Estepona

Estepona is both the name of the municipality and the city. The district covers an area of ​​137 square kilometers in a lush valley crossed by small streams and a mountainous area dominated by Sierra Bermeja, reaching a height of 1,449 meters on top of Los Reales.

Estepona is known for its beaches stretching about 21 km of the coast. It is a popular tourist destination and holiday destination. Due to its natural environment, surrounded by sea and mountains, Estepona has a micro climate with over 300 days of sunshine a year. Estepona is a popular year-round holiday destination; It has two EC Blue Flag beaches, a modern sports marina with many tapas bars and restaurants. The white-walled city center has many shops and picturesque squares.

 

 

San Pedro de Alcántara

San Pedro de Alcántara (St. Peter of Alcántara) (pop: about 26,500) is located on the main N340 / A7 coastal road and new motorway AP7, 10 km west of Marbella, Andalucia. It is easily accessible from either Málaga or Cádiz and via C339 from Seville and Ronda. The nearest airports in Málaga and Gibraltar are both within an hour's drive. It is located in the fertile plain of the same name, Vega de San Pedro Alcántara, a wide stretch of coastal lowlands surrounded by a semi-circle with hilly hills. On the East Sierra Blanca of Marbella, dominated by its highest peak Pico del Astonar (1,270 m.) Better locally known as "La Concha" (The Shell) due to its resemblance to a rifled sea shells seen from the west. To the north there are Sierra del Real or El Real del Duque, Sierra de las Nieves and Tolox, on the west side of the city of Monte Mayor and eventually close the mountain line Sierra Bermeja.

 

When you arrive in San Pedro from Cádiz direction, you will find it as probably the most typical Spanish surviving city on the Costa del Sol. San Pedro is kept very clean with a central shopping area, boulevard, quiet parks and squares and beautiful gardens. Turn right at the main road to the Nueva Alcántara area and you will reach the newly built promenade and the long, wide beaches. Here are some new developments that are about to take shape.

 

 

Puerto Banús

Puerto José Banús, known as Puerto Banús, is a marina located in the Nueva Andalucía area, southwest of Marbella, on the Costa del Sol. It was completed in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping center. It has since become one of the biggest entertainment centers in Costa del Sol, with 5 million annual visitors, and is popular with international celebrities. Developed around a coastal village in Mediterranean architectural style, Puerto Banús contains expensive shopping malls, restaurants and bars around the marina. It is also the scene of many exotic cars owned by international celebrities and wealthy owners who also own large yachts. Luxury cars like Rolls Royces and high end sports cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Mercedes Benz are a common sight in the summer months around Marbella and Puerto Banus. These cars are brought to the public's eye through large showrooms and dealers' showcases of the latest super cars.

 

Marbella

Marbella is part of the Costa del Sol, and is the headquarters of the municipality community in the region; It is also the leader of the court that carries its name. Marbella is located on the Mediterranean Sea, between Málaga and the Gibraltar Strait, at the foot of the Sierra Blanca. The municipality covers an area of ​​117 square kilometers. The "crossroads of highways" on the coast, as one of the most important entrances and exits for the most part. In 2012 the population of the city was 140,473 inhabitants and is the second most populous municipality in Málaga and the eighth in Andalucía.

 

It is one of the most important tourist resorts on the Costa del Sol and throughout most of the year is an international tourist attraction, mainly due to its climate and infrastructure. The city also has a significant archaeological heritage, several museums and performance spaces, and a cultural calendar with events ranging from reggae concerts to opera performances.

 

 

Mijas

Mijas Pueblo is the historical core of the municipality of Mijas, located in the heart of the Costa del Sol. It is just 30 kilometers from Malaga International Airport (AGP). It has a varied landscape that goes from the mountains all the way to the sea. The area of ​​Mijas is the most mountainous but with increasing development along the coast. The Pasadas and Ojen are rivers that cross this area, they form the river Fuengirola, which flows into the sea almost on the borders between Fuengirola and Mijas.

 

The municipality, one of the largest in the province of Malaga, with 147 km2 is divided into three different urban areas: Mijas Pueblo, feel the charm of a traditional Andalusian "white village", Las Lagunas on the coast (the most modern part of Mijas where you can find industrial and commercial areas) and La Cala, a small coastal village in the middle of 12 kilometers of beaches on Mijas coast. Remained since ancient times, the small village of Mijas devoted mainly to agriculture and fishing, before the explosion of tourist boom in the 50's. Since then, tourism and the construction industry have been engines for the local economy, albeit at a high environmental cost.

 

Today it is a multicultural city with a high proportion of inhabitants of foreign origin and a large residential center for tourism in Andalusia.

 

 

Fuengirola

Fuengirola, in ancient times known as Suel and then Suhayl, is a big city on the Costa del Sol. It is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches and a medieval Moorish fortress. Like much of this coast, it has been the subject of significant central expansion. The area has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, with an annual average temperature of 18 ° C and average summer temperatures above 30 ° C.

 

 

Benalmádena

Benalmádena is located about 12 kilometers on the west side of the city of Málaga, on the southern coast between Torremolinos and Fuengirola, in the heart of the Costa del Sol and Alhaurín de la Torre in the north. It is part of the metropolitan area of ​​Torremolinos, thus targeting a large number of tourists. The city is also home to Benalmádena Stupa, the largest stupa (a structure important in Buddhism) in the western world, which stands 33 meters high.

 

 

Torremolinos

Torremolinos was a poor fishing village before the growth of tourism began in the late 1950s. Torremolinos was the first of the Costa del Sol areas to be developed. The city is located on the western coast of the Bay of Málaga and behind the Sierra de Mijas. It is 13 km from Málaga and is served by the A-7 motorway, which surrounds the city to the north. In 2013, the city had 69,389 inhabitants, thus being the sixth largest city in the province. It is very popular with British tourists and has a great British exile population. The recent influx of young British tourists has caused controversy. Areas of the city are dominated by high-rise buildings. In addition to the tourism sector, Torremolinos is known locally for its vibrant nightlife, especially its many bars and clubs, catering to the LHBT community.

 

 

Málaga

Málaga is a state and municipality, as well as the capital of the province of Málaga. With a population of 568 507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. The southernmost major city in Europe is thus on the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) of the Mediterranean, about 100 km (62.14 mi) east of the Gibraltar Strait and about 130 km (80.78 mi) north of Africa. Málaga's history spans around 2800 years, and is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC. - like Malaka, and from the 6th century BC was under the hegemony of "Ancient Carthage". The archaeological remains and monuments of the Phoenician, Roman, Arab and Christian epochs make the historic center of the city an "open museum" that shows its rich history for more than 3,000 years. This important cultural and rich artistic heritage has culminated in the nomination of Málaga as a candidate for 2016 European Capital. The internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso, the Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol and actor Antonio Banderas was born in Málaga. The great opus written by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, "Malagueña"