1 day trips and tours from Malaga

Well known for its privileged climate, quality of life and excellent cuisine, the Costa del Sol covers 160 kilometres of coastline stretching from Estepona in the west to Nerja in the east. The Costa del Sol is located in southern Spain in the province of Malaga and offers diverse landscapes and beaches, the Mediterranean Sea, mountains and valleys within very short distance from each other.

You can also consider planning your trip outside the province, tours from Malaga are not expensive and you can discover beautiful places like the Alhambra in Granada, Cordoba, Morocco...

The mountainous backdrop protects the Costa del Sol from cold winds from the north of Spain. Low rainfall and warm temperatures in the area allow the growth of numerous palm trees, oleanders, hibiscus and other exotic flora. Orange, lemon and almond trees are also found throughout the province and there are olive trees in abundance. Only a short drive away, you can discover the most traditional picturesque villages situated in the hills and valleys, surrounded by pine forests and vine yards.

Most tourists visiting the Costa del Sol, fly to Malaga, a large cosmopolitan city and the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, whose work is exhibited at the Picasso Museum in the city centre. Like most Andalusian cities, Malaga has experienced a strong Moorish influence, and the Alcazaba fortress, that dates back to 1065, nowadays hosts an archaeological Museum that is well worth a visit. In the Alameda Street you can see the city´s botanical gardens, a very popular winter destination for the rich and famous.

Malaga Airport handles most of the traffic coming to the Costa del Sol. Malaga airport is connected to all towns and resorts along the coast through a coastal motorway and a highway, as well as a commuter train service that operates from the airport to Fuengirola and a bus service that runs along the Costa del Sol.

To the west of Malaga you’ll find Torremolinos, a very lively and popular resort with an old fishermen´s district and the Bajondillo and Carihuela beaches where you can try out some of the best fish restaurants along the coast.

Heading further west, is Benalmadena, a modern resort which boasts an award winning marina with plenty of nightlife, pubs and restaurants. Benalmadena Pueblo is a typical Spanish village located a few miles inland.

Fuengirola, a popular family destination, has the longest seafront on the Costa del Sol, stretching along blue flag awarded beaches; and continuing towards the west, along the coast road or the toll road, you’ll reach the town of Marbella, very well known for its glitz and glamour.

Next to Marbella is Puerto Banus, a resort with a reputation for elegance and style, that hosts large luxurious yachts in its marina, surrounded by international restaurants, bars, shops and exclusive nightclubs.

Travelling further along the coast, a few miles down, you’ll reach Estepona on the westernmost Costa del Sol, a tranquil Andalusian town with a high standard tourism of visitors seeking a bit of peace and tranquillity.

The traditional Andalusia still has a richness of local culture and fairs. During the Easter Week, also known as Semana Santa (Holy Week), you can witness the impressive processions with valuable baroque images. Each village has its own fair, with typical Andalusian music and dancing; colourful and joyful events that usually last all day and right through the night, until early hours of the morning.

The sandy beaches of the Costa del Sol coast offer all kinds of water sports such as water skiing, jet skiing, sailing, windsurfing, para-sailing, snorkelling and pedal boats. Along this coastline there is a selection of 11 marinas where you can join sailing expeditions and cruises. On the other hand, you could also enjoy horse rides and walks through the mountainous inland.

The Costa del Sol is also known as the Costa del Golf with over 30 golf courses to choose from. Due to the mild climate, golfers can play all year round here, but should avoid the hottest months of July and August. The Costa del Sol is an international tourist destination with plenty of facilities that provide entertainment for the whole family, such as water parks, zoos and theme parks.

A great day trip is a visit to the town of Ronda that sits on a plateau up in the mountains, situated 48 kilometres inland from Marbella. The spectacular gorge of the River Tajo divides the city into two, with eighteenth century buildings. The stone bridge spans over the gorge and provides absolutely breath-taking views. Ronda has the oldest bullring in Spain which is now a fascinating museum.

For visitors to Malaga is available a mobile application for smartphones or tablets, allowing users to get through their geolocation advanced cultural information of the place they want to visit, and other information regarding shopping, leisure or dining.

The application 'Cultural Tours of Andalucia' is launched as a pilot project and initially will have information about Granada, Antequera and Malaga, but soon will cover all of Andalusia and its cultural and heritage resources.

The service, once downloaded on your phone, can be activated from anywhere in Andalusia to plan ahead for a trip or visit, or directly from the chosen site. In this case, the user, by using the augmented reality, obtains on the screen of his mobile the emplacement and exact address of the chosen location or points of interest present in the selected radius.

The new tool of cultural information can be downloaded for free from Apple Store, from Android Market, with the name 'Cultural Routes of Andalusia', or from the web bidi.andaluciatucultura.es.

In this application there is a list of 'categories' - museums, hotels, shops, information offices, monuments and others-, of which the user selects the desired, then showing related “attractions”; finally, selecting a particular attraction, it displays information, location map, contact information and other useful information.

The new application uses augmented reality technology, especially suitable for use on-site from the visited city. By pressing 'Augmented Reality', the mobile or tablet indicates the points of interest in the selected range of action, or if you have chosen a specific point of interest, the phone will guide you to the same indicating the distance and the best route to arrive.

The application includes photographs, historical data, interesting curiosities, possibility of booking tickets, calendar of entertainment, information on restaurants, hotels and others.

The entire application is available in English, Spanish and German, and the menus as well in Russian and Chinese. Currently, the device contains more than 200 sites in the three routes, mainly almost all monuments, museums and enclaves.

Thus, the route through Malaga includes the Picasso Museum, the Thyssen Museum, Gibralfaro, the Roman Theatre, the Cathedral and other cultural landmarks. In addition to these culturally interesting points, the application provides details of restaurants, hotels, events, shops and so on.