Must-see attractions in Costa del Sol

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Woman on wall near narrow rampart of Castillo de Gibralfaro, originally built 8th century, looking at view from on high of Malaga, Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain

    Castillo de Gibralfaro

    Málaga

    One remnant of Málaga’s Islamic past is the craggy ramparts of the Castillo de Gibralfaro, spectacularly located high on the hill overlooking the city…

  • Spain, Andalucia Region, Malaga Province

    Mercado Atarazanas

    Málaga

    North of the city's main artery, the Alameda Principal, you’ll find this striking 19th-century iron-clad building incorporating the original Moorish gate…

  • 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…

  • Pedestrians Walking Down A Path Lined With Palm Trees

    Paseo de España

    Málaga

    Looking like a mini-jungle when viewed from the Gibralfaro hill, this palm-lined extension of the Alameda was created in the 1890s on land reclaimed from…

  • 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…

  • Pompidou Centre, Malaga, Andalusia, Spain

    Centre Pompidou Málaga

    Málaga

    Down by Málaga's port, this offshoot of Paris' Pompidou Centre is housed in a low-slung modern building crowned by artist Daniel Buren's playful…

  • Playa de la Malagueta during off season.

    Playa de la Malagueta

    Málaga

    Where malagueños come to play (and take their morning exercise), the Playa de la Malagueta is the city's main beach and is both sandy and close to the…

  • Museo Automovilístico Málaga

    Málaga

    Fashion and old cars might seem like weird bedfellows, but they’re an inspired combo when viewed through the prism of this slightly out-of-the-box museum…

  • Teatro Romano

    Málaga

    The story of the unearthing of Málaga's Roman theatre is almost as interesting as the theatre itself. Dating from the time of Augustus (1st century AD),…

  • Museo de Málaga

    Málaga

    Spread out over two floors in Málaga’s neoclassical Palacio de Aduana, this vast, newly renovated museum houses art and archaeological collections. The…

  • Virgen de la Peña

    Costa del Sol

    If you walk past the ayuntamiento (town hall), you will reach this grotto where the Virgin is said to have appeared to two children who were led here by a…

  • Museo Ralli

    Marbella

    This superb private art museum exhibits works by primarily Latin American and European artists in bright, well-lit galleries. Part of a nonprofit…

  • Casa Natal de Picasso

    Málaga

    For an intimate insight into the painter’s childhood, head to the Casa Natal de Picasso, the house where Picasso was born in 1881. Now a study foundation,…

  • Orchidarium

    Estepona

    In an elegant glass-domed building surrounded by lush landscaping, Estepona's Orchidarium houses 1500 species of orchid – the largest collection in Europe…

  • Centro de Arte Contemporáneo

    Málaga

    The contemporary-art museum is housed in a skilfully converted 1930s wholesale market on the river estuary. The bizarre triangular floor plan of the…

  • Casa de los Navajas

    Costa del Sol

    Impossible to miss in the concrete jungle of Torremolinos is this neo-Mudéjar beauty, a mini palace that formerly belonged to a local sugar baron, António…

  • Museo del Vidrio y Cristal

    Málaga

    The more-interesting-than-it-sounds glass museum is housed in a palatial 18th-century house, complete with three central patios, in a charmingly…

  • Museo de Nerja

    Nerja

    Nerja’s museum traces the history of the town from the cave dwellers of Paleolithic times to the tourist-boom years of the ’60s, and is well worth a…

  • Mariposario de Benalmádena

    Costa del Sol

    Next to the Buddhist stupa, in a quasi-Thai temple in Benalmádena (get off the train at Torremuelle station), this butterfly park is a delight. There are…

  • Ars Málaga

    Málaga

    Worth visiting for the building alone, a grand bishop's palace opposite the cathedral with an imposing portico, intricate tile work and head-tilting…

  • La Carihuela

    Costa del Sol

    Torremolinos' westernmost beach, stretching from a small rocky outcrop (La Punta) to Benalmádena, La Carihuela,is a former fishing district and one of the…

  • La Térmica

    Málaga

    Come here for the architecture alone: this fabulous Modernista building has dazzling tile work, courtyards and fountains, and has been a military hospital…

  • Muelle Uno

    Málaga

    The city's long-beleaguered port area underwent a radical rethink in 2013 and was redesigned to cater to the increase in cruise-ship passengers. Wide…

  • Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares

    Málaga

    Located in a 17th-century inn, the Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares specialises in everyday rural and urban life of the past; note the barros …

  • Playa Burriana

    Nerja

    This is Nerja’s longest and best beach, with plenty of towel space on the sand. From Balcón de Europa, walk east down bleached white Calle Carabeo and…

  • Alameda Principal

    Málaga

    The Alameda Principal, now a busy thoroughfare, was created in the late 18th century as a boulevard on what were then the sands of the Guadalmedina…

  • Playamar

    Costa del Sol

    This long stretch of beach in Torremolinos is lined with reliably good chiringuitos (beach bars) and is also extremely family friendly, with playgrounds,…

  • Mirador Princess

    Málaga

    In common with many cities, Málaga has adopted a touristic big wheel by its port. Measuring 70m tall, it's good for views over the city. The 42 capsules…

  • Sala de Exposiciones

    Málaga

    As well as running the Casa Natal de Picasso, the Fundación Picasso owns this small exposition space across the square from the casa. It shuffles a…

  • Playa del Cañuelo

    Nerja

    East of Nerja the coast becomes more rugged; with your own wheels you can head to some great beaches reached by tracks down from the A7. Playa del Cañuelo…

  • Buddhist Stupa

    Costa del Sol

    The largest Buddhist stupa in Europe is in Benalmádena Pueblo. It rises up, majestically out of place, on the outskirts of the village, surrounded by new…

  • Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Mijas

    Costa del Sol

    Notwithstanding its diminutive size, this museum houses the world's second-largest collection of Picasso ceramics, along with bronze figurines, glassware,…

  • Playa Calahonda

    Nerja

    This small, pretty cove is just east of the Balcón de Europa. You can rent sunbeds and parasols here, though it does get busy at the height of summer,…

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