Picturesque street of Mijas with flower pots in facades. Andalusian white village. Costa del Sol. Southern Spain

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Costa del Sol

Regularly derided but perennially popular, Spain’s famous ‘sun coast’ is a chameleonic agglomeration of end-to-end resort towns that were once (hard to believe) mere fishing villages. Development in the last 60 years has been far-reaching and not always subtle, throwing up a disjointed muddle of urbanizaciones, each with its own niche. Torremolinos is a popular gay resort, Benalmádena plugs theme parks and aquariums, Fuengirola draws families and water-sport lovers, Mijas poses as one of Andaucía's authentic white villages of yore, Marbella is loudly rich and partial to big yachts and golf, while Estepona maintains a semblance of its former Spanish self. Take your pick.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • buenavista palace which houses the picasso museum

    Museo Picasso Málaga

    Málaga

    This unmissable museum in the city of Picasso’s birth provides a solid overview of the great master and his work, although, surprisingly, it only came to…

  • Interior of Natural Cave in Andalusia, Spain

    Cueva de Nerja

    Nerja

    It’s hard to imagine the surreal world that lies beneath the mountain foothills 4km east of Nerja, and it’s even harder to believe that these vast caverns…

  • Malaga

    Catedral de Málaga

    Málaga

    Málaga’s elaborate cathedral was started in the 16th century on the site of the former mosque. Of the mosque, only the Patio de los Naranjos survives, a…

  • Alcazaba, Malaga, Andulucia, Spain

    Alcazaba

    Málaga

    No time to visit Granada’s Alhambra? Then Málaga’s Alcazaba can provide a taster. The entrance is beside the Roman theatre, from where a meandering path…

  • Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga, Spain.

    Museo Carmen Thyssen

    Málaga

    Located in an aesthetically renovated 16th-century palace in the heart of the city’s former Moorish quarter, this extensive collection concentrates on…

  • Facade of the Russian museum (Saint Petersburg collection) in Malaga, Spain.

    Museo Ruso de Málaga

    Málaga

    Housed in a former tobacco factory, this offshoot of St Petersburg's Russian State Museum is dedicated to Russian art from the 16th to 20th centuries. It…

  • MALAGA, SPAIN - AUGUST 08: Soho Area on August 08, 2015 in Malaga, Spain. It is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain.; Shutterstock ID 338884481; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    MAUS

    Málaga

    The antithesis of Málaga's prestigious world-class art museums is refreshingly down-to-earth MAUS, a grassroots movement born out of an influx of street…

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Plan with a local

Go Beyond

Costa del Sol and beyond

Beyond Costa del Sol
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