Excursions in the province of Malaga

The province of Malaga is much more than sun and beach, as it has plenty of tourist attractions that you can discover in comfortable day trips from Malaga.

· The Axarquia on the eastern Costa del Sol

In this less known area of the Costa del Sol, we can find the highest mountains of the province, lovely coves and many white villages. The tourist towns of the area are Rincon de la Victoria and La Cala del Moral. Following the coastline you find Velez Malaga, Torre del Mar, Torrox Costa, Nerja and Algarrobo.

We can discover this region and its communities through one of the tourist routes that bring us closer to different aspects of the landscape, culture and gastronomy. These routes are the Routes of the mountains, oil, raisins, Mudejar, wine, sun and avocado.

· Region of Antequera

Antequera is a monumental town located 50 km north of Malaga. You should visit the Museum, the Church of Santa Maria la Mayor, the Castle, the Church of San Sebastian, the Arch of the Giants and the Church of El Carmen.

Within walking distance you will find the dolmens of the Romeral, Viera and Menga.

If you like natural areas, the Torcal south of Antequera is one of Europe’s most impressive karst landscapes; there is also the Laguna de Fuente Piedra, which is located north of the province and has the largest colony of flamingos in Europe.

· Western Costa del Sol

This is the area of the coast of Malaga with more international projection, with the tourist resorts of Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Estepona, Torremolinos and Marbella. Here you will find a wide range of leisure, amusement and water parks, marinas and golf courses.

A few miles from the coast and safeguarded by the mountains of Sierra de Mijas, Sierra Bermeja (Estepona) and Sierra Blanca (Marbella), you will find charming white villages such as Mijas, Casares or Ojen.

· Serrania de Ronda mountain ranges

You can start the tour in Ronda, one of the most romantic and monumental Andalusian cities. Here you can visit the Tajo, the Puente Nuevo, the Plaza de Toros, the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor, the palaces of Marquis de Salvatierra and Mondragon, the Arab baths, etc.

The Serrania de Ronda is part of the traditional route of the white villages, which comprises the municipalities of Gaucin, Algatocin, Benadalid and Atajate among others.

· Meadows of Guadalhorce valley

Before flowing into the capital of the Costa del Sol, the Guadalhorce river runs through a fertile valley with thousands of orange and lemon trees. Here you will find traditional locations such as Alhaurin el Grande, Cartama, Alhaurin de la Torre, Coin, Alora or Pizarra.

In this area are a must: Ardales Natural Park, the Conde de Guadalhorce reservoir, el Chorro, the Gaitanes Gorge, the Cave of Ardales and the Church of Bobastro.

Malaga Tourist Bus users increase a 9%

Image by caribb via Flickr

Tourist Bus service from Malaga has added a new vehicle to its fleet due to an increase of 9 percent of visitors to the city last year since 2010 until January 2011.

The new unit is a volvo bus B9TL and has 77 seats, 53 from those seats are located at the top and 32 on the bottom, there is a place for people with disabilities.

Among other additions, this bus has a roof to operate on rainy days as well as a multilingual audio system and new generation capacity to offer 16 languages.

Bus with panoramic views
The vehicle offers its users a new panoramic view the city from inside the bus through large windows combined with the skylights of ‘led’ blue roof-mounted, creating a pleasant light atmosphere.

Official website with prices and routes: http://www.malaga-tour.com/malaga/infomalaga_ing.html

Alhaurin de la Torre

Image by montuno via Flickr

Alhaurin de la Torre is a prehistoric dated town in the Malaga province of Andalusia, Southern Spain, snugly nestled at the entrance to the Guadalhorce valley on the slopes of the Sierra de Mijas mountains, only 10,6 km from Malaga Airport and 17 km from Málaga capital city. Citrus fruit, avocado and olive groves pleasure the senses, the colours and aromas play testament to its agrarian history. The ancient contributions of the Phoenicians, the Moors and the Christian settlements are blended with the need to supply a modern infrastructure for its rapidly expanding commercial and tourist sectors. Travelling through the Moorish influence of the white washed streets of Barrio Viejo to your hotel or a more modern villa will be a walk through time that you will profoundly remember.

El Retiro gardens will definitely etch a fond memory. They were founded in the 17th Century by the bishop of Malaga who originally used this as a retirement home (hence the name). The gardens are well-known for their flora and fauna and are divided into different areas, each with their own natural habitats, recreated indigenously for the creatures that live in them. The manor house has been restored to reflect the historic period which the bishop lived through.

The 27-hole par 72 Golf and Country Club is set upon a very beautiful area. Fourteen lakes, new and ancient trees, wild game, birds of prey enjoy the perfect habitat that accompanies the golfer or any other visitor. The clubhouse is an ancient Andalusian building with an excellent restaurant, a swimming pool and a paddle-tennis court.

For a more relaxed ambiance, the Costa del Sol has the closest beaches to Alhaurin de la Torre, only half an hour’s drive away, boasting a lovely, warm annual temperature of 17°C. Also ideal for hiking or rambling around the local mountains.

Alhaurin del la Torre is also the perfect place to sample some of the finest andalusian delicacies with plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. The village also provides all the essentials you need. Although, if this is not enough, Marbella is famous for its ‘Golden Mile’ and will surely satisfy even the pickiest shopper.

Before booking, do a little research on what local ‘ferias’ are being held at the time. These festivals are celebrated at different times of the year and really are the heart and soul of the local culture. An experience well worth the while.

I hope you enjoy your visit to this area of Malaga, as you see there are many places to visit.

Water taxi from Malaga to Marbella will be lanched by Easter

Image by Kristin Myers Harvey via Flickr

A Fuengirola based company is set to launch an alternative way of travelling between Malaga and the rest of the Costa del Sol: water taxis.

A group of entrepreneurs have brought from Southampton in the UK, one of the boats they plan to use to connect Malaga and Marbella within 45 minutes.

They are negotiation with national shipyards the manufacturing of the rest of boats needed to provide the service, which it plans to extend all the way along the coast to Gibraltar and “in the medium term will run all the way up to Nerja and Almuñecar linking the east and west”, the company said in a statement.

Under the same Aqua Taxi, each boat will be able to carry up to 12 passengers.

It is hoped that the Aqua Taxi service, which will be based at Malaga port, will be up and running before Easter.

The home port for the fleet will be Malaga harbour, with the main information point at the crossroads between Pier 1 and 2; this will be the main nerve centre of the new harbour, a must for cruise-ship passengers.

The company also has authorisation to operate from Marbella, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and is hoping to get permission in Puerto Banus, being an alternative to the Malaga airport transfers.

Related Articles

• Malaga Port: By water taxi from Malaga to Marbella in 45 minutes (www.malagaweb.com)

Contemporary Art Center of Malaga – CAC Malaga

The CAC Malaga is located in the tenth position of the world’s most influential contemporary art museums in the ranking of the German magazine “Capital”.

The Contemporary Art Center of Malaga has several important exhibitions scheduled for 2011 and is expected to maintain and raise the level of exposures.

The budget handled by CAC one of the lowest in the country; with about 2.8 million Euros the center supports and exhibits works of contemporary artists and influential individual artists.

Related Articles

• The Picasso Museum Malaga received in 2010 over 345,000 visits (malagaweb.wordpress.com)
• Avant-garde Toy Exhibition at the Museo Picasso Malaga (malagaweb.wordpress.com)
• Modern Art Trend Report – Get the Trends in Contemporary Art, Sculpture & Architecture (trendhunter.com)

White villages of Malaga: Gaucin

Map of Costa del Sol – cities, towns, resorts, villages. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now the first thing that comes to mind is “What is a White Village?”

The point is if you are looking for a destination of purely Spanish origin, then one of these destinations can be found in some of the many rural areas of the Costa del Sol: White villages literally means ‘white villages’. These villages are characterized by a wall made of lime and red or brown tile roofs.

Each year after the rains, the houses are meticulously whitewashed; the white contrasts beautifully with its complement of brightly colored flowers, the blue sky and the earthy tones of the surrounding mountains.

In general, many cultures have left their mark on the region, although the most influential of all was the Moorish culture. The streets are narrow and winding in Moorish style.

A lot of towns were founded by the Berber tribes that settled in the area during the eight centuries of Muslim presence. These came as hill farmers and settled in Andalucia. These sites were selected because they had the height advantage, thus if they were under the threat of attack then this place would be easy to defend.

Gaucin is a mountain village in the heart of Andalucia, situated close to the Costa del Sol. Rising 626 metres above sea level, the village offers spectacular views of Gibraltar and the Rif mountains of northern Africa.

Due to its strategic position, it was an important Roman settlement and its magnificent castle, Castillo del Aguila, is from this epoch although later it was expanded by the Arabs into a fortress.

Gaucin has always had an important international art community. In recent years the town has become popular with northern Europeans, several of whom have bought holiday homes here, attracted by the fact that Gaucin is the perfect place to enjoy the relaxed lifestyle and natural beauty of the rural areas of Andalucia, in addition to being only a 30 minutes drive away from the bustling beaches of the Costa del Sol.

Paranormal route tour in Malaga along the Costa del Sol

Image by @ LaRsNoW @ via Flickr

Ghosts, haunted houses, strange noises or somewhat peculiar religious events are part of popular culture of Malaga and therefore the Tourist Board of the Costa del Sol offers since six months a different proposal to conventional tourism, which allows all visitors to experience and travel throughout the province along what you might call a “paranormal route in Malaga.”

Thus, since the Board last summer began publishing these stories through their social network page on Facebook, many visitors attracted by the mystery have wanted to join them and witness the events they describe.

For this promotion the Malaga tourist board additionally counts on the collaboration of a travel agency and a journalist specializing in paranormal topics, José Manuel Frías, who, after more than 15 years investigating claims that the mystery belongs to the local culture and offers thus more than 1,800 stories that provide insight into the more than 100 villages in the province from a different viewpoint.

Benalmádena Cable Car offers guided tours at Mount Calamorro in Malaga

The cable car in Benalmadena / Arroyo de la Miel offers visitors the possibility of great views over the Mediterranean Sea and on clear days even of Sierra Nevada, Gibraltar and the African coast. The recreation and leisure centre at the top of Mount Calamorro offers an eagle centre, falconry show, dressage show and, in summer, an astronomical observation area; furthermore there is a restaurant.

To the offer of great viewpoints and rest areas has now been added a guided, comfortable hiking path among pines and typical mediterranean vegetation, about 800 metres over sea level, for visitors of all ages. The trail is about three kilometres long and has duration of approximately 90 minutes.

Getting to Benalmadena is easy using the public transport or our own vehicle if we opted for Malaga car hire at our arrival to Malaga airport.