheap prices, so it’s definitely worth going!

Some interesting facts about the Costa del Sol

Image via Wikipedia

One of the most popular destinations for tourists worldwide is the Costa del Sol, a coastline that stretches from Nerja to Gibraltar. Miles of beaches, a massive hotel infrastructure and sun almost throughout the year.

The best-known tourist places on the Costa del Sol are the coastal towns of Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Marbella. Further to the west we find more quiet places such as Estepona, a charming city with a beautiful beach and economically very good prospects regarding tourism.

Since the fifties, the Costa del Sol attracts more and more people. The reason is that the lifestyle can be described as almost ideal. Golfers who want to play with good weather on first-class courses can find on the Costa del Sol exactly what they have been looking for. In fact, on the Costa del Sol have been designed golf courses which are among the best in the world.

If you’re more focused on sightseeing you won´t be disappointed on the Costa del Sol. Truly remarkable cities can be reached within a short time, while in the mountains are situated the beautiful, pristine white villages. In Casares, Ronda, Manilva and Sabinillas, just to name a few, time actually seems to have gone by.

All along the coast tourists from all nations are getting a warm welcome and there are only a few places where is not spoken at least English.

You don´t have to drive far from the beautiful beaches on the Costa del Sol, as they are directly adjacent to the mountain chains where are situated the white villages which are among the finest in the world. Car hire Malaga is a good choice when getting to the Costa del Sol for our trips.

White villages such as Casares, Manilva, Benalmadena Pueblo and Mijas are built on high mountains and the whitewashed houses seem to be glued to the mountain peaks. It seems that modern times could not harm their andalusian charm and which many visitors of the Costa del Sol miss to discover.

Especially in summer the heat away from the coast is overwhelming. But if you feel comfortable with the heat, you will be rewarded with exceptionally beautiful views of the villages, the mountains and the sea and the African coast.

Hundreds of thousands of foreigners have chosen the Costa del Sol as their new home or have bought a holiday home here. Thus has developed on the Costa del Sol a unique, multi-national infrastructure, including multilingual schools and large international communities.

This is one reason why foreigners decide on the Costa del Sol as their new home: An immigrant can enjoy all the benefits of the country, but also feel “safe”: for Northern Europeans there is usually never a language problem, as on the Costa del Sol are living many Germans and British, and thus not only the language barrier is removed automatically but they find easily like-minded people.

Costa del Sol Facts

The Costa del Sol (“Sun Coast”) is not called like that by chance – in this part of Andalusia is a fact the sun shines about 320 days a year!

For decades this famous coast is a popular international tourist destination, where can be enjoyed where both mass tourism, as well as rural tourism off the beaten tracks in beautiful landscapes.

Long beaches, partying, with very good and cheap availability from numerous airports and the especially lively cities such as Malaga and Marbella are the main reasons why each year the Costa del Sol is visited by a large number of tourists.

Some Costa del Sol facts:

Malaga, after Seville the second largest city in Andalucia, has about 560,000 inhabitants and is a charming mediterranean city with a pleasant atmosphere and a fascinating history.

Malaga city has miles of beaches and is also a city full of culture. There is a surprising number of sights in this city, such as the Alcazaba fortress. From there, you can enjoy a stunning view over the city centre, the sea and the coast.

The Picasso Museum, the Moorish castle Gibralfaro, the Botanical Garden and the colorful marketplace Atarazanas are in any case well worth a visit.

Marbella has about 130,000 inhabitants and is one of the most famous towns on the Costa del Sol. Marbella is a famous resort, which is especially popular among celebrities. In this hub of the jet-set and show business we find well-kept boulevards, parks and gardens and beautiful beaches. Characteristic of Marbella is the marina of Puerto Banus, one of the trendiest in Europe.

The Sun Coast offers its visitors both elegant, luxurious hotels and small and cozy accommodations.