sol y turismo - Costa Del Sol

Transcription

Málaga
TOURIST BOARD
& CONVENTION BUREAU
Sun and Travel
COSTA DEL SOL TOURIST BOARD
Plaza del Siglo, 2
29015 MALAGA - SPAIN
Telephone: (+34) 952 12 62 72
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.visitcostadelsol.com
T
Tourist Guide nº 23
Available online:
www.visitcostadelsol.com
Spanish, English, French and German versions
Costa del Sol Tourist Board
TOURIST BOARD
& CONVENTION BUREAU
Index
Málaga, Sun and Travel
PART I:
MálAgA PRovInCe
page 5
PART II:
WhAT To Do In MálAgA
CITy AnD PRovInCe
page 93
COSTA DEL SOL TOURIST BOARD
Plaza del Siglo, 2
29015 Málaga
Telephone: (+34) 952 12 62 72
Website: www.visitcostadelsol.com
2
Graphic design: Conmunica Mediatrader
Editing: IT Department at the Tourist Board and Conmunica Mediatrader
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TOURIST BOARD
& CONVENTION BUREAU
Part I. Málaga Province
0.
Introduction
page 7
1.
2.
Getting to and around Málaga
and the Costa del Sol
page 11
The nine Regions of Málaga Province
page 17
3.
Map of Málaga Regions
page 32
4.
101 villages to Discover
page 35
Map of Málaga Province
page 90
Index, Part I
Index, Part I
5.
.
.
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Index
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TOURIST BOARD &
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0. INTRODUCTION
that we know today as the world-famous Costa
del Sol.
The Costa del Sol came into being as
an international tourism resort in the second half
of the last century. That was a time when a few
wealthy people in search of something different
came to these shores, while at the same time,
mass tourism began to change the coast from a
fishing and farming-based rural community to
what it is today.
In any case, the real beginnings of tourism on the
Costa del Sol bring us back to an Englishman
named George Langworthy, known locally, and
logically, as ‘El inglés,’ who settled in
Torremolinos with his wife at the end of the 19th
century. The couple lived in the Santa Clara
Castle, and in the beginning of the 20th century,
converted it into a residence for foreigners,
charging them one peseta per night.
Introduction
.
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Index
The spectacular growth of Torremolinos had a
domino effect in reverse, and by the end of the
sixties and beginning of the seventies, the
surrounding towns of Benalmádena, Mijas and
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Years later, Carlota Alessadri Tettamanzy
converted one of her properties into what became
the Parador de Montemar, and shortly afterwards,
opened the La Roca Hotel. From these three
establishments grew the hotel industry of the
Costa del Sol, a big step forward being the
opening of the Pez Espada Hotel in 1959. Within
a few years, Torremolinos was a bustling tourist
resort known all over Europe.
Introduction
Nobody knows with certainty where the Costa del
Sol got its name, although there are various
theories, none of them entirely credible. We do
know, nevertheless, that the name appeared as
such in the advertising for the Spanish-American
Fair in Seville in 1929. It is said that a certain
Austrian consul in Cádiz, who used to travel along
the coast to Almería frequently, dreamed up the
name, due to the single aspect of the region that
everybody is aware of, especially in the
summertime: the sun shines a lot here. We can
thus assume that, if this is true, the Costa del Sol
once described the entire coastline from Cádiz to
Almería, and not only the Málaga coastal strip
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TOURIST BOARD &
.
The Axarquía, the name of which bears the
authentic stamp of a Moorish past, had actually
begun its tourism industry decades earlier,
stimulated by the discovery of the famous caves
of Nerja in 1959, but its growth was not quite as
spectacular as on the other side of Málaga City.
This is now the very charm of the region, whose
beautiful mountain villages and towns have
escaped the negative impact of international
tourism.
Benalmádena Marina at night
The building of golf courses was only one
response to a growing demand for leisure
facilities on the Costa del Sol. No longer were
high-spending tourists satisfied with having a
place to stay: they demanded something to do as
well. Sophisticated discotheques opened up,
casinos were built and quality shopping malls
sprang up to cater to the everyday needs of both
tourists and foreign residents. Theme parks were
built, congress and convention halls, cultural
centres and museums. Tourism began to edge
into the interior of the province, with an everincreasing demand for something different. The
tourism-based real estate companies began to
look towards the Serranía de Ronda in the west
of the province - the Ronda mountain region - and
The Nerja Cave is, naturally, a magnificent and
unique attraction in its own right, but it has also
given birth to an international music and dance
festival that is second to none. This, the
International Nerja Cave Festival, takes place in
the month of July every year, and has been doing
so for the past 40 years, attracting top performers
from all over the world to participate in it. Musical
and dance styles range from classic to flamenco,
and the festival is now one of the key dates on the
Spanish cultural calendar.
With the building of the new highway from Málaga
City some years ago, the Eastern Costa del Sol
was given a new lease of life as far as tourism is
concerned, and is now one of the most important
tourism resources of the province of Málaga.
One of the reasons for the huge success of the
tourism industry on the Costa del Sol, from those
distant beginnings in Torremolinos to the
cosmopolitan tourist region of today, has been its
ability to adapt to changing taste and demand.
We are now the premier tourist destination in
Spain in visitor numbers (9.8 million in 2007), and
have a hotel capacity for 72,487, with 425 hotels
in the region. The history of the Costa del Sol
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Index
Nerja Cave Festival
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Sohail Castle Park in Fuengirola
goes back many centuries, and the history of
tourism on the Costa del Sol is still being written.
Introduction
Introduction
But just a few kilometres down the coast from
Torremolinos, another boom in a different type of
tourism was happening. This was at the hands of
Prince von Hohenlohe, Noberto Goizueta and
José Luque, the men responsible for placing
Marbella on the international quality tourism map.
Prince Alfonso had founded the Marbella Club in
1954, and with his worldwide contacts, managed
to attract the cream of the international jet-set,
from aristocrats and barons of industry to film
stars and society hostesses. Then José Banús
began the great marina and property project that
was to link his name forever to international
tourism in the shape of Puerto Banús. This
attracted the people with the big yachts, and
Puerto Banús began to acquire the fame that it
enjoys today. He was also responsible for turning
the land behind into a huge playground of top golf
courses and stylish residential developments now
known as Nueva Andalucía.
the Axarquía in the east, and this interest
extended into the Antequera and Guadalhorce
Valley areas.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Fuengirola had also grown into important tourist
towns. The reasons had to do with climate,
relatively inexpensive cost of living, cheap flights
from Northern Europe and many more factors,
not least the fact that many films were also made
on the Costa del Sol – up to the end of 2003, a
total of 230.
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TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
1.
gETTING TO AND
AROUND MÁLAGA AND
THE COSTA DEL SOL
Los Tilos, Málaga, where travellers can take coaches
to other towns in the province or other regions.
CTSA-Portillo buses stop at Terminal 1 (arrivals) and
Travelling by Air
Málaga-Pablo Ruiz Picasso international airport is
8km from Málaga City and 5km from Torremolinos.
Its two terminals are easily accessible by car or
public transport from the capital city of the Costa del
Sol and other important locations.
By bus. There are buses from Málaga and Marbella
to the airport.
EMT’s (Empresa Malagueña de Transportes) line 19
connects the airport with the city centre, with bus
stops all along the route. Buses run every 20 to 45
minutes. Check timetables at www.emtmálaga.es.
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Málaga Airport
.
Bus line 19 stops at the coach station, on Paseo de
By road. You can take either motorway E-15 or main
road N-340, as both lead to the airport from Málaga
City and other locations on the Costa del Sol.
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TOURIST BOARD &
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hourly thanks to an automated baggage system, will
feature 86 check-in counters and serve up to 12
connection flights and 8 more remotely.
Travelling by Road
The size of Málaga Province, its road links and
today’s modern cars enable you to travel across the
whole province in less than two hours.
Road to Montejaque
Terminal 2 (departures) and reach the Marbella
coach station (Avda. Trapiche, s/n). The trip takes 45
minutes. Check timetables at www.ctsa-portillo.com.
A free shuttle bus connects Terminals 1 and 2 with
Car Parks 1, 2 and 3 every 20 minutes. The service
stops temporarily at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Car
Park 4 is being renovated, so the bus stop is located
by the “Bloque de actividades aeronáuticas”.
.
The airport is currently being renovated and
enlarged. Once the renovation work is over, the
facilities will have doubled their surface area.
Besides the new car park and the enlargement of
Terminal 1 (completed in 2007), there will be a third
terminal covering 270,000 square metres to be
completed in March 2010 and a second runway that
will start operating in 2011. Terminal 3, with a
capacity for 9,000 passengers and 7,500 bags
To leave the coast behind you can take the A-45,
starting in Málaga City, to the north. This motorway
links Málaga City with Córdoba. The A-92 or Autovía
de Andalucía passes through Fuente de Piedra and
runs along the northern region of the province to
Salinas, where it heads for Granada.
The A-357, or Autovía del Guadalhorce, which has
not been completed yet, departs from Málaga City
and links the Guadalhorce Valley with the Sierra de
las Nieves. To get to the Serranía de Ronda, you
have to follow the A-397, starting at San Pedro de
Alcántara.
Currently, two new roads are being developed:
Autopista de las Pedrizas (AP-46), which is to link
Alto de las Pedrizas to Málaga City, and Hiperronda
or Málaga’s Segunda Ronda, which is expected to
lessen traffic pressure. The latter will run from
Virreinas junction, where it will connect with the A-7
(Ronda Este) and the A-45m to the AP-7 at Palacio
de Congresos. The Airport is to be accessed by way
Port of Málaga
of the new ring road from the North.
Currently, Ronda Este is being developed to add a
third lane all along. Ronda Este is the name of the A7 expressway or Autovía del Mediterráneo from the
access to Málaga City from Rincón del la Victoria to
Virreinas junction. Construction work is expected to
finish by the end of 2010.
Travelling by Sea
The coast of Málaga stretches 161km. This has
affected the development of trade between the
Costa del Sol and other areas and contributed to
shape business and tourism in the province. As a
matter of fact, Málaga holds 60% of Andalusia’s port
activity.
Lying a short walk away from the city centre, the Port
of Málaga is the main maritime facility in the
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province. A project for its expansion and
modernisation is presently being carried out, and the
results can already be seen: increased container
traffic and more cruiseliners calling at the port. The
new 2,500-metre-long Muelle de Levante (East
Quay) for big ships has turned the port into the
second most important in Spain in terms of cruise
traffic. The Port of Málaga is becoming a must-stop
–and even a starting point– for most Mediterranean
cruises.
The effects of the port’s renovation project can also
be felt by passengers. The new Estación Marítima
de Levante (East Maritime Station), whose north
mooring started operating in October 2009,
welcomes visitors with its state-of-the-art, functional
facilities. When the project is over, the final surface
area will double the initial one (692,220 sq m).
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By taxi. There are two taxi ranks at the airport. Unitaxi
(+34 952 333 333) and Radiotaxi (+34 952 040 804).
Both ranks are in the Arrivals area of Terminal 1 and
Departures area of Terminal 2.
The toll road AP-7, called Autopista del Mediterráneo
and running parallel to the A-7, is another fast
thoroughfare that enters the province in Guadiaro
and reaches Fuengirola. Stretches of road near
Estepona and Marbella merge onto the A-7.
By train. Commuter train C1 (Cercanías RENFE,
www.renfe.es) operates a service between Málaga
and Fuengirola. It stops opposite Terminal 2. It takes
only 14 minutes to reach the airport from downtown
Málaga by train.
The main road, Autovía del Mediterráneo or A-7, is a
double carriageway that runs along the 161km
coastline, parallel to old highway N-340. The A-7
links coastal towns from Guadiaro to Maro.
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The Arco García Lorca train serves Espeluy, Andújar,
Córdoba Central, Montilla, Puente Genil, Bobadilla,
Málaga-María Zambrano
The Trenhotel Gibralfaro serves Barcelona-Sants,
Camp de Tarragona, Zaragoza-Delicias, CórdobaCentral, Puente Genil-Herrera, Antequera-Santa
Ana, Málaga-María Zambrano.
From this terminal, passengers can take commuter
trains like C1 (Málaga-Fuengirola) and C2 (MálagaÁlora).
The high-speed train project does not end here, as
the Government of Andalusia has set the goal of
connecting all the capitals in the Autonomous
Community by 2013.
With two lines under construction (Lines 1 and 2),
one that is currently being designed (Line 3) and
three planned for the future, the underground is one
of the major transportation projects in Málaga City.
Lines 1 (La Malagueta-Teatinos) and Line 2 (La
Malagueta-Martín Carpena), which share some
sections, will run 90% underground, and one of the
stations will connect with María Zambrano Station.
Some sections will start operating in late 2011 or
early 2012.
Málaga sightseeing bus
The number of berths for recreational boats in the
province is remarkable. There are eleven marinas on
the Costa del Sol, in Benalmádena, Estepona,
Fuengirola, Marbella, Manilva, Málaga City, and
Vélez-Málaga. In them, sailing facilities are
complemented by leisure and shopping
infrastructure.
Catamaran rides with underwater views, dolphin
watching, bareboat or crewed boat rentals for private
rides or deep-sea fishing… All sea-oriented needs
have been taken good care of.
While railways brought a revolution into passenger
travel and goods transportation systems, the launch
of the Madrid-Málaga high-speed train (AVE) has
revolutionised the connection between the Spanish
capital city and Málaga Province. At present, it takes
only three hours to get from Madrid to Málaga City.
From María Zambrano Station, Málaga, besides the
AVE high-speed train, other long-distance and
medium-distance rail lines reach towns and cities of
Andalusia, the north of Spain and the Mediterranean
coastal area.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that on 11 November
2006, the first light rail system built in Andalusia
started operating between Vélez-Málaga and Torre
del Mar.
Whatever the way you choose to travel to the Costa
del Sol, you will find a great number of car rental
companies in major tourist destinations in Málaga
Province, next to public transport hubs.
There’re several classes of vehicles on offer, from
compact cars to small vans, SUVs and luxury cars.
Some companies offer chauffeur-driven cars as well.
There are public car parks in busy business areas in
all towns. They are better than blue zone parking
areas, especially if you are staying only for a short
while.
Maybe you feel free only if you do not have to read
maps or track your location with a GPS unit… In this
case, you can take a taxi. Taxis in Málaga City and
the province operate in the largest municipalities,
often offering 24-hour service.
Disabled people can safely take taxis in Málaga
Province, as the number of cars for disabled
passengers has increased, and Town Councils are
planning to grant more licences to wheelchairaccessible taxis.
There are commuter rail lines that run from Málaga
City to Fuengirola or Álora. These rail services are
fast, comfortable and are always on time. You can
also travel by coach: at Málaga City coach station
you can purchase tickets to the farthest corners in
the province.
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The Port of Málaga is also the point of departure of
ferries to Melilla. This important means of transport
carries passengers and goods between the Iberian
Peninsula and the Autonomous City in Africa.
When it comes to planning a trip, some people rely
on travel agents, who make almost everything for
their clients (hotel booking, transfer services, etc.).
Other people, however, prefer to travel on their own,
forgetting about fixed hours or arranged tours.
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Travelling by Rail
The Costa del Sol railroad, which is currently under
construction, will run parallel to the coast, from Nerja
to Algeciras. It is a very important rail line that will add
to the railway network towns such as Estepona,
Marbella, Mijas or Rincón de la Victoria. With this
new infrastructure, linked to the commuter train lines
and the regional railroads, the province is to enlarge
its rail services, including the province’s major
locations.
Getting Around
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Sustainability
Sharing your car, using public transport and nonpolluting fuels, riding a bike… These small gestures
can help protect the environment and improve your
quality of life considerably.
The best way to move around in Málaga is leaving
your car parked and enjoy the city in a relaxed mode.
Most of the historic district is a pedestrian area;
however, if your walking tours get too long or you get
tired, you can take a city bus. There are forty-two
lines available; three of them correspond to night
buses, three cover circular routes, and two take you
on sightseeing tours. Half the buses owned by
Empresa Malagueña de Transportes (EMT) drive on
biodiesel.
Going places, getting to know the province, and
having a good time without those harmful fumes
–what a good idea!
For more info, please visit:
www.visitcostadelsol.com/transportes
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REGIONS Of
MÁLAGA PROVINCE
Valle del Guadalhorce
Alhaurín de la Torre, Alhaurín el Grande, Almogía,
Álora, Cártama, Coín, Pizarra, Valle de Abdalajís.
Valle del Guadalhorce is like a huge garden
encompassing the towns of Alhaurín de la
Torre, Alhaurín el Grande, Almogía, Álora,
Cártama, Coín, Pizarra, and Valle de
Abdalajís. It is close to Málaga City and well
connected to it. It also adjoins areas of great
environmental value, such as Sierra de las
Nieves, Montes de Málaga, the Guadalhorce
reservoirs, and the ravine of Los Gaitanes –an
amazing geological formation. Together, its 8
municipalities hold 115,000 inhabitants in 740
square kilometres.
After rising in Nororma, flowing through
Antequera, narrowing down to flow along Los
Gaitanas, and forming a series of reservoirs,
the river Guadalhorce widens freely when it
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reaches the valley, giving rise to an area
where water has shaped the people’s customs
and traditions.
From the river banks to the mountains that
shelter the valley, the landscape features a
series of plots peppered by whitewashed
farmhouses that reach the towns themselves.
Except for the highest sierras, it is an amiable,
wisely tamed, environment-friendly landscape
where you can still see the Arab traces in the
use of water: mills and irrigation ditches
everywhere, which have been the same for
centuries.
The region’s relief has given rise to a
microclimate favouring fruit growing, even
subtropical fruit or citrus. In higher areas,
however, fruit trees give way to cork oaks,
pine trees, and chestnuts. Natural attractions
include Los Gaitanes –a deep 3-kilometrelong gorge channelling the river Guadalhorce,
whose incredibly vertical walls are over 300
metres high and whose width seldom goes
beyond 10 metres. Skirting one of its walls
there is the Camino del Rey, built between
1901 and 1905, and owing its name to King
.
.
If you prefer to move around on your own, you can
rent a bike. They are offered by private companies
and town councils, and they are popular with visitors
and local residents alike.
THE NINE
“Vegetable fuels” are also used in a means of
transport taking passengers back in time –a classic
among nostalgic or romantic travellers–: horsedriven carriages. They can take you to the most
typical corners of the Costa del Sol’s capital city at a
trot.
Segway Personal Transporters and taxi bikes are
new, fun, and non-polluting means of transport.
There are companies offering tours using these
smart inventions; they can even plan tailor-made
itineraries to suit customers’ needs.
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TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
Given its proximity to Costa del Sol Occidental
and to Málaga City itself, Valle del
Guadalhorce has experienced significant
population growth over the past few years,
which has led to service improvement and to
the development of leisure facilities. The
region had the first non-coastal golf courses in
the province, accompanied by leading
restaurants. With the different towns being so
close to one another and with such beautiful
landscapes, the region is hikers’ heaven.
There are trails cutting across amazing
places, both in the sierras and in the valley
itself. As to arts and crafts, Coín is famous for
its pottery.
Guadalteba
Almargen, Ardales, Campillos, Cañete La Real,
Carratraca, Cuevas del Becerro, Sierra de
Yeguas, Teba.
Alfonso XIII’s inauguration of the Guadalhorce
dam a few years later. Camino del Rey is an
engineering feat; at present, it is being
rehabilitated for tourism purposes.
The main sights in Valle del Guadalhorce are
the Álora Castle, built in the times of the
Visigoths and extended by the Arabs; the
Church of la Encarnación, also in Álora, which
is unusually large; and the Chapel of Virgen
de los Remedios in Cártama, a simple chapel
affording the best panoramic views of the
region. Visitors should also notice the features
of popular architecture in most buildings, and
the traditional dishes based on the excellent
foods produced in the area.
Guadalteba’s relief –rolling hills in the central area
and sharper mountains to the south– has had an
influence on both climate (continental type, with
Los Gaitanes ravine, in the region of Guadalteba
cold winters and hot, dry summers) and roads
(following mountain passes).
The regional economy is based on the agri-food
industry. Campillos is the most dynamic
municipality, where the highest number of
companies are headquartered.
With regard to history and art, Guadalteba is like a
mosaic of interesting places, its heritage spanning
many centuries, from the Palaeolithic to the
present. The oldest cultural expression is to be
found in the Cave of Ardales, housing a series of
paintings made some 20,000 years ago. Since
then, various cultures have left their mark on these
lands. Archaeological sites reflect the multiplicity of
civilisations that have settled in the south of the
Iberian Peninsula throughout its history.
The most important site is Bobastro, a collection of
Mozarabic buildings, a monastery, and a stone
church carved out of the rock whose artistic value is
immense. The Castles of La Estrella and Turón in
Teba and Ardales, respectively, were built before
the region’s annexation to the Kingdom of Castile.
When the area was christianised, lots of churches
and convents were erected in different styles. Many
of them have been rehabilitated and come down to
us –a symbol of the religious zeal and economic
power of times past.
Guadalteba also boasts must-see natural
landscapes: Tajo del Molino in Teba, the lake
system in Campillos, Sierra de Alcaparaín in
Carratraca, or the reservoirs of the Guadalhorce
and Guadalteba rivers. The reservoir area,
surrounded by thick groves, is ideal for outdoor
.
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Álora, in Valle del Guadalhorce
Lying north in Málaga Province, Guadalteba is
named after one of the rivers flowing through it. It
comprises 8 municipalities: Almargen, Ardales,
Campillos, Cañete la Real, Carratraca, Cuevas del
Becerro, Sierra de Yeguas, and Teba. Except for
Campillos, their population is less than 5,000
inhabitants. This means they are quiet towns –just
like most villages in the interior. The region has a
surface area of 722 square kilometres, its total
population amounting to 26,000. Given its location
and relief, the region –bounded by the Seville
countryside to the north, Valle del Guadalhorce to
the south, Serranía de Ronda and Sierra de Cádiz
to the west, and Antequera to the east– marks the
beginning of a long corridor connecting Andalusia
with Levante.
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TOURIST BOARD &
Costa del Sol Occidental
Benahavís, Benalmádena, Casares, Estepona,
Fuengirola, Manilva, Marbella, Mijas, Torremolinos.
Costa del Sol Occidental stretches along the
coastal strip from Málaga City to the province
of Cádiz. It comprises 9 towns in a surface
area of 800 square kilometres inhabited by
400,000 people: Benahavís, Benalmádena,
Casares, Estepona, Fuengirola, Manilva,
Marbella, Mijas, and Torremolinos. They are
the most popular tourist destinations not only
in the province but in the whole of continental
Spain. With the emergence of two international
renowned towns –Torremolinos and Marbella–
in the 1950s, this region acquired international
fame. Since then, it has never stopped
growing, housing whatever tourists might need
at a multiplicity of levels.
Even when it is a sun & sand-oriented region,
blessed with an amazing weather boasting 300
sunny days a year, Costa del Sol Occidental
has succeeded in putting together a high-end
travel offer made up by the most diverse
infrastructure: marinas, casinos, golf courses,
event venues, sports facilities, convention
centres, the fullest hotel network in Andalusia,
restaurants
serving
traditional
and
international
cuisine,
theatres
and
auditoriums, bullrings, fairgrounds housing the
best of popular fiestas, sea promenades, spas
and wellness centres, and much more. Thanks
to an efficient transport system, the towns in
this region are well connected to the interior of
Málaga Province and to the most important
cities in Andalusia.
The region’s relief has, of course, played a key
role in the development of the sun & sand
industry –a role as important as that of the
large sandy areas on most beaches. However,
as it comes closer to the mountain slopes
punctuating the coastal strip, the region hides
secret gems. Some of its towns
–Benalmádena and Mijas, for instance– are
real scenic viewpoints affording views of
stunning sea and landscapes.
Despite the astounding development
experienced by the region in the past few
decades, its towns have kept their original
historic districts, bearing a Moorish layout and
an undeniable Andalusian flavour, even when
they are booming modern cities. The western
Costa del Sol is no exception to the
abundance of archaeological sites and
monuments in Málaga: there are important
Roman ruins in Marbella and Fuengirola, Arab
constructions (such as the Sohail Castle in
Fuengirola), and religious and civil
developments that date back to the years after
the rule of the Catholic Monarchs, such as
Baroque churches.
Moclinejo, Nerja, Periana, Rincón de la Victoria,
Riogordo, Salares, Sayalonga, Sedella, Torrox,
Totalán, La Viñuela, and Vélez-Málaga –the capital
of the region. The region spans high mountains in
the north, bordering on Granada Province, which
climb down and reach the sea in sharp and mild
descents, forming rocky beaches, tough cliffs, and
secluded coves. This gives rise to a multiple yet
equally attractive landscapes.
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sports: mountaineering, spelunking, canoeing,
paragliding, hiking, and more.
The region is cut across by several sierras, the
most important of which is the impressive massif
formed by Tejeda and Almijara –the natural
boundary with Granada–, designated as a nature
Axarquía
.
20
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La Cala del Moral cliffs, in Axarquía
.
Benalmádena Marina, in the region of Costa del Sol Occidental
In an area of over 1,000 square kilometres,
Axarquía-Costa del Sol holds 170,000 residents.
Sitting east in Málaga Province, it comprises 31
municipalities, namely, Alcaucín, Alfarnate,
Alfarnatejo, Algarrobo, Almáchar, Árchez, Arenas,
Benamargosa, Benamocarra, El Borge, Canillas de
Aceituno, Canillas de Albaida, Colmenar, Comares,
Cómpeta, Cútar, Frigiliana, Iznate, Macharaviaya,
Alcaucín, Alfarnate, Alfarnatejo, Algarrobo, Almáchar,
Árchez, Arenas, Benamargosa, Benamocarra,
Canillas de Albaida, Canillas del Aceituno, Colmenar,
Comares, Cómpeta, Cútar, El Borge, Frigiliana,
Iznate, La Viñuela, Macharaviaya, Moclinejo, Nerja,
Periana, Rincón de la Victoria, Riogordo, Salares,
Sayalonga, Sedella, Torrox, Totalán, Vélez-Málaga.
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As there is so much to see, several tours have been
designed to get around Axarquía, grouping
attractions into similar sights and giving a pretty
good idea of what the region looks like. There are
the Route of Sun and Wine, the Mudéjar Tour, the
Route of Raisins, the Route of Olive Oil and the
Mountains, and the Route of Sun and Avocados.
There are also multiple hiking trails, visiting spots of
great landscape value; for instance, those across
Sierras de Tejeda y Almijara or the Maro-Cerro
Gordo cliffs.
park. The massif includes the so-called roof of
Málaga Province: La Maroma, a 2,068-metre-high
mountain. The height of La Maroma can give an
idea of the vertigo-inducing changes of landscape
in the area.
22
From the Cave of Nerja –a sort of rocky cathedral
created by nature that has been designated as a
National Historic Monument– and its little sister, the
equally interesting El Tesoro Cave in Rincón de la
After so many years of Arab rule, Axarquía shows
lots of Muslim signs in its architecture, food, dance
and music, and in its celebrations. Times have
changed, but the region has kept its original
flavours at all levels.
Although the regional economy relied on farming
and wine making for a long time, now it is tourism
that plays a key role in its development. In this
respect, it is coastal towns that are the strongest, as
they are also the most crowded ones.
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Located in the middle-west of Málaga, this region
has drawn its name from Sierra de las Nieves
Nature Park (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since
1905). It comprises nine municipalities: Alozaina, El
Burgo, Casarabonela, Guaro, Istán, Monda, Ojén,
Tolox, and Yunquera. All of them are quiet, small
towns. They are visitor-friendly and impossibly
clean. They have a common history, geographic
location, and even economy. Each of them holds
2,000 to 3,000 residents; taken together, their
population amounts to 20,000. The region’s surface
area is 680 square kilometres, but most of it
corresponds to the nature park and the surrounding
area, which also reach neighbouring regions.
Málaga’s diversity becomes self-evident in Sierra
de las Nieves, whose changing landscapes have a
common denominator: the sierras. Being
influenced by both the Atlantic Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea, Sierra de las Nieves boasts a
valuable flora whose main species are gall oaks
and Spanish firs –a special type of fir discovered in
the nineteenth century that grows in northern
Morocco and in some areas of Sierra Subbetica in
Europe. In 1972, the region was designated as a
national game reserve, which has contributed to
protect its animal species, especially Spanish
ibexes and roe deer.
The mountainous relief abounds in gorges and
ravines. A fine example is La Caina, which is 100
metres deep. Moreover, the limestone soil
contributes to the formation of caves like GESM,
which is considered to be the third deepest cave on
earth (1,100 metres). On the other hand, Sierra de
las Nieves features the highest peak in Málaga
Province, Torrecilla (1,919 metres), in an area that
is covered with snow for a few weeks every year. In
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.
Axarquía is like a digest, as you can find everything
Málaga has in this region: mountains, valleys,
ravines, and coasts (a 30-kilometre-long shoreline),
plus the distinctive features of the land itself. Olives,
almond trees, and vines in the mountains; fruits and
vegetables in the valley; white villages perched on
impossible places in the sierras; gardens, cliffs and
beaches by the sea, welcoming international
tourists.
Axarquía combines natural beauty with a valuable
artistic and historic heritage. The region has been a
link between the coastline and the hinterland since
prehistoric times (mainly through Boquete de
Zafarraya, a spectacular geographical feature
straddling between Granada and Málaga), which
meant that all the Mediterranean civilisations that
brought their customs and traditions to Spain
settled in the region. However, it was the Arabs and
then the Christians who shaped its architectural
heritage.
The impressive Sierras de Tejeda y Almijara, whose
peaks are snow-capped in winter, shelters the
region from northern winds, giving rise to a
Mediterranean climate –subtropical in coastal
areas– affording 3,000 sun hours a year.
Alozaina, Casarabonela, El Burgo, Guaro, Istán,
Monda, Ojén, Tolox, Yunquera.
Axarquía landscape
Sierra de las Nieves
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Victoria to the Phoenician ruins in Trayamar, Torrox
(Paleo-Punic tombs) to the Moorish citadel in
Frigiliana (a handsome town) to the Mudéjar
architectural features to be found in different
villages, to the Balcony of Europe in Nerja,
dominating the Mediterranean like no other
viewpoint along the coastline, to the sights in VélezMálaga (the Fortress, the Churches of Santa María
la Mayor and San Juan Bautista, and the Convent
of San Francisco), it is no exaggeration to say the
Axarquía is a dazzling region.
23
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Mediterranean peoples. As a result, the city has a
cosmopolitan and open-minded character, as well
as an extremely valuable artistic and historic
heritage.
Sierra de las Nieves’s economy is based on
farming and husbandry. Emerging sectors are the
agri-food industry and country travel, which relies
on the region’s beautiful landscapes and its
proximity to Costa del Sol Occidental and Málaga
City, to which it is well connected. The towns in the
region have always been environment-friendly;
therefore, their amazing landscapes have remained
almost untouched, thanks to the wise use of natural
resources.
Most of Málaga’s monuments and sights are
within walking distance of the historic district. In
fact, the architectural triad the city is famous for
–the Roman Theatre (third century), the Arab
Fortress (eleventh century), and the Cathedral
(sixteenth to eighteenth centuries), housing a
valuable art collection, including a choir carved by
Pedro de Mena– is to be found in the inner city
itself. Alongside these, there are the Gibralfaro
Castle (fourteenth century), affording the best
views of the city and the bay beyond, a bunch of
Baroque churches (Santiago, where Pablo
Picasso was christened, Los Mártires, San Juan,
Santo Cristo), a few tokens of civil architecture
(Consular House, Customs House), some
eighteenth-century buildings, and nineteenthcentury developments (Larios Street and Park).
It is difficult to tell when to come to Sierra de las
Nieves, for the region is beautiful in all seasons.
You can always find a reason to contemplate its
majestic landscape and visit its charming villages.
Málaga - Costa del Sol
.
Since its foundation by the Phoenicians some
2,500 years ago, Málaga has been the nerve
centre of trade in the area, being settled by all
La Sierra de las Nieves
The Picasso Museum, in the heart of the historic
district, is housed in the Palace of Buenavista, a
magnificent sixteenth-century civil building that
has been fully renovated to serve as a museum.
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On the outskirts of town there are two other parks,
La Concepción and La Cónsula, which belonged
to the nobility and the haute bourgeoisie in the
past but now are open to the public. They are
unusually rich in terms of botanical species, with
plants and trees from all over the world. They
both have mansions where events are held. La
Cónsula also boasts fountains of different periods
that make it look somehow like Versailles.
One of Málaga’s main attractions is its food,
which has improved its quality and become quite
diversified over the years. From the traditional
“pescaíto” (fish) served in bars facing the ocean
to the signature cuisine prepared in high-end
restaurants, the possibilities to eat out in Málaga
are counted by the hundreds. And then there are
the quintessential tapas –an informal sample of
the quality food you can taste in the city. As to
shopping options, traditional stores exist side by
side with department stores, making Málaga one
of the best cities for a shopping spree in
Andalusia.
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24
Although, in the early twentieth century, Málaga
witnessed a sad economic and industrial decline,
from the 1960s onwards tourism injected money
into the economy, revolutionising all aspects of
life in the city –a revolution with no match in
Andalusia or Spain. Likewise, the opening of the
Picasso Museum has been a landmark in the
development of Málaga’s culture and travel
industry, whereas the Trade Fair and Conference
Centre (which is to be expanded in the near
future) is the driving force in the twenty-first
century, alongside the technology park, the
university, the airport (where expansion work has
already begun) and a growing hotel network.
The region of Málaga is made up by a single city:
Málaga. Adjoining the mouth of the river
Guadalhorce, Málaga City lies in the middle of the
province’s coastline. Covering 385 square
kilometres, it houses 600,000 residents, which
makes it the sixth city in Europe in terms of
population size. To the east, Málaga is bounded
by a row of mountains adding diversity to the
cityscape but also limiting growth. To the west,
right into Valle del Guadalhorce, the land is flat; it
is in this direction that the city can keep
expanding. A port, an airport, a train station, and
a robust road network keep Málaga linked to the
rest of Spain and the main cities in Europe.
The most important green space in Málaga is
Montes de Málaga Nature Park, lying north of the
city and covering 5,000 hectares along the left
bank of the Guadalmedina river. The park is
populated with Aleppo pines, alternating with
holm oaks, cork oaks, and gall oaks (native
Mediterranean species) in some zones. The park,
crossed by forest trails, has great recreational
facilities and commands stunning views of the
bay.
Málaga
The museum displays 200 works by the Málagaborn artist, and its permanent collection is
complemented with temporary exhibitions with
works kept in other museums. It has contributed
to revitalise the area, turning it into a busy
commercial hub.
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the past, the snow used to be stored in pits to be
used in the summer. The pits still exist, but they are
no longer used to store snow.
25
As to the August Fair –commemorating the
Catholic Monarchs’ seizure of Málaga–, there is
party day and night for one week, both in the
historic district and in Real de la Feria (the city’s
fairgrounds in the outskirts). The festive
Algatocín, Alpandeire, Arriate, Atajate, Benadalid,
Benalauría, Benaoján, Benarrabá, Cartajima, Cortes
de la Frontera, Faraján, Gaucín, Genalguacil,
Igualeja, Jimera de Líbar, Jubrique, Júzcar,
Montejaque, Parauta, Pujerra, Ronda
Serranía de Ronda
In the north-west of Málaga Province, Serranía de
Ronda comprises 21 towns: Algatocín,
Alpandeire, Arriate, Atajate, Benadalid,
Benalauría, Benaoján, Benarrabá, Cartajima,
Cortes de la Frontera, Faraján, Gaucín,
Genalguacil, Igualeja, Jimera de Líbar, Jubrique,
Júzcar, Montejaque, Parauta, Pujerra, and the
city of Ronda. Together, they cover 1,260 square
kilometres and they are sparsely populated, their
inhabitants amounting to 60,000 only. Except for
Ronda, the towns in the Serranía are just population centres scattered in a rough terrain, set
against lavish and picturesque natural landscapes.
Since the region was not efficiently connected to
the rest of the province until the mid twentieth
century, it remained pretty isolated for centuries.
This is the reason why it looks so pristine, barely
touched by the hand of man. Communications
are no longer an issue in Serranía de Ronda.
Málaga from Los Montes Nature Park
The region is basically a large 700-metre-high
plateau, with peaks reaching 1,500 metres. This
fills the landscape with sharp contrasts and adds
beauty to it. The area marks the confluence of the
Guadalteba, Guadiaro, and Genal valleys.
Together with the plateau, these articulate the
main vessels in the communication network. The
region’s diversity is capped by three nature parks
–Los Alcornocales, Sierra de las Nieves,
Grazalema– and a nature sport –Reales de
Sierra Bermeja. All in all, a fabulous complex of
protected spaces housing hundreds of plant and
animal species (Spanish firs, gall oaks, Spanish
ibexes, roe deer, golden eagles, falcons, griffon
vultures) that turn the region into a unique place.
Active travel is one of Ronda’s strengths. The
region attracts zillions of hikers every year. In fact,
most towns in the region can be walked around,
following a series of pre-established routes along
the Genal and Guadiaro valleys, Sierra de las
Nieves, Sierra Bermeja, the big plateau, or Sierra
de Grazalema. The heavy rains (Grazalema has
the highest rainfall rate in the Iberian Peninsula)
water the lavish vegetation all year round, so
strolls are the best way to enjoy Ronda’s outstanding landscapes.
Man has added his touch to this place protected
by Mother Nature, leaving indelible marks everywhere in the sierras. The list of monuments and
sights is long and interesting, most of them being
located in the city of Ronda. From caves were
primitive men gave expression to their joy and
fear to the greatest of buildings, Ronda is a mosaic of the civilisations that settled in southern Spain
throughout the centuries.
To name but a few examples: the Roman theatre
in Acinipo, standing along against a background
echoing voices of the past; the castle in Gaucín
(and many other like it) protecting the city from
the Moor attacks; the Arab baths (the best kept in
Andalusia); the countless Baroque churches and
palaces; and the Neoclassical architecture, as
reflected in the new bridge or even the bullring
–the epitome of a bullfighting venue and the
model of those built afterwards.
The history of Serranía de Ronda is closely linked
to the adventures of bandits in the nineteenth
century, who invaded the sierras after Napoleon’s
invasion of Spain. Romantic writers built a legend
out of this sociological fact, turning the most
famous of bandits into legendary characters and
paving the way for modern authors like Rainer
Maria Rilke or Ernest Hemingway, who celebrated Ronda in their work.
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Archidona, in the region of Nororma
The food of Serranía de Ronda is also
remarkable. It can be tasted in any town. Most
restaurants combine traditional recipes with
international, mainly Mediterranean, cuisine. The
region excels in the production of pottery, ironwrought, and wooden crafts, whereas the
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atmosphere transforms all the activities carried
out in that week into joyous events. Music and
dance everywhere, typical food in bars,
restaurants, and set-up gazebos, bullfights at La
Malagueta, horse carriages, fireworks, concerts
by guest artists… a total fiesta drawing an
increasing number of onlookers every year.
26
Málaga’s most popular fiestas are Easter and the
August Fair. Jesus Christ’s Passion and
Resurrection is deeply felt and enthusiastically
celebrated in the city, with dozens of fraternities
carrying images along the streets in awe-inspiring
processions. People pack the streets to watch the
sumptuous floats. In the syncretism of perfectly
performed pious rites and traditions of pagan
origins, the city reveals its peculiar idiosyncrasy.
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TOURIST BOARD &
800 metres high in Archidona there lies a
wetland, Lagunas de Archidona. It is a 200hectare protected area whose flora and fauna
have great environmental value.
Nororma
As to interesting sights and monuments, most
are to be found in Archidona. This town,
boasting an eventful history, is famous for its
Plaza Ochavada, combining French inspiration
with Mudéjar features.
Archidona, Cuevas Bajas, Cuevas de San
Marcos, Villanueva de Algaidas, Villanueva
de Tapia, Villanueva del Rosario, Villanueva
del Trabuco
.
Agriculture, especially olive growing, is the
staple of the local economy. Other booming
sectors include goat breeding, milk products,
and a young yet consolidated textile industry. As
in the rest of the province, this region has also
Alameda, Antequera, Casabermeja, Fuente de
Piedra, Humilladero, Mollina, Villanueva de la
Concepción.
In the north of Málaga Province, between the
mountains connecting Serranía de Ronda with
Axarquía and the big plains of the countryside, lie
the 7 towns that make the region of Antequera:
Alameda, Casabermeja, Fuente de Piedra,
Humilladero, Mollina, Villanueva de la
Concepción and, finally, the historic, rich town of
Antequera. The whole region covers 1,140
square kilometres. 60,000 people live in it, over
half of them (43,000) in the capital city.
Parador in Ronda
been taken by tourism, which got a boost from
communication infrastructure improvements,
thanks to which visitors can take a look at the
natural beauties and return to their points of
origin fast and safe.
The fact that Nororma lies between the
Subbetica and Penibetica mountain ranges (the
two great mountain systems of Andalusia) and
is also cut across by minor mountains defining
the course of rivers has a lot to do with the
region’s stunning landscapes. Whereas the
north is dominated by the Iznájar reservoir (the
largest in Andalusia) and its large woods, the
south (Villanueva del Trabuco and Villanueva
del Rosario) boasts the steepest rock massifs in
the region, whose mount Chamizo (1,641
metres) is the highest peak. All this stands in
sharp contrast to depression holding the
meadows of Archidona and Antequera.
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Antequera has one of the best geographic
locations in Andalusia in terms of
communications, as it is in the heart of the
autonomous community and, as such, lies
between the coastline and the hinterland, and
connects the main cities –Málaga, Seville,
Córdoba and Granada. As a result, Antequera
has been at the crossroads of peoples and
cultures since prehistoric times, and this has
contributed to create a rich, multicultural society.
Antequera is one of the cities with the largest
heritage in Andalusia. There are sights from all
eras: the Collegiate Church of Santa María la
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28
Nororma is made up by seven municipalities:
Archidona (the largest and most densely
populated town), Cuevas Bajas, Cuevas de San
Marcos, Villanueva de Algaidas, Villanueva del
Rosario, Villanueva del Trabuco, and Villanueva
de Tapia. Together, they cover 435 square
kilometres and accommodate 30,000
inhabitants. Their climate is Mediterranean to
continental, and their relief is marked by
contrasting geographical features. Not far away
there are the valleys of the rivers Guadalhorce
(in its source) and Genal, full of pools and leafy
woods, and sierras as high as 1,500 metres
above sea level.
Comarca de Antequera
Nororma is the north-eastern area of Málaga
Province. Straddling between Granada and
Córdoba, this region is strategically located, as
it can also connect with Seville. Historically, it
has connected the basin of the river
Guadalquivir with the mountains. Currently, it is
linked to the rest of Andalusia by highway A-92,
while several other roads connect its towns with
one another and with the main locations in the
autonomous community.
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strongest sectors in the local economy are meat
products, textiles, tanning, farming, and agri-food
(cheese, honey, chestnuts, and so on).
29
Mayor, the dolmens in Menga and Viera, and lots
of religious and civil buildings in Renaissance
and, above all, baroque style.
The region’s manmade monuments are
paralleled by those erected by nature. For
instance, Fuente de Piedra, a saline lake that was
exploited as early as in Roman times and a
1,300-hectare wetland that is considered to be
the largest flamingo habitat in the Iberian
Peninsula, also used by other birds for breeding
and nesting. Given its environmental value,
Fuente de Piedra has been designated as an
integrated reserve. Watching the flamingos in the
lake can be a spectacular show.
Antequera’s fertile meadows have given rise to a
booming industry that has replaced textiles as the
basis of the local economy, even when farming
had always been a fruitful activity in the region. In
the past few years, thanks to communication
infrastructure improvements, Antequera has
become a distribution centre for all kinds of
products. Other emerging sectors include wine
making in Mollina and tourism, always on the rise.
The region’s much appreciated gastronomy and
its arts and crafts (textiles, wooden and wroughtiron goods) make excellent complements to the
travel industry.
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.
A few kilometres away from Antequera there is El
Torcal, one of the most important geological
formations in Europe. It consists of a series of
weird, disturbing, almost oneiric karst formations
in a surface area of 20 square kilometres. Also
featuring many plant and animal species, El
Torcal has clearly signposted trails where visitors
can contemplate the shapes carved by the rain,
the wind, and the sea in two million years.
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4.
101
DISCOVER
VILLAGES TO
The province of Málaga and its 101
villages encompass a host of different
landscapes. There are places to remember and
dream of, like the traditional "pueblos blancos" or
white towns of Axarquía's hinterland, the
monumental cities of Ronda or Antequera, and
the touristy coastal area of Costa del Sol, the
nature parks and reserves like Sierra de las
Nieves, Montes de Málaga or Laguna de Fuente
Piedra, and the cosmopolitan urban environment
of the capital of the province, Málaga City.
Coastal and mountainous, cosmopolitan and
traditional, Málaga is a province where contrast
reigns supreme.
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35
Surface area: 64 square kilometres
Population about: 5,000
What the natives are called: alamedanos
or lametanos
www.alameda.es
Outstanding sights: Santa Ana church,
Town Hall, Virgen de Monsalud chapel,
Musterian archaeological sites and Antigue
Venta de Alfarnate
Geographical location: in the northwest
part of the La Axarquía region, 50 kilometres
from the city of Málaga, at 925 metres
above sea level. Average annual rainfall is
1,000 litres per square metre and the
average temperature is 12.6º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de la
Constitución, 1 (29194).
Telephone: (+34) 952 759 028;
Fax: (+34) 952 759 752;
Outstanding sights: Nuestra Señora del Rosario church, Nuestro Señor del Calvario chapel,
Cinco Caños fountain, Zalía castle
Geographical location: in the northern part of the La Axarquía region, 20 kilometres from VélezMálaga and 54 from Málaga City. It lies 508 metres above sea level. The average annual rainfall
exceeds 900 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 16º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 1 (29711).
Telephone: (+34) 952 510 002;
Fax: (+34) 952 510 076;
What the natives are called: alcaucineños.
www.alcaucin.es
ALfARNATEjO
Outstanding sights: Santo Cristo de la
Cabrilla parish church, the Route of the
Gorges
Geographical location: in the north-western
part of La Axarquía, 50 kilometres from
Málaga City and 36 from Vélez-Málaga. The
centre of the village sits at 858 metres above
sea level and the annual average rainfall is
around 1,000 litres per square metre. The
average temperature is 13º C
Tourist information: Town Hall,
C/ Pósito, 2 (29194).
Telephone: (+34) 952 759 286;
Fax: (+34) 952 759 360;
Population about: 542
What the natives are called: alfarnatejones.
Nickname: tejones.
www.alfarnatejo.es
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.
ALCAUCíN
Population about: 1.600
What the natives are called: alfarnateños.
Nickname: polancos.
www.alfarnate.es
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ALfARNATE
ALAMEDA
Outstanding sights: Roman baths, Chalcolithic
necropolis, La Inmaculada church, tomb of “El
Tempranillo”, Museo de Aperos de Labranza
(Farming Tools Museum)
Geographical location: in the northern part of
the Antequera region, 85 kilometres from Málaga
and 432 metres above sea level. Annual rainfall
is about 610 litres per square metre and the
Tourist information:
Town Hall, Plaza de España, 5 (29530).
Telephone: (+34) 952 710 025
Fax: (+34) 952 710 425
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37
ALHAURíN DE LA TORRE
Surface area: 9.70 square kilometres
What the natives are called: algarrobeños.
www.algarrobo.es
Outstanding sights: Santa Ana parish
church, San Sebastián chapel,
watchtowers, and the Trayamar
archaeological sites (Phoenician)
Geographical location: in the coastal
area of the La Axarquía region, 32
kilometres from the city of Málaga. The
centre of the village is 3 kilometres
inland from the coast and sits 86
metres above sea level. Average
annual rainfall is 610 litres per square
metre and the average temperature is
18.5 º C
C/ Antonio Ruiz Rivas, 2 (29750).
Telephone: (+34) 952 552 430;
Fax: (+34) 952 552 423;
What the natives are called: alhaurinos.
www.aytoalhaurindelatorre.es
ALHAURíN EL GRANDE
Outstanding sights: Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación church, chapels of Santa Vera Cruz and San
Sebastián, Casa Consistorial, El Cobertizo arch, Fuente Lucena (Lucena Fountain), the Roman ruins
of Fuente del Sol (Fountain of the Sun) and the Arabic ruins of the Fahala fortress and the Ubrique
watch tower, La Paca mill
Geographical location: in the region of the River Guadalhorce valley, adjoining the Western Costa del
Sol and Málaga regions. The centre of the village sits 239 metres above sea level and is 27 kilometres
from the provincial capital. The average annual rainfall is 636 litres per square metre and the annual
average temperature is 17 º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, C/ San Sebastián, s/n (29120). Telephone: (+34) 952 595 599;
Fax: (+34) 952 594 819; E-mail: [email protected]
Population about 20,000
What the natives are called: alhaurinos.
www.alhaurinelgrande.es
.
Population about: 1.000.
What the natives are called: algatocileños.
www.algatocin.es
.
38
Outstanding sights: Nuestra Señora del
Rosario church and the Calvario chapel
Geographical location: located in the River
Genal valley, in the Ronda mountains, 143
kilometres from Málaga City and 30 from Ronda,
main town of the region. The village is 721
metres above sea level. Average annual rainfall
exceeds 1,200 litres per square metre and the
average temperature is 14.5 º C
C/ Fuente, 2 (29491). T
elephone: (+34) 952 150 000;
Fax: (+34) 952 150 081;
ALGATOCíN
Outstanding sights: San Sebastián parish church, the Santo Cristo del Cardón niche, the Arcos de
Zapata aqueduct, the El Alamillo chapel, the Refugio de Torrijos house, and archaeological sites from
the Roman and Muslim eras.
Geographical location: at the mouth of the River Guadalhorce valley (in the Málaga region), at about
100 meters above sea level. It is 17 kilometres from the capital and only 10 from Torremolinos. Annual
rainfall comes to 550 litres per square metre and the annual average temperature is 17.4 º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office,
Avda. España, 7 (29130).
Telephone: (+34) 952 413 529;
Fax: (+34) 952 413 529;
CONVENTION BUREAU
ALGARROBO
TOURIST BOARD &
Part 1
Index
39
What the natives are called: almachareños.
www.almachar.es
What the natives are called: moriscos.
www.almogia.es
What the natives are called: almargeños.
www.almargen.es
What the natives are called: aloreños or perotes
www.alora.es
Part 1
Index
.
40
ÁLORA
Outstanding sights:
Castle, La Encarnación church, La Virgen de las Flores convent, Veracruz chapel, Desfiladero de
los Gaitanes (Los Gaitanes Gorge)
Geographical location:
in the northeast part of the River Guadalhorce region, 40 kilometres from the provincial capital
and 78 kilometres from Ronda. The village is some 200 metres above sea level. Average annual
rainfall is 580 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 16.6 º C
Tourism Office, Museo Municipal, Plaza Baja de la
Despedía, s/n (29500).
Telephone: (+34) 952 498 380
Fax: (+34) 952 497 000
.
Outstanding sights: Inmaculada
Concepción church, Roman necropolis in
the Sierra de Rebollo mountains
Geographical location: in the western
part of the Antequera region, within the
River GuadalTeba area. The municipality
adjoins the province of Seville; the village
is 105 kilometres from Málaga City and
lies 510 metres above sea level. Average
annual rainfall is 500 litres per square
metre and the average temperature is
15º C
C/ Corredera, 39 (29330).
Telephone: (+34) 952 182 002; Fax:
(+34) 952 182 039;
Outstanding sights:
La Asunción church, Santo Cristo chapel, La Vela tower, Huns-Xan-Biter castle, Tres Cruces chapel,
Sagrado Corazón chapel, La Noria washing area.
in the Málaga mountains, bordering on the Antequera region on the north and on the west with the River
Guadalhorce valley. The locality sits 363 metres above sea level and is 25 kilometres from the city of
Málaga. The average annual precipitation does not exceed 600 litres per square metre and the average
temperature is 16.4º C
Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, s/n (29150).
Telephone: (+34) 952 430 025
Fax: (+34) 952 430 229
ALMARGEN
Outstanding sights: Parish church of San
Mateo, Museo de la Pasa (Raisin Museum),
Mártires Street, historic district, Jardines de El
Forfe (El Forfe Gardens), entrance to the Cueva
del Moro (Cave of the Moor) (See “Legends”.)
Geographical location: in the western part of
the La Axarquía region, 35 kilometres from the
provincial capital and 14 kilometres from VelezMálaga, at a little more than 200 meters above
sea level. Average annual rainfall is 560 litres per
square metre and the average temperature is
16.5 º C
C/ Almería (29718).
Telephone: 952 512 002; Fax: 952 512 140
E-mail: [email protected].
ALMOGíA
CONVENTION BUREAU
ALMÁCHAR
TOURIST BOARD &
41
ANTEqUERA
Outstanding sights:
Santa Ana church, Arco de Alozaina (Alozaina Arch), María Sagredo castle, Hoyos de los Peñones
Between the River Guadalhorce valley region, to which it belongs, and the Ronda highlands, 52 kilometres from
Málaga and 41 from the city of Ronda. The centre of the village is 386 metres above sea level and the average
annual precipitation in the region is 700 litres per square metre. The average temperature is 17 º C
Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 3 (29567).
Telephone: (+34) 952 480 013
Fax: (+34) 952 480 923
What the natives are called: pecheros.
www.alozaina.es
What the natives are called: panditos.
www.alpandeire.es
Surface area: 810
square kilometres
Population about:
43,000
What the natives are
called: antequeranos.
www.antequera.es
ARCHEz
Outstanding sights:
Minaret-tower of the Nuestra Señora de la
Encarnación church
In the central part of the La Axarquía region,
21 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and 435
metres above sea level. The average annual
rainfall is 670 litres per square metre and the
Town Hall, C/ Clara Campoamor, 1 (29753).
Telephone: (+34) 952 553 159
Fax: (+34) 952 553 019
What the natives are called: archeros.
www.archez.es
.
.
42
ALPANDEIRE
Outstanding sights:
San Antonio de Padua church, the house where
the Friar Leopoldo was born, Antiguo Pósito (Old
Municipal Granary), El Chorreón waterfall
In the centre of the region of Ronda, 17 kilometres
from that city and 120 kilometres from the capital of
the province. The village centre sits at 700 metres
above sea level, the average annual rainfall is
some 1,200 litres per square metre and the
Town Hall, C/ Pilar, 19 (29460).
Telephone: (+34) 952 180 254
Fax: (+34) 952 180 309
Outstanding sights:
Renaissance fountain; Colegiata de San
Sebastián (Collegiate Church of Saint
Sebastian); La Encarnación convent;
Museo Municipal Palacio de Nájera
(Municipal Museum); San José convent;
Museo Conventual de las Descalzas
(Convent Museum); the palace of the
Marqueses de la Peña de los Enamorados;
La Victoria convent; Santa Eufemia
convent; church of Santiago; Belén convent;
Puerta de Granada (Granada Gate); the
dolmens of Menga and Viera; San Zoilo
convent; Del Carmen church; the Real
Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor (Royal
Collegiate Church of the Great St. Mary);
Arco de los Gigantes (Giants’ Arch); the
Alcazaba fort; Torre del Homenaje (Tower of
Homage); Puerta de Málaga (Málaga Gate);
La Virgen del Socorro chapel; the churches
of Santa María de Jesús and San Juan
Bautista; the palace of the Marqueses de
las Escolanías; the Santo Domingo church;
Plaza de Toros (Bullring); Museo Taurino
Municipal (Municipal Bullfight Museum); the
San Agustín convent; Palacio Municipal
(Municipal Palace); the Nuestra Señora de
los Remedios convent; Paraje Natural El
Torcal (El Torcal Nature Park).
Geographical location: In the centre of the
region that bears its name, in the northern
part of the province of Málaga and 45
kilometres from the capital of Málaga. It lies
577 meters above sea level, average annual
rainfall is 550 litres per square metre and
the average temperature is 15.3º C
Tourism Office, C/ Encarnación, 7 (29200).
Telephone: (+34) 952 702 505
Fax: (+34) 952 702 505
CONVENTION BUREAU
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TOURIST BOARD &
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43
What the natives are called:
archidoneses.
www.archidona.es
Outstanding sights:
Ruins of Bentomiz Castle, Santa Catalina
church, the Arabic minaret and fountain in
the outlying district of Daimalos
In the central part of the region of La
Axarquía, 10 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga
and 44 from the provincial capital. The
nucleus of population is 416 metres above
sea level. The average annual rainfall is 630
litres per square metre and the average
Town Hall, Plaza Ermita, 17 (29717).
Telephone: (+34) 952 509 005
Fax: (+34) 952 509 005
ARDALES
Outstanding sights:
Nuestra Señora de los Remedios church, Los Capuchinos convent, La Encarnación chapel, Bobastro
ruins, Mozarabic cave church, De la Peña castle, La Molina bridge, Doña Trinidad Grund cave, Museo
Municipal de la Historia y las Tradiciones (Municipal Museum of History and
Tradition), Museo del Parque de Ardales (Ardales Park Museum), Desfiladero de los Gaitanes (Los
Gaitanes Gorge), Caminito del Rey, reservoir area
in the Antequera region adjoining the regions of Ronda and the Guadalhorce valley. It is 62.5 kilometres
from the city of Málaga and its urban district is 454 metres above sea level. Average annual rainfall is
400 litres per square metre and the average
Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 1 (29550).
Telephone: 952 458 087; Fax: 952 458 169
.
ARRIATE
Outstanding sights:
San Juan de Letrán parish church
In the Ronda highlands, 6 kilometres from
that city and 120 from the city of Málaga.
The village sits 600 metres above sea level.
The average annual rainfall is 718 litres per
square metre and the average temperature
is 15.5º C
Town Hall, Plaza de la Emigración Arriateña,
s/n (29350).
Telephone: (+34) 952 165 096
Fax: (+34) 952 165 141
What the natives are called: arriateños.
www.arriate.es
What the natives are called: ardaleños.
www.ardales.es
Population about: 1,200.
What the natives are called: areneros.
.
44
ARENAS
Outstanding sights:
Ochavada plaza, Las Mínimas convent, La Victoria
church, La Cilla building, the chapels of Nuestra Señora
de Gracia, San Antonio, and El Nazareno, the Santa Ana
church, Santo Domingo convent and the ruins of the
medieval castle.
In the northeast part of the province of Málaga, in the
Antequera region and adjoining the province of Granada.
The village centre is 50 kilometres from the city of Málaga
and 20 from Antequera. It sits 716 metres above sea level
and the average annual rainfall is nearly 600 litres per
square metre. The average temperature is 15º C
Town Hall, Paseo de la Victoria, 1 (29300).
Telephone: (+34) 952 714 480 Fax: (+34) 952 714 1655.
Tourist Office, Plaza Ochavada, 2.
Telephone: 952 716 479
CONVENTION BUREAU
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TOURIST BOARD &
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45
Outstanding sights:
San Roque church, Santa Cruz tower, ruins of the Los Tajos caverns
In the Ronda region, between the valleys of the rivers Genal and Guadiaro, 18 kilometres from Ronda
and 141 from the city of Málaga. The urban centre sits 745 metres above sea level. Average annual
rainfall is 1,175 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 14.5º C
Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 3
(29494).
Telephone: (+34) 952 183 504
Fax: (+34) 952 183 597
BENAHAVíS
Outstanding sights:
Montemayor castle, Virgen del Rosario church, sixteenth-century palace, and watchtowers
Geographical location: In the interior of the Western Costa del Sol region, 21 kilometres from Marbella. The
centre of the village is 160 metres above sea level. The average annual rainfall is 900 litres per square metre and
the average temperature is slightly more than 17º C
Town Hall, C/ Castillo, s/n (29679)
Telephone: (+34) 952 855 025
Fax: (+34) 952 855 177
What the natives are called: atajateños.
www.atajate.net
benahavileños.
www.benahavis.es
.
Outstanding sights:
Casa Consistorial (Town Hall), El Lagar (former winery),
Santo Domingo church, Museo Etnográfico
(Ethnographic Museum)
In the Genal valley (a region of the Ronda highlands), 30
kilometres from that city and 143 from the city of Málaga.
The village centre is about 670 metres above sea level.
The average rainfall is 1,170 litres per square metre and
the average temperature is about 15º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza Teniente Viñas, 1
(29491)
Telephone: (+34) 952 152 502 Fax: (+34) 952 152 538
Part 1
Index
What the natives are called: jabatos.
www.benalauría.es
.
46
What the natives are called: benalizos.
www.benadalid.es
BENALAURíA
BENALADID
Outstanding sights:
Town Hall, San Isidoro church, Moorish castle
In the heart of the River Genal valley (a region of Ronda),
25 kilometres from Ronda and 145 from the provincial
capital. The centre of the village is 690 metres above sea
level. Average annual rainfall exceeds 1,170 litres per
square metre and the average temperature is 14.6º C
Town Hall, C/ Beni Al Jali, 1 (29493).
Telephone: (+34) 952 152 753
Fax: (+34) 952 152 802
CONVENTION BUREAU
ATAjATE
TOURIST BOARD &
47
BENAMOCARRA
Outstanding sights:
The Santo Domingo church, El Muro gardens,
Museo
Arqueológico
(Archaeological
Museum), Bil-Bil and Colomares castles, Las
Águilas garden, the Estupa Budista (Buddhist
Stupa),
watchtowers
(Torrebermeja,
Torrequebrada, and Torremuelle), Plaza de
España, historic quarter of Benalmádena –
Pueblo, and the Roman ruins at Benalmádena
– Costa.
In the Western Costa del Sol region, 20
kilometres from the city of Málaga and at an
altitude of 280 metres. Average annual rainfall
is 610 litres per square metre and the average
temperature is approximately 18º C
Tourism Office, Avda. Antonio Machado, 10
(29630). Telephone: (+34) 952 44 24 94
Fax: (+34) 952 44 06 78
Outstanding sights:
Tthe Santa Ana church
The municipality is in the interior of the La Axarquía
Region, only 5 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and 41
from the provincial capital. Its village centre sits 125
metres above sea level, the average annual rainfall is
560 litres per square metre and the average
temperature is about 18º C
Town Hall, C/ Zarzuela, 46 (29719).
Telephone: (+34) 952 509 534
Fax: (+34) 952 509 570
benalmadenses.
www.benalmadena.es
.
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Rosario
church, Cueva de la Pileta (La
Pileta Cave), Cueva del Gato (El
Gato Cave)
In the Sierra de Líbar range (a
region of the Ronda highlands), 17
kilometres from Ronda and 136
from the capital of the province.
The village centre is 565 metres
above sea level. Average annual
rainfall is 1,260 litres per square
metre and the average annual
temperature is slightly more than
14.3º C
Town Hall, Plaza San Marcos, 1
(29370)
Telephone: (+34) 952 167 046
Fax: (+34) 952 167 337
benaojanos.
www.benaojan.es
.
48
benamargoseños.
www.benamargosa.es
Outstanding sights:
La Encarnación church and the cemetery chapel
In the La Axarquía region 11 kilometres from VélezMálaga and 46 from the provincial capital. The urban
centre is about 100 metres above sea level. The
municipality records an average annual rainfall of 520
litres per square metre and the average temperature is
17º C
Town Hall, C/ Camino de Vélez, s/n (29718).
Telephone: (+34) 952 517 002
Fax: (+34) 952 517 271
BENAOjÁN
BENAMARGOSA
benamocarreños.
www.benamocarra.es
CONVENTION BUREAU
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49
CANILLAS DE ACEITUNO
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Rosario church, Casa de los
Diezmos (Tithe House), and the medieval cistern
In the northeast part of the La Axarquía region, 17 kilometres
from Vélez-Málaga and 51 from the provincial capital. The
village sits at 650 metres above sea level. Its average rainfall
is 670 litres per square metre and the annual average
temperature is 17º C
Town Hall, Plaza Constitución, 22 (29716).
Telephone: (+34) 952 518 002
Fax: (+34) 952 518 135
canilleros.
www.canillasdeaceituno.org
CONVENTION BUREAU
BENARRABÁ
Outstanding sights:
Parish church of San Sebastián, Santo Cristo de la Vera Cruz
chapel
In the southern part of the Mountains of Ronda, 157
kilometres from the city of Málaga and 37 from Ronda. The
urban district lies 520 meters above sea level. Average annual
rainfall is 1,260 litres per square metre and the average
annual temperature is 14.3º C
Town Hall, C/ Pósito, 7 (29490)
Telephone: (+34) 952 150 077
Fax: (+34) 952 150 208
TOURIST BOARD &
What the natives are called: benarrabeños.
www.benarraba.com
.
Population about: 8,000 .
What the natives are called: campilleros.
www.campillos.es
CANILLAS DE ALBAIDA
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora de la Expectación church and the
chapels of Santa Ana and San Antón.
In the La Axarquía region, 50 kilometres from Málaga and
only 2.5 kilometres from Cómpeta. The village is about 580
metres above sea level. The annual average rainfall in the
area is 670 litres per square metre and the average
Town Hall, Plaza del Generalísimo, 10 (29755).
Telephone: (+34) 952 553 006; Fax: (+34) 952 553 100;
Part 1
Index
Surface area:
33.20 square kilometres
Population about:
about 900.
called: canilleros.
www.canillasdealbaida.es
.
50
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Reposo church, the chapels of San Benito, Nuestra Señora de Belén, and
Santa Ana, and the Roman archaeological sites of Capacete, Castillón de Gobantes, Cortijo La Cuesta
and Los Castillos
In the western part of the Antequera region, 30 kilometres from that town and 70 from the provincial
capital. The village centre sits 500 metres above sea level. The average rainfall is 510 litres per square
metre and the annual average temperature is 15º C
Town Hall, Avda. Santa María del Reposo, 4 (29320).
Telephone: (+34) 952 722 168
Fax: (+34) 952 723 105
CAMPILLOS
51
CARTAjIMA
Outstanding sights:
The San Sebastián church, the convents of San
Francisco and Sacramento, and the Priego and
Ortegical towers.
In the south-eastern part of the Antequera region,
adjoining that of Ronda. The village centre is 750
metres above sea level and 100 kilometres from
the city of Málaga. The area records an average
rainfall of 600 litres per square metre, and the
average annual temperature is about 15.5º C
Town Hall, Plaza de la Paz, 1 (29340).
Telephone: (+34) 952 183 001
Fax: (+34) 952 183 224
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Rosario church
and archaeological sites (a medieval
castle and Roman baths and
necropolis)
In the Ronda highlands (Alta Genal), 18
kilometres from Ronda and 140 from
the provincial capital. The village is
about 850 metres above sea level. The
average rainfall in the area is about
1,300 litres per square metre and the
average annual temperature is about
14º C
Town Hall, C/ Iglesia, 20 (29452).
Telephone: (+34) 952 180 75
Fax: (+34) 952 180 790
Surface area: 164.60 square
kilometres
cañeteros.
www.canetelareal.es
What the natives are called: carratraqueños.
www.carratraca.es
What the natives are called: cartameños.
www.cartama.es
cartajimeños.
www.cartajima.es
CÁRTAMA
Outstanding sights:
The castle-fortress, San Pedro church,
Nuestra Señora de los Remedios
chapel, sixteenth century fountain, Casa
Museo González Marín (González
Marín House Museum), Roman ruins
In the Guadalhorce valley region, 21
kilometres from Málaga and about 260
metres above sea level. Average annual
rainfall in the area is 550 litres per
square metre and the average
Town Hall, C/ Rey Juan Carlos I, 62
(29570).
Telephone: (+34) 952 422 126
Fax: (+34) 952 422 349
.
.
52
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora de la Salud church, Balneario (Spa), Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), and the Plaza de
Toros (Bullring)
In the northern part of the Guadalhorce valley region, bordering on the Antequera region. The locality
has an altitude of 540 metros and is 56 kilometres from Ronda and from the provincial capital. The
area’s average rainfall is 450 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 16º C
Tourism Office, Calle Glorieta,2 (29551).
Telephone: (+34) 952 45 80 16
Fax: (+34) 952 45 82 76
CONVENTION BUREAU
CAñETE LA REAL
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53
CASARES
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Socorro church, cemetery, Torre Zambra (Zambra Tower) and Peñas Cabrera
prehistoric complex
In the northern part of the Málaga mountains region. The village sits at 550 metres above sea level and
is 20 kilometres from the provincial capital. The area records an average rainfall of nearly 600 litres per
square metre and the annual average temperature is 16º C
Tourist information:Town Hall, C/ Llanete de Abajo, 2 (29160).
Telephone: (+34) 952 758 009; Fax: (+34) 952 758 009; E-mail: [email protected]
What the natives are called: bermejos.
www.casabermeja.es
Outstanding sights:
Former church of La Encarnación, Arabic Castle-fortress, La Encarnación church, San Sebastián
chapel, Carlos III fountain, Museo de Etnohistoria (Ethnic History Museum), Museo Casa Natal de Blas
Infante (Birth House of Blas Infante Museum), Torre de la Sal (La Sal tower), Lacipo Roman ruins,
Baños de Hedionda (Hedionda baths).
In the Costa del Sol Occidental, bordering Serranía de Ronda. The village is spread over two hills, at
some 435 metres above sea level, and is 104 kilometres from the city of Málaga. The area records an
annual average rainfall of 860 litres per square metre and the
average temperature is 16.6º C
Casa Natal de Blas Infante, C/ Villa, 29 (29690).
Tel.: (+34) 952 895 521; Fax: (+34) 952 894 017;
What the natives are called: casareños.
www.casares.es
Outstanding sights:
Churches of Santa María de la Encarnación, San Andrés, and San Juan,
Nuestra Señora de la Fuensanta chapel, Torre de los Trinitarios (Trinitarians
Tower), Sala Arqueológica (Archaeological hall in the church of La Encarnación)
In the southern part of the Guadalhorce valley region, 38 kilometres from
Málaga and 210 metres above sea level. The average annual rainfall is 610
litres per square metre and the average temperature is 17º C
Tourism Office, C/ Teniente Coronel de la Rubia, s/n (29100).
Telephone: (+34) 952 45 32 11
Fax: (+34) 952 45 32 11
What the natives are called: moriscos.
www.casarabonela.es
What the natives are called: coineños.
www.coin.es
Part 1
Index
.
.
COíN
Outstanding sights:
Santiago church, ruins of the Arab castle, Veracruz chapel, Los Mizos mill, Los Villares archaeological
site
In the north-western part of the Guadalhorce valley region, bordering on the regions of Antequera and
Ronda. The village is 500 metres above sea level and 48 kilometres from the provincial capital. The
area’s rainfall exceeds 710 litres per square metre and the annual average temperature is 17º C
Tourism Office, Calle Real, 5 (29566).
Telephone: (+34) 952 45 60 67
Fax: (+34) 952 45 69 76
CASARABONELA
54
CONVENTION BUREAU
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TOURIST BOARD &
55
What the natives are called: colmenareños.
Apodo: tinajeros.
www.colmenar.es
.
What the natives are called: comareños.Nickname: moriscos.
www.comares.es
What the natives are called: competeños.
www.competa.es
Outstanding sights:
Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church,
chapels of San Antón and San Sebastián
In the north-eastern La Axarquía region, on
the slopes of the Sierra de Almijara. It is 28
kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and 52 from
the provincial capital. The urban zone sits at
640 meters above sea level. The area
records an average annual rainfall of 630
litres per square metre, and the average
Tourism Office, Avda. Constitución, s/n
(29754).
Telephone: (+34) 952 55 36 85
Fax: (+34) 952 51 36 85
CORTES DE LA fRONTERA
Outstanding sights:
Casa Consistorial (Town Hall), Nuestra Señora del Rosario church, Casa de los Valdenebros (Los
Valdenebros house), Plaza de Toros (Bullring) and the Casa de Piedra (Stone House).
In the Serranía de Ronda in the westernmost part of the province of Málaga, bordering on the province
of Cádiz. The village is 600 metres above sea level. It is 40 kilometres from Ronda, 20 from Benaoján
and 159 from the provincial capital. The average rainfall is plentiful (1,160 litres per square metre) and
the average temperature is slightly more than 16º C
Town Hall, Plaza Carlos III (29380).
Telephone: (+34) 952 154 000
Fax: (+34) 952 154 342
What the natives are called: cortesanos.
www.cortesdelafrontera.es.
.
56
Outstanding sights:
The Comares castle, La Encarnación church, and the
Mazmúllar water well
In the La Axarquía region, bordering the Málaga Mountains,
28 kilometres from the provincial capital and 24 from VélezMálaga. The village is 700 metres above sea level. Average
rainfall in the area is 580 litres per square metre and the
average temperature does not exceed 17º C
Town Hall, Plaza Balcón de la Axarquía, s/n (29195).
Telephone: (+34) 952 509 233
Fax: (+34) 952 509 300
CóMPETA
COMARES
Outstanding sights:
Santísima Virgen de la Candelaria chapel,
Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church, Puerta
de la Cruz (La Cruz gate)
In the northern part of the Málaga mountains
region, bordering on La Axarquía and the
Antequera region. The village centre is almost
700 metres above sea level and is 35 kilometres
from the provincial capital and 44 from VélezMálaga. Average rainfall is 765 litres per square
metre and the average annual temperature is
16.5º C
Telephone: (+34) 952 730 000
Fax: (+34) 952 731 068
CONVENTION BUREAU
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What the natives are called: cueveños.
www.cuevasbajas.es
Outstanding sights:
The San Juan Bautista parish church, niches, façades on
Real Street, and the Cedrón and La Moheda hamlets, which
have medieval street plans
In the northern part of the Antequera region, where the
province of Málaga borders that of Córdoba. The village sits
at 323 metres above sea level in the so-called Subbetic
district of Málaga and is 72 kilometres from the provincial
capital. The average annual rainfall is 700 litres per square
metre and the average temperature is about 16º C
Town Hall, C/ La Venta, 114 (29220).
Telephone: (+34) 952 727 501
Fax: (+34) 952 729 679
Outstanding sights:
The San Marcos church, Virgen del Carmen chapel, Cueva de Belda (Belda cave), Medina de
Belda archaeological site
In the northern part of the Antequera region, on the border of the province of Córdoba. The
village is spread over a hill at an altitude of 420 metres above sea level. The area records an
average annual rainfall of 750 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 16º C
Town Hall, Plaza Luis de Armiñán, 32 (29210).
Telephone: (+34) 952 727 007
Fax: (+34) 952 727 403
What the natives are called: cuevachos.
www.cuevasdesanmarcos.es
Population about: 2.000 aprox.
cueveños.
www.cuevasdelbecerro.com
Outstanding sights:
The San Antonio Abad church, ruins of the Cerro del
Castillón medieval castle, Cueva del Moro (El Moro
cave), and the fountain Fuente del Nacimiento.
In the northern part of the Ronda region, on the border of
Antequera. It is 20 kilometres from Ronda and 105 from
the city of Málaga. The village sits at more than 730
metres above sea level. The area records an average
rainfall of 820 litres per square metre and the average
Town Hall, C/ Real, 41 (29470).
Telephone: (+34) 952 162 280
Fax: (+34) 952 162 001
CúTAR
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación
church, Arabic fountain, and the
archaeological remains at Peña del Hierro
In the western part of the La Axarquía region,
10 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and 32 from
the provincial capital. The village is 330
metres above sea level. The area records an
average annual rainfall of 560 litres per
square metre, and an average temperature of
about 17º C
Town Hall, C/ Fuente, 13
(29718).
Telephone: (+34) 952 554 247
Fax: :(+34) 952 554 229
Population about: 650.
What the natives are called: cuatreños.
Nickname: pelones.
www.cutar.es
.
.
58
CUEVAS DE SAN MARCOS
CUEVAS DEL BECERRO
CONVENTION BUREAU
CUEVAS BAjAS
Part 1
Index
59
Surface area:
Population about:
2,050.
bargueños.
www.elburgo.es
Surface area: 25,70 square kilometres
Population about: 1.000 aprox.
What the natives are called: borgeños.
www.elborge.es
EL BURGO
Outstanding sights:
The La Encarnación church, La Virgen de las Nieves
convent church, San Agustín church, Puente de
Málaga (Málaga bridge), Molino de la Fuensanta (La
Fuensanta mill), and the San Sebastián chapel.
In the Sierra de las Nieves region, adjoining that of
Antequera and the Guadalhorce valley. The village,
which stands at almost 600 metres above sea level, is
27 kilometres from Ronda. The average rainfall is 621
litres per square metre and the annual average
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Real, 22 (29420).
Telephone: (+34) 952 160 002
Fax: (+34) 952 160 180
ESTEPONA
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora de los Remedios church,
Torre del Reloj (Clock Tower), El Calvario
chapel, the Castle walls, Palacio del Marqués
de Mondéjar (palace of the Marquise of
Mondéjar), Casa de la Borrega (La Borrega
house), lookout towers, Museo Etnográfico
(Ethnographic Museum), Museo Taurino
(Bullfighting
Museum),
Museo
de
Paleontología (Museum of Palaeontology),
Museo
Arqueológico
(Archaeological
Museum)
In the western part of the Western Costa del
Sol. The northern area of the municipality
adjoins the Ronda region, while the village
itself is located on the coastal fringe. The
average rainfall is 900 litres per square metre
and the average annual temperature is 17º C
Tourism Office, Avda San Lorenzo, 1 (29680).
Telephone: (+34) 952 80 20 02
Fax: (+34) 952 79 21 81
What the natives are called: farajeños o celestotes.
www.farajan.es
What the natives are called: esteponeros.
www.estepona.es
FARAjÁN
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Rosario church, Las
Chorea’s (waterfalls)
In the Alto Genal area of the Ronda region. It
is 25 kilometres from Ronda and 144 from the
city of Málaga. The village is 640 metres
above sea level. The area’s average rainfall at
1,120 litres per square metre is abundant
compared to other areas of the province of
Málaga, and the annual average temperature
is about 14º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/Plaza
Andalucia, 8 (29461).
Telephone: (+34) 952 180 506
Fax: (+34) 952 180 555
.
.
60
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Rosario
church, Arco de la Pasa (Raisin Arch),
Fuente del Cuerno (El Cuerno
fountain), and the El Rinconcillo
neighbourhood
In the western part of the region of La
Axarquía, adjoining the Málaga
Mountains. It is 24 kilometres from
Vélez-Málaga and 28 from the
provincial capital. The village sits some
240 metres above sea level. The
average annual rainfall is 580 litres per
temperature is 16.6º.
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza
de la Constitución, 1 (29718)
Telephone: (+34) 952 512 033
Fax: (+34) 952 512 222
CONVENTION BUREAU
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FRIGILIANA
Outstanding sights: the San Antonio church, former granary,
Palacio de los Condes de Frigiliana (Palace of the Counts of
Frigiliana), Ecce Homo chapel, walls of the Castillo de Lizar (Lizar
castle), Palacio del Apero (El Apero palace), Algar culture menhir
(standing stone), and the Phoenician necropolis
Geographical location: in the eastern part La Axarquía, in the
foothills of the Almijara mountain range. The village is more than 430
metres above sea level. It is 56 kilometres from the provincial capital
and only 6 from Nerja. The area records an average annual rainfall
of about 600 litres per square metre and the average temperature is
18º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Plaza del Ingenio, s/n (29788).
Telephone: (+34) 952 53 31 26
Fax: (+34) 952 53 34 34
Population about: 1.800.
What the natives are called: gaucineños o gaucinenses.
www.gaucin.es
GAUCíN
Outstanding sights:
The El Aguila castle, San Sebastián parish church, chapels of Vera
Cruz and Santo Niño, Fuente de los Seis Caños (Fountain of the Six
Spouts).
In the Genal valley, in the southern part of the Ronda region, 36
kilometres from that city and 130 kilometres from the provincial
capital. The village is 630 metres above sea level and records an
annual rainfall of 1,340 litres per square metre. The average
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza Guzmán El Bueno, 23
(29480). Telephone: (+34) 952 151 000
Fax: (+34) 952 151 172
.
What the natives are called: fuengiroleños.
www.fuengirola.es
.
Outstanding sights:
Tthe Palacio de la Marquesa de Fuente de Piedra (Palace of the Marchioness of Fuente de la Pieddra),
Nuestra Señora de las Virtudes parish church and the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra (Fuente de Piedra
lake)
In the north-western part of the Antequera region, 19 kilometres from that city and 73 from the provincial
capital. The village sits at an altitude of 443 metros. It records an average annual rainfall of about 500
litres per square metre and the average temperature is 15.5º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Calle Castillo, 1 (29520).
Telephone: (+34) 952 73 54 53
Fax: (+34) 952 73 54 53
Outstanding sights:
Castillo Sohail castle, the archaeological sites of Suel and Finca de Acevedo and Finca del
Secretario, Museo de Historia de la Ciudad.
In the Western Costa del Sol region, on the municipal boundaries of Mijas and Benalmádena. The
city is 27 kilometres from the provincial capital and 8 from Mijas. The average annual rainfall is 570
millimetres and the average annual temperature is 18º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Paseo Jesús Santos Rein, 6 (29640)
Telephone: (+34) 952 46 74 57
Fax: (+34) 952 46 51 00
FUENTE DE PIEDRA
What the natives are called: villafontenses.
www.fuentedepiedra.es
FUENGIROLA
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TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
What the natives are called: frigilianenses.
Nickname: aguanosos.
www.frigiliana.es
Part 1
Index
63
HUMILLADERO
Outstanding sights:
The Parish Church of San Pedro de Verona, Museo de los Encuentros de Arte del Valle del Genal, Los
Reales de Sierra Bermeja. The streets of Genalguacil exhibit works of art from the art meetings.
In the Lower Genal district in the southern part of the Ronda region. The village spreads over a hill at
an altitude of 520 metres and is 45 kilometres from Ronda and 150 from the city of Málaga. The average
rainfall-one of the highest in the province- exceeds 1,300 litres per square metre and the average
temperature is around 14º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Real, 3 (29492).
Telephone: (+34) 952 152 003
Fax: (+34) 952 152 129
What the natives are called: genalguacileños.
www.genalguacil.es
Population about: 2.100
What the natives are called: guareños.
www.guaro.es
Outstanding sights:
The San Miguel parish church, chapels of La Cruz del Puerto
and San Isidro, Rulos del Molino (museum)
In the Guadalhorce valley region adjoining the Las Nieves
mountain range. The village is about 500 metres above sea
level. It is 50 kilometres from Málaga and 15 from Marbella.
The area records an average annual rainfall of 660 litres per
square metre and the average temperature is 17º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Avda Andalucía, s/n
(29108)
Telephone: (+34) 952 45 78 12
Fax: (+34) 952 45 78 12
What the natives are called: igualejeños.
www.igualeja.es
Outstanding sights:
The Santa Rosa de Lima church
and the headwaters of the River
Genal.
In the Genal valley (Ronda
highlands). The village is 700
metres above sea level and 20
kilometres from Ronda and 142
kilometres from the city of
Málaga. The average rainfall is
1,200 litres per square metre
and the average temperature
does not exceed 13.5º C
Plaza de Andalucía, 26 (29440).
Telephone: (+34) 952 181 620
Fax: (+34) 952 181 653
IGUALEjA
.
.
GUARO
humilladerenses o gatos.
www.humilladero.es
Outstanding sights:
The Virgen del Rosario parish church, Cruz
del Humilladero (El Humilladero cross)
In the northern part of the Antequera
province on the border of the province of
Seville and 78 kilometres from the city of
Málaga. The village is at an altitude of 450
metres. The area records an average
rainfall of 480 litres per square metre and
the annual average temperature is 15.5º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Avda. del
Emigrante, 1 (29531)
Telephone: (+34) 952 737 023
Fax: (+34) 952 737 292
64
CONVENTION BUREAU
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TOURIST BOARD &
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65
Outstanding sights:
The church of San Miguel, Torre Escalante, chapel of San Miguel, El Chorro fountain and washhouse,
Castaño Santo, Casa de la Juventud and Tajo Banderas Las Herrizas, Azufaifo and Del Peñón scenic
viewpoints.
In the northern part of the Western Costa del Sol region, bordering on the Guadalhorce valley and
Ronda regions. The village is about 300 metres above sea level. It is 72 kilometres from the provincial
capital and only 13 from the coast. The average rainfall is 930 litres per square metre and the average
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Calle Empedrada, 32 (29611).
Telephone: (+34) 952 86 96 03; Fax: (+34) 952 86 96 65; E-mail: [email protected]
Outstanding sights:
The San Gregorio VII church
In the interior of the La Axarquía region, 14
kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and 30 from the
provincial capital. The village is a little more
than 300 metres above sea level. The average
annual rainfall in the municipality is 530 litres
per square metre and the average temperature
is 17.6ºC.
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Vélez, 20
(29792).
Telephone: (+34) 952 509 776
Fax: (+34) 952 509 798
Outstanding sights:
The parish church, Finca del Tesoro
archaeological site, and the
surrounding natural areas
In the Ronda highlands, in the
middle of the River Guadiaro valley.
The village is 26 kilometres from
Ronda and sits at an altitude of 540
metres. The area records abundant
rains, with the average annual
rainfall being 1,160 litres per square
metre, and the average temperature
is 15º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/
Fontana, 8 (29392)
Telephone: (+34) 952 180 004
Fax: (+34) 952 180 107
IzNATE
Surface area: 7,50 square kilometres
Population about: 850 aprox.
What the natives are called: iznateños.
www.iznate.es
What the natives are called: jimeranos.
www.jimeradelibar.es
JUBRIqUE
Outstanding sights:
The San Francisco de Asís church, the
Genal valley, hiking trails to neighbouring
villages
In the southern part of the Ronda highlands.
The locality is 560 metres above sea level.
It is 38 kilometres from Ronda and 105 from
the provincial capital. The area records an
average annual rainfall of 1,300 litres per
square metre and the average temperature
is about 14º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de
Andalucía, s/n (29492).
Telephone: (+34) 952 152 250
Fax: (+34) 952 153 336;
What the natives are called: jubriqueños.
www.jubrique.org
.
.
66
What the natives are called: panochos.
www.istan.es
JIMERA DE LíBAR
CONVENTION BUREAU
ISTÁN
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67
TOURIST BOARD &
MACHARAVIAyA
Outstanding sights:
The Gálvez monument, San Jacinto
church, Fábrica de Naipes (old playing
card factory), and the Nuestra Señora de
la Encarnación church (Benaque)
In the La Axarquía region, 25 kilometres
from Vélez-Málaga and 27 from the
provincial capital. It is 240 metres above
sea level, the average rainfall in the area
is 520 litres per square metre and the
average annual temperature is 17.5º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza
Matías de Gálvez, 2 (29791).
Telephone: (+34) 952 400 042
Fax: (+34) 952 400 026
Population about: 200 aprox.
What the natives are called: juzcareños.
www.juzcar.es
What the natives are called: macharatungos
www.macharaviaya.es
What the natives are called: viñoleros.
Nickname: polacos.
www.laviñuela.es
.
.
Outstanding sights:
The San José church, La Virgen de las Angustias chapel, Torre de la Atalaya (watchtower),
archaeological sites, and the La Viñuela reservoir
In the central part of the La Axarquía region north of Vélez-Málaga. The locality is 151 metres
above sea level. It is 10 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and 40 from the provincial capital. The
municipality registers an average rainfall of 570 litres per square metre and the average annual
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Granada, 13 (29712)
Telephone: (+34) 952 519 002
Fax: (+34) 952 519 088
LA VIñUELA
68
CONVENTION BUREAU
JúzCAR
Outstanding sights:
The Santa Catalina church and the ruins of the Fábrica de
Hojalata (tin factory)
In the upper Genal region of the Ronda highlands. The village
sits at more than 620 metres above sea level and is 22
kilometres from Ronda and 113 from the provincial capital.
The area records an average annual rainfall of more than
1,100 litres per square metre and the average temperature is
about 14º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Real Fábrica de Hojalata,
1 (29462)
Telephone: (+34) 952 183 500
Fax: (+34) 952 183 644
Part 1
Index
69
Outstanding sights:
The La Duquesa castle (or Sabinillas fort), Santa Ana church
and the Chullera towers
This is the western-most municipality on the Costa del Sol
and therefore borders on the province of Cádiz. It is 97
kilometres from the city of Málaga and 35 from Gibraltar. The
average annual rainfall in the area is 750 litres per square
metre and the average temperature is 17º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Calle Duquesa de
Arco, 53 (29692)
Telephone: (+34) 952 893 679
Fax: (+34) 952 891 600
What the natives are called: manilveños.
www.manilva.es
Population about: 630,.000.
What the natives are called: malagueños.
www.ayto-málaga.es
.
.
Outstanding sights:
Roman Theatre, Alcazaba (fortress), Gibralfaro castle, the Cathedral, El Sagrario church, Palacio
Episcopal (Episcopal Palace), Picasso Museum, Santiago church, Plaza de la Merced, Fundación
Picasso (Picasso Foundation), La Aduana (Customs House), Paseo del Parque (Park Promenade),
Rectorado de la Universidad de Málaga (Rector’s Office of the University of Málaga, the former post
office), Banco de España (Bank of Spain), Town Hall, Puerta Oscura gardens, Pedro Luis Alonso
gardens, Tres Gracias fountains, Plaza de Toros (Bullring), Palacio de Justicia (Hall of Justice, former
Hotel Miramar), Marqués de Larios monument, Larios Street, Génova fountain, Pasaje de Chinitas,
Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (Friends of the Country Economic Society), Málaga
Atheneum, the churches of Santo Cristo de la Salud and Santos Mártires, Museo de Artes y
Costumbres Populares (Popular Arts and Customs Museum), Puerta de Atarazanas (Shipyard gate),
La Virgen de la Victoria shrine, Finca de la Concepción, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo (Contemporary
Arts Centre CAC), Museo del Patrimonio Municipal de Málaga (City Heritage Museum).
On the southern Mediterranean coast,
50 nautical miles from the Straits of
Gibraltar and 520 kilometres from
Madrid. The capital records an
average annual rainfall of 470 litres
per square metre and the average
Tourist information: Tourism Office,
Plaza de la Marina, s/n (29012).
Telephone: (+34) 952 122 020
Fax: (+34) 952 122 023
E-mail: turismo@ayto_málaga.es
MANILVA
CONVENTION BUREAU
MÁLAGA
TOURIST BOARD &
70
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TOURIST BOARD &
MARBELLA
Outstanding sights:
The Roman villa of Río Verde, Paleo-Christian basilica of Vega del Mar, Roman hot springs or
bathhouses of Guadalmina, La Encarnación Church, the Arabic Fortress, San Juan de Dios Hospital,
Bazán Hospital (Museum of Engraving), Casa del Corregidor (House of the Magistrate), Santo Cristo
de la Vera Cruz chapel, Ayuntamiento (City Hall), chapel of Santiago, Cortijo Miraflores Museum and
the Bonsai Museum.
In the centre of the western Costa del Sol, between the slopes of the Sierra Blanca range and the coast.
The city is 56 kilometres from Málaga. The municipality records an average annual rainfall of 630 litres
per square metre and the average temperature is 18º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Plaza de los Naranjos (Bajos Ayuntamiento) (29600).
Telephone: (+34) 952 823 550
Fax: (+34) 952 773 621
72
MOCLINEjO
Outstanding sights:
The Santa María church, Manchón de las Minas
(mines)
In the western part of the La Axarquía region, 17
kilometres from Málaga. The village is 450 metres
above sea level. The municipality records an
average rainfall of 580 litres per square metre and
an average temperature of 17.5º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de
España, 1 (29738).
Telephone: (+34) 952 400 586
Fax: (+34) 952 400 505
What the natives are called: moclinejenses.
Nickname: conejos.
www.moclinejo.es
Part 1
.
.
What the natives are called: marbellíes.
www.marbella.es
Outstanding sights:
The Virgen de la Peña (Virgin of the Rock) chapel, Inmaculada Concepción church, Plaza de Toros
(Bullring), Carromato de Max museum, Casa Museo (House Museum), Museo de las Torres Vigçías
(Watch Towers Museum)
In the western Costa del Sol region. The locality is some 430 metres above sea level and is 30
kilometres from the provincial capital and 8 from neighbouring Fuengirola. The municipality records an
average rainfall of 660 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 17º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Plaza Virgen de la Peña, 2 (29650).
Telephone: (+34) 952 58 90 34
Fax: (+34) 952 58 90 35
MIjAS
CONVENTION BUREAU
What the natives are called: mijeños.
www.mijas.es
Index
73
Outstanding sights:
The Castellum de Santillán archaeological site,
La Ascensión convent, and the Nuestra Señora
de la Oliva parish church
In the Antequera region, 16 kilometres from that
city and 60 from the provincial capital. The village
is 480 metres above sea level, the average
annual rainfall is 500 litres per square metre and
the average temperature is 15.5º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ De la Villa, 3
(29532).
Telephone: (+34) 952 740 044
Fax: (+34) 952 740 338
MONTEjAqUE
What the natives are called: mollinatos.
www.mollina.org
.
Surface area:
Population about:
18,000
nerjeños.
Nickname: morralleros.
www.nerja.org
Part 1
Outstanding sights:
The historic district of Nerja and Maro, Balcón de Europa, the El
Salvador church, Las Angustias chapel, Nuestra Señora de las
Maravillas church (Maro), El Águila aqueduct, Cueva de Nerja
(Nerja Cave), Chanquete’s boat, Paraje Natural de los
Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo (Cliffs of Maro-Cerro Gordo
Natural Area)
In the most easterly part of the region of La Axarquía, and by
extension of the province of Málaga, in the foothills of the Sierra
de Almijara. The locality lies 30 meters above sea level and is 45
kilometres from Málaga. It records an average rainfall of 460
millimetres and the annual average temperature is about 20º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, c/ Carmen, 1 Bajos
Ayuntamiento. (29780).
Telephone: (+34) 952 52 15 31
Fax: (+34) 952 52 62 87
.
74
NERjA
Outstanding sights:
Santiago church, La Villeta castle or Al-Muldat castle, La Jaula fountain and
Casa Museo Mari Gloria (Mari Gloria house museum)
In the north of Costa del Sol and west of the Guadalhorce valley region. The
village is 40 kilometres from the provincial capital and 7 from Coín, and is 380
metres above sea level. Average rainfall in the municipality is 700 litres per
square metre and the average temperature is 17º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Valdescoba, 1 (29110).
Telephone: (+34) 952 457 069
Fax: (+34) 952 457 180
What the natives are called: mondeños.
www.monda.es
What the natives are called: montejaqueños.
www.montejaque.com
MONDA
Outstanding sights:
The Santiago el Mayor parish church, Cueva
de la Pileta (La Pileta cave, in Benaoján),
Hundidero-Cueva del Gato (caves)
In the western part of the Ronda highlands,
the region to which it belongs. It is 140
kilometres from the city of Málaga, 21 from
Ronda and only 2 from Benaoján. The village
is almost 700 metres above sea level. The
area records an average rainfall of more than
1,600 litres per square metre and the annual
average temperature is 16ºC
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de la
Constitución, 4 (29360)
Telephone: (+34) 952 167 196
Fax: (+34) 952 167 196
CONVENTION BUREAU
MOLLINA
TOURIST BOARD &
Index
75
Surface area:
Population about:
2,300
ojenetos.
www.ojen.net
Outstanding sights:
The Inmaculada Concepción church,
Valdecilla evergreen oak tree, Sierra
de las Nieves Nature Park
In the eastern part of the Ronda
region. The municipality borders the
Guadalhorce valley region and the
Western Costa del Sol. The village is
800 metres above sea level and is
105 kilometres from the provincial
capital. The area records an average
annual rainfall of 1,300 litres per
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/
Calvario, 4 (29451).
Telephone: (+34) 952 181 028
Fax: (+34) 952 181 000
Outstanding sights:
The San Isidro Labrador church, Baños de Vilo bathhouses, headwaters of the River Guaro, and the
panoramic views of La Axarquía.
In the northern part of the La Axarquía region, on the border of the province of Granada. The village is
550 metres above sea level. It is 23 kilometres from Vélez and 48 from the city of Málaga. The area
records an average annual rainfall of 620 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 16º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de Andalucía, 1 (29710)
Telephone: (+34) 952 536 167
Fax: (+34) 952 536 276
What the natives are called: perianenses
Nickname: los manga anchas.
www.periana.es
PIzARRA
What the natives are called: pizarreños.
www.pizarra.es
Surface area:
called: parauteños.
www.parauta.es
Outstanding sights:
The church of San Pedro, Palacio de los Condes de Puerto Hermoso (Palace of the Counts of Puerto
Hermoso), Hermanas de la Cruz convent, Nuestra Señora de la Fuensanta chapel, and the Museo
Municipal de Pizarra (Pizarra Municipal Museum)
In the central Guadalhorce valley, between Alora and Cártama. The locality is 30 kilometres from
Málaga and lies 80 metres above sea level. The area’s average annual rainfall is 540 litres per square
Tourist information: Town Hall, Camino de la Estación, 1 (29560).
Telephone: (+34) 952 48 46 84
Fax: (+34) 952 48 46 84
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PARAUTA
Outstanding sights:
The La Encarnación church, Los Chorros
fountain, and the Museo del Vino de Málaga
(Málaga Wine Museum)
In the Western Costa del Sol region, 10
kilometres from Marbella and 65 from the
provincial capital. The village is 310 metres
above sea level. It records an average
rainfall of 800 litres per square metre of
rainfall and the average temperature is 17º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Camino de
Marbella, 3 (29610).
Telephone: (+34) 952 881 003
Fax: (+34) 952 881 216
TOURIST BOARD &
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PERIANA
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Outstanding sights:
The Espíritu Santo church and the natural
surroundings.
In the upper Genal area of the Ronda highlands. The
locality is 770 metres above sea level and is 116
kilometres from the provincial capital. The
municipality records an average rainfall of 1,100
Town Hall, C/ Fuentes, 3 (29540).
Telephone: (+34) 952 183 513
Fax: (+34) 952 183 514
.
What the natives are called: riogordeños.
nickname: panzones.
www.riogordo.es
What the natives are called: rinconeros.
www.rincondelavictoria.es
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Outstanding sights:
The Bezmiliana fortress, the churches of Nuestra Señora
del Carmen and Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
(Benagalbón), El Cantal and Benagalbón watchtowers,
and the caves of El Tesoro and La Victoria.
In the south-western part of La Axarquía, on the Eastern
Costa del Sol, 12 kilometres from Málaga. Average
rainfall in the area is 480 litres per square metre and the
average temperature is 18ºC.
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Calle Granada, 2ºB
(29730).
Telephone: (+34) 952 40 77 68
Fax: (+34) 952 40 66 18
What the natives are called: pujerreños.
www.pujerra.es
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora de Gracia parish church
and the San Sebastián or Jesús Nazareno
chapel, Ethnographic Museum
In the north-western part of the La Axarquía
region. The village is 400 metres above sea
level. It is 33 kilometres from Málaga, about
the same from Vélez-Málaga and 6 kilometres
from Colmenar. The average rainfall in the
area is 575 litres per square metre and the
average annual temperature is 16.2º C
Town Hall, (29180).
Telephone: (+34) 952 732 154
Fax: (+34) 952 732 380
RINCóN DE LA VICTORIA
RIOGORDO
CONVENTION BUREAU
PUjERRA
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What the natives are called: salareños.
www.salares.es
SAyALONGA
What the natives are called: sayalonguinos.
Nickname: sayones.
www.sayalonga.es
Outstanding sights:
Santa Catalina parish church, San Antón chapel,
San Pedro church with its Mudéjar minaret
(Corumbela), the circular cemetery
In the La Axarquía region. The centre of the town is
360 meters above sea level. It is 38 kilometres from
the capital of Málaga and 12 from Vélez-Málaga.
The average annual rainfall is 620 litres per square
Tourism Office, Plaza de la Constitución, 6 (29752).
Telephone: (+34) 952 53 52 06
Fax: (+34) 952 53 52 06
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80
What the natives are called: rondeños.
www.ronda.es
Outstanding sights:
The Santa Ana parish church (with Mudéjar minaret-tower),
Roman bridge over the River Salares, Albarrá fountain,
Cerro del Puerto peak
In the La Axarquía region, at the foot of the Almijara
mountains and 580 metres above sea level. It is 58
kilometres from the city of Málaga and 28 from VélezMálaga. The municipality records an average rainfall of 670
litres per square metre and the average temperature is 17º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Iglesia, 2 (29714).
Telephone: (+34) 952 508 905
Fax: (+34) 952 508 905
Outstanding sights:
Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), San Juan Bosco house, Virgen de la Paz church, Casa del Gigante
(Giant’s House), Mondragón palace, Plaza Duquesa Parcent, Santa María de la Encarnación main
church, Town Hall, La Caridad church, Espíritu Santo church, Puerta de Almocábar (Almocábar Gate),
Puerta de Carlos V (Carlos V Gate), Museo del Bandolero (Bandit Museum), Museo de la Caza
(Hunting Museum), Museo Temático Lara (Lara Theme Museum), Museo Joaquín Peinado (Joaquín
Peinado Museum), San Sebastián minaret, Palacio del Marqués de Salvatierra (Palace of the Marquise
de Salvatierra), Casa del Rey Moro (House of the Moorish King), Arco de Felipe V (Felipe V Arch),
Sillón del Rey Moro (Seat of the Moorish King), Puente Viejo (Old Bridge), Fuente de los Ocho Caños
(eight-spout fountain), Padre Jesús church, Virgen de los Dolores chapel, Santa Cecilia church, El
Socorro church, Plaza de Toros (Bullring), Jardines de Blas Infante (Blas Infante gardens), La Merced
church, Hotel Reina Victoria, Virgen de la Cabeza Mozarabic Monastery, Arab Bathhouse, Roman
archaeological site of Acinipo, Museo del Vino (Wine Museum), La Pileta Cave, and Algaba centre.
In the northern part of the Serrania (mountain range) de Ronda, between Sierra de las Nieves,
Grazalema and Los Alcornocales Nature Parks. The city is 740 metres above sea level and 113
kilometres from the provincial capital. The area has an average rainfall of 650 litres per square metre
and the annual average temperature is 15º C
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Paseo Blas Infante, s/n (29400)
Telephone: (+34) 952 18 71 19; Fax: (+34) 952 18 71 47
SALARES
CONVENTION BUREAU
RONDA
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Outstanding sights:
The San Andrés church, Casa del Torreón
(House of the Tower), and the Virgen de la
Esperanza chapel
In the north-eastern part of the La Axarquía
region. Its area of greatest altitude borders the
province of Granada. The village is 690 metres
above sea level and is 54 kilometres from
Málaga, 23 from Vélez-Málaga and 8 from
Canillas de Aceituno, the closest village. The
average rainfall in the area is 670 litres per
square metre and the annual average
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Andalucía,
11 (29715).
Telephone: (+34) 952 508 839
Fax: (+34) 952 508 838;
What the natives are called: sedellanos.
Nickname: sellanos.
www.sedella.es
Outstanding sights:
The La Estrella castle, Santa Cruz Real church, San Francisco convent, Museo Parroquial (Parish
Museum), Museo Arqueológico (Archaeological Museum)
In the GuadalTeba area of the western part of the Antequera region, of which it is geographically a part.
The village is 555 metres above sea level and is 87 kilometres from the city of Málaga. The average
annual precipitation is 500 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 14º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 13 (29327)
Telephone: (+34) 952 748 020
Fax: (+34) 952 748 422
TOLOx
Outstanding sights:
The Inmaculada Concepción church, Roman villas and bathhouses.
In the north-western part of the Antequera region, bordering on the province of Seville. The village
is 550 metres above sea level and 95 kilometres from the provincial capital. The municipality
receives an average precipitation of 550 litres per square metre and the average annual
Town Hall, Plaza de Andalucía,1
Telephone: (+34) 952 746 002
Fax: (+34) 952 746 176
.
What the natives are called: serranos.
www.sierradeyeguas.es
Outstanding sights:
Tthe Murallas del Castillo (walls of the Castle), San Miguel church, Casa
Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares (Popular Arts and Traditions
House Museum), San Roque chapel, Fuente Amargosa spa, Casa de la
Inquisición (Inquisition House), Hidalgo Fernández de Villamor house,
and the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park
In the Guadalhorce valley region. The village is 315 metres above sea
level, and is 52 kilometres from Ronda and 57 from the city of Málaga.
The average precipitation in the area is 750 litres per square metre and
the average annual temperature is 17º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 1 (29109).
Telephone: (+34) 952 487 097; Fax: (+34) 952 487 108
Surface area: 98 square kilometres; Population about: 2,300; What the natives are called: toloxeños;
www.tolox.es
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82
What the natives are called: tebeños o tebanos.
www.teba.es
SIERRA DE yEGUAS
TEBA
CONVENTION BUREAU
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Outstanding sights:
Calle San Miguel, Torre de Pimentel (Pimental
Tower), Casa de los Navajas (Los Navajas
house), Molino de Inca (Inca Mill), Ciudad de
Torremolinos sports complex, La Carihuela,
Palacio de Congresos (Congress Palace),
Príncipe de Asturias auditorium
In the Western Costa del Sol region. Its principal
urban centre is 50 metres above sea level and is
12 kilometres from the city of Málaga and 5 from
Pablo Ruiz Picasso International Airport. The
average precipitation in the municipality is 500
Tourism Office, Plaza de las Comunidades
Autónomas (29620).
Telephone: (+34) 952 37 19 09
Fax: (+34) 952 37 95 51
What the natives are called: torremolinenses.
www.torremolinos.es
TOTALÁN
TORROx
Outstanding sights:
Roman complex of El Faro de Torrox (Roman villa,
bathhouses, necropolis, etc.), Nuestra Señora de la
Encarnación parish church, Nuestra Señora de las
Nieves chapel and convent, San Roque church,
Casa de la Moneda (Mint)
In the southern part of the region of La Axarquía, at the
foot of the Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges. The
village is 145 metres above sea level and is 40
kilometres from the city of Málaga and 20 from VélezMálaga. Average precipitation within the municipality is
530 litres per square metre and the average annual
Tourism Office, Centro Internacional, Bloque 79 bajo
(29770).
Telephone: (+34) 952 53 02 25
Fax: (+34) 952 53 02 25
Outstanding sights:
The Santa Ana parish church, Cerro de la Corona dolmen
In the western part of the La Axarquía region, adjoining the municipalities of Málaga, Moclinejo and
Rincón de la Victoria. The village is 290 metres above sea level and is 22 kilometres from Málaga and
13 from Rincón de la Victoria. The area’s average precipitation is 540 litres per square metre and the
annual average temperature is 17.5º C
Town Hall, C/ Del Real (29197).
Telephone: (+34) 952 400 215
Fax: (+34) 952 400 254
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Part 1
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What the natives are called: totalatenses o totalateños.
nickname: rebotaos.
www.totalan.es
84
What the natives are called: torroxeños.
Nickname: hocicones.
www.torrox.es
CONVENTION BUREAU
TORREMOLINOS
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VILLANUEVA DE ALGAIDAS
What the natives are called: vallesteros.
www.valledeabdalajis.com
Outstanding sights:
The Franciscan convent of Nuestra Señora de Consolación de
las Algaidas, the cave church, Los Alcaides necropolis and the
Museo Berrocal (Berrocal Museum)
In the north-western part of the Antequera region, on the
border between Málaga and Córdoba. The village is 540
metres above sea level. It is 11 kilometres from Archidona, 30
from Antequera and 70 from the provincial capital. The area
receives 625 litres of precipitation per square metre and the
average annual temperature is about 15.6º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Constitución, 16 (29310).
Telephone: (+34) 952 743 002; Fax: (+34) 952 743 400
Outstanding sights:
Old inn building, Palace of the Counts of Corbos, San Lorenzo parish church, Madre Petra convent,
Cristo de la Sierra chapel, La Peana (Roman pedestal)
In the southern part of the Antequera region, on the boundary of the Guadalhorce valley region. The
locality is 340 metres above sea level and is 50 kilometres from Málaga. Average rainfall in the area is
600 litres per square metre and the average annual temperature is 14.4º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, C/ Alameda, 2 (29240).
Telephone: (+34) 952 489 100; Fax: (+34) 952 489 164
What the natives are called: algaideños.
www.ayto-algaidas.es
.
Surface area:
156 square kilometres
Population about:
more than 60,000.
veleños.
www.ayto-velezmálaga.es
Outstanding sights:
Parish church, the bridges of El León and El Horcajo, the bridge over the Cauche stream, El Torcal
In the southern part of the Antequera region at the edge of the Mountains of Málaga. It sits 575 meters
above sea level and is 35 kilometres from Málaga. The yearly average rainfall in the region is about 550
temperature about 15.5 º C
Town Hall, C/ Blas infante, 2 (29230).
Telephone: (+34) 952 753 176; Fax: (+34) 952 753 394
Population about: 3,500 Surface area: 73.5 square kilometres
What the natives are called: villanovenses.
www.villanuevaconcepcion.com
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86
VILLANUEVA DE LA CONCEPCIóN
VéLEz-MÁLAGA
Outstanding sights:
Royal Convent of Santiago or of San Francisco, Beniel Palace, Casa de
Cervantes (Cervantes House), Nuestra Señora de los Remedios chapel, El
Arrabal, San Sebastián chapel, San Juan Bautista parish
church, “Pósito” (old granary), fountain of Fernando VI, Virgen de la Piedad
chapel, Nuestra Señora de Gracia monastery, Jesús, María y José monastery,
medieval city walls, Puerta Real de la Villa (La Villa Royal Gate), Santa María de
la Encarnación church, Alcazaba (fortress), San Juan de Dios
or San Marcos hospital, Cruz del Cordero (El Cordero cross)
In the La Axarquía region, of which it is the capital. The urban district is 60 metres
above sea level and is 28 kilometres from the city of Málaga. The municipality has
an average rainfall of about 470 litres per square metre and the average annual
Tourist information: Tourism Office, Paseo de Larios, s/n. Torre del Mar (29740).
Telephone: (+34) 952 54 11 04; Fax: (+34) 952 54 11 04
E-mail: turismo@ayto-velezmálaga.es
CONVENTION BUREAU
VALLE DE ABDALAjíS
TOURIST BOARD &
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Outstanding sights:
Virgen de Gracia chapel, San Pedro Apóstol church, old Santa Bárbara inn, Allalantes
fountain, San Antonio washing place
In the north-eastern part of the Antequera region. It is one of the places that make up the sub-region
called Nororma (acronym in Spanish for Northeast Málaga). The village is 660 metres above sea level
and is 67 kilometres from Málaga. Average precipitation in the area is 750 litres per square metre and
the average annual temperature is 16º C
Town Hall, Avda. Constitución, 50 (29315).
Telephone: (+34) 952 757 007
Fax: (+34) 952 750 273
What the natives are called: tapienses o entricheros.
www.villanuevadetapia.org
VILLANUEVA DEL TRABUCO
Outstanding sights:
Nuestra Señora de los Dolores church, Virgen del Puente chapel, Fuente de los Caños (Los
Caños fountain)
In the south-eastern part of the Antequera region. This municipality forms a part of Nororma (acronym
in Spanish for Northeast Málaga), a sub-region that encompasses several municipalities in the northeastern part of the province of Málaga. The village is 690 metres above sea
level and is 45 kilometres from Málaga and 34 from Antequera. The average
precipitation in the area is 800 litres per square metre and the average
Town Hall, Plaza del Prado, 1 (29313).
Telephone: (+34) 952 751 021; Fax: (+34) 952 751 021
What the natives are called: trabuqueños.
www.villanuevadeltrabuco.es
VILLANUEVA DEL ROSARIO
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88
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación church, chapel of Cruz
del Pobre, Watchtower, chapel of Nuestra Señora de Porticate,
Torrecilla watchtower and the Sierra de las Nieves mountain
range, Spanish fir woods in Junquera, snow wells, Río Grande
source, Río Grande granaries
In the western part of the Guadalhorce valley region, bordering
on the Ronda region and in the heart of the Sierra de las Nieves
mountain range. The village is 680 metres above sea level and
is 36 kilometres from Ronda and 63 from the city of Málaga.
Average rainfall in the area is 910 litres per square metre and
the average annual temperature is 16.4º C
Tourist information: Town Hall, Plaza de la Constitución, 13
(29410)
Telephone: (+34) 952 482 609; Fax: (+34) 952 482 905
What the natives are called: yunqueranos.
www.yunquera.es
.
What the natives are called: saucedeños.
www.villanuevadelrosario.org
YUNqUERA
Outstanding sights:
The Nuestra Señora del Rosario chapel, Visigothic necropolises, Bronze Age
archaeological sites, and Llano del Hondonero natural area
In the Antequera region. This municipality is one of those comprising the subregion called Nororma (acronym in Spanish for Northeast Málaga). The
village is 700 metres above sea level and is 40 kilometres from Málaga and
27 from Antequera. The area’s average precipitation is 725 litres per square
metre and the average annual temperature is about 14º C
Telephone: (+34) 952 742 263; Fax: (+34) 952 742 213
CONVENTION BUREAU
VILLANUEVA DE TAPIA
TOURIST BOARD &
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Part 1
Index
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TOURIST BOARD
& CONVENTION BUREAU
Index, part II
Index, Part II
page 95
page 107
page 115
page 121
page 125
page 145
page 149
page 153
page 169
page 173
page 183
page 195
page 199
page 203
page 211
page 225
page 237
page 241
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Index, Part II
0. overview of Segments in the Travel Industry
1. Artistic Málaga – Pablo Picasso
2. Cheerful Málaga – leisure and entertainment
3. Well-Spoken Spanish Málaga – learning Spanish
4. Culinary Málaga – Food
5. Beautiful Málaga – health and Beauty
6. Seabound Málaga – yachting
7. Trading Málaga – Shopping
8. luxurious Málaga – luxury
9. Cultured Málaga – Cultural Sights
10. Active and Dining Málaga – Routes and excursions
11. Tanned Málaga – Sun and Sand
12. Touristy Málaga – Family holidays
13. Flamenco Málaga – Culture
14. green Málaga – nature
15. Residential Málaga – homes and Residences
16. Sporting Málaga – golf
17. Professional Málaga – Meetings
Index
93
TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
0.
oVERVIEW Of
SEGMENTS IN THE
TRAVEL INDUSTRy
It is usually said that Málaga Province
is like a miniature continent. When travelling
around, visitors can see that the province holds a
wide array of landscapes, a full hotel network
and, of course, an unlimited number of travel
products in 7,272 square kilometres.
Málaga’s weather is extraordinary –and famous
the world over. Its average annual temperature is
22º C and over 300 sunny days a year.
BEACHES
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94
Part II
Index
The Costa del Sol has eleven marinas, which gives
it a leading place in Andalusia in terms of yachting
and sports infrastructure. The marinas on the Costa
del Sol are internationally renowned. Many of them
have been granted the Blue Flag eco-label for water
quality, environmental management, and safety and
other services, and the Benalmádena Marina has
twice been chosen as the Best Marina in the World.
All the marinas offer a wide array of services,
including restaurants, shops, or security.
For more information, you can take a look at our
travel guide “Málaga, Sun and Marinas” on our
website, www.visitcostadelsol.com, where you will
find all the necessary information to drop anchor
along the Málaga coastline, hire marina services, or
just enjoy outstanding facilities.
.
The Costa del Sol has always been famous for its
beaches. There are over 120 of them along the 160kilometre coastline, and the area has the highest
concentration of hotels in Málaga and Andalusia as a
MARINAS
Introduction
Introduction
The province comprises 101 municipalities, the
coastal area spans the territory from Manilva to
Nerja.
whole. Visitors can take a bath on these spacious
beaches, which are fully equipped and provide a
wide range of services (showers, sunshades, deck
chairs, beach bars, etc.), or at secluded, less noisy
coves, some of which feature special areas
for nudists. Find more information in our
travel guide “Málaga, Sun and Sand” at
www.visitcostadelsol.com.
95
TOURIST BOARD &
Málaga Province has the highest concentration
of golf courses in Continental Europe: about 70.
Most of the golf facilities are resorts including
residential areas. With 300 sunny days a year,
the Costa del Sol is an ideal place to play this
sport all year round, as shown by the increasing
number of golfers coming to the region every
year. Golf’s growing popularity has aroused an
effective response in the province, where the
high number of golf resorts available is one of
the main attractions.
There are many other sports beyond golf that
can be played on the Costa del Sol: paddle
tennis, tennis, badminton, squash, and so on.
Moreover, most three-, four-, and five-star
hotels in the area feature fitness studios with
instructors and physiotherapists. Horse racing
and outdoor sports –mountaineering, hiking,
cycle touring, horse riding– add to the wide
range of sports activities available. Some of the
CONVENTION BUREAU
GOLF AND SPORTS
best known international sports teams choose
the Costa del Sol for their winter training, given
the top-rate facilities of town sports centres for
athletes and other sportspeople.
For more information, take a look at “Málaga,
Sun and Golf” at www.visitcostadelsol.com.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY
The Costa del Sol is also a great travel
destination for those who want to look after their
bodies. The best hotels along the coastline offer
services that include thalassotherapy, sauna,
whirlpool tubs, massage, and so on in their spas.
If you want to read more about this, go to
www.visitcostadelsol.com and find our travel
guide “Málaga, Sun, Health and Beauty,”
describing 24 health resorts offering state-of-theart health and beauty treatments by qualified
professionals in modern facilities and with
comfortable guestrooms.
Caracala Spa
COUNTRY TRAVEL
Málaga’s hinterland –a very different landscape
from coastal towns– is a place worth visiting too.
The winding streets, whitewashed houses, and
green areas of its villages are a true picture of
genuine Andalusia. Most interior towns have fully
equipped country retreats accommodating
visitors all year round. Málaga Province
comprises 101 municipalities. One of the
hinterland’s main attractions are the protected
natural areas, such as Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara
y Alhama Nature Park, whose 46,000 hectares
make it the third largest one in the province.
For more information, take a look at our travel
guides “Málaga, Sun and Nature” and “Málaga,
Sun, Routes and Excursions” in our website,
.
96
To read more about this, check our travel guides
“Málaga, Sun and Culture: Cinemas, Theatres
and Exhibitions” and “Málaga, Sun and Art:
Picasso Museum” at www.visitcostadelsol.com.
.
Dama de Noche golf club in Marbella
Málaga’s privileged geographic location has
endowed the province with an extraordinary
historic and artistic legacy, marked by richness
and diversity. There are lots of museums in
Málaga, including the newly-opened Picasso
Museum, displaying over 200 works by the
famous artist. Moreover, work is being done at the
old Villalón Palace to house the ThyssenBornemisza Museum, scheduled to open in 2010.
Introduction
Introduction
CULTURE
Cómpeta, in the region of Axarquía.
Part II
Index
97
TOURIST BOARD &
POPULAR FIESTAS
Over the last few decades, a change has emerged
in socialisation patterns, as youngsters move
countries to improve the language skills they have
learnt in university. This segment is known as
language travel or language tourism. As a matter of
fact, Spanish has become the second most popular
language among European and American
students, whose growing number has turned
Málaga into the province with the largest number of
language travellers in Andalusia.
Málaga’s calendar includes a wide range of fiestas
and celebrations. From Málaga City to the smallest
towns, there are popular fiestas everywhere, most
of them in the summer. For instance, festivals
dedicated to patron saints or Easter.
To read more about this topic, take a look at
“Málaga, Sun and Folklore: Popular Fiestas” on
www.visitcostadelsol.com, where you will get a
glimpse of all popular customs and traditions on the
Costa del Sol, from fiestas to medicines, from those
still in use to those remembered by a bunch of old
men. The latter include the “avisadoras de
Antequera,” that is, women telling the news to their
neighbours.
For further information, there is a travel guide
available on www.visitcostadelsol.com, “Málaga,
Sun and Spanish: Spanish Schools,” including
descriptions of the language schools where
students can learn Spanish or improve their
language skills.
LEISURE
For family leisure, there are some unique
attractions like Selwo Aventura, Selwo Marina, the
Benalmádena Cable Car, Tivoli World, or the
Fuengirola Zoo.
MEETING TOURISM
For over 30 years, the MICE (Meetings, Incentives,
Conferences, Events) industry has been a travel
segment in its own right in Málaga Province. In fact,
the first convention centre built in the province was
in Torremolinos, which then became an alternative
to those big European cities capitalising on this
market segment. Currenty, Málaga Province has 4
conference centres, 1 auditorium, and over 25
convention centres in a full network of hotels
offering all complementary services.
.
Read more about leisure attractions in our travel
guide “Málaga, Sun and Leisure,” available at
www.visitcostadelsol.com. It contains information
on 25 leisure facilities targeted at different kinds of
travellers. Theme parks, water parks, zoos,
equestrian centres, yachting, motor racing, casinos,
music shows, and restaurants make the leisure
offer of the Costa del Sol, where your stay will
certainly be an unforgettable experience.
Olive oil from Antequera
If you want to read more about Málaga’s food, go to
www.visitcostadelsol.com and search for our travel
guide “Málaga, Sun and Gastronomy: Popular
Recipes,” where you will get all traditional recipes
–many of them known beyond Málaga and
Andalusia– in a single volume: gazpacho,
ajoblanco –gazpacho with almonds and muscatel
grapes, 100% from Málaga–, fritters, sardine
skewers (roasted in sticks on the beach), and tapas
(miniature dishes).
WINE AND OLIVE OIL
Wine and olive oil are two staples of Mediterranean
culture and economy. And they are two basic
ingredients in the healthiest diet in the world.
San Antón’s festival in Maro
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Index
Our 230-page travel guide “Málaga, Sun, Wine and
Olive Oil” analyses the characteristics of these two
.
98
The Costa del Sol has the largest number of
restaurants in Andalusia. They range from
prestigious venues included in the Michelin Guide
to popular, inexpensive bars. Many beach or
coastal bars serve “pescaíto frito” (fried fish).
Typical dishes include gazpacho, gazpachuelo,
Málaga-style soup, porra, and fish soup or stew.
They are prepared in many different ways, following
recipes handed down from generation to
generation.
Window of an antique shop
Introduction
Introduction
FOOD
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LANGUAGE TRAVEL
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TOURIST BOARD &
TOURS AND EXCURSIONS
“Málaga, Sun, Routes and Excursions” makes it
easier to get to every corner in Málaga. This
thorough guide will take you to the best spots in the
province, unveiling their hidden natural, historic,
and cultural secrets and showing the characteristics
of each village, town, and city for you.
SHOPPING
Málaga Province and the Costa del Sol are busy
commercial areas. You can go shopping in huge
shopping centres or just walk along the streets in
any town to find antiques or curiosities in street
markets or buy homemade foods and drinks.
HOTELS
Women wearing flamenco dresses on Larios Street, Málaga City
This is what “Málaga, Sun and Shopping” –the 11th
volume of our travel guide collection– is about. In
this 160-page guidebook, you will find a full review
of shopping facilities on the Costa del Sol, including
a section on shopping centres (their location,
services, facilities, accesses, opening hours).
The guidebook is a glossary of the words and
idioms that characterise Málaga speakers, either
because they are used here only or because they
have acquired a meaning that differs from the
meanings they might have in other regions. The
DIALECT
Introduction
Parks like Los Alcornocales or Sierras de Almijara,
Tejeda y Alhama, El Torcal in Antequera, Los
Gaitanes ravine, the Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs, or the
Málaga mountains are some of the gifts nature has
presented the Costa del Sol with.
HOMES
Port of Cabopino
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Index
The Costa del Sol is an ideal place to live in. The
travel guide “Málaga, Sun and Life” gives a bunch
of reasons why Málaga Province is a good choice
.
Miramar Palace
.
NATURE
For more information on Málaga’s natural
landscapes, check “Málaga, Sun and Nature,”
where you can read about the most beautiful
landscapes in the province, their flora and fauna,
across rivers, seas, ravines, mountains, and
prehistoric caves.
The way they pronounce words and their intonation
patterns set Málaga-born Spanish speakers apart,
despite the differences between their individual
speaking habits. This is neither good nor bad in
itself, as the prologue in “Málaga, Sun and Dialect:
Popular Vocabulary” explains, the way Málaga
residents or Andalusian citizens speak does not
make them superior or inferior to speakers in
Castile. They are just different.
“Málaga, Sun and Rest” is the best, most
entertaining way of learning about all the hotels and
apartments available on the Costa del Sol. It
contains over 150 pages that will help you choose
your accommodation in the province or its outskirts.
Its broad selection of hotels will give you the gist
about them all, turning your choice into a safe bet.
Introduction
100
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idea is original and not very common in travel
guides. The goal is to help visitors, whether or not
they speak Spanish, understand locals, thus
tearing down language barriers by eliminating the
risk of misunderstandings and making
communication smoother.
green and purple gems of Málaga’s gastronomy.
Whereas the wine section discusses the wines
made in Málaga from multiple points of view –their
25-century history, from the Greeks and Romans to
the present–, the section on olive oil tells us that
there are 120,000 hectares grown with olive trees in
Málaga –many of which are over 100 years old, and
they are still standing in towns like Periana
(Axarquía) or Alameda– explains how olive oil is
made, and includes olive-production areas, types of
olives, and legends, fiestas and traditions
associated with them.
101
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The Costa del Sol lives for and by tourism. For the
past few decades, it has improved all services to
attract the widest possible range of visitors.
Traditional sectors like country travel, golf, or
cultural tourism have been reinforced, and new
social groups have been targeted. The LGTB
(lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual) community
is among these, as they tend to spend part of their
income on travel and leisure.
Girls having fun
when trying to find a place to settle. These reasons
include the good weather, the transportation
infrastructure, the beautiful landscape, the warmth
and kindness of the people, the delicious food, and
many others.
“Málaga, Sun and Life” analyses all this factors
while giving full information on Málaga’s property
market –all you need to know if you are thinking of
renting or buying a house in one of the paradises in
the Iberian Peninsula.
FLAMENCO
As a cosmopolitan, open-minded setting, the Costa
del Sol has managed to combine its deeply-rooted
traditions with a modern cultural offer. The former
include flamenco, one of the richest cultural
expressions in Málaga, thanks to the efforts made
by flamenco clubs, organisations, and enthusiasts.
.
Noblemen, sheikhs, tycoons, international artists,
and entrepreneurs have long lived on the Costa del
Sol. Their privileged social status is visible
everywhere: in dreamlike housing developments, in
Our travel guide “Málaga, Sun and Luxury” contains
all the information you might need if you are a
luxury traveller coming to Málaga.
CRUISES
experienced in the past two decades is completely
unprecedented. The rise in the number of big ships
as a response by cruise operators to non-stop
demand has consolidated the Costa del Sol as a
leading cruise travel destination, while Málaga’s
geographic location as a gate into the
Mediterranean has led to improvements in the port,
which is now ready to welcome these majestic
boats.
Cruises are becoming an increasingly popular
choice for holidays. Their popularity would have
been unbelievable a few years ago. Experts in
tourist flows believe the “age of cruise voyages” has
just begun, so it is expected to keep growing and to
do it even at a faster pace, although this segment’s
evolution has traditionally been slower than
traditional holiday styles.
The Port of Málaga, which not long ago was a
traditional, almost romantic, nineteenth-century
facility, has risen up to the challenge to become one
of the most modern in Europe after renovation and
development work. Its exclusive 2,500-metre-long
East Dock for cruise ships has become the second
most important one in Spain in terms of recreational
boat traffic.
The Costa del Sol has never been indifferent to
cruise travelling. In fact, the Port of Málaga has
always been remarkable for the number of cruise
liners calling at it. However, the growth it
GAY TRAVEL
Málaga has always been a cosmopolitan city,
adjusting to the needs of a modern, multicultural
society. Even when Europe, and Spain in particular,
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Ronda’s bullring
.
102
LUXURY TRAVEL
fabulous yachts, in restaurants where only the welloff can eat, and in exclusive stores. Luxury items
are an additional attraction in Málaga Province as a
travel destination.
On the Costa del Sol there is a town that is part of
the national gay route: Torremolinos. Here, for
decades, foreigners have blended with the local
population to give rise to an open-minded,
multicultural community. With its good weather,
great hotels, and wide range of leisure activities, it
is always summer in Torremolinos. Visitors flow in
Introduction
Introduction
On our website, www.visitcostadelsol.com, you will
find a travel guide, “Málaga, Sun and Flamenco,”
where you can read everything about the world of
flamenco in Málaga.
Canillas de Albaida
CONVENTION BUREAU
were wrapped in an atmosphere of obscurantism
and repression, the Costa del Sol was known as an
international travel destination where freedom
could be exercised in a great environment. A legacy
of this respectful, tolerant past, Málaga is known as
one of the best gay-friendly destinations in Spain.
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TOURIST BOARD &
WINTER HOLIDAYS
There is much more to Málaga Province than just
sun and sand. The picture of holidaymakers coming
in the summer to lie under the sun is only one of
many that can be taken in the province. On the
other hand, autumn images are becoming
increasingly popular, with tourists walking around,
visiting museums, or eating out. Málaga’s travel
offer has diversified to offer more products all year
round, capitalising on the province’s natural
resources, weather, and hotel quality.
Málaga and the Costa del Sol boast one of the
mildest climates in Europe. Standing between
mountain ranges and the Mediterranean Sea, the
province has an average annual temperature of 18º
C. Coming to Málaga from October to March can be
a pleasant experience: fewer visitors, nice weather,
and as many culture, leisure, and entertainment
activities as in the peak season.
Bulls are closely linked to Andalusia’s history and
culture, and bullfighting is deeply rooted in Málaga.
In fact, Ronda is the birthplace of one of the most
famous bullfighting schools in Spain and of many of
the greatest bullfighters.
All cities in Spain and most towns or villages in the
country (even those with a few thousand
inhabitants) have their own bullrings. In Andalusia
there are so many of them that it is impossible to list
them all. The situation is no different in Málaga.
Ronda’s Armoury of the Royal Cavalry was
inaugurated in 1785 with a bullfight starring two of
the key figures in the history of bullfighting: Pepe
Hillo and Pedro Romero. This Neoclassical stone
bullring features the largest ring in Spain –66
metres in diameter– holding up to 6,000 spectators.
Moreover, it is considered to be one of the most
beautiful bullrings in Spain. In early September, it
.
Senior resorts for people over 55
What is more, they rent or buy houses, flats, and
cottages, which has led housing developers to
create senior resorts (residential areas for people
aged 55 or over), where residents can find
healthcare services, sports and leisure activities,
and many additional advantages within walking
distance of their homes.
The Goyesque bullfight is an art and social event as
well, drawing celebrities and people from all over
the world. Goyesque Ladies can be seen in it,
representing the town at the fair and throughout the
year. Many girls in Ronda want to become
Goyesque Ladies.
Málaga has become one of the capitals of
international naturism, featuring lots of different
places for nudists –beaches, campsites, naturist
centres, country villas, nature spaces– and having
a population respectful of all lifestyles.
The bullfighting season on the Costa del Sol is from
spring to autumn, summer being the busiest time of
year. Big bullrings hold the largest number of
events, which are advertised with huge posters that
are then kept by bullfighting lovers.
SENIOR TOURISM
The fact that the Costa del Sol can be a good travel
destination for most types of holidays is reflected in
the wide array of options available to visitors.
Moreover, Málaga Province is ready to meet the
needs of all kinds of travellers, thanks to its natural
resources and to the amazing range of products
and services available –a range that has become
increasingly wider as a response to various
demands.
As a result of this process, the Costa del Sol has
become the favourite destination for social groups
seeking products and services especially designed
to meet their needs. For instance, senior travellers,
who have found in Málaga an interesting mix of all
the things they need. Thus, pensioners from around
the world come to Málaga to relax and have fun,
age being no barrier at all.
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NATURISM
There are many naturist centres in Málaga. Costa
Natura is perhaps the most famous, as it was the
first of its kind in Spain. It is close to Estepona, and
it has one of the best nudist beaches. In fact, Costa
Natura is like a miniature town, including 2- to 6-bed
apartments and lots of facilities: swimming pools,
whirlpool tubs, sauna baths, beach bars, a club, a
fitness centre, a healthcare unit, restaurants, a
supermarket, sports courts, and so on. The
apartments can be rented or bought.
In Almayate, 2 kilometres away from Torre del Mar,
there is Almanat, just by the beach. Almanat is a
campsite, comprising 172 lots and a bungalow
area. Its facilities include a fitness centre, a
whirlpool tub, a sauna, an outdoor and an indoor
swimming pool, a solarium, a playground for
children, a restaurant, an Internet zone, a cinema
theatre, a room for social events, a supermarket, a
recreational area, a barbecue area, sports courts,
and others.
Naturists can also engage in country travel in
Málaga. There are many places where you can
practice nudism in the countryside –fully-equipped
country houses and residences, some of which
even have organic gardens.
.
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BULLFIGHTING
plays host to the famous Goyesque bullfight, which
owes its name to the clothes worn by bullfighters,
similar to those painted by Francisco de Goya. The
first Goyesque bullfight took place in 1954. Since
then, they have been held every year, as a tribute
to one of the forerunners of modern bullfighting:
Antonio Ordóñez, the man who organised the
Goyesque bullfight for many years.
Introduction
Introduction
Winter is a great time to visit the most beautiful
spots in Málaga Province and the Costa del Sol.
101 charming towns that have managed to keep
losts of traces of their past: the Phoenicians, the
Romans, the Moors, and the Christians have all left
their marks in the province’s culture, folklore, and
traditions. The interest this has aroused in foreign
visitors has been one of the key factors to fight peak
travel in the region.
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all year round, and they can have whatever service
they need.
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El Tornillo, natural monument at El Torcal, Antequera
GETAWAYS
.
The Costa del Sol boasts countless hotels, ranging
from luxury resorts to charming accommodations
Long weekends are an ideal time to take a break,
enjoy yourself, and get to know new places. Málaga
Province and the Costa del Sol have all you need
for a city break: sun and sand, sports and fun,
traditional food, and an interesting cultural heritage.
Málaga’s hotel infrastructure is ready to welcome
city break visitors, and its transportation network
efficiently connects the province to anywhere in
Spain. The city’s international airport, Pablo Ruiz
Picasso, is being expanded with a new terminal and
runway. Trains are a comfortable means of
transport, too. The recently-renovated main station
is in the heart of town, and the high-speed train
(AVE) connects Málaga with Madrid in only 2.5
hours. There are also direct services for the
provinces of Seville and Córdoba.
ARTISTIC
MÁLAGA –
PABLO PICASSO
With the inauguration of the Picasso
Museum in 2003, Málaga joined the ranks of a select
group of cities with a museum offer of the highest
order. Parallel to the international recognition that this
museum received, an unprecedented cultural
turnabout occurred in Málaga that extended even to
fields unrelated to culture. One might say that, aware
that the world’s eyes were upon it, the city shook off
its lethargy and devoted all its resources to insuring
that the unquestioned lead role of the Picasso
Museum would not be an isolated phenomenon but
rather the focal point of a vast offer capable of
satisfying a thousand and one demands, and that is
what has happened.
Background
The idea of creating a museum in Málaga to house
part of the works of its most internationally famous
artist first arose several decades ago while Picasso
was still alive. There was a meeting between his
private secretary, Jaime Sabartés, and a number of
Málaga intellectuals who were calling for this
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Index
museum. Conditions were not right for the Picasso
legacy to come to Málaga and its residents had to
wait until 1992—a monumental date in Andalusia—
for their first encounter with the work of the great
artist, at the “Classic Picasso” exhibition.
The endless lines beginning at the door of the
Episcopal Palace, which had been expertly adapted
as an exhibition area for the occasion, made it plain
that Picasso’s works could not remain much longer
outside his birthplace and this was amply confirmed
two years later by a second Picasso exhibition: the
“First Look” display (1994-1995), drawn from the
private collection of the painter’s daughter-in-law,
Christine Picasso. After earlier contacts with the
government of Andalusia, she decided, in view of the
public response to the exhibition, that the moment
had come for Picasso to repay his debt to Málaga
and for the city to do the same with respect to this
great artist.
Exhibition space: Buenavista Palace
First, however, a location had to be decided upon for
the future museum, and after evaluating the historic
buildings available for housing her collection
Christine Picasso unhesitatingly gave her answer:
the Condes de Buenavista Palace, a stately
.
106
Thanks to its strategic location, you can get to
Málaga using any means of transport. In late 2007,
Renfe started operating a high-speed train service
connecting the capital with Madrid, with stops in
Antequera and Córdoba. With 11 daily services, the
Costa del Sol is now the closest beach destination
for Madrid and Castile residents. The train station is
within the city, and it is also served by two
commuter trains. There is a wide network of buses
to get around the province as well. And there is also
an airport. Finally, an efficient network of highways
links Málaga to all the other provinces in Andalusia.
CITY BREAKS
1.
Artistic Málaga - Picasso
Introduction
Málaga is the perfect destination when you want to
get away from it all for a few days. It breathes the
pure essence of the Mediterranean: kilometres of
beaches, over 300 sunny days a year, golf facilities,
cultural activities, delicious food, sports, fun and
leisure, and many other things. Málaga is a
cosmopolitan city, open to the world and yet
preserving its deeply-rooted traditions. It is a place,
in sum, where all factors come together for an
unforgettable experience.
and boarding houses. In Málaga City, there are
newly developed business hotels, whereas the
hinterland features country retreats offering quality
service and maximum comfort in traditional areas.
There are so many options that every tourist is
bound to find the one that best suits their needs and
budgets. Finally, there are several campsites or
bungalow areas. Affordable accommodation is
available in coastal towns and in interior villages
alike.
107
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Buenavista Palace
108
The collection is made up of paintings, drawings,
sculptures, ceramics and engravings, but since it is
the paintings that most attract the attention of the
general public a number deserve special mention,
either because they have been reproduced
countless times in books and magazines or because
they exude such magnetism that it is impossible not
to feel their influence: Olga Koklova with mantilla,
(Barcelona, 1917), Jacqueline seated (Paris, 1954),
Bather (Mougins, 1971), Woman with raised arms
When the museum was in its planning stage
Christine Picasso once said that she herself had
picked out in the painter’s workshop the collection
that she was going to provide and that it was
therefore based on personal sentiments and taste. In
the case of Picasso, a sort of King Midas of the
plastic arts since all that he touched became an
object of art, this sentimental selection provides an
added appeal, something of which—a certain close
family ambience—can be sensed by a visitor who
enters the museum with foreknowledge of that fact.
exhibition gallery. In this plaza it is not hard to
imagine the child Picasso chasing after the pigeons
that flock about it, and that the image of this gentle
creature would be engraved upon his mind until he
later converted it into a universal symbol of peace.
The Picasso route
In fact the sentimental journey remarked upon by
Christine Picasso in relation to the museum’s
collection continues outside it, as it is just a few steps
In these environs, and without the necessity of
leaving the city’s historic district, one finds the Gaona
Institute and the school of San Rafael, centres where
Picasso was to begin his education. On Plaza de la
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Index
Opening of the Picasso Birthplace and Museum
.
.
The renovation of the Palacio Buenavista has been,
as the experts put it, a model of its kind, and the
architectural designers have been lavishly praised
for their work. You don’t need to be an expert,
however, to notice the good job done in the interior of
the building and the adjoining spaces. The way from
the old building to the new rooms is currently smooth
and doesn’t feature stylistic changes occurring
abruptly, so now the visitor will enjoy the works of art
without aesthetic interruptions. The architecture
lacks any audacity that might disrupt the view of the
artist's powerful works or even the magnificent
Mudéjar coffered ceilings in some rooms, which have
adjusted perfectly to the painter's language (or is it
the other way around?).
The collection
The more than 200 works from the private holdings
of Christine Picasso and her son Bernard that make
up the museum’s permanent collection make
possible a detailed review of almost every phase of
the vast Picasso output, from the artist as a child to
the final, surprising paintings in which the great
master of the twentieth century seems to summarise
in a few decisive lines his life experience and all his
prodigious knowledge of the plastic arts as a legacy
to generations to come.
A few metres above there, Granada Street opens
onto the extremely wide La Merced Plaza where the
house in which the genius was born is located. Today
it has become the Picasso Foundation, a centre for
the documentation of this Málaga artist and also an
sixteenth-century Renaissance building in the heart
of the historic district that had previously been the
site of the Provincial Fine Arts Museum.
Temporary exhibitions
Alongside the permanent collection, the museum
hosts temporary exhibitions in a room that is one of
its largest galleries and that was designed especially
for these displays. Rather than being rotating shows,
these are produced exclusively for the Málaga
museum, which enhances their value as they will not
be presented again anywhere else. Since its
inauguration, and with the invaluable assistance of
the world’s most important museums and private
collectors, the Picasso Museum has continuously
introduced the visiting public to works of the highest
artistic value by means of innovative exhibition
techniques that have earned the highest possible
praise from specialised critics.
away from the surroundings in which the artist spent
his Málaga years. As soon as you leave San Agustín
Street, where the museum is located, you come
upon Granada Street, and just up from there is
Santiago Church where little Pablo was baptised.
This Baroque temple with its slender Mudéjar tower
perhaps symbolises the artistic hybridism of which in
later years Picasso would be an unparalleled master.
CONVENTION BUREAU
(1936), Bust of a woman with arms crossed behind
her head (Royan, 1939), Portrait with white cap
(Paris, 1923), Head of a woman number 2. Portrait of
Dora Maar (1939), Woman seated in an armchair
(1946), Man, woman and child (Mougins, 1972),
Portrait of Jacqueline with gorget (1962) and Woman
standing (sculpture in glazed clay, 1947) are just a
few of these creations that will attract and retain the
viewer’s interest.
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During the remodelling of the Buenavista Palace,
ruins of the original Phoenician city from the seventh
century BC were discovered in the subsoil. They
have been arranged according to a modern
exhibition system and one can visit them after touring
the twelve galleries of the art museum, which also
has a shop and a comfortable café next to one of the
palace’s splendid interior courtyards.
Visiting hours
The museum can be visited Tuesday through
Thursday from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM. Fridays and
Saturdays, from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM. Sundays
and holidays, from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM. On 24
and 31 December, from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.
Closed on Mondays and 25 December and 1
January. The ticket booth closes a half hour before
the museum closes.
.
Returning to the museum, it should be noted that it
serves also as a centre for the diffusion of culture,
and that as well as the temporary exhibitions
scheduled there—all of which so far have been of
Birth route
If you have already visited the museum and wish to
take a self-guided walking tour around the town
centre, the first interesting option could be the Birth
Route starting at San Agustín Street (1) and
Granada Street (2). Here you will find some
fascinating buildings such as the Church of Santiago
(3) dating from the late 15th century, where Picasso
was baptised. It has a distinctive Moorish tower.
This circuit, most of which is exclusively for
pedestrians, offers a wide variety of old and new bars
In the surroundings, you will also have the chance of
admiring the splendid Instituto Gaona (7) and the
Colegio de San Rafael (8), where the pioneer of
contemporary painting learnt what occupations he
would discard for his future while he started to feel
attracted by art.
All the information on the Picasso Museum Málaga,
the life and work of the artist in his hometown can be
found in the first of the travel guides published by the
Costa del Sol Tourist Board.
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 1:
MÁLAGA, SUN AND ART
“Málaga, Sun and Art: Picasso Museum” is a good
way to get a better understanding of a Málaga-born
painting master, one of the most outstanding painters
in the twentieth century: Pablo Picasso. The first
section of the 152-page guide offers a biography of
In this comprehensive work, readers will find seven
interesting and attractive tours to Málaga’s historic
district, illustrated with photographs, drawings, maps
and street plans of Málaga City’s downtown. The
guide also includes practical information on the most
important monuments and museums in Málaga City:
the house where Picasso was born, the Cervantes
theatre, Saint James church, Larios street (a key
artery in the city), the City Hall, the Alcazaba (an
eleventh-century Moor fortified citadel), the popular
Pasaje de Chinitas, the Cathedral and Obispo
Square are some of the charming places hidden in
this beautiful city.
Also included in the guide is information on the main
places of interest: timetables, parking facilities,
transportation and access, as well as shops and
restaurants.
The guide has a central chapter: the one devoted to
the Picasso Museum, located in the Palacio de
Buenavista and exhibiting over 200 works from the
artist’s private collection. The museum is considered
the second best among Picasso museums in the
world, trailing only after Paris’s.
Its important collection, donated by Picasso’s
daughter-in-law and grandson, includes oil paintings,
drawings, engravings, sculptures, pottery, linoleum
engravings and lithographs. The guide has a
catalogue of the permanent collection, and
reproductions of the main works in the museum.
More info: www.visitcostadelsol.com
.
110
Constitución, in the very heart of Málaga City, is the
former San Telmo School of Fine Arts, now the
Málaga Athenaeum. Here the greatest artist of the
twentieth century had his first contact with
paintbrushes, under the eye of illustrious nineteenth
century masters who could not have imagined whom
they had as a member of their student body. The
purely Picassian Málaga cannot be separated from
everyday Málaga, however, as a tour of the historic
district necessarily brings to mind Picasso as a child.
Admission to the permanent collection, 6 euros.
Temporary exhibition, 4.5 euros. Combination
admission, 8 euros. Admission is free on the last
Sunday of each month beginning at 3:00 PM.
Just a hundred metres from there you will be
surprised by the majestic Cervantes Theatre (6)
(Plaza de Jerónimo Cuervo), a remarkable public
building dating from the 19th century and home to
the Ciudad de Málaga Orchestra as well as to the
film, theatre and jazz festivals which are regularly
held in this town.
the artist who created Guernica, and invites us to visit
the places Picasso spent his childhood and youth in.
Boy painting in Plaza de la Merced
and restaurants which preserve the traditional
Andalusian atmosphere, as is the case of the Casa
El Piyayo, La Posada and El Pimpi, all of them
offering an incredible variety of delicious tapas,
generous helpings and fine seafood. This route also
leads to the Plaza de la Merced (4), the site with the
deepest material and emotional links with Picasso. In
these surroundings you will not only discover the
house where the artist was born (5), but also the
obelisk which commemorates General Torrijos and
his liberal companions' execution by the absolutists
in 1831.
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Picasso works provided by the world’s most
important art museums—it also holds conference
series, workshops, concerts and courses, making it a
catalyst of Málaga culture.
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Cervantes Theatre
Municipal theatre that is both an artistic
and social centre.
The ceiling paintings by Ferrándiz are
particularly noteworthy in the building's
interior.
Picasso's birth place
The place where Picasso was born.
In 1988, this building became
headquarters of the Picasso
Foundation.
Instituto Gaona
This 18th-century building was once a
convent where Picasso studied.
Church of Santiago
Almihara minaret
The tower is a perfect example of the
church's original Mudéjar style. It is
crowned by a dome covered with
glazed tiles.
Granada Street
This street gives a distinct feeling of history.
It is lined with houses and palaces from the
18th century and bourgeois residences from
the 19th century.
Plaza de la Merced
This plaza was an amphitheatre during
the Roman period, and it has always
played a special role in the history of
the city.
In 1489, it was turned into a public
market, and buildings began to spring
up around it.
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
Start of route
End of route
Suggested route
San Agustín Street
This is one of the best preserved streets
from Moorish and Renaissance Málaga.
Part of the atmosphere is owed to the
street's teahouses and taverns.
Basic map provided by Turespaña
.
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112
Colegio San Rafael
C/ Comedias, 18.
An old private school attended by Picasso
when he was a 6-year-old boy. The
building is now a private residence.
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2.
CHEERfUL MÁLAGA
– LEISURE AND
ENTERTAINMENT
Cheerful Málaga - leisure and entertainment
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The leisure businesses and facilities of the Costa del
Sol, which are distributed throughout the province of
Málaga, play an important part in this respect. The
dean of all these facilities is a well-known
amusement park in the town of Benalmádena. For
Recreating natural habitats and including exotic
animals in these settings is also the theme of other
leisure facilities on the Costa del Sol. Such is the
case of the zoo in Fuengirola, considered one of the
best in world, and the crocodile park in Torremolinos,
which exhibits reptiles from Africa, Asia and the
Americas. For its part, Estepona has some unusual
installations that recreate different scenes in an area
of more than one hundred hectares that allow the
visitor to enter into ecosystems of the five continents
while Benalmádena and the city of Málaga have
specific centres to encourage the protection of the
Cheerful Málaga – leisure and entertainment
Far from what one might think, the
leisure offer of the Costa del Sol is not exclusively
directed at the tourist who chooses this area purely
for a vacation. Its diverse and varied character has
made it an essential complement to every kind of trip,
and traveller, that has Málaga as the final destination.
From this perspective, it is logical, if not obvious, to
think that this province’s many resources and attractions designed for relaxation and enjoyment have
become one of its solidest assets, especially for the
ability to diversify this place’s tourism product, which
is characterised precisely by the broad range of
options that it offers the visitor who is ready to invest
his free time in activities whose primary purpose is to
entertain.
more than twenty years, it has been helping to
enlarge this offer, which has become especially
highly developed in the town where the park is
located. This coastal municipality now has other
nationally and internationally famous “fun industry”
facilities, such as a cable car that allows visitors to go
to the top of the Calamorro peak in the Sierra de
Mijas mountain range, from which they have a
stunning view of the whole coast. Furthermore, there
is an interactive underwater park -the first of its type
in Andalusia- with almost three thousand species
from different regions of the world, and a park
devoted to marine life that has, among other
attractions, a dolphinarium.
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As far as theme facilities are concerned, the province
of Málaga’s leisure offer is completed by an
adventure park in the El Torcal mountains of
Antequera that offers numerous activities in contact
with the natural environment, such as quad circuits,
In addition to the leisure offer mentioned above, on
the Costa del Sol there is a host of cinemas and
theatres with varied programmes for all tastes and
demands. Such is the case of the Festival de Cine
Español de Málaga (Málaga Spanish Film Festival),
a celebration whose nerve centre is the Cervantes
Theatre.
This is not, however, the only internationally
prominent competition based on the Costa del Sol.
Jazz, lyric poetry, modern music, modern and
classical theatre, and fantasy, documentary and
horror films are only a few of the artistic disciplines
that have a gathering dedicated to them in Málaga.
The Music and Dance Festival held during the
summer in the Caves of Nerja, deserves special
mention not just for the high quality of its carefully
selected programme, which each year includes
prestigious and world-renowned figures, but also for
the extraordinary stage on which it is held: within one
of the most impressive natural monuments in the
entire country.
Concerts and musical and dance performances,
whether outdoors or in enclosed premises, also have
a very important place in the array of options that the
province offers the tourist to enable him to make
good use of his leisure time. All year long, but
especially during the summer season, there are
performances by famous artists throughout the
Costa del Sol, which becomes an enormous stage
devoted to entertainment.
Málaga also offers lovers of the world of horses
numerous recreational options. A publicly-owned in
Mijas, a school of equestrian arts in Estepona, and
various riding facilities are the points of reference in
this respect. Horse shows, races, western riding,
carriage team exhibitions and trail rides are some of
the choices offered to the visitor, who can also enjoy
the bullfights that are held in the province’s various
bullrings.
The Costa del Sol Tourist Board has gathered all the
information about leisure activities in the province in
a single travel guide, “Málaga, Sun and Leisure,”
which visitors who want to enjoy their stay on the
Costa del Sol will find extremely useful.
But if the visitor wants to get to know the traditions
and customs of the local people, there is nothing
better than attending local fairs and fiestas that are
celebrated practically the whole summer long in the
different municipalities of the Costa del Sol. During
many of these festivities, moving pilgrimages and
processions are held in which religious fervour and
the entertainment element form a peculiar mixture,
an invitation to any visitor to participate in these
events. They are preserved as eternal badges of
identity in this province. Evening verbenas
(traditional street parties), seafront soirées and
commemorative festivities that for a few days
transform the host municipality into a centre of fun
and merriment are also noteworthy. A calendar
including all the festivities in the province can be
found in “Málaga, Sun and Folklore”.
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 2:
MÁLAGA, SUN AND LEISURE
.
Verdiales Fiesta
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“Málaga, Sun and Leisure” is a travel guide that provides readers with all the leisure activities Costa del
.
116
The leisure offer does not end here, however. The
Costa del Sol also has two casinos, one in
Benalmádena and the other in Marbella, where the
visitor can try his luck at roulette or blackjack tables,
or at slot machines. There are also countless
discothèques, cabarets, bars and nightclubs, with
schedules that allow activity to continue until the
crack of dawn. In addition, there are numerous
shopping centres, both conventional and open, with
establishments representing the most varied brands
and commercial firms. A whole array of choices that
leaves no time or place for boredom.
The Costa del Sol’s climatic blessings have also
contributed to the fact that this destination’s water
parks have enjoyed excellent growth and a better
acceptance. They typically include all the ingredients
necessary to guarantee that whoever goes there
seeking a day of refreshing relaxation will enjoy
himself. One of these parks is in Torremolinos.
Among its attractions is a toboggan slide more than
twenty-two metres high. Mijas, on the western coast,
and Vélez-Málaga, on the opposite side, are the sites
of the other two parks of this type in the province. The
three have some services in common, such as a
picnic area, showers, dressing rooms and restaurant
service, and some have specific facilities such as
mini-golf installations and sports fields.
trekking, paintball, horseback riding, archery and
wildlife watching; a nature park in San Pedro de
Alcántara, in the municipality of Marbella, and a
leisure centre on the outskirts of Málaga that is built
around a large plaza and recreates a traditional
Andalusian village.
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marine environment and the conservation of
submarine nature, and which were conceived to
promote environmental education and recreation.
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Antequera’s “throne processions” on Maundy
Thursday and Good Friday, at night. “May Crosses”
should also be mentioned: during the Holy Week,
Málaga’s streets and yards are adorned with crosses made with colourful flowers.
This guide reviews the attractions that can be found
in 25 facilities, among which each traveller will find
the ones they like and need: theme parks, water
parks, zoos, equestrian centres, sea adventures,
motorised itineraries, casinos, music shows, and cuisine are some of the leisure options visitors can
enjoy in Costa del Sol. All of them have been
designed with the idea to make everyone’s stay an
unforgettable experience.
.
Following its practical nature, “Málaga, Sun and
Leisure” provides addresses, timetables, updated
fees and access information on each and every
place reviewed.
For more info, please visit
Procession in Archidona
“Málaga, Sun and Folklore” includes two calendars
with all the fiestas arranged by village and by date,
and a list of popular medicines.
Panoramic view of the Fuengirola Zoo
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 4:
MÁLAGA, SUN AND FOLKLORE
“Málaga, Sun and Folklore” is a comprehensive tour
to Costa del Sol’s celebrations and traditions and
customs. This travel guide is the result of painstakingly careful research. Its 176 illustrated pages offer
useful information, and to make searching through
them easier, fiestas have been classified according
to the season when they take place. Each celebration is accompanied by a review of its origin and
tourist information on the district where it is held.
In spring, for instance, the celebrations that stand out
are those of the Holy Week: the fiesta in Málaga City
(which has been declared of International Tourist
Interest), the staging of the Passion in Riogordo, or
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Those who prefer strong emotions can go for vertigo
sports, karting, horse riding, sea adventures, beach
sports and games, paint-balling or Harley-Davidson
renting. But they can also try their emotions at the
casino, the racecourse or enjoy a flamenco show.
Autumn is the season of Ronda’s Goyesque bullfight
and of some regional products that have their own
fiesta, like grape must, raisins and chestnuts. In winter, villagers celebrate slaughter, “verdiales” (peasant
songs and dances) and Carnival.
The guide pays special attention to children’s fun,
and so its pages include information on services for
the little ones, such as nature theme parks, where
they can watch plants and animals from everywhere
in the world in enclosures mirroring their original
habitats and ecosystems (with crocodiles and penguins and all!), and they can also take lessons in
environmentally decorated classrooms that will make
their visit a learning as well as an amusing experience.
When the summer solstice comes, the same rituals
are performed once again to attract good luck on the
Night of Saint John. These rituals are reviewed in the
guide. Summer also brings Corpus celebrations,
which are doubled in Arriate thanks to a papal bull. To
the same season belong the fiestas of Moors and
Christians at Benalauría, Benadalid and Alfarnate.
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Sol offers to the whole family all the year round, since
the region’s exceptional climate allows for no season
differentiation.
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3. WELL-SPOkEN
that goes beyond merely satisfying the desire to
learn.
SPANISH MÁLAGA –
LEARNING SPANISH
Well-Spoken Spanish Málaga
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Most of these schools also help their students
find lodging, and they can choose from different
.
.
The high demand for Spanish instruction has
led to the appearance of a sizable number of
academies and learning centres in various
Málaga municipalities where so-called
language tourists take up residence for a few
weeks or months. The Costa del Sol, in contrast
to other destinations that are competitors in this
field, places at the disposal of these unusual
travellers an attractive and unsurpassable offer
The centres in the province of Málaga for
teaching Spanish to foreigners offer a broad
array of options, with courses of all levels and
formats and curricula that can be adapted to all
kinds of students, without regard to their origin,
social status or cultural level. As well as the
lectures, which are generally combined with
theoretical and practical classes, these centres
organise seminars on special uses of the
language, workshops, multilingual encounters,
chats, discussions, film forums and many other
educational activities.
Language learning has become the
primary reason why a far from negligible
number of foreigners come to the Costa del Sol
each year. Málaga is in fact one of the favourite
destinations in the country for studying the
language of Cervantes, mainly due to the
enormous opportunities that the region offers
for combining training courses and cultural,
leisure and entertainment activities during one’s
stay in the province.
It is therefore no wonder that many businesses
in this field have decided to design packages
that include not only courses, workshops and
teaching experiences, along with lodging, but
that also provide the opportunity to arrange
excursions and tours, sports participation,
attendance at artistic and cultural events, and
the performance of leisure activities.
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.
The importance, however, of this class of
tourist, whose profile is no longer confined to a
certain age group, is also due to the fact that
during their stay in Málaga and even after they
have finished their training period in this
province
they
become
exceptional
For all visitors who want to enjoy and learn at
the same time, the Costa del Sol Tourist Board
has published two guides. One of them lists the
best Spanish schools and another one collects
peculiar characteristics of the speech of the
people from Málaga.
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 3:
MÁLAGA, SUN AND SPANISH
“Málaga, Sun and Spanish: Spanish Schools,”
the third tourist guide in this series, is a survey
of the places where you can learn, improve or
brush up your Spanish, and other languages as
well.
In this guide, each customer will find what they
need in schools with state-of-the-art languagelearning facilities. They will also read about
leisure activities to engage in, learning Spanish
and having fun at the same time, like guided
tours, special lectures, courses in Spanish
cooking or guitar, day trips, and many others.
But perhaps one of the most useful points about
this guide is that it provides information on
housing and accommodation in hotels,
apartments, shared apartments, youth hostels
and family houses, as well as directions to get
to the language school without getting lost.
The guide includes diagrams and photographs
to make it easier to understand.
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 10:
MÁLAGA, SUN AND DIALECT
“Málaga, Sun and Dialect: Popular Vocabulary”
offers a glossary collecting popular words and
idioms that characterise Málaga’s speech
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The guide is 36-page long, and it includes
colour illustrations. Apart from the glossary, it
has a brief introduction to Andalusian phonetics,
a supplement to make Málaga’s speech even
easier to understand.
“Málaga, Sun and Dialect” compiles words and
idioms from A to Z. Some of these expressions
are very, very old, preserved in popular,
especially rural, speech. In sum, this guide
presents a small but significant sample of
Málaga’s rich vocabulary.
.
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The unique character of Málaga is also a key
factor in attracting this category of travellers,
who often choose this destination for primarily
cultural reasons. It is therefore no wonder that
some take advantage of their stay on the Costa
del Sol to study the various flamenco
disciplines, to explore the wealth of monuments
in this province and neighbouring regions, or
simply to take delight in this land’s varied
cuisine.
“ambassadors” of the Costa del Sol and by
word of mouth help proclaim this destiny’s
excellence in their places of origin. It is for a
reason that there is general agreement in
remarking on the hospitality and effortless
integration into the customs and social activities
of the local population provided by a place
where the acquirement of a language, rather
than being an arduous task of cognitive
learning, becomes a delightful excuse for
enjoying one’s vacations by adding a valuable
personal benefit.
The expressions collected can have various
origins: they can be archaisms that have fallen
into disuse in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula,
like "aterminarse" (to dare); words introduced
by villagers from León or Aragón in times of the
Reconquest, such as "farfolla" (filler);
expressions coming from Arabic, like
"jamacuco" (sudden worsening of health) or
"arramblar" (to greedily take everything you find
in a place); gypsy words, such as "parné"
(money); and rhythmic autochthonous
colloquial expressions from Málaga and
Andalusia, such as "mantamojá" (slow or fainthearted person) or "puchindanga" (party,
merrymaking).
kinds of living arrangements during their stay on
the Costa del Sol: in apartments for one or more
occupants, in hotels, pensions and hostels or
even in Spanish homes. This last option is
chosen by a high percentage of language
tourists, who believe that joining Málaga
families is the best choice not only for coming
into contact with but being participants in the
customs, habits and traditions peculiar to this
province of Andalusia.
because they are too specific or they have
acquired a meaning different from the one they
have in Castilian Spanish. It is an original idea
for a tourist guide, published to make language
understanding easier for foreign visitors who do
not know the language and for Spanish
speakers who are not acquainted with this
dialect, thus eliminating linguistic barriers to
communication, which sometimes give rise to
unfortunate misunderstandings.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Statue of “El Cenachero” in Málaga City
There is a really wide offer: individual or group
lessons, beginner or advanced courses,
business Spanish, or D.E.L.E. courses, aimed
at getting the Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign
Language issued by the Cervantes Institute.
This 64-page long guide brings information on
30 language schools in different villages of the
province of Málaga: Alhaurín de la Torre,
Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Málaga City,
Marbella and Nerja. It is a comprehensive
survey which includes details on the courses
offered in each centre, with their timetables,
updated fees, class length and extracurricular
activities.
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4.
CULINARy
impossible to trace their provenance to a particular
place, but each will take on a distinct flavour
depending on the area where it is consumed.
MÁLAGA – fOOD
Most observations about traditional
Málaga cuisine are in agreement that it is notable for
the simplicity of its ingredients, the variety of its
dishes and the exceptional flavour imparted by
optimum use of excellent natural products in
preparing its extensive catalogue of recipes, which
are closely linked to the so-called “Mediterranean
diet” that has been so highly regarded for years by
the most knowledgeable gourmets for its proven
healthy benefits.
Culinary Málaga – Food
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If there is one gastronomic feature of this province
that has transcended its borders it is without a doubt
the Málaga fried foods, which is to say its famous
“pescaíto” (small fried fish). In the coastal region it is
.
Broadly speaking, you can enjoy exquisite dishes of
varied origins in any part of the province but it is still
true that certain specialties define the gastronomy of
a region. Likewise, there are a number of dishes that
are so widespread throughout Andalusia that it is
Culinary Málaga - Food
Vegetables, greens, meat, fish and fruit comprise the
most basic elements of the ever-more-authentic
Málaga gastronomy. Its preparation is notable for the
use of olive oil as an indispensable ingredient. This
Málaga product is of the highest quality and thus
bestows an extra value upon any dish.
Naturally, in such a diverse territory as the province
of Málaga different gastronomic traditions intermingle
but the most noticeable difference is between the
cuisine of the coastal strip and that of the interior
towns. Along the coast the diet is based on fish and
dishes are distinctive for their lightness, whereas
those of the interior are known for their heartier
character since meat is the favoured product. In fact
this differentiation between areas, even though true,
is due to an overly generalised traditional idea since
it is only logical that gastronomic products of any type
are distributed throughout all areas according to
demand. This has fostered such an exchange
between the coast and the interior that the
geographic “exclusivity” of certain dishes is no longer
as rigid as in years past. Nonetheless, each place
continues to regard those things indigenous to it as a
highly valued distinction.
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Sardine skewers
There are other first or main courses just as highly
recommended as the foregoing, such as “olla”, a
type of soup with chickpeas, greens, morcilla (black
pudding) and chorizo sausages and pork loin that is
a characteristic stew of the interior of the province.
Another is “migas” (a dish made from fried bread
crumbs), especially that made in the Málaga
Mountains although it is a very appetising dish in any
region. It is based on bread and water, to which are
added grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, oranges,
olives or herring. The “sopa perota” (a cold soup) of
Álora and the “cazuela de fideos” (pasta casserole)
of Colmenar are other specialties from the interior of
the province that have won well deserved fame, as
have other dishes that are typical of the coastal
region and are, naturally, based on fish: “sopa de
rape” (monkfish soup), “rape con patatas” (monkfish
with potatoes”), “arroz a la marinera” (rice with
seafood), “calderetas de pescado” (fish soups) or
“sardinas en cazuela” (baked sardines).
As has already been stated the heartiest stews are
to be found in the interior and are based on meat and
pork products. “Choto” (a stew made from kid or
veal) is especially appreciated. It is prepared from
olive oil, almonds, bread, vinegar and, of course,
garlic, which is the ingredient that gives it its
characteristic flavour. Rabbit and partridge stews and
“chivo frito” (fried kid), served accompanied by
various local products, form part of the customary
diet of the interior, which is also justly famous for the
hams and cured meats from the Ronda Mountains.
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One very attractive and novel way to indulge the
palate and at the same time explore the diversity and
Avocado, shrimp and caper platter
quality of Málaga gastronomy is to try its “tapas”. A
“tapa” is usually a sample or small portion –although
not always that small– of a dish or gastronomic
preparation, especially made to be consumed with
wine or beer before a lunch or dinner. There is a
practically unlimited variety of tapas, and generally
each establishment boasts its own specialties. This
tradition is so deeply rooted in the province of Málaga
that some municipalities have drawn up a “tapa
route” to make it easier for both locals and visitors to
choose the places that are best known for the quality
of their offer.
It is only to be expected, in such a meeting point of
peoples from all countries as the Costa del Sol, that
international cuisine would coexist with this rich and
varied traditional gastronomy. It is to be found in all its
forms in the coastal area in particular, along with an
increasing number of restaurants specialising in
Asian foods.
The dish that is most requested by tourists in general
on the Costa del Sol, however, is the irreplaceable
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As far as hot soups are concerned, “cachorreña”,
“gazpacho tostado” and “gazpachuelo” are most
characteristic of the interior regions, although it is true
that these specialties are very widespread.
“Cachorreñas” are unusual in that tart orange juice is
used in their preparation. “Gazpacho tostado” is very
similar except that once the “cachorreña” ingredients
(water, mashed red peppers, salt, paprika, olive oil
and orange juice) are heated they are poured into a
platter and covered with slices of toasted bread.
Gazpachuelo, the best of which is to be found in
Archidona, consists of a soup made from water,
bread and egg white to which is added mayonnaise
that has been diluted in a little of the same soup.
One of the main customary Málaga dishes is
Andalusian “gazpacho”, although it is not unique to
Málaga. It is prepared cold using a base of garlic,
crumbled bread, olive oil, water, vinegar, tomato and
salt and with or without pepper and cucumber.
“Ajoblanco” and “porra” are other kinds of cold
gazpacho that are more particularly identified with
Málaga. “Ajoblanco” is a type of gazpacho without
tomatoes but containing ground almonds that is
usually served with peeled grapes or raisins. La
Axarquía is the area that has gained fame for the
best ajoblanco.
“Ajo colorao”, prepared from minced codfish, olive oil
and paprika, is also prominent as either a first or
main course, as is “salmorejo”, which is native to
Córdoba rather than Málaga. In our province it is
made from green peppers, tomato, onion, tuna,
hard-boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, olive oil, salt and
vinegar. Another Málaga specialty is porra, which is
thicker than gazpacho. It is actually a mixture of
waterless gazpacho and “salmorejo” (a sauce made
from olive oil, vinegar, pepper and salt) and is
customarily served with boiled eggs, serrano ham
and “torrezno” (fried bacon). The most popular
“porra” is that of Antequera but it is very widespread
in this region. It can be enjoyed most of all in such
communities as Archidona and Fuente de Piedra but
it is commonly found in nearly the entire province.
CONVENTION BUREAU
customarily eaten as a first or main course. Victorian
anchovies, small mullets and hake, “jurelitos” (small
horse mackerels), small squid and cuttlefish and
other small species go into this succulent dish. To this
might be added clams, coquinas and other shellfish
as well as, needless to say “espetos de sardinas”
(sardines on skewers). These are prepared by
skewering them on canes that are stuck upright in
the sand next to a fire, but without letting either the
smoke or flame touch the fish.
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All things considered, the most remarkable thing
about the gastronomic panorama of Málaga is the
enormous improvement in quality that has occurred
in the last few years, a fact for which credit is due on
one hand to the concerns of the hotel sector about
measuring up to the standards of the Costa del Sol
and on the other hand, and as a consequence of this,
the opening of the hospitality schools that have
produced brilliant professionals who have given the
needed impetus for the kitchens of the province of
Málaga to become comparable with the best in
Spain. In the hands of these capable professionals
the new and creative Málaga cuisine has thus gained
full recognition in the most demanding quarters. All
this is the logical consequence of possessing a rich
gastronomic tradition and knowing how to adapt to
changing times, realising that gastronomy is one of
the tourism mainstays that generate the greatest
wealth.
elaborately prepared products. In the former
category the oranges of the Guadalhorce Valley,
Ronda pears, the exquisite Periana peaches from
the La Axarquía region and muscatel grapes are
outstanding.
For a number of years now, and it has been
especially noticeable beginning about five years ago,
there has been an extensive network of
establishments on the Costa del Sol devoted to what
has come to be known as “creative cuisine”, at the
vanguard of which are renowned professionals who
came from these same hospitality schools in Málaga
or from other regions with long gastronomic
traditions. With daring new dishes, products of
unlimited imaginations, these establishments have
managed to place the Costa del Sol in an enviable
position on the gastronomic map of Spain, which
these days means in the forefront of Europe.
A number of years ago subtropical fruits were
transplanted to lands near the coast, especially in the
environs of La Axarquía, and they have introduced
important new elements to the gastronomy of
Málaga. Cherimoya, avocados, mangos and
papayas are some of these fruits that have come to
enrich the Málaga table. As far as the preparation of
sweets is concerned, the most remarkable localities
are those in which convents are located. In these
places truly exquisite handmade products continue
to be prepared: “polvorones” and “mantecados”
(both made with flour, lard and sugar), “roscos de
vino” (spiral pastries), “alfajores” (pastries made with
nuts and almonds), “bienmesabe”(a spongecake)
and “yemas del Tajo” (a sweet made from sugar and
egg yolk) in the regions of Antequera and Ronda;
“tortas de aceite” (olive oil cakes) and “borrachuelos”
(syrup pastries) in the Guadalhorce Valley, the city of
Málaga itself and some villages in La Axarquía, and
an endless number of “roscos” and Christmas or
Holy Week sweets in practically the entire province.
The network of establishments in Málaga is the most
extensive and famous in all of Andalusia; it is with
good reason that three restaurants in this province
are listed in the prestigious Michelin Guide. There
are also many others that have managed to become
known throughout the world without that elite
recognition.
.
128
In Málaga the quality of desserts reaches great
heights, whether one speaks of natural fruits or
Part II
Index
As far as wines and liquors are concerned, sweet
wines have traditionally been the standard of
reference in Málaga and there is an enormous
variety of them, although the most famous is the
Pedro Ximénez muscatel. These wines are
customarily taken as an aperitif or as an
accompaniment to sweets and desserts. Notable
white wines include those from Mollina, of long-
.
Migas dish from Casabermeja
The Costa del Sol Tourist Board has written “Málaga,
Sun and Gastronomy: Popular Recipes” with some
of the best traditional recipes, along with Mr Rafael
Prado Salas, president of Málaga’s Hospitality
Industry Association.
No truer words were ever spoken than that on the
Costa del Sol there is some of everything and
something for all tastes in the field of gastronomy,
since if to the foregoing are added the numerous
establishments devoted to more exotic cuisine it is
entirely possible to satisfy the taste of any visitor, for
one must keep in mind that Asian cuisine has an
equally strong presence on the Costa del Sol:
Chinese, Japanese, Thai and, of course, Moroccan
restaurants, where one can sample the most
sophisticated specialties from those countries.
CONVENTION BUREAU
pescaíto frito in all its varieties, which are more than
a few. This genuine Málaga dish shares top billing
with “paella”, which originated in the Levant region of
Spain but has spread over the entire country and
become a national gastronomic symbol. In Málaga
there are a thousand and one ways to prepare it and
no hotel establishment fails to include it on its menu.
129
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Granada, thanks to the favourable climate. At
present, they are a basic ingredient in Málaga
cuisine.
In Málaga Province, wine-growing and wine-making
have a long tradition. According to historians, the
Greeks taught local people to grow Mediterranean
grape varieties and during the Catholic Monarchs’
reign, the wine of the land came into prominence.
The Sierras and Montes de Málaga have always
proved excellent for grape growing. In fact, varieties
such as Chardonnay, Doradilla, Syrah or Tempranillo
have been used to make superb red, white, rosé or
sweet wines. At present, the wine produced in
Málaga Province is at its most glorious. Its high
quality is certified by designations of origin like
Málaga and Sierras de Málaga, which supervise the
whole wine-making process.
PREPARATION
- Wash the avocados in warm water and once they
are dry, cut in half lengthwise and carefully remove
their pits.
AVOCADO COCKTAIL
WITH PRAWNS AND CAPERS
.
Avocados, which are related to laurel trees, come
from Central America. The Aztecs cultivated and
traded this fruit. Hernán Cortés first tasted avocados
in 1519, and little by little they made their way to the
Canary Islands and the Iberian Peninsula, to
become in fairly recent times one of the most
productive crops in the provinces of Málaga and
- Mix the ingredients and fill the hollows of part of the
halved avocados with it.
- Prepare another filling with diced hard-boiled eggs,
spring onions and several orange segments, peeled
and cut into halves. Fill the remaining avocado
halves with this mixture.
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 6:
MÁLAGA, SUN AND GASTRONOMY
Simple ingredients are the basic feature of Málaga’s
cuisine, but this does not mean dishes are poor.
Quite on the contrary: in this region, meals are
extremely varied and healthy, which is by no means
accidental but the result of using top-quality products
like olive oil (the staple of Málaga’s cuisine and
Mediterranean diet), meat, vegetables, fruit and,
above all, fish.
“Málaga, Sun and Gastronomy: Popular Recipes”
collects in a single volume all the traditional recipes
from Málaga, some of which have become
internationally popular, travelling beyond Málaga and
Andalusia. Some of them are gazpacho (cold
vegetable soup), hyper-typical “ajoblanco” (a variant
of gazpacho with almonds and muscatel grapes),
fried food, “espeto” (grilled sardines skewered in
reeds stuck into the sand), and of course, the
Vines in Málaga
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Index
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130
A pious farmer who grows them in Algarrobo learned
that Pope John Paul II liked them very much, and for
years this farmer sent boxes of this Málaga fruit to
the Pope's table with the journalist Paloma Gómez
Borrero. The Vatican Secretary of State responded
with apostolic blessings to this generous man from
Algarrobo.
- Add lemon juice to some peeled prawns and let
them to rest a while. Next, add strips of cheese (but
not of a strong variety) and the capers.
DESCRIPTION
Avocados are cultivated in prodigious quantities in
the warm and temperate land of Málaga, and have
come to be one of our most characteristic products.
CONVENTION BUREAU
established quality, and beginning some time ago a
highly regarded red wine has been produced in the
Ronda region.
131
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SYMBOLS
Beginning of the route
End of the route
Suggested route
Ucopaxa
Suggested route
0
CONVENTION BUREAU
ROUTE ACROSS THE MUSCATEL KINGDOM
5
km.
Bodega Almijara
Atalaya de la Axarquía
(Axarquía's vantage point)
Museo de la Pasa
(Raisin Museum)
Bodega Dimobe
.
.
132
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133
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As for desserts, the guide includes sweets with very
telling names, like Antequera “bienmesabe” (literally,
“it tastes good”), pastry soaked in Málaga wine, olive
oil cakes or “pestiños” (honey-coated pastry), as well
as “alfajores” (a type of cake), wine doughnuts, and
other typical convent sweets.
The recipes for all these dishes, and many others as
well, can be found on the pages of this travel guide.
Each recipe is accompanied by a photograph and a
detailed, step-by-step preparation. In addition, to fill
readers’ bellies and also quench their thirst for
knowledge, historic reviews, related anecdotes and
suggestions for matching wines are included.
ROUTE ACROSS
THE MUSCATEL KINGDOM
.
134
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Index
Bodega Dimobe produces wines belonging to DO
Málaga and DO Sierras de Málaga. This family-run
winery, founded in 1927, has recently opened its
doors to visitors. Not only has it launched new wines
into the market, but also its premises have been
completely renewed and they house a wine museum
full of freshness, with traditional pieces that the
Munõz brothers, the winery owners, have rescued
from neglect. There are some curiosities: the goat
hides, for instance, that were used to transport wine.
Don Quixote "fought" against similar ones in one of
the inns he came across on his adventures.
After leaving the town and collecting the car, we
continue on the road towards Almáchar, a town
devoted to vine-growing since time immemorial. The
muscatel grape of Almáchar is used to produce
Málaga Wine, but it is most well known as a raisin.
.
Málaga has two designations of origin: Málaga and Sierras de Málaga
From the city of Málaga, we start the journey on the
motorway 340 towards Almería, exiting it at the
junction for Rincón de la Victoria-Benagalbón. Soon,
you will see a sign that indicates a road towards
We recommend that you leave your car at the
entrance to the town because the streets are very
narrow and the distances to travel are short. As we
walk towards the first winery we are going to visit, we
will see the Church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia,
built in the 16th and 17th centuries, with beautiful
Arab arches in its bell tower. Moclinejo is a small
town, with a population of almost one thousand,
where everybody knows each other. The people
here are friendly and open, always ready to help
visitors with directions. For this reason, the easiest
thing to do is to ask someone for Dimobe or Muñoz
brothers wineries, which certainly, will not be more
than five minutes away.
ITINERARY
Moclinejo: Bodega Dimobe
Almáchar: Museo de la Pasa
(Raisin Museum)
Comares: Atalaya de la Axarquía
(Axarquía's vantage point)
Moclinejo, our first destination, 12 km from Rincón de
la Victoria This picturesque village sits 500 metres
above sea level, extending over the hillside of the
Córdoba and Sierras Blancas hills. Visitors to the
town enter under some arches as if the town is
wishing them welcome.
CONVENTION BUREAU
gastronomic miniatures par excellence: tapas.
Less well-known but equally tasty dishes which are
also included in the guide are “porra antequerana”
(similar to “ajoblanco”), porridge, Málaga stew (better
to eat in winter), saffron dogfish, and eggs “a lo
bestia” (fried eggs over a sauce made with
sausages, black pudding, pork loin, bread and
garlic).
135
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.
On our visit around the town we will see the Parish
Church San Mateo. Further on, a typical house, one
of the many that stand one attached to the other to
keep themselves upright on the steep terrain, is
home to the Museo de la Pasa (Raisin Museum).
Please, go in. The Museo de la Pasa shows the
ordinary life of vine-growers, their habits and most
familiar tools. It is a homage to the hard task passed
from fathers to sons that remains unchanged with
the passing of time. One of the typical tasks in the
After this delightful visit, we head towards Comares.
It is 16 kilometres from Almáchar on a winding road,
but worth the effort to get there. Comares sits on a
high plain from which you can see much of Axarquía.
Surrounded by vines and paseros, visitors can
delight in the magnificent scenery from any of the
viewpoints on the road. Once in the town, you will
find many monuments, for instance, the Muslim well,
declared a historic artistic monument in 1931, and
Furthermore, if you like hiking, we would suggest that
you spend the night here, and the following day you
can take any of the routes leading to the farthest
corners of Axarquía. In the Town Hall or the Tourist
Office they will inform you with full details.
You will get to know the warmth of Axarquía's people
and the delicious gastronomy of the area. Those
interested in enology will particularly enjoy the Cerro
Patarra path, starting in Almáchar. It is a 4 kilometre
round trip on paths and dirt tracks that lead us deep
within a landscape covered with vineyards. This
route takes 3 hours on foot.
MOORISH OIL ROUTE
(Eastern Costa del Sol and Axarquía)
ITINERARY:
Valle Niza
Vélez-Málaga,
Benamocarra
Almáchar
El Borge
Comares
Almáchar celebrates its patron fiesta honouring
Virgen del Amparo from 29 to 31 July. The first
Saturday of September the Fiesta del Ajoblanco,
declared of tourist interest in Andalusia, is celebrated
after La Noche de las Candelas (Night of Candles).
This day they serve hundreds of litres of one of the
typical dishes of Axarquía's gastronomy: “ajoblanco.”
If you come here on these dates, you are welcome
to the party. You will have a good time and will feel
integrated with the people of the town, who carefully
decorate the streets with old farming tools, dolls
dressed in traditional clothing, a lot of muscatel
grapes and flowers.
If you decide to eat in Almáchar, we recommend that
you ask for a good restaurant. The gastronomy of the
the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación.
You could also have lunch in any of the restaurants
you will find in Almáchar. Read the menu before
entering in order to make certain that they have DO
Málaga or DO Sierras de Málaga wines, which they
usually do.
Olive oil is a staple of Mediterranean cuisine
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Index
You leave Málaga, taking the Mediterranean
motorway towards Vélez-Málaga. On reaching
Valle Niza, turn to the left. Before arriving at
Cajiz there is the mill called El Molino nº 1. It is
owned by Jesús Cano Briones and produces a
million kilos of extra virgin olive oil per year.
During the grinding season, between
December and March, visitors can follow the
whole process of the milling and observe how
the oil comes out and deposits in the large
containers in which it is stored. All the
.
136
area is sun-drying grapes in "paseros" (exposing
them to the sun for a few days). The museum, a
typical dwelling of Almáchar, is furnished with
authentic pieces, donated by the locals of the area. It
is divided into various rooms, like any home, and
hanging on the walls are antique photographs of the
sun-drying labour, shared by the whole family.
Drying grapes in the sun of Axarquía is a very
common practice in Almáchar, which is surrounded
by paseros that make a unique sight, for they are full
of grapes from 15 August. Almáchar is a lively town,
clean and cheerful. Its streets are like the ground on
which it sits: steep, with steps and handrails, full of
flowers and dazzling in the sun. A few years ago, the
town council started organising a competition at
which residents embellish the streets and squares,
and it is the town residents who always keep their
town ready to be photographed.
region combines the best of the Mediterranean
meals with the great Málaga wines. And don't leave
without trying “ajoblanco” (see recipe below), the
speciality, which can even be served in a terrine to
spread on bread. You should also try the grapes au
liqueur that they offer you with the homemade
dessert.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Two kilometres before catching sight of the town, you
can stop in a viewing point on the road and
photograph the beautiful panorama of the steep
slope vine cultivation of Axarquía. It will take around
ten minutes to arrive at our destination. We would opt
to leave the vehicle at the entrance as the traffic
inside is complicated and, most important, the town
is worth walking around. There is an ample space
with a pretty corner covered with vegetation where
passengers wait for the bus in the shade. Of course,
it can also be used as a meeting point. Once there, it
might be worth asking for the Tourist Office, as the
area offers a wide range of attractions to its visitors.
137
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.
Return to the car, leave Vélez towards the
north and make a left that leads you to
Benamocarra, the place where one of Spanish
music's great maestros, Eduardo Ocón, was
born. The name of the town and the design of
Villanueva del Trabuco, in the region of Antequera
its streets and houses have a Moorish flavour,
a constant theme that will be repeated many
times in this route. Places of interest here are
the Plaza del Calvario, the Plaza de la
Constitución and the Church of Santa Ana.
Continuing the route you run into Almáchar
from which you have an excellent view over
almost all of Axarquía. One of the most
exquisite dishes of this town is the ajoblanco,
an unrivalled gazpacho made with a base of
almonds or broad beans, garlic and oil. It
deservedly has a fiesta in its honour, the
Fiesta of Ajoblanco, which draws thousands of
visitors on the first Saturday of September who
share out hundreds of litres of “ajoblanco.”
Comforted by this gazpacho you can restart
the route, but not without first visiting the
Museo de la Pasa (Raisin Museum) and the
Church of San Mateo.
Soon, you arrive at El Borge, also know as "the
capital of the raisin". In this town of a little
more than one thousand inhabitants, they
have recently opened La Posada del
Bandolero (the Bandit's Inn), the house where
it is believed the famous bandit, nicknamed "El
Bizco del Borge" (The cross-eyed man of
Borge), was born in 1837. This building was
once a mill, and the grinder has been kept
along with a few other architectonic elements.
The Town Council has been the promoter of
the museum and inn project. It has six guest
rooms with antique furniture and a romantic
air, each one bearing the name of one of the
members of the gang of "El Bizco del Borge"
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Index
Then you pass through Benamargosa, a
village in which the traditional cultivation of
vines, almond and olive trees combines with
new plantations of subtropical products.
Making a wide curve, the road rises up
towards the end of this route. Here you have
the opportunity of admiring the beautiful
panorama featuring the blue of the sea and the
ochre dotted with green of the farms of
Axarquía. Finally you arrive to Comares, a
natural bastion where Umar ibn Hafsun and
the armies of the Umayyads from Córdoba
fought, and the Castle, which crowns the
highest rocks of the wn, bears witness to those
battles.
In the main square there is El Molino de los
Abuelos. The mill was built at the end of the
19th century and it was still in use until mid
20th century. To prevent the building and its
installations from ruining, as has happened
with so many other similar constructions, the
Hermoso family has conserved this heritage as
.
138
If you ask for the Aceites Axarquía mill there
will always be someone who can show you the
way. And if not, the address is Explanada de la
Estación, 3. It is a modern mill, although some
old elements have been conserved as exhibits:
the press, the grinding stones… Its oil, with a
maximum acidity of between 0.4 and 0.5
percent, and a total production of around a
million kilos, is bought, like almost all of that of
this region, by individuals who travel especially
to the mill to get it.
On your route you will pass by Cútar, a
beautiful village with around seven hundred
inhabitants and a labyrinth made up of narrow
streets and corners embellished with flowers
and water. The town derives its name from its
interesting antique Arab fountain, the word
Cútar meaning "Fountain of Paradise" in
Arabic.
Taking the motorway again, you arrive in a few
minutes to the crossroads of Vélez-Málaga.
This city, the traditional commercial and
administrative centre of Axarquía, with a
population of more than 50,000, has some
interesting
places
that
are
worth
visiting:Church of Santa María la Mayor in
Mudéjar style, transformed into a church in
1489, Church of San Juan and Church of San
Francisco. You can also visit the beautiful
Chapel of Virgen de los Remedios, situated on
a promontory. There are other buildings that
also deserve a look: the Palacio de los
Marqueses de Beniel (Palace of the Marquises
of Beniel), the House of Cervantes, or Del
Carmen Theatre. Close to the sea and with
great industrial and agricultural development,
it is a welcoming and hospitable town despite
the weight of the changes.
CONVENTION BUREAU
You can also visit the Church of Nuestra
Señora del Rosario and visit the typical Barrio
del Rinconcillo (Rinconcillo neighbourhood).
After having a drink at the inn or one of the
bars or taverns, continue on the same route
towards Comares on a road that is slightly
tortuous but surrounded by a landscape that is
well worth seeing.
production is sold directly to the public who
make the trip there to buy it. If you have any
queries before the ,visit the, telephone number
of Jesús Cano Briones is (+34) 952 514 611.
139
MOORISH OIL ROUTE
TOURIST BOARD &
SYMBOLS
SIGNOS CONVENCIONALES
Comienzo
dethe
la route
ruta
Beginning of
End
route
Fin of
de the
la ruta
Itinerario route
sugerido
Suggested
0
CONVENTION BUREAU
El Molino de los Abuelos
5
Almazara
“Aceites Axarquía”
.
Almazara
“El Molino nº 1”
.
140
km.
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141
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The cellar is next to the restaurant, where the
oil was kept in earthenware jars and the wine,
in barrels. The place is decorated with utensils
and instruments related with oil and wine
making, and is used as a bar or a room for
celebrations.
Those who stay the night can wake up to a
miller's breakfast: orange juice, bread with oil,
coffee and homemade jam.
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 5:
MÁLAGA, SUN, WINE AND OLIVE OIL
.
142
“Málaga, Sun, Wine and Olive Oil” also
includes wine and olive oil tourist routes, two
glossaries of technical terms, gastronomic
suggestions, recipes, information on wineries
and olive-oil mills and advice on where to get
the best wines and oils in the province. All the
sections are profusely illustrated with maps,
diagrams and pictures.
In the section devoted to wine, there is a
discussion of those made in the province of
Málaga from every possible point of view,
going through their 25-century-long history,
from the varieties made by the Greeks and the
.
Glasses of Málaga wine
As for olive oil, the province of Málaga has
120,000 hectares of olive trees, some of them
being more than 100 years old, like the ones
still kept in Periana (Axarquía) or in Alameda.
This book shows how “green gold” is made,
and includes sections on oil-producing regions
and olive varieties, as well as olive-related
legends, fiestas and traditions.
Wine and olive oil are two staples of
Mediterranean culture, and the basic
ingredients of what is considered the
healthiest diet in every corner of the world. In
its more than 200 pages, this guide, “Málaga,
Sun, Wine and Olive Oil” provides a thorough
analysis of these gastronomic gems.
Romans to the ones produced today. It is not
by chance that the province has 5,000
hectares of vineyards distributed in five
regions –Axarquía, the Málaga Mountains,
Serranía de Ronda, the Western Coast and
Antequera– and two designations of origin: DO
Málaga and DO Sierra de Málaga. There is
also mention of the Málaga Wine Museum,
with its interesting collection of labels and
bottles, interactive posters and courses in wine
tasting.
CONVENTION BUREAU
much as possible. A few years ago, they
started the restoration of the mill and the
house, turning them into a restaurant and
lodging. The part of the house functioning as
a hotel consists of five double rooms and three
apartments with views to the plaza, the interior
patio or the immense valley that is visible from
these heights. The restaurant has been set up
in the old mill. The dining room occupies the
former machinery room of which they have
conserved the stone mill, the presses, the
hydraulic pumps and the oil tanks that are
sitting on the ground, covered with a
transparent and illuminated pane of glass.
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5.
BEAUTIfUL MÁLAGA –
HEALTH AND BEAUTy
The
Beautiful Málaga - health and Beauty
.
144
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These are not the only municipalities in Málaga
with curative waters, however. Other places in the
province, such as Perriana in La Axarquía, also
have water that possesses such properties. The
resources in that village were discovered in
ancient times, but it was not until the early
nineteenth century that the so-called Baños de
Vilo (Vilo baths) were brought back to their former
splendour. A few years ago, the Town Hall took
them over and committed itself to the work
necessary to turn the ancient Arabic baths into a
.
In the Guadalteba region, a little more than fifty
kilometres from the city of Málaga, is the
Balneario de Carratraca (Carratraca hot springs
resort), whose thermal waters had already made
it in the nineteenth century one of the most
famous summer resorts in the entire world. Along
with its small El Príncipe hotel, whose
construction was ordered by King Fernando VII,
the small facility forms a self-contained resort in a
Also about 50 kilometres from the city of Málaga,
but in this case in the Sierra de las Nieves range,
is the Balneario de Tolox (Tolox health resort).
Since its opening in 1871, it has been in
uninterrupted operation, although throughout its
existence it has undergone numerous
improvements and renovations both to its
infrastructure and furnishings. This facility, which
is especially suitable for respiratory illnesses and
is famous for ranking first in the world in terms of
infant occupancy, has a hotel on the premises.
Costa del Sol has not been
excluded from the upsurge in recent years in
health and beauty tourism. No wonder, Málaga
has been a pioneer in many aspects of this
segment, as is shown by the centres devoted to
health and body care that are to be found almost
anywhere in the province. Facilities ranging from
historic hot spring resorts to the most modern
thalassotherapy and hydrotherapy centres, and
including innovative spas and internationally
renowned clinics, make up an offer that has made
the Costa del Sol a unique destination in this
respect.
beautiful village in a mountain setting at more
than five hundred metres above sea level.
145
TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
.
visitors who are drawn to the Costa del Sol by any
of its excellent attractions.
On other places on the Costa del Sol, such as
Casares, efforts are also being made to derive
tourism benefits from waters with apparent
therapeutic properties. The latter case concerns
La Hedionda baths, where construction is
planned for a combined clinic and spa and some
public baths that will allow the village to continue
using this historic spring.
Some of the best health & beauty centres plus a
detailed description of treatments and services
they offer have been included in “Málaga, Sun,
Health and Beauty,” published by the Costa del
Sol Tourist Board.
Health and beauty tourism in the province of
Málaga is not confined to historic spas and hot
spring resorts, however. Private initiative, always
attentive to market demands, has been carrying
out projects for several years that help diversify
this offer that has become a supplement of the
greatest importance to a large number of the
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 7:
MÁLAGA, SUN, HEALTH AND BEAUTY
Taking some days off work for a combination of
leisure, health and beauty treatments is
becoming increasingly popular. Costa del Sol has
a wide variety of spas where visitors can relax
and feel good.
“Málaga, Sun, Health and Beauty” is a survey of
beauty and fitness centres offering the latest
health and beauty treatments offered by qualified
professionals in state-of-the-art facilities that can
be complemented with comfortable hotel resorts.
This guide includes detailed information on the
services provided in each centre: treatments’
duration, instructions and characteristics. It also
reviews the villages and places worth visiting.
More than 100 pages with information, colour
pictures and diagrams.
Set in privileged locations, most of these centres
have 24/ 7 medical attention. Besides, they
usually have additional services and facilities to
make customers’ stay more enjoyable: gyms, golf
courses, restaurants, swimming pools, tennis
courts, yoga classes, fitness classes,
entertainment shows, day trips, conferences,
meetings, and meals & receptions.
Beauty and fitness centres include resorts,
thalassotherapy centres, spas and clinics, many
of them very well-known the world over, and
treatments can be as varied as physiotherapy,
facial care, mud therapy, massages, jetted
bathtub, doctor-supervised diets, facial cleansing,
plastic surgery and many other options.
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.
146
modern resort that will also offer lodging and
restaurant services.
Spa in the Gran Hotel Elba
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TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
6.
SEABOUND
MÁLAGA – yACHTING
Seabound Málaga - yachting
.
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Part II
Index
At the present time the Costa del Sol is home to
more than 40 percent of all the mooring places in
the Community of Andalusia but, aside from what
that statistics might mean, the most outstanding
thing about its eleven marinas is the quality of
.
The marinas on the Costa del Sol do not simply
provide well-equipped docking areas for
recreational craft owners arriving at or departing
from the beautiful coastal towns of Málaga. They
also present to local people and outsiders
assorted options and a wide range of services
relating to the maritime arts. The numerous
businesses that conduct operations around these
marinas offer all types of clients a varied portfolio
In addition to strictly maritime activities there are
others of a commercial, social or cultural nature
that are handled by the entities and businesses
located in the port facilities or their surroundings,
making these incomparable enclaves true
meeting points for people of all conditions and
nationalities. All types of businesses, restaurants
with the most diverse gastronomic specialties,
cafés, bars and nightspots, among many other
establishments, extend the busy daily activity of
these installations beyond the wharves, sea walls
and docks. The indisputable point of reference,
however, never ceases to be the Mediterranean
Sea.
The Costa del Sol littoral, stretching
from Nerja in the easternmost part of the province
of Málaga to Manilva on the western border, has
eleven marinas, with a total of almost five
hundred berths, spaced along its more than 160
kilometres of coastline. This region’s enviable
geographic setting, dominating the entrance to
the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, and its
proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar have made it an
ideal place for all kinds of nautical tourism, all the
more so for the quality and distinctiveness of the
marinas and other facilities available at this tourist
destination.
of services, ranging from jet ski rental to
contracting for short or medium length voyages
and including the renting of equipment for the
most thrilling nautical sports, that serve to
diversify and augment those offered by the ports
themselves and their clubs.
149
TOURIST BOARD &
requirements of docks; and water and dock
services provided.
“Málaga, Sun and Marinas” also includes
information on the sports activities in each club
throughout the year. There is also a list of useful
phone numbers: emergencies, repair,
maintenance and supplies. In addition, and for
readers’ leisure, there is data on shopping
centres, discos, hotels, restaurants, bars and
pubs, shops, cruise itineraries and day trips to
places of interest.
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 8.
MÁLAGA, SUN AND MARINAS
“Málaga, Sun and Marinas,” volume eight in this
series published by the Costa del Sol Tourist
Board, is a summary of the marinas and yacht
clubs on the coast of Málaga.
CONVENTION BUREAU
their services and the attraction they have for
tourists. Each year they are visited by millions of
persons who find them to be a second-to-none
leisure offer.
In its pages, readers will find all the necessary
information to anchor in Málaga’s ports, hire their
services or enjoy their facilities.
Most marinas on Costa del Sol are internationally
renown. Many of them have Blue Flags fluttering
in their masts, an award given by the European
Union in recognition of their quality and service,
and Benalmádena’s marina has received two
awards that distinguish it as the Best Marina in
the World.
This guide has a whole chapter for each marina
or yacht club, providing all data on their features
and services, as well as reviews of their history
and the origin, evolution, renovations and
characteristics of their facilities. Then, there are
their technical details, of utmost important for
sailors: geographical location; number, type and
.
Sailing boat in Málaga Bay
Part II
Index
.
150
There are 320 sunny days a year on the coast,
with average temperatures of 22º C (72º F), which
makes it an ideal place for sports-lovers and
tourists. Golf, swimming, rowing, canoeing,
tennis, sailing and scuba-diving are some of the
sports visitors can try their hand at in clubs not far
away from the city and well-connected to the
main villages in the province and the region.
151
TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
7.
TRADING
MÁLAGA – SHOPPING
It doesn’t take a compulsive shopper
or spendthrift to succumb to the vast commercial
offer that makes the Costa del Sol a world standard in the field of shopping tourism.
Trading Málaga - Shopping
.
152
Part II
Index
.
Over the last several decades retail commerce
has become, with good reason, one of the largest
sectors of the Costa del Sol economy and a valuable addition to the tourism offer. It has come to
be a powerful attraction to travellers who consider shopping to be an indispensable vacation
activity.
Málaga, with more than 39 shopping centres,
business parks and supermarkets, not to mention
countless shops displaying everything from traditional handicrafts to the most exclusive items
from prestigious international companies, offers
the visitor the opportunity to wander among an
assortment of establishments capable of satisfying the most diverse demands while maintaining
a price-to-quality ratio that astonishes natives and
outsiders alike.
No matter what municipality the visitor selects for
his stay or what route he chooses to follow while
on the Costa del Sol he will find his way lined by
a network of businesses as varied as they are
diverse, adaptable to any budget, requirement or
motivation. Each year it is the large department
stores and shopping centres, most of them in the
principal coastal communities, that are most visited by a public eager to acquire a wide range of
products. In this respect the city of Málaga is
noteworthy for its share of this market.
Besides having the largest number of establishments of this type in the province it is currently
contributing to incredible growth in commercial
activity spurred by the development of large projects for commercial venues that are unique in the
region, many of them specialising in the sale of
items and merchandise in such specific fields as
furniture, gardening, automotives, textiles or
household appliances, among many others. New
macro-centres devoted to the consumer market
have also flourished in this city, with the appearance of extensive commercial developments in
which leisure and entertainment play an important part.
153
TOURIST BOARD &
.
The marina that owes its name to José Banús,
however, is not the only one on the Costa del Sol
that in addition to functioning as a nautical sports
facility also houses commercial, restaurant and
leisure establishments. In fact, nearly every one
of the eleven marinas on the Málaga littoral is the
The great majority of places in our province, on
the other hand, have markets, and some of these
have preserved their age-old character. Well
structured as distribution points for foodstuffs and
well conceived as handicraft markets to evoke
images from bygone days, these premises have
emerged as places for buying and selling the
most varied merchandise. Here one can find anything from perishable products such as fresh food
to handmade or manufactured articles, as well as
tools and utensils of various kinds. This merchan-
dise can also be acquired in the itinerant markets
(“mercadillos”) that set up in nearly every municipality on the Costa del Sol on different days of the
week.
These collections of travelling outdoor sales
booths, also known as “rastrillos”, find that this
destination’s balmy climate is their best friend.
Some are generic in nature and sell all kinds of
products but others depend upon specialisation,
such as the antique and philatelic mercadillos,
among others. Such a world makes it hard for the
traveller to leave these lands behind without
packing away in his suitcase some tangible
reminder of Málaga.
“Málaga, Sun and Shopping” is a travel guide
aimed at providing tourists with information on the
markets and street markets held regularly on the
Costa del Sol and the entire province of Málaga.
Not all the shopping centres on the Costa del Sol
are governed by the organisational and functional scheme that has come to be the norm in the
more advanced societies, however. A concept
has also taken shape that attempts to combine
tradition and innovation, and it has aroused enormous interest in important segments of the
tourism shopping market that visit our province.
These are the open shopping centres, a phenomenon mainly promoted by municipal governments
and professional associations whose success is
based on a collective effort by local business
operators from the same area to gather together
the zone’s commercial offer, providing customers
with additional benefits and advantages in order
to make their shopping more pleasant. This formula is yielding excellent results, especially in the
historic districts of our large Málaga communities
where shopkeepers coordinate their business
opening hours, provide consumers such services
Shop windows in Marbella
Part II
Index
.
154
Without a shadow of a doubt, however, Marbella
continues to be the standard of reference in this
market, a city that can pride itself on the largest
commercial park in all of Andalusia and one of the
most select shopping venues: Puerto Banús. The
most noteworthy international companies, the
most famous clothes, perfume and accessories
designers in the market and the most exclusive
boutiques have outlets in this remarkable enclave
that is known throughout Europe as the Mecca of
upscale tourism. This is a place for wandering
and falling under the spell not just of the stunningly beautiful surroundings but also of the attractive
offers in the shop windows, which in some cases
are within reach of only the most well-lined pockets.
as free parking areas for vehicles and even game
rooms in which they can leave their children while
shopping, and schedule activities to attract the
attention of the public that has been invited to
explore the municipality’s most remarkable sites
by means of established routes or itineraries
whose stops invariably include businesses where
products can be acquired at extremely reasonable prices.
Antequera and Coín, in the interior of the
province, Rincón de la Victoria and Vélez-Málaga
on the eastern edge of the littoral and
Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Mijas
and Estepona on the western Costa del Sol are
some of the other main examples of shopping
tourism in this province. Within their respective
municipal boundaries are well-known department
stores and shopping centres that each day
receive a deluge of visitors, a high percentage of
them travellers staying at this destination.
site of establishments designed to give free rein
to the consumerist spirit of the most demanding
traveller. These businesses allow the visitor to
enjoy a shopping session that can stretch to the
end of the day and far beyond that, as in many
cases stores have flexible hours that keep them
open until late into the night, when commercial
activity gives way to nightlife without the necessity of relocating from the areas near the docks.
The port of Benalmádena is the paradigm of this
type of tourism offer. Within this complex, considered the best marina in the world, is a remarkable
shopping centre whose architectural design was
inspired by Mediterranean patterns and whose
enviable location has made it one of the most
striking to the traveller-consumer. Here, happily
combining the enthusiasm for exploring the most
attractive sites in the province with opportunities
for acquiring top-shelf articles is an everyday
activity.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Visitors can thus find, along with shops, a wide
array of restaurants and cafés, children’s parks,
multi-cinemas, hairdresser shops, beauty salons,
recreation rooms and bowling alleys, and in some
cases even gymnasiums, discotheques and
solariums.
155
TOURIST BOARD &
ALAMEDA
Name:
Alameda City Market
Address: Plaza de Andalucía
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Opening hours: 8 - 15 h.
ALCAUCÍN
Name:
Alcaucín City Market
Days:
mondays - saturdays
ALFARNATE
Name:
Alfarnate City Market
Address: C/ Almacén
Days:
mondays - saturdays
ALHAURÍN DE LA TORRE
Name:
Alhaurín de la Torre City Market
Address: Avenida San Sebastián
Days:
mondays - saturdays
GAUCÍN
Name:
Gaucín City Market
Address: C/ San Juan de Dios
Days:
mondays - saturdays
ANTEQUERA
Name:
Antequera City Market
Address: Plaza de Abastos
Days:
mondays - saturdays
COLMENAR
Name:
Colmenar City Market
Address: C/ Virgen de la Candelaria
Days:
mondays - saturdays
HUMILLADERO
Name:
Humilladero City Market
Address: C/ Jardín
Days:
mondays - saturdays
ARCHIDONA
Name:
Archidona City Market
Address: C/ San José
Days:
mondays - saturdays
CÓMPETA
Name:
Competa City Market
Address: Plaza Almijara
Days:
mondays - saturdays
MÁLAGA
Name:
Atarazanas Market
Address: C/ Atarazanas, 8 and 10
ARDALES
Name:
Ardales City Market
Address: C/ Real
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Name:
Cuevas de San Marcos City Market
Address: Plaza Luis de Armiñán
Days:
mondays - saturdays
BENAOJÁN
Name:
Benaoján City Market
Days:
mondays saturdays
ESTEPONA
Name:
Estepona City Market
Address: C/ Villa, s/n
Days:
mondays - saturdays
CAMPILLOS
Name:
Campillos City Market
Address: Plaza de España
Days:
mondays - saturdays
FUENGIROLA
Name:
Mercacentro
Address: Avenida del Alcalde Clemente
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Opening hours: 7- 21 h.
CASARABONELA
Name:
Casarabonela City Market
Address: C/ Alta
Days:
mondays - saturdays
FUENTE DE PIEDRA
Name:
Fuente Piedra City Market
Address: Plaza de la Constitución
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Name:
El Carmen Market
Address: C/ La Serna, 17
Part II
Name:
Salamanca Market
Address: C/ San Bartolomé, 1
Name:
Pedregalejo Market
Address: C/ Narváez Ramírez, 2 (A de Pilones)
Name:
Ciudad Jardín Market
Address: Avda. Jacinto Benavente, s/n
Name:
Bailén Market
Address: Pl. de Bailen, 8
Name:
La Palma Market
Address: C/ Esla, Polígono 50, Manzana 7
Name:
Carranque Market
Address: C/ Virgen de la Esperanza, 8
Index
.
156
Name:
La Merced Market
Address: C/ La Merced, 1
Name:
El Palo Market
Address: C/ Juan Sebastián Elcano, 133
.
ALHAURÍN EL GRANDE
Name:
Alhaurín el Grande City Market
Address: Carretera de Cártama
(opposite Repsol petrol station)
Days:
mondays -saturdays
CASARES
Name:
Casares City Market
Address: C/ Carreras
Days:
mondays - saturdays
ALGARROBO
Name:
Algarrobo City Market
Address: C/ Maestra Dolores Rivas
Days:
mondays - saturdays
ALMARGEN
Name:
Almargen City Market
Address: C/ Proyecto
Days:
mondays- saturdays
CONVENTION BUREAU
MARKETS IN
MÁLAGA PROVINCE
157
TOURIST BOARD &
Name:
Dos Hermanas Market
Address: C/ Ingeniero Díaz Pettersen, 10 y 12
Name:
García Grana Market
Address: C/ Virgen de la Fuensanta, S/n
Name:
Huelin Market
Address: C/ La Hoz, 39
Name:
Churriana Market
Address: C/ Plaza Mayor, 4
MANILVA
Name:
Manilva City Market
Address: C/ Jimena - C/ Pósito
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Name:
la Divina Pastora City Market
Address: C/ José Chacón
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Name:
Villanueva del Trabuco City Market
Address: Plaza del Prado
Days:
mondays - saturdays
PERIANA
Name:
Periana City Market
Days:
mondays - saturdays
TEBA
Name:
Teba City Market
Address: C/ Herradores
Days:
mondays - saturdays
YUNQUERA
Name:
Yunquera City Market
Address: C/ La Iglesia
Days:
mondays - saturdays
RÍOGORDO
Name:
Río Gordo City Market
Days:
mondays - saturdays
TORRE DEL MAR
Name:
Torre del Mar City Market
Address: Calle Garita, S/n
Days:
mondays - saturdays
RONDA
Name:
Ronda City Market
Address: C/ Jaén, 4
Days:
mondays - saturdays
TORROX
Name:
Torrox City Market
Days:
de mondays a saturdays
SAN PEDRO DE ALCÁNTARA
Name:
San Pedro de Alcántara City Market
Address: C/ Caravaca
Days:
VALLE DE ABDALAJÍS
Name:
Valle de Abdalajís City Market
Address: Plaza San Lorenzo
Days:
mondays - saturdays
SAYALONGA
Name:
Sayalonga City Market
Address: Plaza Rafael Alcoba
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Vélez-Málaga
Name:
Vélez City Market
Address: C/ Poeta J. Lobato (Plaza)
Days:
mondays - saturdays
SEDELLA
Name:
SedellaCity Market
Days:
mondays - saturdays
Name:
“Los sauces” Cooperative
Address: C/ Adoquines
Days:
mondays - saturdays
158
Part II
Index
.
A store in Nerja
.
MIJAS
Name:
Mijas City Market
Address: Calle del Pilar
Days:
mondays - saturdays
SIERRA DE YEGUAS
Name:
Sierra deYeguasCity Market
Address: Plaza de la Libertad
Days:
MARBELLA
Name:
Marbella City Market
Address: Avenida del Mercado
Days:
mondays - saturdays
MOLLINA
Name:
Mollina City Market
Address: C/ Codo
Days:
mondays - saturdays
CONVENTION BUREAU
Name:
Portada Alta Market
Address: C/ Archidona, S/n
159
TOURIST BOARD &
ALAMEDA
Address: C/ Blas Infante
Days:
wednesdays and sundays
ALCAUCÍN
Address: C/ Blas Infante
Day:
wednesdays.
ALFARNATE
Address: Plaza Andalucía, Cervantes,
Lope de Vega. C/ Almacén y Fuente
Day:
fridays
Opening hours: 8.30- 13.30 h.
.
15
h.
Address: Parking Tivoli-World
Day:
fridays
ALMOGÍA
Address: C/ Carril
Day:
tuesdays
BENAMARGOSA
Address: C/ Arroyo Alperchín
Day:
wednesdays
ÁLORA
Address: Plaza de la despedida
Day:
mondays
Opening hours: 9 -14 h.
ALOZAINA
Address: Avda. Andalucía
Day:
tuesdays
ANTEQUERA
Address: Avda. de los Colegiales S/n
Day:
tuesdays
ARCHIDONA
Address: C/ Granada. Recinto ferial
Day:
mondays
Opening hours: 9 a 15 h.
Stores in Marbella
ÁRCHEZ
Address: Avenida de Andalucía
Day:
wednesdays
ALMÁCHAR
Day:
fridays.
BENAHAVÍS
Day:
wednesdays
BENARRABÁ
Address: Plaza de la Vera Cruz
Day:
fridays
ARENAS
Address: Avenida Fernández Ramos
Day:
wednesdays
ARRIATE
Address: C/ Clara Campo Amor
Day:
saturdays
Natural food store in Rincón de la Victoria
BENAOJÁN
Address: Avenida Juan de la Rosa
Day:
Saturdays.
ARDALES
Address: Plaza de San Isidro
Day:
fridays
Opening hours: 9 -15 h.
ALHAURÍN EL GRANDE
Address: Recinto ferial Antonio Solano
Day:
thursdays.
Part II
BENAMOCARRA
Address: C/ La Pava
Day:
tuesdays
CALA DEL MORAL
Address: Plaza D. Antonio Estrada
Day:
fridays
CAMPILLOS
Address: Parque José María Hinojosa
Day:
tuesdays
.
160
ALGARROBO COSTA
Day:
wednesdays.
ALHAURÍN DE LA TORRE
Address: Avenida el Limón
Day:
wednesdays.
a
BENALMÁDENA
Address: Parque de la Paloma
Days:
wednesdays y fridays
ALGATOCÍN
Address: Alameda de Algatocín
Day:
wednesdays
ALMARGEN
Address: C/ Cortina Estación
Day:
saturdays
Opening hours:
de
9
aproximadamente.
CONVENTION BUREAU
STREET MARKETS
IN MÁLAGA PROVINCE
Index
161
TOURIST BOARD &
CORTES DE LA FRONTERA
Address: C/ Barrio Alto
Day:
saturdays
FARAJÁN
Day:
mondays
CANILLAS DE LA ALBAIDA
Address: Llano de la Fuente
Day:
mondays
CASABERMEJA
Address: Plaza Nueva
Day:
fridays
CUEVAS BAJAS
Address: Plaza de la Iglesia
Day:
saturdays
FRIGILIANA
Address: Plaza del Ingenio
Day:
thursdays
CAÑETE LA REAL
Address: Urb. Carmen Ortega
Day:
tuesdays
Opening hours:
de
9
aproximadamente.
CASARABONELA
Address: C/ Cancula
Day:
fridays
CUEVAS DEL BECERRO
Address: Plaza 1º de mayo
Day:
tuesdays.
FUENGIROLA
Address: Recinto Ferial
Days:
tuesdays & saturdays (saturdays
second-hand)
CASARES
Address: “Peñón Roao” (town entrance)
Day:
fridays
Address: Plaza de Luis de Armiñan
Day:
saturdays
Address: Fuengirola's marina
Day:
Sunday morning (winter)
Sunday afternoon (summer)
COÍN
Address: Recinto ferial de Coín
Day:
saturdays
CÚTAR
Address: Acceso a Cútar (town entrance)
Day:
thursdays
FUENTE DE PIEDRA
Address: C/ La Roda
Day:
fridays
COLMENAR
Address: C/ Virgen de la Candelaria
Day: thursdays
Opening hours: 9 - 13 h
EL BORGE
Address: Plaza del Pozillo
Day:
tuesdays
GAUCÍN
Address: Polideportivo Municipal
Day:
saturdays
COMARES
Address: C/ Levante
Day: saturdays
EL BURGO
Address: Vereda del Zahorí
Day:
wednesdays
GENALGUACIL
Address: C/ Puerta de la Guardia
(town entrance)
Day:
tuesdays
CÓMPETA
Address: Plaza Axarquía
Day: saturdays
ESTEPONA
Address: Explanada antiguo recinto ferial
Day:
wednesdays
Address: Puerto Deportivo Estepona
Day:
domingo
a
15
h.
CARRATRACA
Day:
Saturdays
162
La Rosaleda shopping centre
Part II
Index
GUARO
Day:
thursdays
.
.
CÁRTAMA
Address: Recinto ferial
Day:
fridays
CÁRTAMA ESTACIÓN
Address: “El Cruce”
Days:
fridays y sundays
CONVENTION BUREAU
CANILLAS DE ACEITUNO
Day:
fridays
163
TOURIST BOARD &
MONDA
Address: Llano de la Jaula
Day:
tuesdays
IGUALEJA
Day:
fridays
Mercadillo de Antigüedades
Address: Nuevo Recinto Ferial de Manilva
Day: sundays
Opening hours: 8.30 - 14.30 h.
MONTEJAQUE
Day:
thursdays
ISTÁN
Address: Avda. Juan Carlos I
Days:
tuesdays y saturdays
MARBELLA
Address: Avenida José Vallés,
next to town football stadium
Day:
mondays
NERJA
Address: Urb. Almijara, Urb. Flamingos y
Urb. Villas de Nerja
Days:
tuesdays & sundays
SAN PEDRO DE ALCÁNTARA
Address: Avenida Vega del Mar
Day:
thursdays
Address: Nueva Andalucía
Plaza de Toros de Puerto Banús
Day:
saturdays
OJÉN
Day:
saturdays
SAYALONGA
Address: Plaza Rafael Alcoba
Day:
fridays
Address: “Zoco de los Candiles”.
Parque de la Alameda.
Day:
saturdays
PERIANA
Address: Avenida de la Constitución.
Day:
wednesdays.
SEDELLA
Address: C/ Villa del Castillo
Day:
mondays
MIJAS
Address: La Cala de Mijas - Las Lagunas
Days:
wednesdays & saturdays
RINCÓN DE LA VICTORIA
Address: Camino viejo de Vélez-Málaga
Day:
wednesdays
Opening hours:8 - 14 h.
SIERRA DE YEGUAS
Address: Plaza de la Libertad
Day:
thursdays
MOCLINEJO
Day:
fridays
RIOGORDO
Address: Plaza de Fuente Nueva
Day:
wednesdays
TEBA
Address: C/ Poeta Miguel Hernández
(Former old school complex)
Day:
wednesdays
MOLLINA
Address: C/ De la Alameda
Day:
tuesdays
RONDA
Day:
sundays
IZNATE
Address: C/ La Fuente
Day:
sundays
JIMENA DE LÍBAR
Address: Plaza Virgen de la Salud
Day:
wednesdays
164
MÁLAGA
Address: Huelin
Day:
wednesdays
Address: La Paz
Day:
wednesdays
Address: Martiricos
Day:
sundays
SALARES
Address: C/ Arroyo
Day:
fridays
Address: Avda. de Andalucía
and C/ Poeta Miguel Hernández.
Day:
wednesdays
.
.
JUBRIQUE
Address: C/ Algatocín
Day:
mondays
SABINILLAS
Address: Conjunto Residential La Noria,
next to town football stadium
Day:
fridays
MANILVA
Address: C/ Nueva, junto a piscina Municipal
Day:
fridays
CONVENTION BUREAU
HUMILLADERO
Address: Puente de los Nonitos
Day:
thursdays
Part II
Index
165
TOURIST BOARD &
TORRE DEL MAR
Address: Plaza de la Paz (Plaza del Mercadillo)
Day:
thursdays
TORREMOLINOS
Day:
thursdays
TORROX
Address: Explanada de la Almedina
Day:
mondays
TORROX COSTA
Address: Carretera nacional 340
(opposite Telefónica building)
Day:
mondays
.
VÉLEZ-MÁLAGA
Address: Pozancón Parking
(opposite María Zambrano Park)
Day:
thursdays
VALDÉS
VILLANUEVA DE ALGAIDAS
Address: Parque Arenal
Day:
fridays
VILLANUEVA DE LA CONCEPCIÓN
Address: Centro
Day:
mondays
Address: Avda. Blas Infante
Day:
tuesdays
VILLANUEVA DE TAPIA
Address: Paseo de Alameda
Day:
thursdays
YUNQUERA
Address: Calle Blas Infante
Day:
fridays
Walking around, learning interesting things, enjoying
oneself and buying interesting stuff. This is what
readers of “Málaga, Sun and Shopping” will be
offered in its 160 pages, a thorough review of Costa
del Sol’s commercial activity. The first section of this
guide, volume nine in the series, is devoted to the
province’s shopping centres, with all the information
on locations and directions to get there, services,
facilities, and opening days and hours.
“Málaga, Sun and Shopping” has a special chapter
on historic districts in the different villages and their
commercial life. Thus, to a directory of shops in the
hearts of Antequera, Málaga City, Marbella and
Nerja, the guide adds useful tourist information on
each of these villages: history, population data,
roads and ways to get there, and interesting tours.
So, readers are invited to get to marvellous
Antequera, the village where three quarters of the
province’s historic and artistic heritage are located;
go sightseeing in Málaga’s capital city (Phoenician
Malaka) and see the Alcazaba (an 11th century Moor
fortified citadel), the Gibralfaro Castle or the Picasso
Museum, or stroll along Larios street; take a walk
around Marbella and visit Guadalmina’s thermal
baths, one of its 14 golf courses or the famous
“Europe’s Balcony” (a viewpoint affording magnificent views of the Mediterranean); or go to Nerja and
see its well-known caves.
This special chapter ends with a discussion of gastronomy, fiestas, natural scenes and business associations in these four villages. All the sections in the
guide are generously illustrated with colour photographs.
As a bonus, the guide includes a calendar of the fairs
and street markets in Costa del Sol and the province
of Málaga.
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A store in Nerja
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VALLE DE ABDALAJÍS
Address: Urb. Callejón de los Molinos
Day:
thursdays
Address: Paseo Virgen de los Dolores
Day:
wednesdays
TRAVEL GUIDE No. 9:
MÁLAGA, SUN AND SHOPPING
TOTALÁN
Address: Calle Arroyuelo
Day:
saturdays
Address: Plaza de La Axarquía
Day:
Saturdays
CONVENTION BUREAU
TOLOX
Address: Plaza Alta
Day:
wednesdays
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8. lUxURIOUS
MÁLAGA – LUxURy
Although the Costa del Sol has been
a fashionable destination since time immemorial
for the nobility and moneyed class of ,Europe it,
was not until the 1960’s that Málaga began to
develop a tourism offer that was consciously
designed to meet the specific demands of
travellers from the upper income brackets.
luxurious Málaga - luxury
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These top-flight hotel establishments, which are
mainly found along the western fringe of the
It is thus only to be expected that in these
luxurious resorts there is everything from spas to
famous-name boutiques, private golf courses and
signature restaurants where the gastronomy will
delight even the most refined palate. Ostentatious
suites that may exceed two hundred square
metres, meeting rooms cared for down to the
slightest detail, additional child-care, chauffeur or
personal trainer services, advice for contracting
for anything from attending some kind of show to
going on an excursion, or arrangements to rent a
yacht or a luxury car are only a few of the options
offered to clients in the province of Málaga’s
select hotels, which are accustomed to
welcoming the cream of international society to
their facilities.
Today on the Costa del Sol there is a long list of
imposing mansions and palaces belonging to
those magnates who chose to establish their
summer residences here, but there are also more
than six thousand five-star and grand luxury hotel
accommodations, to which number might be
added upscale apartment hotels and opulent
rental residences intended for the most select
clientele. These are types of lodging especially
planned for well-to-do, who realise that at this
destination they can find the supplementary offer
that best fits their refined tastes.
Málaga coast, have become the bulwark of luxury
tourism, and its growth has encouraged chains
and groups that are well known in the industry to
undertake initiatives for creating new resorts in
this province. In most cases, these are
compounds located in extraordinary settings that
offer their guests personalised attention and
preferential treatment while providing the most
exclusive services and facilities.
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Since luxury tourism and conformity are concepts
as opposed as night and day, the Costa del Sol
has not stinted its efforts over the last half century
to craft a product capable of satisfying its affluent
travellers’ most exacting demands. A good
example of this trend is the beach clubs that have
sprung up on the western coast, especially in the
municipality of Marbella. They have become
genuine beachfront social centres, usually with
swimming pools, relaxation facilities and areas
where one can sunbathe and enjoy an aperitif in
total harmony with the natural surroundings.
The proliferation of hydrotherapy, talassotherapy,
spas and wellness centres on the Costa del Sol
has created another great drawing point for
travellers with high purchasing power, who
generally have a greater predilection for personal
and physical wellbeing than other tourists.
Not only does this destination at present have the
best health and beauty complexes in all of Europe
but some of these facilities have opted for
specialisation, always grounded in standards of
excellence, by applying unique techniques and
treatments or adopting innovative methods for
providing their clients optimum results in the
constant search for personal vitality.
The offer in this luxury tourism-oriented specialty
is so attractive that visitors who choose this
enclave primarily to go through an anti-stress or
weight loss programme, a relaxation circuit or
even to have cosmetic surgery at the hands of the
most qualified medical specialists in the field
already account for a significant percentage of
the total.
For more demanding patients the Costa del Sol
has a network of clinics with impeccable
reputations. Either through arrangements with
select hotels or by offering patients the option of
lodging in their own facilities –which would leave
little or nothing to be desired in a top-quality
establishment– they provide the accommodations
that best fit the needs and desires of their guests.
The objective: to see to it that their elite clientele’s
vacations are the perfect occasion for improving
their bodies, minds or spirits, while guaranteeing
maximum comfort and the most exclusive
accommodations.
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Puerto Banús in Marbella, a marina considered
the most remarkable port facility in Spain and one
of the most distinguished in the entire world, is
outstanding in this respect. In fact, since it was
opened in 1970 figures ranging from grand
magnates to members of the royalty have chosen
this port to berth their impressive yachts, some of
which are veritable floating cities that have
become tourist attractions for the thousands of
visitors who wander along the docks of Marbella
each day.
High-standing car hire companies, with or without
a driver, restaurants, lounges and nightclubs for
the well-off; international boutiques, real-estate
agents offering exclusive villas, mansions, or
country estates featuring all kinds of facilities;
jewelleries that will fulfil the needs of the most
eccentric customers; or travel agencies
constructing tailor-made holidays are among the
businesses on the Costa del Sol that will meet the
most demanding requirements of any discerning
traveller. This is one of the reasons why the Costa
del Sol is one of the top tourist destinations
worldwide.
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Air taxi companies operate from Málaga Airport
Aware that lodging, gastronomy and the general
and supplementary offers are just as important to
upscale tourists as the mode of travel, this
province is untiring in its continuous quest to
improve the infrastructure that supports the
development of private and collective
transportation, as in the case of the airport, where
for some time now air taxi companies have been
in operation to rent airplanes and helicopters and
also to contract for private flights and jets, or the
port, which is undergoing a full remodelling that
will lead to the greatest transformation in its
history –it is accustomed to receiving liners
belinging to companies specialising in luxury
cruises– or the marinas where throughout the
year luxurious recreational craft are the focus of
admiration.
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These are, in short, establishments conceived as
perfect places to take it easy, have fun or
celebrate some event in an exclusive setting with
the Mediterranean as the supreme element. A
number of these compounds host, year round but
especially during the summer season, fashion
shows by renowned designers, private parties,
promotional events organised by top brands, art
expositions and lavish shows that usually include
fireworks to provide the greatest possible visual
impact to the evening’s festivities. Almost all
these clubs are either affiliated with luxury hotels
or entry is restricted to their fortunate members,
who can enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres or
even dine or have lunch, letting themselves be
caught up in an almost magical atmosphere
where the decorations and the musical repertoire
that enliven the day have been meticulously
selected.
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Establishments of this type are located in various
localities on the Costa del Sol but the greatest
number of them are concentrated in Marbella,
which is why over time Marbella has become
synonymous with luxury.
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“Málaga, Sun and Luxury” gives tourists
absolutely all the information they might need
when they come to the Costa del Sol.
MÁLAGA SUN AND LUXURY
“Málaga, Sun and Luxury” is a tourist guide
inviting us to the luxury venues available in the
province of Málaga.
In addition to its mix of landscapes and all-yearround mild weather, two characteristics that turn it
into an ideal destination for the best holidays
ever, the Costa del Sol has a top-quality travel
offer.
9.
MÁLAGA – CULTURAL
SIGHTS
The province of Málaga’s strategic
This guide’s purpose is to provide useful
information about accommodation, restaurants
and other services for discerning tourists
interested in getting an exclusive and
personalised treatment.
location, in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula
and in the western Mediterranean, and its amous
fine climate have made this region a zone of transit
and settlement of numerous civilisations. They all
have left their imprint on this territory, which has been
inhabited without interruption from the Palaeolithic
period to the present day.
Thus, it is a further step in the Costa del Sol
Tourist Board’s efforts to make available to all
those visiting the province all the necessary
information on the wide range of accommodation
options and the services the best of them offer.
Monte Miramar Palace
A world-class historic and artistic heritage has
accumulated during those more than 20,000 years of
human adventure. This heritage affects some more
than others but leaves no one indifferent, least of all
the visitor who arrives in Málaga for the first time and
immediately realises that he is treading soil that has
been occupied previously by the most distinguished
cultures that history has produced.
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The cave paintings of La Pileta (at Benaoján in the
Ronda region), Doña Trinidad (at Ardales in the
Guadalhorce valley region) and Nerja (Eastern
Costa del Sol-La Axarquía), works whose ages have
been estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 years
and that represent different plastic “languages”, are
some of the many prehistoric remains that have
been found in Málaga. The dolmens of Menga, Viera
and El Romeral, in Antequera, are closer to us in time
(2,500-1,800 B.C.) and are considered to be among
the most important megalithic monuments in Europe.
But Málaga welcomed history proper with the arrival
of the Phoenicians. In their expansion throughout the
Mediterranean they found in this region places that
were suitable for founding cities that to begin with
were simply industrial enclaves producing mainly
dried fish, a product that these people traded
throughout the known world. This was in the eighth
century B.C., the period when the cities of Malaka,
which may have been the later Greek Mainake, and
.
It is true that not all these civilisations have left behind
important works in this part of Spain, either because
the materials they used have not withstood the test
of time or because, as is well known, a new
civilisation with few exceptions is born out of the
almost total and premeditated annihilation of the
previous one. Even at that, the province of Málaga is
a true cultural mosaic, many of whose pieces still
attest to a past that encompasses all the
Mediterranean civilisations.
Cultured Málaga - Cultural Sights
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During the later Roman presence, important cities
sprang up in the interior of the province due to the
need to link the entire Andalusian region with the
coast. Acinipo, in Ronda, and Singilia Barba, in
Antequera are the best representatives of this epoch,
although both cities were abandoned and founded
anew on sites fairly close to the original ones.
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MÁLAGA, SUN AND CULTURE
Cinemas, theatres, museums and exhibition halls
are places that culture and leisure enthusiasts like to
visit. This guide, “Málaga, Sun and Culture:
Cinemas, Theatres and Exhibitions,” is for this kind of
With sections corresponding to each town in
alphabetical order, the guide provides a detailed
account of cinema complexes in the province:
address, phone number, web page, seating capacity
and number of theatres, additional services (sound
system, air-conditioning, access for the disabled, car
parking) and special seasons or discounts are
provided for each complex.
Lovers of the performing arts will also find useful
information in this guide, since “Málaga, Sun and
Culture” also has sections for all the provincial
theatres and auditoriums. From the grandest
theatres to the most modest houses of cultures, they
are all part of the list. Information provided includes:
architectural characteristics and history, seating
capacity and the specific genres that are typical of
each place.
The section on museums, art galleries and exhibition
halls is also quite informative. Many of these are
valuable not only for their exhibitions and cultural
programmes but also for their architecture.
Thus, we recommend you to read “Málaga, Sun and
Culture,” an adventure for passengers who are
sensitive enough to appreciate a good film, applaud
an outstanding performance, use their imagination at
a dance show, gasp at the beauty of a painting or
surrender to the originality of a sculpture.
The Alcazaba, or Arab fortress, in Málaga City
A STROLL AROUND
“MÁLAGA THE BEAUTIFUL”
Málaga, the bright and lively capital of the Costa del
Sol, is lapped by the Mediterranean, unaware of the
lure its natural beauty holds. The warm light entices
you to travel along the seafront and let yourself be
enraptured by the soft sea breeze refreshing the
relentless summer evenings, or perhaps take up the
seductive offer of the biznagueros or jasmine
vendors, revelling in the aroma of fresh jasmine, to
then take a seat in one of the beach bars and savour
the traditional sardine skewers and local small fried
fish speciality whilst the night sky turns the serene
Alcazaba citadel a soft shade of blue.
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Málaga’s origins date back to the 8th century BC.
when a group of Phoenician settlers arrived on the
coast and settled on the hillside where the Alcazaba
lies today, founding the ancient Malaka; remains of
basins for drying and salting fish have been found
around the hillsides. The Romans later settled at the
same spot, leaving behind what is undoubtedly their
most outstanding legacy – the Theatre. Built in the
time of Augustus and extended in the Flavian era, it
is one of the oldest in Andalusia, albeit average in
size. It is believed to have been used until the 3rd
century AD.
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“Málaga, Sun and Culture: Cinemas, Theatres and
Exhibitions” and “Málaga, Sun, Monuments and
Museums” include information on the host of cultural
and entertainment activities tourists can engage in
when they come to Málaga Province.
people. It includes a long list of the places in Costa
del Sol where all manners of art can be found.
At this point mention should be made of at least three
Roman structures that clearly show the importance
of the province of Málaga within the huge Andalusian
region: the Roman Theatre in Málaga, built in the first
century AD on the side of Mount Gibralfaro, with a
similar capacity to the Carthago Nova, the firstcentury Roman Theatre in Acinipo, near Ronda,
which still preserves a large part of the stage, and the
Roman villa of Río Verde, in marbella, on which
appear mosaics of great artistic merit. The Roman
archaeological site of El Faro, in Torrox, from the first
to fourth centuries AD, is of equally great importance.
A villa, a dried fish trading post, a necropolis, an oven
and some bathhouses have been found here.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Suel, at the mouth of the River Fuengirola, were
founded. The Toscanos archaeological site adjacent
to the River Vélez and the Trayamar necropolis in the
municipality of Algarrobo are two other Phoenician
settlements of the utmost interest.
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The Alcazaba is linked to Gibralfaro Castle on the
north-east side. This castle dates from around the
13th century and was built in response to the need
arising from advances in artillery and military tactics
that required a protection system for the Alcazaba to
be put in place. There are two areas on the inside:
the first and highest known as the Main Patio houses
the mosque (where in the Christian era the now
disappeared church of San Luis was built), the well,
the baths and the Main Tower; the second lower
central area houses the Plaza de Armas with stables,
bathrooms and accommodation for the troops. The
Alcazaba-Gibralfaro complex has recently been
subject to a refurbishment project with a Visitor
Centre being installed in the old Gibralfaro Arsenal
building and the Archaeological Museum in the
Alcazaba.
The main doorway to Málaga Cathedral opens to
one side onto the central Plaza del Obispo where the
magnificent Baroque façade Episcopal Palace is
located (dating from the 16th-18th centuries), whose
interior space is spread around a large porticoed
patio. The ground and first floors feature rooms for
temporary exhibitions, with the second and last floors
as private rooms used by the Bishopric.
As well as this magnificent monumental complex, the
most outstanding building in Málaga is, as could be
no other way, the Cathedral. In its first incarnation,
the original Cathedral was built on part of the land
occupied by the Aljama Mosque pertaining to Islamic
Málaga. Only the splendid late-Gothic entry to the
Sagrario church remains from this first building. Work
on the new Cathedral began in the first quarter of the
16th century, following plans by Diego de Siloé and
schemas based on Granada and Toledo. Other work
and refurbishment of the original plan took place
throughout the century under the supervision of the
Lying close to the Cathedral is the Cistercian Abbey
of Santa Ana displaying part of its immense artistic
heritage in its Museum of Religious Art, highlights of
which include the collection of Baby Jesus sculptures
and profession of faith letters (documents where the
monastic women confirm their promise to voluntarily
submit to the Rule of the Order).
Málaga City Hall
important architects Andrés Vandelvira and Diego de
Vergara, who renovated it in a Renaissance style. In
the 17th century, the old Cathedral was demolished
and construction of the choir commenced, although
it would take until the 18th century for the two new
parts to be linked with those from the 16th and 17th
centuries under the supervision of Antonio Ramos. At
this time the Baroque exterior façades and the
elevation of the single tower were carried out – the
works coming to a standstill and leaving the southern
tower unfinished giving it the affectionate name of la
manquita (‘the little cripple’).
In terms of conceptual content, the iconography is
concentrated around the ambulatory and Chancel,
whose semicircular plan expresses the idea of
Triumph for the church through Surrender, starting
with the Mystery of the Incarnation (to which the
Cathedral is dedicated) and concluding with the
Sacrifice of the Mass celebrating the Eucharist.
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Just 2 hundred metres away from the Abbey is the
Palacio de la Aduana or Customs Palace a majestic
eighteenth-century building now housing the
collection from the Museum of Fine Arts as well as
other public offices.
The Castilian monarchy gave Málaga an important
religious infrastructure from the beginning of the
Modern Era and aided the establishment of many
religious communities to such an extent that Baroque
Málaga could well have been seen as a city-convent.
Started in the 16th century following Gothic Mudéjar
models, these buildings would attain their maximum
.
.
Along with architectural excellence, the Cathedral
possesses great artistic heritage found in the
seventeen chapels inside, with work by great
maestros from the Spanish Baroque era such as
Alonso Cano, Pedro de Mena, Claudio Coelo, etc. as
well as minor works from the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries. In addition, the cathedral museum, located
in the former Chapter House buildings, houses two
rooms displaying an important collection of sculptural
as well as pictorial works, liturgical ornaments and
magnificent silver and marble pieces.
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In 711 AD., Málaga was conquered by the Moors,
who lived in these lands for seven centuries. During
this period, and especially after the 11th century,
Málaga was a flourishing city; the most notable
Islamic monument in the city still surviving today, the
Alcazaba, was built around this time, and made its
mark on Málaga’s skyline from that moment on. This
urban fortress is structured over two very distinct
areas, the residential area (made up of three
palaces: Fountains, Orange Trees and Pool) and the
military area located in the upper enclosure.
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The Málaga of today, however, is the result of a
modernisation process started in the middle of the
19th century when the sale of church property
allowed some convents to be demolished and a new
cityscape to be built on the land. It was at this time
when, amongst other places, Marqués de Larios
Street and the Plaza de la Constitución, a key
location for civil and occasional religious events in
the city, came into being. The Cervantes Theatre
building dates from around this time, the mid-19th to
the early 20th century, as well as some historic
buildings in the Paseo del Parque such as the ViceChancellor’s offices at the University of Málaga, a
lovely neo-Mudéjar building, or the neo-Baroque
Town Hall.
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There are two museums dedicated to the city’s most
international artist, Pablo Picasso: the Birthplace
Museum (where the Foundation bearing his name is
located) and the magnificent Picasso Museum of
Málaga. Located in the heart of the old town, in a
magnificent example of Andalusian civic architecture
dating from the 16th century, the Buenavista Palace,
this museum holds over two hundred works from the
private collections of Christine and Bernard RuizPicasso, the artist’s daughter-in-law and grandson.
The selection of oil paintings, drawings, sculptures,
ceramics and graphic art provide a good overview of
the artistic genius’s revolutionary innovations,
mastering a variety of styles, materials and
techniques. Fortunately, it is now possible to enjoy
this artistic legacy the city of Málaga so longed to
recover, the opening of this museum meaning a
definitive move forward in terms of tourist and
museum attractions in Málaga.
Furthermore, the ground beneath the Palace also
hides a fascinating surprise, as the excavation work
undertaken during refurbishment uncovered
.
Abbey of the Customs building
The open, plural and modern city of Málaga has
managed to preserve its most deep-rooted traditions.
A good example of this is the great brotherhood
tradition it is so proud of, hosting more than forty
Brotherhoods and Fraternities with some possessing
fine artistic heritage on display in the respective
Brotherhood Houses, as well as on show each year
during the Holy Week processions. This is true for
the Cofradía de la Expiración Museum in Plaza
Enrique Navarro, the Cofradía de la Esperanza
However, the selection of museums in the Costa del
Sol capital does not stop here, with further spaces of
interest such as the Museum of Popular Art and
Traditions, located in the former Mesón Victoria
(dating from the 17th century), displaying a large
selection of objects used in the past; the Doll’s House
Museum; the Interactive Music Museum; the Marine
Centre-Museum, and the Contemporary Art Centre
showing travelling exhibitions. Outside the city centre
are the Airport and Air Transport Museum, the
Interactive Science and Technology Museum, the
Montes de Málaga Anthropology Museum, and the
beautiful La Concepción Historic-Botanic Gardens.
Slightly further along is the Malagueta Bullring and
bullfighting museum (presently undergoing
refurbishment), the former Hotel Miramar, now the
Courthouse, the English Cemetery, etc. This is a
lovely walk along the seafront, which also takes in
the Municipal Museum.
Museum in Hilera Street and the Cofradía del Santo
Sepulcro and Cofradía de Estudiantes in Alcazabilla
Street.
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expression in the Baroque style after a brief interlude
of Renaissance approaches. The following churches
are considered to possess the greatest artistic merit:
Sagrario, Santiago, San Juan, Santos Mártires,
Santo Cristo de la Salud, San Felipe, San Pedro and
the Nuestra Señora de la Victoria Sanctuary where
the city’s patroness, Our Lady of Victory, rests in a
spectacularly decorative beautiful chapel.
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artistic centres and a series of tips to quench your
cultural thirst, which is a sign of your good taste.
Picasso Foundation
exceptional archaeological remains confirming
Phoenician, Roman and Moorish footprints in the
city.
.
Civic and religious buildings coexist in Málaga,
together with a wide collection of paintings and
sculptures. Some boast their beauty and history in
our towns" streets and squares, while others are
sheltered in museums, houses of culture and
exhibition halls.
They are all gathered in this valuable guide,
providing detailed information on the most important
Cathedral Museum in Málaga City
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“Málaga, Sun, Monuments and Museums” guides us
through the province’s vast artistic, architectural,
cultural and historic heritage, a legacy of a meltin pot
of civilisations and of centuries that have left their
indelible mark.
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AND MUSEUMS
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10.
ACTIVE AND DINING
MÁLAGA – ROUTES AND
ExCURSIONS
Active and Dining Málaga - Routes and excursions
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All-terrain vehicle excursions, horseback trips,
hiking and trail walking or canoeing are only a
few of the options offered by these
.
.
The Costa del Sol offers everyone an
extremely broad array of options and
opportunities that seek two primary objectives:
to make the visits of the most active visitors
more exciting and to make available to tourists
seeking new thrills an interesting menu of
services and suggestions with entertainment
alternatives for all tastes and profiles.
Their clients are as varied as their activities,
some of which are no longer directed only at
tourist groups, families or individual visitors
but are also designed with incentives travellers
in mind, or even business travellers or
executives who choose to combine their workrelated stay on the Costa del Sol with extreme
sports or “challenges a la carte”.
The province of Málaga’s benign
climate and strategic location, and the
impressive places, parks and natural areas on
the Costa del Sol make this region an
exceptional destination both for tourists
looking for a setting where they can enjoy
active vacations to the fullest and for visitors
who simply want to combine a relaxing stay
with activities that are somewhat outside the
traditional travel mainstream.
Although many businesses have helped to
promote and diversify the adventure tourism
offer of the province of Málaga, they all have
one common denominator: scrupulous
adherence to the safety and risk prevention
rules governing the activities they perform.
Firms on the Costa del Sol that specialise in
this field comply, without exception, with the
most exacting legal requirements, have
obtained the necessary authorisations,
certifications and accreditations. They are
staffed by professionals and experts who
guarantee absolutely meticulous execution of
the programmes they offer.
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Moreover, the unique characteristics of some
specific enclaves in the province of Málaga
make them ideal locations for performing
certain activities, such as paragliding, a highflying sport that has found an area with
especially suitable characteristics for its
practice in the famous Abdalajís valley; rock
climbing, which has turned the El Chorro gorge
into a Mecca for devotees of this sport, or trips
in aerostatic balloons that are so often to be
seen in the sky above the lovely Ronda
highlands.
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The Costa del Sol’s natural and geographic
context, combined with its ever-alert
entrepreneurial initiative, has succeeded in
placing this region among the premier
international destinations for all types of
adventure sports or activities. These
disciplines are no longer reserved to
specialists and professionals in those fields,
as in Málaga they have been made accessible
to all types of visitors and especially to those
who are looking for a different and more
dynamic kind of vacation, in short, a more
active one.
The Costa del Sol Tourist Board has gathered
the most interesting hiking routes in the
.
Almost every village in the province has hiking routes
The extremely broad range of options included
in the province of Málaga’s adventure offer is
supplemented by other alternative attractions
such as sky diving, spelunking (an activity
which is exceptionally interesting in the El
Gato cave, for instance), motocross routes,
mountain bicycle trips or trail walking, which at
present ranks as one of the most common
activities among visitors to the Costa del Sol.
Practically every village in the province offers
specific routes for trail walking. As a result, this
Málaga features an extraordinary number of
natural areas suitable for any activity whose
essential basis is contact with nature. Some
outstanding places in this respect are El
Chorro, which in Los Gaitanes has one of the
most impressive gorges in Spain; El Torcal in
Antequera, which includes several foot paths
inside a karst landscape that is one of the most
spectacular in Europe; and the Peña de los
Enamorados, also in Antequera, which
contains an important group of prehistoric
monuments (Viera and El Romeral dolmens).
You should also not fail to visit such attractive
settings for trail walking as Llanos de Líbar, El
Gato cave, La Sauceda, Torrecilla (the highest
peak in Málaga), Cañada de las Carnicerías or
Sierra Bermeja, Sierra Mijas, Almijara and
Tejeda, among many other enormously scenic
and ecologically valuable areas to be found
across the province.
However, these are only a few of the choices
available to the tourist on the Costa del Sol.
Countless activities can be performed on its
coast, such as hang gliding or water skiing, as
well as jet ski excursions or diving in sites of
such extraordinarily high environmental value
as the Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs.
activity can be practiced in any area and in any
of them, the visitor will be able to enjoy
landscapes of utmost ecological value.
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businesses, some of which have come to
specialise in such specific services as extreme
sports like canyoning, rappelling or bungee
jumping. There are even some agencies that
prepare survival courses, design military
obstacle courses and stage multi-adventure
“raids”, as well as other activities designed for
the most intrepid clients who, in short, are
seeking extreme thrills.
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TOURIST BOARD &
There are several answers, indeed, but we will
give you just one: escape routine, day-to-day
life, and look at new places. In a nutshell, get
to know the world. After seeing impressive
monuments, delightful landscapes and
meeting charming people, we all want a good
place to eat.
.
Now you have an easier way to know Málaga’s
geography: “Málaga, Sun, Routes and
Excursions,” a thorough guide that will take
you to the farthest and most beautiful corners
of the province, revealing its natural, historic
and cultural wonders and providing information
on towns and cities.
The guide includes 42 itineraries, starting in 21
different towns and comprising a wide range of
options. Some are tough, others are long;
some are hidden, others are steep. All of them
are exciting, and most exciting thing is that you
can see them with you own eyes, walk them
with your own legs.
The towns that you will come across in your
itineraries, as starting points, final destinations
or connexions, are also described in detail:
their surface areas, population, fiestas,
gastronomy, and interesting sites.
To round the guide off, we have included a list
of the main operators in adventure tourism in
Costa del Sol. Now, with “Málaga, Sun, Routes
and Excursions” there are no more excuses:
it’s time to pack your backpack and enjoy
breathtaking landscapes and paths not to be
forgotten.
ROUTE 1.
THROUGH THE LAND
OF GARLIC AND RAISINS
1. Itinerary: Moclinejo, Almáchar, El Borge
This route takes the traveller to Almáchar and
El Borge, two picturesque villages in the
province famous for their Muscat grapes, their
raisins and the friendliness of the people. Our
journey takes us through the region of
Axarquía to the east of the capital, Málaga.
2. Where to eat
To have lunch or just a tapa, we recommend
the following establishments: in Almáchar, the
Mesón Punta Europa where they serve home
cooked meals and typical dishes of the area,
Entrance to the Molino de los Abuelos hotel in Comares
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MÁLAGA SUN, ROUTES AND
EXCURSIONS
The information provided in the guide includes
the technical features of each itinerary (length,
duration, difficulty) and the directions you need
to go through them without getting lost. There
are also tips and suggested stops in places
that are worth watching and remembering.
Guiding tourists where to eat was the goal the
Costa del Sol Tourist Board bore in mind when
it wrote “Málaga, Sun and Typical Dishes:
Eating Out in the Province of Málaga”.
CONVENTION BUREAU
province of Málaga. This travel guide is an
essential tool for active travel enthusiasts.
Gastronomic Tours
Why is it that as soon as we have a few days
off or just a weekend we usually leave our
quiet, comfortable homes, to travel hundreds
or thousands of kilometres only to engage in a
series of modern activities known as
”tourism”?
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4. How to get there and what to see
To start this tourist and gastronomic route,
leave Málaga on the coastal highway N-340
driving east in the direction of Motril and on
reaching Rincón de la Victoria, take the
regional MA-108 road towards Benagalbón, a
hamlet of Rincón since 1906. You will reach
Moclinejo at 12 kilometres from Rincón de la
Victoria and will quickly see that, in common
with many in Axarquía, it preserves its obvious
Moorish roots in its name and in the layout of
its streets.
188
This area, only 35 kilometres from Málaga is
worth visiting at any time of the year, but we
indicate here a few special dates: San Isidro,
Holy Week, the last three days in July (the
dates on which the fiesta in honour of the
Virgen del Amparo is celebrated) and
especially the Fiesta del Ajoblanco (white
garlic soup festival), which is celebrated each
Leave the village and continue on the road that
takes you to Almáchar, in the heart of the land
where the best Muscat grapes are grown for
Málaga wine and the famous raisins.
About 2 kilometres before you reach Almáchar,
take a break at the vantage point from which
you can enjoy an excellent view over Axarquía.
Then leave the car at the entrance to the
village, because driving through the streets is
difficult and a tour on foot is the best way to
enjoy this pretty corner of the province, with its
steep streets, the abundance of flowers that
adorn balconies and walls and all of this
bathed in Mediterranean light, sweet and
toasted like the Muscat grape.
This typical Axarquía village is situated on a
hill from which the slopes that descend to the
Mediterranean can be seen. They are covered
with vines, olive trees and fields of wheat.
The mild climate and the fertility of its soil gave
the village its name: Almáchar means “land of
meadows” in Arabic. The visitor can go into the
Museo de la Pasa (raisin museum), based in a
typical village house in Santo Cristo square, to
see an unusual collection of furniture, tools,
domestic utensils and instruments used by
Garlic is present in most dishes made in Málaga
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.
.
With a population of less than 1200,
Moclinejo’s church of Nuestra Señora de
Gracia is one of its more interesting buildings.
Considered as the gateway to the Ruta de la
Pasa (the raisin route), the irregular and
winding pattern of its streets is clear evidence
of a Moorish past. Its lands were also witness
to the resistance of the Moors against the
Christian advances following the Reconquista
(the Reconquest). A most unfortunate period
occurred in 1878 when the grape Phylloxera
pest swept through the vineyards, destroying
the prosperity and happiness of the whole
region.
wine brewers and raisin makers. Also worth a
visit is the 16th century parish church of San
Mateo.
3. What to eat
If you visit these villages and try the stews, you
will never be disappointed; here you will find
migas (breadcrumbs and garlic stew),
ajoblanco (white garlic soup), choto al ajillo
(kid in garlic), ensaladas (salads), zoque
(chilled tomato soup) and the berenjenas con
miel de caña (aubergines in golden syrup).
Its local fiesta in honour of St. Bartholomew is
celebrated at the end of August. Another
festivity worth seeing is the so-called Fiesta de
los Viñeros (festival of the vines), which is
celebrated at the end of September, and is a
tribute to the cultivation of the vine. The
villagers and numerous visitors enjoy groups
of flamenco singers, dances and songs typical
of the area as well as the treading of the first
grapes in this picturesque village. To visit the
village, it is a good idea to leave the car
outside.
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or the Venta Zapata and Bar El Llano, both
close to the road between Almáchar and El
Borge. In El Borge, we recommend the Posada
del Bandolero.
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.
The traveller should make for the church of
Virgen del Rosario, built in the 16th century
over an old mosque. Also worth a visit are the
Arco de la Pasa and the Fuente del Cuerno. (If
you get lost, be sure to ask the way; there is
always someone who will help you get around
this unusual place).
One of the places we recommend seeing is
Posada-Hotel del Bandolero which stands on
the site of the birthplace of El Bizco del Borge
(1837-1889), remembered as a famous
bloodthirsty bandit (“bizco” means cross-
The local council supported the project to
combine the uses of the building as a rural
hotel with that of the museum of banditry. It
has six rooms with old furniture and a romantic
air. Each room is named after one of the
members of the “El Bizco del Borge” band.
6. A tribute to garlic
The origin of garlic, one of the most important
ingredients in Spanish cooking, is often said to
be Egypt, but perhaps this is just a rhetorical
device used to help out when it is not really
known where something originated.
To commemorate the economic roots of the
village and to share with visitors the fruits of its
labours, the Fiesta de la Pasa (raisin festival)
is celebrated in September. Other festivities
include the day of San Marcos,St. Mark, St.
Isidore, St. John’s Days, as well as Candelas
night and Holy Week.
The odour and flavour of garlic has always
shocked people from northern countries, who
identify it with the under-developed south.
Although Julio Camba (a well known Galician
writer) complained about the some of the
invariants of our gastronomy, saying that
Spanish cooking was full of garlic and religious
preoccupations, the curative power attributed
to it has probably boosted its consumption and
worship. Modern science has supported those
who believe that this bulb has universal
healing properties and has demonstrated its
ability to cure and prevent countless illnesses.
Popular superstitions also attribute certain
magical powers to garlic.
5. Recipe: Ajoblanco
The manner of making this comforting cold
soup differs in little details from place to place,
but the essential ingredients are always the
same: oil, garlic, almonds or dried beans,
vinegar and salt.
Put a handful of almonds in boiling water for a
few minutes to make it easier to remove the
skins. Flour made of broad beans, which is
sold already milled, can also be used. Place a
garlic clove, the peeled almonds and a little
salt into a wooden or ceramic mortar and grind
up the mixture slowly with the pestle, adding a
little water. When you have a fine paste, add
the olive oil and beat it as you would to make
mayonnaise; you have to ensure that it does
You can add bits of apple, grapes or just
breadcrumbs to the ajoblanco. It must be
served cold so it should be kept in the
refrigerator. Never add ice cubes.
There are a lot of quotations showing that
garlic was considered to be a common food
and belonging to people in humble
circumstances. We are only going to quote one
of them: the advice given by Don Quixote to
Sancho before he took over as governor of the
Ínsula Barataria, “No comas ajos ni cebollas,
porque no saquen por el olor tu villanería” (eat
neither garlic nor onions, lest they draw out
your baseness by their smell).
Be that as it may, it is rare to find a Málaga
meal, stew or fried fish dish that does not
contain this simple flavouring. Its
anthropomorphic names in Spanish, cabeza
(head) and diente (tooth), clearly represent its
shape and its size. When describing the
process of making many dishes, the recipes
often start by saying, “Se cogen dos o tres
dientes de ajo...” (take two or three garlic
cloves...).
The use of garlic in Spanish cooking in general
and the cooking of Málaga in particular is what
gives it its personal and inimitable touch. A
Spanish proverb about garlic is, “el que se
pica, ajos come”, which literally means “he
who gets upset about something said to him
has eaten garlic” or metaphorically, “If the hat
fits, wear it”.
7. A tribute to the market garden
Horatio said, “if you have a vegetable patch
next to your library, you will be the happiest
man in the world”. For many people of Málaga,
the market garden has provided both their
work and their source of salads and
vegetables.
In a subsistence economy, whoever could
plant a bit of ground with tomatoes, peppers,
aubergines, melons or water melons could
consider themselves lucky. In the past,
vegetables were not food products that could
be found in shops or markets at any time of the
year; before fridges were invented, the
vegetable patch could only prosper in the
summer, when it was hot.
.
190
At this point in the route, and depending on the
time, the traveller can choose to eat in
Almáchar or the neighbouring village of El
Borge, known as the “capital of the raisin”.
With a population of about one thousand, its
streets are steep and winding and its houses
are covered in flowers spilling out of the
windows and on the whitewashed walls, a
springtime riot of red and green colours in
every tub and corner. El Borge cannot deny its
Moorish origins.
not separate. When all the oil is absorbed, add
a little vinegar and dilute slowly with water.
Finally, it is advisable to pass the soup through
a sieve to remove bits of almond.
On this day, Almáchar invites its visitors to
taste ajoblanco, a typical and very traditional
dish in the gastronomy of Málaga. It is a soup
made with almonds, garlic, vinegar, salt and
olive oil. In addition to being able to taste such
an exquisite gazpacho, visitors can get to
know one of the most charming villages to the
east of Málaga. For this occasion, the streets
of Almáchar are garlanded with hanging flower
baskets and become, for a day, a living
ethnological museum, a delight for those who
have the time and the inclination to explore
quiet places and welcoming peoples.
eyed). However, his misdeeds and exploits
have remained in the collective memory and
time has given this character a romantic aura.
The house where he was born has been
converted into a rural hotel, and there is a little
museum of banditry within its walls. For a time,
the building was an olive oil mill and the
machinery and other architectural elements
are preserved.
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year on the first Saturday of September,
attracting thousands of visitors.
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THROUGH THE LAND OF GARLIC AND RAISINS
TOURIST BOARD &
Beginning
Comienzoofdethe
laroute
ruta
End
of
the
route
Fin de la ruta
Suggested
Itinerario route
sugerido
5 km.
.
.
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SYMBOLS
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In spring, they used to divide up the land into
plots and terraces by wielding the hoe, fertilise
with animal dung and plant the young
seedlings; herbicides were unknown and the
products were organic by necessity. Water was
supplied by old irrigation ditches, perhaps the
same as those constructed by the Moors.
It was neither a sport nor the relaxing activity
as we know it today. It was a necessity that
provided the whole family with the vitamins
that could not be obtained by any means. In
the homes, they used old recipes to preserve
those precious foods and make use of them
during the winter. Cunning, ingenuity and hard
work managed to keep the shortages of those
times at bay.
11.
SUN AND SAND
From the time that it was first viewed as
an international tourist destination, which is to say
since more than half a century ago, the Costa del Sol
has steadily solidified the status of sun and beaches
as its tourism trump card. The geographic
characteristics of the Málaga coast were, and still
are, ideal for drawing tourist traffic to this region in a
natural manner, considering that in the
Mediterranean there are very few areas –almost
none– that can offer more than 160 kilometres of
coast dotted with a succession of beaches with such
diverse characteristics.
When going over the virtues of Costa del Sol,
its food cannot be overlooked. This is why we
included a guide on the pleasure par
excellence: gastronomy. Eating well brings
health and a good life. In the case of Málaga,
it is also a nice excuse to come and visit our
province.
“Málaga, Sun and Typical Dishes: Eating Out
in the Province of Málaga” includes a varied
selection of the region’s traditional specialties
and delicacies, as well as its exquisite wines.
The smell of top-quality meals made with the
know-how of several generations oozes out of
the pages of this guide. Indeed, our meals are
our letter of introduction.
.
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Of the nine districts that make up the province of
Málaga, three have a coastline: La Axarquía
(Eastern Costa del Sol), the Málaga mountains,
including the provincial capital, and the Western
Costa de Sol. A total of 14 Málaga municipalities are
adjacent to the sea, while there are others in the
interior at a minimal distance from it. Each of these
municipalities contributes its unique topography to
the coastline, with the result that its beaches form a
sufficiently heterogeneous complex to satisfy any
preference in this respect.
They range from the most plentiful type, which are
broad and sandy beaches fully equipped with all
services and generally with a modern seafront
promenade running alongside them, to the most
secluded and absolutely virgin coves overlooked by
exceptionally beautiful natural landscapes. From one
end to the other, the range includes every kind of
beach imaginable--including seven for nudists, in
Estepona (2), Benalmádena, Cabopino (Marbella),
.
Interior of Mesón La Molienda in Benalauría
Neither the extent of the coast nor its diversity,
however, are sufficient to develop loyalty among
tourists over so many years and to continue to attract
visitors from such a variety of places. There is a third
basic reason that, added to the first two, explains the
primacy of the Costa Sol over other resort areas: the
climate. It tends to be pleasant throughout southern
Europe but in the province of Málaga it is much more
so due to the fact that its coast is protected from the
interior winds by a formidable mountain system that
at places even meets the sea. This geographic
feature makes for warm winter temperatures and
summers free from the extreme heat associated with
that season.
Tanned Málaga - Sun and Sand
MÁLAGA, SUN AND
TYPICAL DISHES
194
TANNED MÁLAGA –
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Rocks on La Galera beach, in Estepona
Benalmádena, Guadalmar, Torre del Mar and Maro for sea bathing in the conditions that the visitor
prefers. Nudism is also tolerated on other beaches
that due to their characteristics are not frequented by
large numbers of visitors, while on all of them going
topless is accepted without question.
.
This guide will introduce you to the various beaches
you can visit in the 14 seafront towns of Málaga. In
its pages you will find useful information about each
of them, such as their characteristics (sandy, nudist,
remote), location, dimensions, accesses, facilities or
services, which you will want to know before putting
your swimming suit and sandals on.
Don’t forget, then, to add “Málaga, Sun and Sand” to
the long list of items beachgoers should always take
with them, along with the towel, sunglasses,
sunscreen, sunshade and shovel.
For all the information on Málaga beaches, location,
services and features, please take a look at “Málaga,
Sun and Sand,” which the Costa del Sol Tourist
Board updates every year.
Sun loungers on La Duquesa beach
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.
196
The beaches that are closest to large urban areas
are the ones with the greatest number of services,
including beach bars (these hospitality facilities may
be found even in areas that are not much visited but
that have an established clientele) on whose menu
never fails to appear the delicious “pescaíto frito”
(small fried fish) of the Málaga coast; toilets;
showers; children’s playgrounds; Jet Ski, water cycle
and ski rental; first aid stations; lifeguards and even
cool palm oases.
No one can miss the point that the province of
Málaga owes its international renown to its privileged
combination of sun and sand. A beautiful, 160kilometre-long Mediterranean coast and a mild
climate due to the coastal strip’s protection from
winds have made Costa del Sol one of the world’s
top tourist destinations.
During the summer, over many of the most crowded
beaches the blue flag waves, the symbol with which
the European Union attests to the good condition of
the water and sand and to the availability of all the
services inherent to this type of public facility.
MÁLAGA SUN AND SAND
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TOURIST BOARD &
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12.
TOURISTy
MÁLAGA – fAMILy
HOLIDAyS
The yearning for a few restful days
imaginable, capable of fully satisfying the most
diverse tastes.
Among many other possibilities, some of these
getaways might be based in those coastal or
interior localities on which history has left its
in an unaccustomed setting, together with
remarkable improvements in all aspects of
communications, has fuelled a considerable
increase in short weekend getaways—not to
mention holiday breaks—that generate
millions of trips, especially by highway.
Touristy Málaga - Family holidays
.
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Caledonia Golf Hotel in Estepona
.
The territory of Málaga has countless enclaves
that insure optimum conditions for a brief stay.
In this region one can find the most ample offer
Due to its geographic features and its excellent
links to the rest of Andalusia and the entire
Iberian Peninsula, and by air with many of the
most important European cities, the province
of Málaga each year receives hundreds of
thousands of people who practice this type of
tourism. It is by its nature very brief but it
satisfies and rewards those who choose these
escapes from the urban grind and the
workaday routine.
199
TOURIST BOARD &
or a long stay. You will find all the information
on where to stay in “Málaga, Sun and Rest”.
MÁLAGA, SUN AND REST
“Málaga, Sun and Rest” is a guide bound to
become your ideal source to choose a hotel or
CONVENTION BUREAU
indelible mark and which are also blessed with
particularly attractive settings. These
characteristics are to be found above all in
Ronda, Antequera, Marbella, Nerja and, of
course, in the provincial capital itself, Málaga.
Málaga hotels offer an extensive range of
accommodation facilities for both a short break
apartment in the province. It presents a wide
selection of establishments for all kinds of
taste or customer, getting closer to each place
at breakneck speed and leading to much more
informed decisions.
This guide, with a different section for each
town, provides even the minutest of details,
telling readers about the location and
advantages of each hotel or resort, its
category, number of rooms, facilities, services,
and -could it be otherwise?- gastronomic offer.
The information is presented in order, with a
brief introduction and clearly differentiated
sections that make reading easier. The idea is
to gradually bring you closer to each hotel,
zooming in on their reception desks, their
guest rooms, their restaurants, their swimming
pools, their meeting rooms, their sports
facilities and many other things.
Those who seek after peace and quiet, those
that prefer sports holidays, those who think
that holidays with no sun & sand are not
holidays at all, businessmen and
businesswomen, guests with the most
demanding palates, the culturally curious, all
of them will find the place to stay they are
looking for in “Málaga, Sun and Rest”.
.
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Calima, a restaurant at the Meliá don Pepe Hotel, in Marbella
Index
.
The exterior of the Monte Málaga Hotel
In sum, this guide is the fastest, most effective
and most reader-friendly way to learn about
Costa del Sol´s wide offer of hotels and
apartments, with its modern design and telling
photographs, functioning as a trailer of what
you can find if you visit us.
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13.
FLAMENCO
MÁLAGA – CULTURE
Flamenco Málaga - Culture
.
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With the growing popularity of the café cantante
establishments flamenco reached its “golden
age”, with all facets of this art (singing, dancing
and the playing of instruments) developing as
never before. Dancing, however, benefited most
from this flamenco upsurge, becoming the main
attraction to café cantante clientele, while the
.
Some researchers also find features in common
between flamenco and certain Jewish folk
rhythms. It was José Cadalso who, in his famous
work “Cartas Marruecas” (Letters from Morocco,
1789), made the first known written observations
about flamenco. This author attributes its origins
to the Gypsies who, as is well known, were at
least originally from India, and it is noteworthy
Whatever the case, documented professional
flamenco as we think of it today first appeared in
the middle of the eighteenth century and its most
important features were well established a
century later. Beginning at that time, it took to the
streets and became a feature of popular fiestas
and was taken up by the type of cabaret known
as a “café cantante”. It was in these
establishments that the term “jondo” was coined
to define the purest manifestations of this art into
which trends were beginning to be introduced that
were not altogether to the liking of purists,
something that continues today.
Flamenco is without any doubt the
most authentic artistic medium of Andalusia, and
thus of Málaga. This art’s deepest roots are in
remote and unknown lands, and its antecedents
are so ancient that no documentation exists that
might help clarify some aspects of it. According to
the most recent research none of the usual
theories offered as to the origins and provenance
of flamenco can be discarded, such as that
crediting the Gypsies with introducing this
remarkable form of expression into Andalusia, or
the theory that takes into account the influence
left upon the territory of Andalusia by some of the
ethnic groups from North Africa.
that flamenco does incorporate some Asian
rhythms. Flamenco is, in short, a hybrid art
enriched by many cultures but at the same time
so original and sui generis as to be absolutely
distinct from any other type of folk art.
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In Granada, the Generation of 27´s intellectuals,
headed by Manuel de Falla, founded a flamenco
competition in order to support this art and to find
new star performers. De Falla’s interest in
flamenco led him to introduce “cante jondo” into
his opera “La vida breve” (Life Is Short), which
debuted in Nice in 1913 and caused cultivated
society re-examine its perception of flamenco.
.
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The poet Manuel Machado, in one of his poems
in which he gives a brief sketch of each province
in Andalusia, coined the phrase “Málaga
cantaora” (meaning roughly “Málaga of flamenco
song”). It is true that flamenco song has been a
constant in Málaga, ranging from the famous
Café de Chinitas, which was located in the alley
of the same name that is next to Plaza de la
Constitución but that no longer has the café
cantante, to the rural, seafaring and urban people
of Málaga. All this has woven a tapestry capable
of stimulating the different styles of flamenco
song that have sprung up in Málaga and that
stem from the common roots of Málaga
fandango: “verdiales”, “malagueñas”, “rondeñas”,
“jaberas” and “bandolá”. This is not to say that
these styles are cultivated only in Málaga. Quite
the contrary. Since this is a province with a strong
attachment to flamenco in all its varieties one can
enjoy a flamenco evening festivity in many a
tablao on the Costa del Sol, where flamenco has
always had a strong presence.
Special note should be made of the festivals and
competitions that are held throughout the
province of Málaga, mainly between the months
of June and September with a number of them
.
Flamenco show
As with any true art, flamenco in its three forms
(singing, dancing and guitar) defies explanation.
It is true that a person immersing himself in a
study of it will find many avenues open to him,
such as exploring the “palos” (different styles), the
origins of songs, the quality of voices or the
Every region of Andalusia has contributed in
some degree to the development and spread of
flamenco. Several, however, have been
historically more significant than others, either
from having a stronger attachment or because
outstanding figures were born there who have
acquired an artistic following.
With the appearance of tablaos (flamenco
theatres), flamenco took on unstoppable
momentum. Leading professionals founded
companies that made lengthy tours not just
through Spain but also in foreign countries, and
today flamenco has come to be welcome in the
most important theatres and concert halls in the
world. Throughout Europe, the United States and
Japan, especially, there is a growing body of
enthusiasts that demand flamenco not as a
spectacle but rather as a discipline to be studied.
The guitar gained prominence as a solo
instrument beginning with the appearance in the
1960’s and 1970’s of such exceptional virtuoso
musical talents as Paco de Lucía and Manolo
Sanlúcar, just to give two examples. These
guitarists have not forgotten the function of the
guitar as an accompaniment to singing and
dancing, however, so they customarily perform
together with other artists. In this manner,
flamenco has been strengthened and has
reached great artistic heights.
countless forms of dance or the expressiveness
of a guitar. But again as with any other art it is not
necessary to especially prepare oneself in order
simply to appreciate it or, above all, to feel it and
be moved by it. Flamenco is so direct and
gripping that it is very hard to escape its spell.
CONVENTION BUREAU
guitar began to take a leading role and became
the indispensable instrument for accompanying
the singing and dancing.
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TOURIST BOARD &
.
The Music and Dance Festival at the Nerja Cave
must not go unmentioned. It is held in late July and
each year includes a major international flamenco
show.
The biennial Málaga en Flamenco, which mainly
hosts performances by Málaga artists, has been
held since 2005 in the city of Málaga and various
locations in the province. Considering its recent
appearance in the world of flamenco and its initial
success it is reasonable to expect splendid growth
for this biennial event in the coming years. In all the
fairs in the province, beginning with that of the
capital city itself, special significance is likewise
placed on the art of flamenco in all its
manifestations, making them yet another
opportunity to witness the performance of great
singers, dancers and musicians.
In the opinion of many professionals and also of
prominent aficionados, flamenco would not be what
it is today without the decisive contribution of the
“peñas” or flamenco associations whose activities
are ongoing throughout the year. Around half a
hundred peñas have been formed in the province
and they are distributed among practically all
regions. In all of them there are regularly scheduled
performances by professionals or enthusiasts or
simply graded recitals, making the peñas an
extraordinarily important supporting element for the
Show by Antonio el Pipa
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206
Juan Breva Flamenco Museum
followed by Benalmádena with its Noches de
Flamenco (Flamenco Nights) as a part of its large
Summer Festival, and Alcaucín, Teba and Pizarra
with their respective flamenco festivals. The Noche
Flamenca de Santa María (Santa María Flamenco
Night) in Antequera is highly recommended, as is
the renowned Cante Flamenco Festival in San
Pedro de Alcántara. Ronda is the centre of
flamenco activity in late August with its Aniya la
Gitana Flamenco Song Competition and the Cante
Grande Festival.
On different dates in August, there are eleven
flamenco spectacles in the province of Málaga, and
several of them are of the greatest interest. The
flamenco calendar begins with the Ojén Festival,
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coinciding with the summer fiestas of the localities
hosting them. In June, the Juan Casillas Flamenco
Song Competition takes place in Antequera, and
that of Torre del Cante in Alhaurín de la Torre. While
obviously a competition is not the same as a
festival both serve to take the pulse of flamenco in
its purest essence and certainly are an opportunity
to witness performances by the best artists,
whether promising young people or solidly
established professionals. In June, the small
locality of Cuevas de San Marcos holds its
Flamenco Festival, and in the same month, the
Cante Grande Festival, one of the most famous in
the province of Málaga and all of Andalusia, takes
place in Casabermeja. Guaro also celebrates its
interesting Flamenco Festival in July, as well as the
locality of Gaucín in the Ronda Mountains.
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Given the insufficient historic perspective it is still
too early to determine the place of flamenco in the
dawning twenty-first century, but all indications
are that it is in phase of great effervescence and
interaction with other kinds of music. This is
nothing new in this artistic genre, as influences
from the Americas gave rise to new songs that
are now accepted by all, and infusions of jazz
have yielded equally dazzling results.
.
La Axarquía or La Bandolá Route
In his book Geografía de España, published in
Barcelona, in 1928, Martín Echevarría states:
"The rough terrain of la Axarquía stretched to the
north and east of Málaga city, divided by the
Montes de Málaga, foothills of the Torcal of
Antequera and Sierra de Alhama which reach the
These cantaores or singers were born in La
Axarquía: Juan Breva (Vélez-Málaga, 1844Málaga, 1918), Niño de Vélez (Benamargosa,
1906-Vélez-Málaga, 1975), El Canario de
Colmenar (Colmenar, 1909-1993), Cristóbal
Mejías (Alcaucín, 1931), Manuel López
(Almáchar,
1941),
Ricardo
Peñuela
(Benamargosa, 1936), Antonio de Canillas
(Canillas de Aceituno, 1927), Paqui Corpas
(Colmenar, 1955) and Gitanillo de Vélez
(Periana, 1951). Also in this region of the
fandango abandolao these guitar players were
born: Antonio Losada (Benaque, 1940), Pepe
So my castanets are having their chattering
chance.
You can enjoy a good evening full of cante and
dancing in the peñas flamencas El Canario de
Colmenar (Colmenar), La Soleá (Nerja), El
Piyayo (Rincón de la Victoria) or Niño de Vélez
(Vélez-Málaga). Cantes in this region consist of
bandolás of Juan Breva and malagueña of Niño
de Vélez. The former are flamenco fandangos
deriving from verdiales but only the guitar
accompanies the singer. While singing bandolás
de Vélez, Antonio Ortega Escalona, known as
Juan Breva, recreated the cante, which came to
be known as cante de Juan Breva. Out of the
many lyrics sung by the cantaor from Vélez, we'll
offer two, one is a short bandolá and the other, a
verdial veleño.
The malagueña by José Beltrán Ortega "Niño de
Vélez” is a beautiful cante, typical of Málaga,
which has been part of flamenco history and has
borne his author's signature since the very
beginning. The singer from Vélez put all his
inspiring and inspired energy into this malagueña.
Ni el canario más sonoro,
ni la fuente más risueña,
ni la tórtola en su breña
cantarán como yo lloro
gotas de sangre por ella.
MÁLAGA, SUN AND FLAMENCO
Flamenco is the epitome of Andalusian art. Since
its uncertain inception, its “cantaores” (singers),
“bailaores” (dancers) and guitarists have brought
joy to every corner in Southern Spain. Gradually,
this artistic expression became increasingly more
popular, contributing to an enriching
crossbreeding of Gypsies, “payos” (non-Gypsies)
and Moors.
“Málaga, Sun and Flamenco” goes over the
history of this heartfelt art in the province,
introducing some of its most typical
representatives, useful terminology and the most
picturesque “palos” (styles).
The whistling bird,
The giggling fountain,
Or the turtledove in the scrub
Will never give out sounds as sad
As the blood tears I shed for her.
The guide also includes information on flamenco
routes, festivals and clubs, as well as sections on
flamenco styles: “verdiales”, “malagueñas”,
“rondeñas” and “jaberas”, variants of fandango
and good examples of the strong personality of
Málaga’s flamenco.
En la Cala hay una fiesta
mi mare me va a llevar
como iré tan compuesta
me sacarán a bailar
con mi par de castañetas.
In La Cala there is fiesta
And Mother will take me
As I'll be dressed up for romance
I will be asked to dance,
.
208
“Málaga, Sun and Flamenco” has come to be a
useful tool for those who want to get to know or
go deeper into the world of flamenco, in Málaga.
All the flamenco events, artists, clubs and tours
can be found in this guide.
The flamenco route through this region is at its
finest in the summer, when important festivals
feature singing, dancing and guitar playing. The
top festivals are those held in Alcaucín, Canillas
de Aceituno, Cómpeta, La Viñuela, Periana,
Algarrobo and Rincón de la Victoria. VélezMálaga organises the traditional Juan Breva
Festival in December, a few days before
Christmas. Colmenar and Nerja, in turn, run great
flamenco cante festivals, and Comares holds a
verdiales exhibition every year.
Sánchez (Comares, 1942), and guitar maker
Juan Conejo Cebrián (Riogordo, 1928).
At present flamenco is served by a roster of
performers with impeccable artistic credentials
who are carrying the purest “jondo” and the most
daring innovations to every corner of the earth
with assured success. These same artists can be
seen on the Costa del Sol during the many
performances they give in the very flamencoflavoured province of Málaga.
sea." In Conversaciones históricas malagueñas
(Málaga, 1789) Cecilio García de la Leña
mentions the following places as belonging to the
Axarquía: Olías, Totalán, Borge, Cútar,
Benamargosa,
Macharaviaya,
Benaque,
Moclinejo, Benagalbón, Almáchar, Riogordo,
Comares, Colmenar, and Casabermeja. Then the
following were added: Alcaucín, Alfarnate,
Alfarnatejo, Algarrobo, Árchez, Arenas, Canillas
de Aceituno, Canillas de Albaida, Cómpeta,
Frigiliana, Iznate, La Viñuela, Nerja, Periana,
Rincón de la Victoria, Salares, Sedella, Torrox
and Vélez-Málaga, its capital city, and
Casabermeja and Olías were excluded, the
former being part of Antequera and the latter was
included as a district of Málaga City.
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flamenco culture. Of all the peñas, Málaga-based
Juan Breva merits special mention. The efforts by
this club's members was of vital importance in
keeping flamenco alive in Málaga and its province
at a time that this art did not enjoy the widespread
popularity that it now does. It owns the most
important flamenco discography collection in all
of Andalusia, which is to say in all of Spain.
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209
TOURIST BOARD &
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14.
gREEN
rock formations that are considered true marvels
of nature.
MÁLAGA – NATURE
T he province of Málaga presents to
nature lovers as varied and inspiring a territory as
can be imagined. This is especially true of its
interior but there are also large and surprisingly
well-preserved spaces displaying nature with all
her beauty intact along the teeming coastal fringe
that is the usual destination of heavy tourist
traffic.
green Málaga - nature
.
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.
210
The excellent surface communications that link all
the regions to one another and to the city of
Málaga allow quick and easy access to the most
secluded corners of the province although some
especially rugged areas must be entered by foot
or all-terrain vehicle, as the case may be. The
most scenically and ecologically remarkable
spaces have been designated as natural parks,
The diversity of Málaga’s territory—many do not
hesitate to call it a small continent—comes from
its complex terrain. It is extremely mountainous
except in the northern part where fertile and welltilled plains spread over the Antequera lowlands.
The rest of the province is a succession of
mountain systems, some with peaks rising above
2,000 metres. This explains the abundance of
paradise-like valleys that have been formed by
rivers and streams, the leafy plant cover that in
some cases is adorned with such unique species
as the Spanish fir, and some singularly beautiful
Málaga boasts 23 protected natural areas that
are classified as natural parks (Sierra de las
Nieves, Montes de Málaga, Sierras de Tejeda,
Almijara y Alhama, Los Alcornocales and Sierra
de Grazalema); natural areas (Acantilados de
Maro, Desembocadura del Guadalhorce, Los
Gaitanes Gorge, Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja,
Sierra Crestellina and El Torcal de Antequera);
nature preserves (the lakes of Fuente de Piedra,
Archidona, Campillos and La Ratosa); greenbelt
parks (Sierra de Gracia, Dehesa de Mercadillo
and Pinar del Hacho), or natural monuments
(Pinsapo de las Escaleretas, Tornillo de El Torcal,
Cañón de las Buitreras, Falla de la Sierra del
Calamorro and Dunas de Artola or Cabopino).
211
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The Ronda Mountains stand out above all the
other places in Málaga that invite one to enjoy
nature in all her splendour. Within them are found
the natural parks of Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra
de Grazalema and Los Alcornocales, and the
valleys of the rivers Genal and Guadiario.
Both the Sierra de Grazalema and the Los
Alcornocales natural parks share their areas with
municipalities in Cádiz. The Málaga towns
included in the former (Benaoján, Montejaque,
Cortes de la Frontera, Jimera de Líbar and
Ronda) are filled with history and some of them,
such as Ronda, possess an exceptionally
interesting historic and artistic heritage. The
rugged terrain of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural
Park has formed such unusual caverns as the
Hundidero-Gato complex, the largest cave in
Andalusia to be carved out by an underground
stream, and the La Pileta Cave in Benaoján, which
is world famous for its beautiful prehistoric paintings.
Only one village in the province of Málaga, Cortes
de la Frontera, penetrates the boundaries of Los
Alcornocales Park. Cañón de las Buitreras,
designated as a National Monument in Andalusia, is
found here. The waters of the River Guadiaro have
.
Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama
Nature Park
Waterfall in Sierra de Grazalema Nature Park
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The Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural
Park, on the easternmost edge of the province of
Málaga, separates the extensive La Axarquía region
from the territory of Granada. This is a formidable
mountain range that serves as a barrier between
these Andalusian provinces and provides an
impressive backdrop for the villages that seem to
seek shelter on its slopes. These mountains, which
include the 2,068-metre peak of La Maroma, have
traditionally been a endless source of legends
dealing with rebellions, poaching and smuggling,
and even of well-documented remarkable historic
events.
.
212
How to get there
It is advisable to enter these areas by way of Ronda.
From the city of Málaga take the A-357 highway
towards Campillos. After going some 6 kilometres
beyond Ardales, take the A-367 which, after passing
through Cuevas del Becerro, leads straight to
Ronda. Another approach begins at San Pedro de
Alcántara. The A-376 highway turns off from the AP7 (N-340) and you should stay on it until you get to
Ronda. If coming from Manilva by way of the AP-7
(N-340) take the A-377 to Gaucín and there take the
A-369, which connects with the A-376 just 3
kilometres before you arrive at Ronda.
The Sierra de las Nieves Nature Park is made up
of the municipalities of Alozaina, El Burgo,
Casarabonela, Guaro Istán, Monda, Ojén, Tolox
and Yunquera, which are remarkable for
maintaining a perfect state of balance with
relation to the environment. It has been
designated a Biosphere Preserve and within it are
found both the province’s highest peak, the
1,919-metre Torrecilla, and the deepest chasm in
Spain, the GESM, which has been explored to
1,098 metres.
Sierra de Grazalema Nature Park and
Los Alcornocales Park
The Genal and Guadiaro valleys wind through the
aforementioned parks, but in their own right they are
landscapes worthy of a trip along their respective
rivers.
All these places share certain characteristics due
to their physical proximity, such as generous
precipitation that makes possible luxurious plant
life. At the same time, however, each presents
certain peculiarities that make it a unique
landscape. These places are genuine living
nature museums where one can finds traces of
ancient cultures, observe enormously interesting
flora and fauna and enjoy unsurpassed scenic
beauty. That being said, the true “trademark” of
these parks and spaces—especially Sierra de las
Nieves and Sierra de Grazalema—is the Spanish
fir. This beautiful species, a legacy from the Ice
Age, has survived due to the special conditions in
these surroundings.
carved out a splendid crevice that in some areas
exceeds 100 metres in depth. This park is
noteworthy for containing the most extensive cork
oak forest on the Iberian Peninsula and one of the
largest in the world. Through it flow several
waterways that diversify and enrich these
exceptional lands.
CONVENTION BUREAU
natural areas, nature preserves, greenbelt parks
or natural monuments, and are subject to certain
regulations that are necessary to maintain their
environmental balance.
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TOURIST BOARD &
One of the remarkable things about the Tejeda
Mountains is that, in the municipality of Nerja,
their foothills sink into the sea to form the Los
Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo Natural Area,
perhaps the most spectacular coastal landscape
on the Costa del Sol. Its virgin coves, accessible
by all-terrain vehicles provided by the
Autonomous Administration, are a lure to anyone
who enjoys peaceful beaches with the sea
providing an incomparably beautiful background.
How to get there
From any point on the Costa del Sol take the
Mediterranean Expressway or the old N-340
highway in the direction of Motril-Almería to get to
Vélez-Málaga and Nerja. You should turn off at
the first place and follow the signs on the A-335
towards Alhama de Granada. This route leads to
the municipalities of Alcaucín, Canillas de
Aceituno, Sedella and Salares.
Fuente de Piedra Lagoon
.
214
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How to get there
The A-45 (N-331) expressway in the direction of
Antequera connects with the A-92 on the outskirts
of that city. To get to Fuente de Piedra take that
route towards Seville and travel a little less than
20 kilometres.
Los Gaitanes Gorge
In the approximate centre of the province of
Málaga is one of the most extraordinary
geographic features of Andalusia and the entire
Iberian Peninsula: Los Gaitanes Gorge. Along
with the adjacent Guadalhore Reservoirs it forms
an area of astonishing contrasts and stunning
beauty.
.
River Chillar in Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama Nature Park
Due to its characteristics Fuente de Piedra Lake
occupies a unique position among the wetlands
of the western Mediterranean. It is with good
reason that the largest colony of flamingos on the
Iberian Peninsula gathers at this place. This
The other wetlands are smaller (La Ratosa is 145
hectares and is located between the
municipalities of Alameda and Humilladero;
Archidona, 187 hectares, and Campillos, 1,046
hectares) but their environmental and scenic
characteristics are very similar. There are an
abundance of flamingos and other birds in all of
them but the massive reproduction and the
collaring of this species take place at Fuente de
Piedra Lake. A tour of all the lakes is nevertheless
very interesting, especially before their shallow
water surfaces have been reduced by
evaporation.
The collection of shallow lakes in the northern
part of the province of Málaga offers a different
but no less interesting landscape. They are
remarkable especially for the numerous forms of
bird life that use these wetlands on their
migrations to and from Europe and Africa. These
are the lakes of Fuente de Piedra, La Ratosa,
Archidona and Campillos.
protected area covers more than 1,360 hectares
and each year thousands of pairs of flamingos
come to Fuente de Piedra to mate and nest (it is
not rare for some 50,000 individuals to
assemble). From the observation points one can
witness these birds’ strange courtship ritual. The
flamingos begin to arrive in late February and
leave the lake around the last of August, and the
mating takes place during this period. The best
time for visiting this area is during May and
August, but it is open all year long.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Nerja, Frigiliana, Cómpeta, Canillas de Albaida,
Salares, Sedella, Canillas de Aceituno and
Alcaucín are the Málaga municipalities that nestle
on the slopes of these mountains. Several of
them make up the so-called Mudéjar Route.
215
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Los Gaitanes Gorge is without any doubt a
favourite place for rock climbing and other
adventure sports. Its almost perfectly vertical
walls are a challenge to those who enjoy intense
outdoor excitement. People familiar with the
terrain advise maximum precautions before
undertaking any adventure sport in this area due
to the danger involved.
How to get there
Los Gaitanes Gorge can be reached, among
other routes, by way of Álora and Ardales. If
coming from the city of Málaga, take the A-357
highway and continue on the A-343. You will first
pass by Pizarra and get to Álora six kilometres
farther along.
El Chorro Gorge
216
How to get there
To get to El Torcal you must first go to Antequera.
From the city of Málaga the fastest connection is
the N-331 (A-45) highway. When you arrive at the
Antequera lowlands take the A-354 and after 2
kilometres you will enter the urban district of
Antequera, where there will be signs to lead you
to El Torcal.
Numerous trail walking itineraries begin in all the
localities included in these areas, and throughout
these territories there is an ample network of
lodging places—especially small hotels, rural
houses and remodelled former farmsteads—
where you can have a pleasant stay in close
contact with nature.
How to get there
The reservoir zone can be reached from any of
the localities between which the lakes are located
(Ardales, Campillos, Tebas or Antequera) but if
you are starting from any point on the Costa del
Sol it is best to leave the capital city of Málaga
and head towards Ardales on the A-357. The
signs pointing the way to the reservoirs will
appear before you enter the urban centre of the
town.
For more information about natural areas in the
province of Málaga, refer to the “Málaga, Sun and
Nature” guidebook (in print or digital form) at the
Costa del Sol Tourist Board website:
El Torcal Natural Area
ROUTE OF THE CORK GROVES:
THE CORK TRAIL
In the heart of the Antequera region and only 12
kilometres from the historic city of Antequera, the
El Torcal Natural Area, the most impressive karst
landscape in Europe, displays its fantasy in stone
over an area of 12 square kilometres. This
imposing assortment of limestone rocks was
formed when the sea floor was thrust upwards
some 150 million years ago by an Alpine folding.
The softness of the exposed rock and the flatness
of some of these peaks facilitated the action of
the wind and rain in sculpting a kind of “natural
museum” whose “works” have been baptised in
the popular imagination with names suggested by
the random forms into which the stone was
shaped. The itinerary known as the “Green
Route” allows the visitor to observe the varied
Rock at El Torcal
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Index
In some areas of the province of Málaga, the
existing woodlands have represented - from time
immemorial - a source of resources, obtained
through exploitation of the forest. The harvesting
of cork from the cork oak is a typical example of
such activities and is still done in the province
today. The extensive forest of trees belonging to
the Fagaceae family, which stretches from the
western edge of Málaga and into neighbouring
Cádiz, is one of the areas where this practice is
still carried out - mainly during the summer
months. Los Alcornocales (Cork Groves) Natural
Park is, however, much more than that: it is,
indeed, one of the most important protected
areas in Andalusia. Furthermore, due to its
.
.
The Guadalhorce Reservoirs, between the
municipalities of Ardales, Campillos, Tebas and
Antequera, serve as a kind of vestibule to Los
Gaitanes Gorge. Through them flow the rivers
Guadalhorce, Turón and Guadalteba, right before
this place’s terrain undergoes the tremendous
transformation wrought by the El Chorro Gorge.
vegetation, the geological formations and the
wildlife. This tour can be made in an hour or less
and is the best for people who are not very
athletically inclined since its difficulty is medium to
low, making it accessible to almost everyone.
If you choose to come by way of Ardales you
must leave Málaga on the A-357 highway in the
direction of Cártama, which is the first village you
will pass through. You do not need to take any
turning since this highway leads straight to
Ardales.
What began as infrastructure needed to alleviate
the effects of the water shortage has, with the
passage of time, become a tourist attraction of
the first magnitude due to the natural beauty of
the setting, which is blessed with profuse
vegetation. To this should be added the
opportunities for nautical sports, with the unusual
feature that no permit of any kind is needed to sail
on the reservoirs. The proximity of the reservoirs
to Los Gaitanes Gorge makes it possible to
diversify activities, combining high mountain
sports with those relating to boating.
CONVENTION BUREAU
The gorge, strictly speaking, measures around 3
kilometres in length and in some stretches
reaches a height of 400 metres. Considering that
the distance between the two walls is sometimes
just ten metres, the spectacle presented by this
combination of stone and water is simply aweinspiring.
217
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218
There are remains which suggest that these
lands have been populated by man since at least
the time of the Lower Palaeolithic. Human
presence here is reflected in the more than 150
shelters and caves which are scattered
throughout these mountain ranges and which
bear abundant examples of cave art. Examples of
Palaeolithic art can be seen in the
representations found in the caves of Las
Palomas and El Ciervo. There are, however, a
great deal more remains which have survived
from post-Palaeolithic times in the caves of El
Tajo de las Figuras (The Cleft of the Figures),
Bacinete and La Laja Alta, all of which are also
located in areas of great scenic beauty.
Among the unique features of this region are the
so-called "canutos" (little tubes). These are
narrow valleys of fluvial origin which, today, only
exist in Spain and in a few very specific places in
Turkey. The "canutos" act like a natural
greenhouse and lush vegetation quite unlike that
found anywhere else grows in these valleys.
Nevertheless, as previously mentioned, the plant
species par excellence in this natural park is the
cork oak, and it, in turn, forms the economic basis
for the entire region. Traditionally, the bark of the
cork oak - that is to say, the cork - was peeled off
every nine years. This led to the establishment of
an entire industry. However, the collection of cork
requires no small amount of labour to carry out
the various activities involved. These include
everything from caring for the cork grove itself to
The strategic geographical location of Los
Alcornocales Park has not only been favourable
to human settlement since very remote times, but
has also fomented the transitory presence of
hundreds of bird species which - en route from
colder climes - cross the Strait of Gibraltar here in
search of warmer temperatures. Thus, in spring
the maintenance of the roads leading to the trees
and they require a great many working days.
Economic gains from cork production are
complemented by the tourist boom which has
occurred in the region in recent years as well as
by income from driven-hunts which are organized
in some areas of the park.
Flora
In addition to the cork oaks, which occupy an area
of 80,000 hectares (a little more than half of the
park's total area) and grow at altitudes between
300 and 900 metres, Los Alcornocales boasts an
amazing and diverse range of plant-life. Near the
aforementioned "canutos" one can observe the
laurel forest, laurels, holly-trees, alder, ashes and
cottonwoods all growing together with ferns and
climbing plants. Moss generally carpets the forest
floor here and sometimes even covers the bark of
the trees. And indeed, the cork oak forests
themselves do not consist solely of this one tree
species - rhododendron, wild olives, carob trees
and European fan palms are all found in this
ecosystem.
Artola/Cabo Pino beach
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Index
.
.
Only 12,289 hectares of the park's enormous total
area belong to the province of Málaga; more
specifically, to the district of Cortes de la Frontera.
This district also contains part (4,531 hectares) of
Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. The part of
Los Alcornocales pertaining to Málaga also
happens to be one of the most well-conserved
areas in the park. The other districts included in
the park (Alcalá de los Gazules, Algar, Algeciras,
Arcos de la Frontera, Benalup-Casas Viejas,
Benaocaz, Castellar de la Frontera, El Bosque,
Jerez de la Frontera, Jimena de la Frontera, Los
Barrios, Medina Sidonia, Prado del Rey, San
José del Valle, Tarifa and Ubrique) belong to the
province of Cádiz. There are, in total, 17 districts
- with an overall population of nearly 400,000
people - which form part of the park. The towns of
Jerez de la Frontera and Algeciras are the most
populated in the area though, indeed, the towns
themselves are located outside the protected
area of the park.
and autumn, the park becomes a staging grounds
for hundreds of thousands of birds waiting for
favourable winds to help them cross the 14
kilometres that separate them from northern
Africa. When the birds finally take flight, they offer
a spectacle of indescribable beauty.
LOS ALCORNOCALES NATURE PARK
This extensive natural zone, located between the
provinces of Cádiz and Málaga, occupies a total
area of 170,025 hectares of protected land, and as can be guessed from its name - it is home to
the largest and most well-conserved cork oak
forest in Spain and one of the most important in
the world. This forest of cork oaks, along with the
abundance of other plant species living in the
area, were the reason that it was declared a
Natural Park in 1989, although the part of the park
pertaining to Málaga had already been named a
National Hunting Reserve previously (in 1970).
The geological formation of this region began in
the Tertiary Period of the Cenozoic Era and is
estimated to have lasted for 60 million years. The
climate in the Northern Hemisphere was, at that
time, hot and humid, ideal for the growth of
tropical forests. These forests, however, slowly
began to disappear as the climate became
steadily drier. Only scanty remnants of the forests
lived on in the more humid areas, as is the case
of Los Alcornocales, which has survived as the
last Mediterranean rainforest in existence today.
High mountain ranges in the region retain
weather fronts coming in off the Atlantic, giving
the area a very high precipitation level (around
1,000 litres per square metre annually). This and
the protective nature of a special microclimate
favour the growth of lush vegetation, as seen in
the laurel forest.
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immense size (it covers 170,025 hectares of
land), it could be considered an excellent choice
in and of itself for an excursion capable of
fascinating the visitor with its dream-landscape.
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Fauna
The fauna in Los Alcornocales is quite as varied
as its diverse flora. The migratory birds which
congregate here - waiting to cross over into Africa
- include short-toed eagles, booted eagles,
Egyptian vultures, black kites, white and black
storks, honey buzzards and many others of great
interest to bird watchers - many of whom come to
the park along with the birds in order to witness
their crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Rest areas
Located in Cortes de la Frontera, La Sauceda
campground is a great place to rest in the midst
of natural surroundings. The authorised trails in
Los Alcornocales Natural Park which belong to
the province of Málaga are: La Sauceda-Pico
Aljibe, Laguna del Moral, El Cao and Castilla de
Jimena, Río Hozgargante and Laja Alta. All of
these are located in the district of Cortes de la
Frontera.
Climate
The location of Los Alcornocales - which looks out
over the Strait of Gibraltar at Tarifa - gives the
region a pleasant average temperature regime
which varies between 12º C, in January, and 26º
C, in August. Easterly winds push great masses
of clouds onto the mountain ranges here resulting
in annual rainfall levels of around 1,000 litres per
square metre. This favours the growth of rich
vegetation and, as a consequence, very diverse
fauna.
How to get there
The park can only be accessed from the Málaga
side via Cortes de la Frontera, the only district of
this province included in Los Alcornocales. When
travelling from the Eastern Costa del Sol or from
the interior of Andalusia, it is advisable to first go
to Ronda and, from there, set out for Cortes de la
Frontera. From the Eastern Costa del Sol you can
get to the city of Málaga via the A-7 (N-340) (E15) Mediterranean Motorway. From there, you
should take the A-357 in the direction of
Campillos. After passing through Cártama and
Ardales, the road connects with the A-367, about
5 kilometres past Ardales; this highway then
leads directly to Ronda.
From the interior of Andalusia, you should take
the A-92 motorway in the direction of Antequera.
Before entering the city, you will come to the turnoff towards Campillos on the A-384. One
kilometre before reaching this village you will
connect with a section of the A-357, which then
connects onto the A-367. This leads firstly to
Cuevas del Becerro and finally to Ronda.
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You should leave Ronda, the "Ciudad del Tajo",
on highway A-369, and, after passing Atajate,
Benadalid and Algatocín, turn off on highway A373. This will lead to Cortes de la Frontera.
Cortes de la Frontera can also be reached from
the Western Costa del Sol without having to go
through Ronda first. This can be done by taking
highway A-377, which leaves from Manilva and
passes through Gaucín. Two kilometres before
you get to Algatocín, you must take highway A373. After driving along this road for about 15
.
Lagunas de Archidona Nature Reserve
From the Western Costa del Sol, you must follow
the A-7 (N-340) (E-15) Mediterranean Motorway
until reaching San Pedro de Alcántara, a town
situated between Marbella and Estepona.
Highway A-376 leaves from San Pedro and ends
directly in Ronda.
Spanish firs in Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja
220
Among the many animal species who make their
permanent home in Los Alcornocales, special
mention should be made of the Egyptian
mongoose - one of the largest colonies of which
is found in this area - the roe deer, the wild cat,
the otter, the genet, the red deer and the wild
boar. With respect to bird species, perhaps the
most typical permanent residents would be the
griffon vulture, the Bonelli's eagle and the
Eurasian eagle owl.
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On the mountain slopes - generally not suitable
for forest growth - mastic, rock rose, spurge flax,
hawthorns, Spanish lavender and heather
species can be found, along with many other
typical Mediterranean species. The botanical
richness of the region along with its special
climatic conditions - above all the high humidity
levels - allow the survival of some forest stands of
extremely dense foliage. Such vegetation is rare
in Andalusia and it tends to surprise the visitor,
calling to mind far-off lands.
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LOS ALCORNOCALES NATURAL PARK
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.
222
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Málaga via
Manilva
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223
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kilometres, you will come to Cortes de la
Frontera.
MÁLAGA, SUN AND NATURE
Nature has presented Costa del Sol with many
gifts: Los Alcornocales, the Alhama, Tejeda and
Almijara mountain ranges, El Torcal in Antequera,
Los Gaitanes Ravine, the Maro - Cerro Gordo
Cliffs and the Málaga Mountains are just a few
examples.
“Málaga, Sun and Nature” provides a detailed
account of the most beautiful nature spots
surrounding the province’s towns. It will introduce
you to exotic flora and fauna while taking you
across seas, rivers, ravines, mountains and
prehistoric caves.
15.
These spectacular scenes -which now, thanks to
this guide, you can get to know before seeing- will
arouse in you the passion for a kind of tourism in
which the environment, the countryside and
education go hand in hand.
.
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Index
Golf has also been a factor in the growth in
residential tourism. Many golfing enthusiasts have
been prompted to acquire a home on the Costa del
Sol by the existence of nearly 70 courses in the
province of Málaga and the opportunity to engage in
this sport at almost any time of the year. A large
proportion of the most exclusive housing
developments, in fact, have been built adjacent to
golf courses.
Málaga’s greatest strength in the field of residential
tourism, however, is to be found in the province itself
and the diversity that it exhibits in all its aspects.
Between its coast and its interior Málaga offers every
possible type of landscape except for deserts, so it
would be hard for a person not to find his ideal
.
Pine forest in Sierra del Camorro, Cuevas de San Marcos
The choice of the Costa del Sol as a place for a
second home--and these days even for a primary
residence-- is most often motivated by the region’s
exceptional climate, with some of the other reasons
being the good transportation links between the
province of Málaga and the rest of Spain and major
European cities, the friendly relations with the people
of Málaga, the distinctive character of its villages, a
rich and varied cuisine and extraordinarily beautiful
scenic surroundings. In short, a quality of life much
better than that to be found elsewhere.
The latest technology that allows some kinds of jobs
to be done outside the workplace has also led to
many self-employed persons choosing to work in
Málaga. For these professionals the ability to travel
to their home countries elsewhere in Europe in two
or three hours--and here the airport plays a
fundamental role--makes it possible to respond to
emergency situations without giving up the luxury of
spending long periods on the Costa del Sol.
Residential Málaga - homes and Residences
The practice of Buying a home on the
Costa del Sol to spend a few seasons in or to use as
a permanent home is not at all a new phenomenon,
as one might think from seeing the great growth in
residential tourism in recent years. This kind of
tourism appeared virtually simultaneously with the
tourism boom of the 60’s and 70’s, but at that time
few could imagine how massive it would be within a
few years.
224
R
ESIDENTIAL
MÁLAGA – HOMES AND
RESIDENCES
225
TOURIST BOARD &
It is therefore not surprising that to the first large
housing developments that sprang up at least four
decades ago on the Western Costa del Sol many
others have been added, not just on the coastal strip
but also in the interior, making Málaga the
indisputable leader in residential tourism in all of
Spain. All this has happened without any residential
tourism promotion campaigns until a relatively very
short time ago. It has been the casual tourist who has
learned on his own of the attractions of the province
of Málaga and has publicised them.
.
226
The complete, all-encompassing and constantly
updated infrastructure of the Costa del Sol and the
rest of the province of Málaga has been a
tremendous stimulus to residential tourism. At the
present time, it can be stated that the entire province,
with the coastal strip at the forefront, takes an active
part in this tourism category. It continues to show a
preference, although not in all cases, for those
housing developments where all kinds of services
are available.
Although the resident foreign community on the
Costa del Sol has always been very large, domestic
tourists have been slowly increasing their presence
in this region and have taken first place in this
category, closely followed by the British and
Germans, and by smaller numbers of other
nationalities. All have found in the province of Málaga
that special place that surely offers them what they
do not have or cannot easily obtain in their own
countries.
For more information on Málaga’s way of life, refer to
the tourist guidebook: “Málaga, Sun and Life”.
HOW TO ADAPT TO THE SPANISH
WAY OF LIVING
In general, the inhabitant of any western country that
chooses Costa del Sol as a place to settle will not find
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Greeting
The first thing you should know when being
introduced to a Spaniard is that men and women,
usually greet each other with a kiss on each cheek.
This is also customary when a woman greets
another woman. If two men are being introduced or
are greeting each other, they usually shake hands
with their right hand. In more formal and work
settings the two kisses are skipped when greeting,
and they only shake hands.
The Spanish concept of time
The schedules in Spain vary a lot compared with
those in the rest of Europe. Stores and businesses
usually open from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 or 2:00 p.m.,
and open again from 5:00 to 8:30 or 9:30 p.m. The
exception to this schedule are the establishments
located in malls, because the opening of their doors
is continuous from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m..
In some cities, as it is becoming increasingly
common in the centre of Málaga, some stores open
at noon and have an intensive schedule which allows
people to go shopping at lunch time. You have to
consider that the malls and stores usually do not
open on Sunday or on most holidays.
Regarding public institutions and banks, they have
an intensive schedule. That is to say, they only open
in the morning. Regarding the first, their employees
start their work day at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 15:00,
while banks and savings banks stop tending to the
public at two o’clock. They usually do not open on
weekends.
.
Official statistics on Costa del Sol tourism traffic show
that since a little less than five years ago residential
tourism has accounted for practically half of the
visitors who take lodgings each year in the region.
This gives an idea of this sector’s enormous
importance to the province of Málaga. According to
the Asociación Nacional de Urbanizadores y Turismo
Residential (National Association of Urban
Developers and Residential Tourism) the growth in
this segment is expected to remain above five
percent per year for the near future. This means that
this category of tourism, far from exhausting itself,
tends to continue growing on the Costa del Sol,
The spectacular upsurge in residential tourism on the
Costa del Sol seems only natural if one considers a
report from the aforementioned Asociación Nacional
de Urbanizadores y Turismo Residential which
shows that within a period of five years some
800,000 European families will choose Spain as the
place to establish their second homes. Clearly, the
province Málaga will benefit the most in this respect.
great differences between his/her country of origin
and this region in the south of Spain. There are,
however, certain traditions and customs that are
different from those in the rest of Europe; among
these you find the way people greet each other, the
opening hours of establishments, or celebration
dates.
The numbers of dwellings that have been built to
satisfy the residential tourism demand and the
volume of business generated by it are staggering
and continue to grow, although recently at a more
measured pace since the Administration has
regulated growth to prevent damage to the
province’s natural environment.
which at the present time captures 40 percent of the
foreign investment in all of Spain.
CONVENTION BUREAU
location for a permanent or seasonal home. The
range of options is practically inexhaustible, from the
cosmopolitan environment and famously benign
climate of its coastal cities to the large historic towns
of its interior, where art and nature coexist in perfect
harmony, and including the many villages that one
happens upon in the most unlikely places and where
the people have a different concept of time.
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The main meal is lunch, eaten between 2 and three
3:30 in the afternoon. It consists of two courses: one
made with light food such as a salad, some lentils, or
a vegetable cream soup; or in the summer time, the
typical gazpacho (cold soup made from tomatoes,
peppers, etc.) and a main dish, usually heavier, such
Most of the Spanish restaurants offer lunch menus
that include a first dish, a second one, and a dessert.
In the afternoon, around 5:00 p.m., it is common to
have a snack and a coffee. This is because adults
usually do not have dinner until 9:30 or 10:00 p.m..
Those people who wish to keep their customs and
have their meals at the same time as in their country
of origin should know that, specially in the tourist
destinations in Costa del Sol, there are dozens of
restaurants ready for international tourists, which
serve lunch and dinner at the same time they are
eaten in the rest of Europe.
Going for Tapas
It is common, among Andalusians, to have dinner or
lunch with tapas. A tapa is a small portion of food to
accompany a drink. You can also ask for helpings,
which are bigger dishes to share with other people at
one table. That is to say, that instead of each one
asking for a dish, you ask for helpings of various
dishes for the group of people sitting at the table, to
enjoy them. This is a very common practice,
especially in the south of Spain.
The most typical dishes
Regarding the most typical dishes of the province of
Málaga, the pescaíto frito (deep fried fish) stands out;
it can be eaten in the bars located on the beach and
in open air restaurants. An exclusive dish of the
province is the espetos de sardinas, prepared by
placing sardines on a skewer over hot coals that are
served on the sand. Open air restaurants serve them
during the summer months because it is the time
when these fishes are ready to be eaten.
The porra antequera (a chilled soup), the ajoblanco
(garlic and almond soup) or the ensalada malagueña
(a cold salad) are recipes that deserve to be tasted
in restaurants of the province where it is, of course,
possible to taste a good paella and an excellent
tortilla de patatas. Regarding drinks, one should not
leave Málaga without tasting its sweet wine.
To learn more about the gastronomy of the province
you can consult the “Málaga, Sun Wine and Olive
Oil” and “Málaga, Sun and Gastronomy,” two
brochures prepared by the Costa del Sol Tourist
Board, which you can find on our website
.
Part II
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Those who go to a coffee bar to enjoy this drink can
ask for eight different types of coffee: nube, sombra,
corto, semicorto, mitad, semilargo, largo, and solo.
“Nube” is a glass of milk with a little bit of coffee. In
the “sombra” the amount of coffee increases a little
bit representing about one fourth, while the milk
occupies the remaining three fourths. Regarding
“mitad” as the name says, is half coffee and half milk.
It is the coffee with milk we have known all our life.
For the “largo” the amount of coffee increases a bit,
and finally the “solo” is characterised by the total lack
of milk. The names “semicorto ” and “semilargo” are
barely used.
Where can you smoke?
Since the anti-tobacco law came into effect in Spain
on January 1st, 2006 it is prohibited to smoke in all
work places, except for open spaces. You cannot
light a cigarette in Health Care centres and schools;
enclosed sports facilities; areas destined for direct
attention to the public; cultural centres; night clubs
that allow the entrance to underage youths; areas
where food is prepared, transformed, or sold;
elevators, telephone booths, and ATM areas.
Cigarettes are also prohibited in city or intercity
buses; in bus stations, with the exception of open
spaces; railway and maritime transportation; and
aircrafts coming from or going to locations in the
national territory, and during all flights of Spanish
airlines; as well as in petrol.
There are specific authorised areas for smokers in
places such as airports, night clubs for adults,
theatres, and movie theatres. You can also smoke in
established areas in hotels and enclosed restoration
areas, as long as they have a surface equal to or
bigger than 100 square metres, except for those
.
Andalusian people love eating tapas
How to ask for coffee in the province of Málaga
Although asking for a cup of coffee might seem an
easy task, the person wanting to do so in the
province of Málaga can face certain complications.
The thing is, that the owner of the Cafe Central of
Málaga Jose Prado had the idea, over 60 years ago,
of naming these beverages, depending on the
amount of milk and coffee in them. This custom was
adopted, little by little, by other establishments in the
capital and finally adopted by the rest of the region.
228
as meat or fish with potatoes or salad. At lunch time
it is common to have some dessert such as fruit,
something sweet, or coffee.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Meals
The schedule to open stores and establishments in
Spain is not whimsical. It is set by the hours they
usually have their meals. Breakfast, as in any other
country, is the meal taken first thing in the morning; a
cup of coffee and a slice of bread with butter, oil, or
cold cuts is the most common breakfast for
Spaniards, who generally do not have plentiful meals
as is customary in other countries. In coffee shops it
is possible to have breakfast as soon as they open
up until almost midday, which shows that there is no
preset time to have their first meal of the day.
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In the hotel facilities that have an area smaller than
100 square metres, the regulation establishes that
they have to place a placard informing people
whether smoking inside is allowed or not. The fines
to be paid for not complying with this regulation range
from 30 to 600,000 euros.
Taking a cab
Cabs are white in the province of Málaga. They carry
a light in the front, if it is green it indicates it is free and
can be hailed. In bigger localities of the province and
in the most tourist places it is easier to find a cab
driving on the streets. In places with less population
it is advisable to go to a taxi stand or to call an
association or associations that offer this service in
each municipality.
.
Alhaurín de la Torre.
Asociación de Taxistas de Alhaurín de la Torre.
Av. Vicente Alexandre, s/n.
Tel.: (+34) 952 410 444
Alhaurín El Grande. Parada de Taxis.
C/ Cristo Agonías, 3.
Tel.: (+34) 952 491 010
Alora. Asociación Provincial de Empresarios del Taxi.
C/ Veracruz, 97.
Tel.: (+34) 952 496 424
Antequera.
Antequera. Taxi Radio
Estación de Autobuses, bajo.
Tel.: (+34) 952 845 530
Nerja. Asociación de Profesionales
de Autónomos del Taxi.
C/ Pintada, 81
Tel.: (+34) 952 520 537
Benalmádena. Asociación Local Radio Taxi.
C/ Oropéndola, 4. Arroyo de la Miel.
Tel.: (+34) 952 441 545
Torremolinos. ATAT Radio Taxi.
Av. Palma de Mallorca, edif. 340.
Tel.: (+34) 952 380 600 / 382 744
Coín.
Asociación Provincial de Empresarios del Taxi
C/ Dr. Palomo y Anaya, s/n.
Tel.: (+34) 952 453 587
Torrox. Parada de Taxis.
Av. El Faro, s/n. Torrox-Costa.
Tel.: (+34) 952 530 352
You should also know that in Spanish apartments
and developments there are communities of
neighbours that hold periodical meetings that
home owners can attend. The community of
neighbours is who decides what measures and
regulations will be adopted in the development to
improve the relationships among homeowners, or
improve the quality of life of people living there.
The community has a president and a secretary.
You can submit to them any doubt or need that
arises. There is also a building manager, a person
hired specially by the community to solve all the
problems affecting the neighbours, and to take
care of all the necessary paperwork generated by
a group of apartments.
Estepona. Unión Local de Auto Turismo.
C/ África, 12
Tel.: (+34) 952 802 904
Fuengirola. Radio Taxi.
C/ Molino de Viento, 3.
Tel.: (+34) 952 471 000
Málaga. Agrupación Local y Provincial.
C/ Alfarnatejo 5. Pol. Ind. La Estrella.
Tel.: (+34) 952 345 693
Málaga. Taxi Unión, S.C.A.
C/ Caudal, 70. Pol. Ind. El Viso.
Tel.: (+34) 952 040 804
Málaga. Unitaxi.
C/ Doctor Pallardo Peinado. Blq 1.
Tel.: (+34) 952 320 000 / 333 333
Marbella. Taxi Sol.
Av. Cánovas del Castillo, s/n.
Tel.: (+34) 952 774 488
Torrox. Servicio de Taxis Globe Marely, S.L.
Residential Torrox Park, s/n. Torrox-Costa.
Tel.: (+34) 629 649 558
Something to keep in mind when acquiring an
apartment or when visiting Spain is that electricity
is supplied at 220 volts and that the type of plug
used in this country is the European plug or
“schuko.”
Vélez-Málaga. Parada de Taxis.
C/ Plazamar, s/n. Torre del Mar.
Tel.: (+34) 952 540 126
Living in the community
People from Málaga are known for their
friendliness towards people coming from other
places or countries. This friendliness also goes
over towards their neighbours, with whom they
are usually friendly and open and who they treat
nicely.
However, if someone from another country
moves to the South of Spain, they have to
consider the coexistence codes, such as
schedules that rule everyday life. They should,
therefore, try not to perform noisy activities
between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m., because many
people, especially in the summer months, and
due to the heat during this season, who are on
Mijas. Asociación de Radio Taxis.
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A day for leisure activities
In Spain, as in so many other European
countries, Sunday is the day off by excellence.
Most people who work usually rest on Sunday,
day businesses and stores choose to be closed to
the public. Sunday, therefore, becomes a day
devoted to leisure, in which each person does
their favourite activity, and families do things
together: eating out, going on a picnic or to the
beach, and so on.
Going to the beach during the summer on their
days of leisure is the favourite activity for most
people of Málaga. It is common to see entire
families, specially on Sunday, spending the day
on the coast of Málaga, equipped with umbrellas,
tables, chairs, towels, and coolers containing
.
230
Algarrobo. Grupo Provincial de Autotaxis.
Urb. Pueblo Nuevo. Algarrobo Costa.
Tel.: (+34) 952 511 146
holidays take advantage of this time to take a nap
and rest for a while.
Below is a list of telephone numbers of local taxi
associations in the province.
C/ San Cristóbal, 8. Mijas Costa.
Tel.: (+34) 952 476 593
Asociación Provincial de Empresarios del Taxi
Av. Andalucía, s/n. Calzada, s/n. Ovelar y Cid, 1
Tel.: (+34) 952 702 627 / 841 076 / 841 008
CONVENTION BUREAU
located inside centres or buildings where smoking is
prohibited.
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Another important date is Easter Week, which
takes places in March or April depending on the
liturgical calendar. The streets of all the villages of
Málaga are full of processions during these days,
when brotherhoods take the images to the streets
to worship them and relive the Calvary Jesus
suffering when He was crucified. It is a deeply
rooted celebration in the municipalities of the
province, although it is in the capital of Málaga
where the greatest amount of brotherhoods go on
processions.
The Costa del Sol Tourist Board has published a
travel guide titled “Málaga, Sun and Folklore”
containing detailed information about the popular
celebrations in the province. This guide is
available on our website:
.
homemade food and drinks for everyone to enjoy
at the beach and this way, spend the whole day
outdoors.
Local celebrations
The local celebrations of the municipalities -which
usually coincide with the week in which the patron
saint, protector chosen by each town- are
celebrated every year with the installation of a fair
in the locality, with stands where you may eat and
drink, and mechanical rides that children and
adults can enjoy. It is common for women and
men to go to the fairs and processions, dressed
up in typical flamenco costumes. The processions
Holiday calendar
The work calendar, equal for all the Spanish
territory, includes January 1st (New Year’s Day),
January 6th (the Epiphany commemorating the
visit of the Wise Men to Bethlehem), Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Saturday; the
dates vary depending on the liturgical calendar;
October 12th (Day of the Virgen del Pilar and
National Holiday; November 1st (All Saints’ Day),
and December 25th (Christmas). In addition,
every city or community has their own holidays.
Religious services
The Spanish State, as is established by the
Constitution approved in 1978, is nondenominational and thus protects freedom of
religion of all citizens. Even though Spain is
Jehovah’s Witnesses can use centres and
assembly halls of this religion, which exist in
Alameda, Alhaurín de la Torre, Alora, Archidona,
Benalmádena, Coín, Cártama, Cómpeta,
Manilva, Marbella, Ronda, and Torremolinos.
There are Protestant centres in Alhaurín el
Grande, Benalauría and Coín; in Antequera there
are Manantiales de Vida centres and in Málaga
there is a Baptist church. There are Buddhist
centres in Velez-Málaga, Málaga, and
Benalmádena and, in the latter, a spectacular
Stupa has been built to practise that religion.
Regarding the Islamic religion, there are centres
to practise it in Marbella and Fuengirola, with two
great mosques, and there is an Islamic centre in
Málaga. There is also a synagogue in Marbella.
Health care
Health Care is available in the entire province of
Málaga and there is no town that does not provide
adequate medical care. As we have already
mentioned, foreign citizens can have free medical
assistance, either with their European Health
Care card – if their visit is temporary – or by
registering in the Social Security – if they work in
Spain.
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To receive routine medical care, or care for lesser
problems, you should go to the closest outpatient
clinic or health centre. If the patient requires
faster or more specific attention, it will be
necessary to transfer him to a hospital. Medical
attention for emergency cases can be received
24 hours a day in four languages: Spanish,
English, French, and German, by calling 061 or
112, which is the emergency telephone number.
In the province of Málaga there are more than
100 health centres, around 20 hospitals, and
more than 500 drugstores, which guarantees that
anyone living there will receive adequate medical
assistance. There are translation services in
some health care centres and public hospitals,
which will facilitate communication with the doctor
for those people who do not have a full command
of the Spanish language.
Safety
In Costa del Sol, as well as in the rest of the
national territory, you will not only find offices that
are State dependent, but also offices that are
dependent upon the autonomous administrative
offices and upon the local offices. In the event of
any incident related to safety, you should call 091
to contact the National Police, office that is
Government dependent, and in charge of public
safety. Their officers carry a blue uniform with a
red and yellow badge, the Spanish flag colours.
The Civil Guard, assigned to the Ministry of
Defence, is in charge of keeping traffic safe in
highways and rural areas, among other functions.
Their uniform is green.
.
232
Business hours in Spain differ from those in other European
countries
There are, as a matter of fact, Evangelist Church
centres in Alhaurín de la Torre (Philadelphia),
Alora, Fuengirola (Evangelical Christian
Fellowship), Estepona, Marbella, Mijas, Rincón
de la Victoria, Ronda, Nerja, and Villanueva del
Trabuco.
The province of Málaga is divided into five health
districts that basically coincide with the natural
regions that make it up.
www.vistacostadelsol.com.
essentially Catholic and the province of Málaga is
full of Catholic churches, along the shore places
have emerged where other religions like
Buddhism, Islamism or Judaism can be practised.
Virtually anybody who decides to move to Costa
del Sol will find a place to profess their religion.
CONVENTION BUREAU
are celebrated days before the fair begins itself.
The most outstanding fair in the province is the
Málaga fair, which is held on the second and third
weeks of August.
233
TOURIST BOARD &
Costa del Sol is the right place to live in. Just a
glimpse of the pages in this guide will show the
many reasons that make our province an apt
destination for your residence: an exceptional
climate, an efficient communications network,
unique landscapes, kind people, and all kinds of
food are but a few.
The Local Police is dependent upon each Town
Hall. Their functions are related to maintaining
public safety and traffic on the streets of the
municipality they are assigned to. These officers
wear blue uniforms.
“Málaga, Sun and Life” discusses all these
advantages, offering detailed information on our
province. All you need to know if you are thinking
of letting or buying a home in one of the
peninsula’s most beautiful paradises.
CONVENTION BUREAU
In Andalusia they also have the Autonomous
Police that is dependent upon the Andalusian
government and its creation is more recent than
the rest of the government offices. The agents
who belong to this police force wear the
Andalusian white and green coloured flag on their
uniforms.
The province of Málaga is, definitely, an ideal
place to live, where anyone has, at arms reach,
all the necessary things to enjoy a high quality of
life. Both the shore as well as the interior of the
country have their own personality; the first one
with a great leisure and culture offer, multilingual
by nature and with the blue ocean as a vital
constant. The second is full of white towns, quiet,
and relaxed, where time does not seem to go by,
and where all inhabitants know each other by
name. The selection of the place to live becomes
only a question of taste because any corner of the
province is a place where sun and life go hand in
hand, worth knowing, and specially enjoying.
MÁLAGA, SUN AND LIFE
.
234
Part II
Index
.
Houses in Frigiliana
When filing a complaint, it is common to go to a
National Police station; there are 41 in the
province of Málaga which includes, especially
during the summer months, the services of
translators to provide a better service to visitors
from other countries who do not speak Spanish.
Any agent of these offices will help all those who
need help or any other advice.
235
TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
16.
SPORTING
MÁLAGA – GOLf
If there is one sport that is closely linked
to tourism it is golf, and if there is one region that has
attached special importance to golf it is the Costa del
Sol. For years, it has been known as the Costa del
Golf, and this is not just a promotional ploy but a
reference to a verifiable fact as at the present time its
golf offer is the best in Europe, with more than 40 golf
courses in immaculate condition.
Sporting Málaga - golf
.
236
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One of the characteristics that make the Costa del
Sol a sort of golf Mecca is the variety to be found in
its courses, especially in their design and location
and not just in the number of holes. Thus,
professionals or amateurs can practice this sport in
facilities that differ greatly from one another, ranging
from those that are classified as links (the ones next
to the sea) the Scottish style, with extremely uneven
.
Most golf courses on the Costa del Sol, in fact, add a
unique natural landscape to an impeccable sport-
This recognition has not been by chance but rather
the result of a firm commitment to this sport, a
commitment that has benefited from supervision by
the most distinguished golfers in the world and the
best designers of these types of facilities. The work
of urban planning experts, who have merged the
purely recreational zones with complementing
infrastructure to form a seamless whole, has likewise
served as a model for other regions that are currently
in the process of promoting this sport, with all that it
implies for its surroundings.
There is such a great concentration of golf courses
on the Costa del Sol that this area ranks among the
top international golf tourism destinations. Reasons
are its extraordinary climate that allows this sport to
be played at any time of the year and topographic
eatures that are an ideal challenge to the designers
of these facilities to put their imagination and
experience to the test in taking advantage of the
natural terrain. These features have produced
technical, sporting and landscaping results that are
as original as they are surprising.
specific design, whether the facility lies next to the
sea or farther inland. The practice of transforming
some valleys and streambeds into spectacular green
carpets dotted with water hazards and native
vegetation has been characterised as exemplary by
some specialists in this field.
237
TOURIST BOARD &
The Western Costa del Sol, with the municipalities of
Marbella and Mijas at the forefront, is the part of the
province of Málaga with the highest number of golf
courses, but the fact is that not only are they
proliferating along the rest of the Málaga coast
(Eastern Costa del Sol), but also the interior regions
(Antequera and the Guadalhorce valley) have
energetically entered the golfing world. Therefore, it
can be truly said that there is a golf course close at
hand in any part of the province.
collection. It provides a full list and a detailed account
of golf clubs, divided into towns.
In its illustrated map, you will be able to locate all the
golf clubs and the ways to get there. The simple,
attractive and thus reader-friendly file for each club
includes information on courses, numbers of holes
and services.
CONVENTION BUREAU
that now, while it does retain something of that
image, it is not considered exclusively a sport of the
elite. In this respect, the competitive fees of the
Málaga courses should be pointed out. At a number
of them, well-known professionals also give practice
and beginners’ classes. Other clubs have specialised
academies that are devoted more to perfecting the
golfer’s game, and which combine practical
instruction with the most advanced training
techniques.
The same criterion has been used to choose
practical icons that tell you if each golf club has
buggies, hand carts, club rentals, putting greens,
practice courses, changing rooms, parking lots, golf
lessons and/ or shops.
Curb your stress levels and experience new
sensations with “Málaga, Sun and Golf”. If you crossrefer to our guide of hotels, you will see that an
increasing number of them feature golf and outdoors
facilities in their interesting holiday packages.
Golf lovers who want to play golf on the Costa del Sol
will find all the information they need in the
bookguide published by the Costa del Sol Tourist
Board.
.
The Costa del Sol’s vast golf offer could not have
gone unnoticed by the organisers of the most
prestigious national and international competitions,
and, for a number of years now, several courses in
this region have hosted world famous competitions
(Spanish Open, The World Championship, Volvo
Master and even the Ryder Cup) that have led to the
province of Málaga becoming the official winter
headquarters of the Professional Golfers’
Association (PGA) in Europe.
The Málaga golf sector has been very conscious of
the fact that in the last few years this sport has
attracted the attention of different social classes and
We are now launching “Málaga, Sun and Golf,” all
you need to know if your way of having fun is
clutching your club. This guide, illustrated with great
photographs, is the result of hard work and data
.
238
grounds, or the American type, characterised by
level spaces and an abundance of water. In addition
to these types there are those courses that, in a sort
of delibered syncretism, combine two or more of
these styles.
Golf lovers are beginning to consider Costa del Sol
as an ideal place to play their favourite sport. The
province of Málaga has responded to golf’s
increasing popularity with a good many courses,
which have become one of its main tourist
attractions.
A man playing golf in a golf course in Antequera
MÁLAGA, SUN AND GOLF
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239
TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
17.
PROfESSIONAL
MÁLAGA – MEETINGS
Professional Málaga - Meetings
.
240
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Index
.
To these conditions should be added the fact that
Málaga is now the most dynamic province in
Andalusia and one of the most outstanding in
Spain in the business and commercial context.
The inauguration of the Costa del Sol Exhibition
and Conference Centre in Torremolinos more
than three decades ago involved the Costa del
Sol in a tourist activity that, while it was far from
being unknown, had not achieved the growth it
would later experience. Years after this first
convention centre went into operation the specific
infrastructure for improving the meetings tourism
offer would be expanded until achieving at the
present time an unusual diversification of these
product.
On the Costa del Sol, congress and
meetings tourism has found an ideal home owing,
doubtlessly, to several factors that come together
in this area and that favour the growth of this
tourism segment which is constantly broadening
its horizons. The nice weather, the province of
Málaga’s natural environment, a hotel
infrastructure that is capable of providing
excellent services for the heaviest demand, great
infrastructures –an international airport, highspeed trains and an extensive road network that
links the province of Málaga to the rest of the
Iberian Peninsula–, a wealth of leisure activities
–eateries, beaches, nature parks, themed parks,
marinas, etc. –, and four large facilities especially
designed for hosting conferences and fairs have
placed the Costa del Sol in the very first rank in
respect to meetings & events travel
This position has to be an attraction when it
comes to scheduling in one of its conference
centres conventions relating to a field to which
some of the firms located in the province belong.
The University of Málaga and especially the
Technology Park of Andalusia, located very close
to the capital, are also institutions that contribute,
especially in the cultural and scientific areas, to
the fact that the name of Málaga is linked not only
to tourism but also to other very dynamic and
constantly
expanding
sectors
whose
representatives for some time now have included
Málaga among the places for holding their
meetings.
241
TOURIST BOARD &
This unusual convention centre, only 4 kilometres
from Pablo Ruiz International Airport and very
close to downtown Torremolinos and the
Mediterranean Expressway, has ten meeting
halls with capacities of from 50 to 500 people, as
well as a bright space of more than 5,000 square
metres, distributed between two floors, for
holding expositions. Its circular structure brings
all the services closer together and makes it
easier to get around the building.
Part II
Index
.
The city of Málaga has not missedthe opportunity
to also benefit from meetings tourism, and has
incorporated its own facility into this sector.
Málaga Fairs and Congresses Palace covers an
area of 60,000 square metres that is notable for
the modern and daring architecture of the palace
itself. The facility has two expositions pavilions
that cover 20,000 square metres. Considering
these dimensions, one can state that the Málaga
palace offers the maximum potential for holding
all kinds of events. It has, among other spaces,
three large conference halls with a capacity for
.
242
Slot machine industry conference at the Costa del Sol Exhibition and Conference Centre
Seeing that the prospects for meetings tourism,
far from being exhausted, were growing, Marbella
decided to build its own congress palace, both to
satisfy a clearly growing demand and to take
advantage of its position as an international
tourist resort and of its supply of luxury hotels.
Marbella Trade Fair and Conference Centre
stands on the so-called “Golden Mile” and is thus
very close to the city. It is 50 kilometres from the
Málaga international airport and 75 from
Gibraltar, a fact that does not go unnoticed by
congress organisers.
The facility has a surface area of more than
10,000 square metres distributed over two floors,
a space that will contain 3,000 people and more
The Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de
Estepona
(Estepona
Expositions
and
Congresses Palace), relatively close to that of
Marbella, displays a well-planned adaptability for
all kinds of celebrations. It is a multi-purpose
3,000 square metre pavilion that has available
everything needed to make a congress, fair or
meeting an organisational success. The
distribution of its two spaces allows it to host
conventions of up to 2,500 participants, fairs –in
which case more than 150 stands of 12 square
metres each can be installed--fashion shows and
whatever kinds of functions that need modern,
spacious facilities equipped with the last
technology. The facility’s exterior has large
landscaped areas and offers even more
possibilities for holding open-air events.
The meeting halls’ equipment includes
simultaneous translation in five languages, slide
and overhead projectors, video players, screens,
fixed and wireless microphones and all those
features that facilitate the proper hosting of a
congress. On the exterior, a car park with
capacity for more than 600 vehicles stretches
between spacious and well-tended gardens that
command a beautiful view of the Bay of Málaga.
than 200 stands. It also has a conference hall with
capacity for more 250 attendees that is equipped
with the most modern features for holding any
type of meeting: giant video screens, 16 and 35
millimetre projectors, simultaneous translation in
eight languages and all other accessories
inherent to the fair or congress activity. Some of
the most important congresses held on the Costa
del Sol took place in these facilities, which have
been praised both by the direct users themselves
and by the organisers of the events.
CONVENTION BUREAU
Costa del Sol Exhibition and Conference Centre,
inaugurated in the early 1970’s, has adapted to
changing times by incorporating modern
technologies and by updating its facilities, thus
remaining competitive.
243
TOURIST BOARD &
CONVENTION BUREAU
commercial infrastructure capable of attending to
any type of demand by this specific tourist sector.
There are numerous businesses expressly
devoted to organising all kinds of congresses,
others whose purpose is providing professional
training to hostesses, who are indispensable
personnel in this type of event, and also firms
specialising in audiovisual systems, the rental of
buses for group transport and numerous rent-acar agencies--Málaga has the largest fleet of
rental cars in all of Andalusia--in case greater
travel independence is desired.
Interior of the Torremolinos Auditorium
.
Apart from these facilities, it should be noted that
on the Costa del Sol there is a substantial
The Costa del Sol Tourist Board has included in a
single guidebook all the information needed to
organise great events in Málaga Province.
MÁLAGA, SUN MEETINGS,
AND INCENTIVES
The Costa del Sol Convention Bureau was
created to provide services to those organising
social and business events –conferences,
congresses, symposia, product presentations, or
stimulating incentive programmes.
warm local people, and tasting the most delicious
dishes.
“The art of life of an old civilisation whose clearest
traces of identity can be seen in the South.”
Sharing our heritage with you is the Costa del Sol
Convention Bureau’s wish. This is why we have
created Málaga, Sun, Meetings and Incentives, a
guide providing you with all the information you
need for your business activities in a practical and
effective way.
The Costa del Sol is an ideal place for this kind of
events, and every year, hundreds of companies
and thousands of professionals are welcomed by
such a warm host.
The best hotels, conference centres, DMCs and
PCOs –companies catering for the event
organisation needs of the most demanding
customers– work in a nice communication
environment featuring all possible scenarios to
get together, talking business and spending your
leisure time against the background of the most
breathtaking landscapes, in contact with the
Part II
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.
244
An alternative space that should be mentioned is
the Auditórium Municipal (Municipal Auditorium)
in Torremolinos, whose facilities are fully
adaptable to any need. It can be used for hosting
events ranging from musical and dramatic
presentations, (its seating capacity is more than
1,750 persons) to dances, banquets and
conferences; its versatile furnishings permit
speedy conversion for any occasion.
The many well-equipped congress and meeting
halls that most of the large hotels on the Costa
del Sol now have, especially those of four or five
stars, should be added to the list of the four
aforementioned exposition and convention
facilities. Once again, the private sector has not
stinted its resources in adapting to and even
foreseeing new tourism needs. Those hotels that
have incorporated meetings tourism facilities into
their operations have supplemented the province
of Málaga’s offer in this tourism segment. The
outcome could not have been more beneficial for
this region, which was already considered
throughout the world as one of the best-equipped
destinations for holding any kind of event.
Exterior of the Costa del Sol Exhibition and Conference Centre
1,200 persons, 3000 square metres for restaurant
services, large green zones and extremely ample
parking space for cars and buses (1,300 and 25,
respectively). In addition, the technological
equipment is, of course, of the latest generation.
The presence of four convention centres along
only 60 kilometres of coastline puts the Costa del
Sol in a virtually unique position as far as the
meetings tourism market is concerned. This
leading role compared to other regions has been
recognised by the international tourism sector
itself. Sufficient evidence is the fact that both the
Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and
their German counterpart DRV have chosen the
Costa del Sol for holding some of their
congresses.
245

sol y turismo - Costa Del Sol

Transcription

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