Information
Language: Spanish.
Time Zone: GMT +0
Spanish Tourist Office: 2nd Floor, 79 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6XB. Telephone: 020 7486 8077. www.spain.info
Travel money
Euro
Things to do
See the Moorish beauty of the spectacular Alhambra Palace at Granada and visit Málaga, the birthplace of Picasso. Watch the inquisitive Barbary apes of Gibraltar and admire wonderful sea views from the Balcón de Europa at Nerja, or visit the beautiful whitewashed village of Frigiliana. Stroll through the playground of the rich and famous in Marbella, play a round of golf at one of the region's top golf courses, splash about at the Aquapark in Torremolinos and enjoy the Tivoli World amusement park in Benalmádena.
Beaches
You’ll be spoilt for choice for beaches on your Costa del Sol holiday. Along the ‘Sunshine Coast’, there’s every type of beach from Torremolinos’s seven kilometre stretch of sand to Estepona’s beautiful cove at Playa del Cristo.
The Mediterranean water is perfect for swimming and these shimmering shores offer a variety of watersports to try. If you prefer just to lay back with a paperback or fancy walking along the promenade, these beaches are simply unforgettable.
Explore your destination
Highlights
- Aiming for a hole in one on the ‘Costa del Golf’s’ courses like Torrequebrada Golf Club, Benalmadena, and Atalaya Golf & Country Club, Estepona
- Having fun at the Costa del Sol’s best theme park, Tivoli World, with rides like the Dragon and the log flume for bigger kids and a separate area especially for little ‘uns
- Coming face to face with more than 2,000 animals at Estepona’s Selwo Andventure Park, with a safari-style experience staying in lodges and riding jeeps
- Spending the day in Benalmadena: riding the cable car high into the hills, seeing the shark reef and sea snakes at the aquarium and strolling through the old town
- Leaving your tummy at the top of the Kamikaze and braving the new Boomerang slide at Torremolinos’s Aqualand waterpark, where there’s also a mini park for kids
- Rumbling across beautiful mountain trails on a jeep safari, passing deep ravines and seeing hidden mountain villages
- Heading inland to Ronda, one of Spain’s oldest towns with its incredible bridge spanning El Tajo gorge 100m below, which offers stunning views of the mountains
- Seeing the Moorish beauty of the spectacular Alhambra Palace at Granada and visiting Málaga, the birthplace of Picasso
- Watching the inquisitive Barbary apes of Gibraltar and admiring wonderful sea views from the Balcón de Europa at Nerja
- Rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous in Marbella, where you can stroll in the cobbled streets and nose at the marina’s glitzy yachts
Gibraltar and Puerto Banus, Costa del Sol
Hit the shops on this day out, as you head first for the famous Rock of Gibraltar to snap up some duty-free bargains, then, for true shopaholics, browse the chic boutiques and designer stores in upmarket Puerto Banus.
Tangiers
Soak up the culture on this trip to northern Africa. You'll whizz through the Medina and Kasbah alongside camels and carpets, then enjoy a delicious Moroccan lunch and traditional belly dancing show. An experience not to be missed!
Granada
A city steeped in history and home to the magnificent Alhambra Palace and Generalife gardens, your expert guide will tell you all there is to know about the striking Moorish palace, framed by the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountains.
Food and drink
Whether you’re into succulent salty olives and chorizo sausage or fried breakfasts and roast dinners, there’s something for every taste on holiday in the Costa del Sol.
Get your laughing gear round homely British flavours in Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola and seek out traditional tapas bars in Torremolinos’s old quarter, where you can try delicious appetisers of deep fried calamari, slices of cured meats and cheese.
Being on the coast, fresh seafood is to die for here, with garlic prawns, tasty paella and grilled sardines popular dishes. If fish isn’t your thing, try pinchos morunos, Moroccan-style pork kebabs; and gazpacho, cold soup made from onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes.
Evening Flavour
Party people get ready for some big holiday nights out in the Costa del Sol, with Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola’s streets lined with buzzing bars and trendy clubs. Benalmadena’s marina is the place to go for super cool bars or, for a really fun night out, see flamenco shows or tap those toes at a salsa night.
Get your dancing shoes on with the likes of Antonio Banderas along the ‘Golden Mile’, stretching from Marbella to Puerto Banus, it’s star-studded with restaurants, discos and nightclubs.
If you’d prefer enjoying laid-back dinners and balmy evenings drinking in plaza bars, Nerja is the place to be.
Shopping
If you fancy browsing the shops with the likes of the footballers’ wives on your Costa del Sol holiday, head to Puerto Banus and Marbella for uber-chic boutiques and loads of designer labels. Or, for a bit of everything, Málaga’s got departments stores like El Corte Inglés, shopping malls and market stalls.
Look for leather bags, belts and shoes and jewellery at Fuengirola’s Tuesday morning market or head across the water to Gibraltar for plenty of duty-free delights. You’ll find hand-painted ceramics and Moroccan imports in all the resorts along the coast.
Dates for the Diary
March/April: Spain’s main towns all celebrate Easter week with candle-lit parades carrying huge religious icons, local bands and specially themed dishes and treats in the bakeries.
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