Costa del Sol travel

Costa del Sol

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Overview

Regularly derided but perennially popular, Spain鈥檚 famous 鈥榮un coast鈥� 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, Benalm谩dena plugs theme parks and aquariums, Fuengirola draws families and water-sport lovers, Mijas poses as one of Andauc铆a'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 惭谩濒补驳补

惭谩濒补驳补

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

Catedral de 惭谩濒补驳补

惭谩濒补驳补

惭谩濒补驳补鈥檚 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鈥�

Interior of Natural Cave in Andalusia, Spain

Cueva de Nerja

Nerja

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

Alcazaba

惭谩濒补驳补

No time to visit Granada鈥檚 Alhambra? Then 惭谩濒补驳补鈥檚 Alcazaba can provide a taster. The entrance is beside the Roman theatre, from where a meandering path鈥�

Castillo de Gibralfaro

惭谩濒补驳补

One remnant of 惭谩濒补驳补鈥檚 Islamic past is the craggy ramparts of the Castillo de Gibralfaro, spectacularly located high on the hill overlooking the city鈥�

Historic viewpoint in Jardin Botanico La Concepcion in Malaga.

Jard铆n Bot谩nico Hist贸rico La Concepci贸n

惭谩濒补驳补

These exotic gardens were conceived in the mid-19th century by the Loring-Heredia clan, a noble family of railway builders and bankers who bequeathed the鈥�

Spain, Andalucia Region, Malaga Province

Mercado Atarazanas

惭谩濒补驳补

North of the city's main artery, the Alameda Principal, you鈥檒l find this striking 19th-century iron-clad building incorporating the original Moorish gate鈥�

Museo Carmen Thyssen

惭谩濒补驳补

Located in an aesthetically renovated 16th-century palace in the heart of the city鈥檚 former Moorish quarter, this extensive collection concentrates on鈥�

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