About Nerja

Our Home

In describing Nerja it is only fair to declare our own interest first. Having spent a considerable time exploring the Costa del Sol as a whole, we eventually settled on Nerja as the place where we wanted to have our own holiday home.

To us it represents perfection, exemplifying everything that makes the Costa del Sol so delightful, while avoiding all those results of tourist development that have marred other towns in this area. OK, so we're biased, but let us at least try to give you an objective description of what Nerja has to offer.

The Coastline

One of the main attractions of Nerja has to be its coastline. Unlike other areas of the Costa del Sol , here the foothills of the Sierra Almijara mountain range reach the shore, forming majestic cliffs between which nestle picturesque coves and beaches, incidentally precluding the erection of the high-rise apartment and hotel blocks which characterise so many other towns.

Traditional Town

Nerja town centre has preserved a traditional Andalucian construction. In many tourist resorts, economic development has taken place and changes have been made in order to accommodate the arrival of mass tourism, transforming the houses and streets of entire towns, and almost always for the worse.

Nerja however, has not only conserved its original structure, but all new constructions have been adapted to the traditional Andalucian style of whitewashed houses, windows with grills, terracotta tiled roofs, etc.

Balcon de Europa

The nerve centre of Nerja is the Balcon de Europa, a favourite site with local people and visitors alike. The promenade, flanked on the left by lovely arches and on the right by hotels, bars and restaurants, ends at a semi-circular viewpoint at the cliff-top, commanding magnificent views over the Mediterranean and the surrounding mountains.

» Balcon de Europa

Unforgettable moments

Sunset seen from the Balcon de Europa is unforgettable. The promenade is lined with palms and plane trees, and two ancient cannons form a reminder that until 1812 there was a fortress at the top of the cliffs. At the opposite end, turning left, is a square containing the church of El Salvador.

Between the Calahonda and the Carabeo beaches runs the Paseo de Los Carabineros, a delightful natural pathway amongst the rocks of the coastline. Further east are the Jardines de Europa, charming botanical gardens which slope down to the Playa de Burriana.