On our second day in Malaga, we decided to explore more about Costa del Sol, As it was our very first visit there and we were keen to explore more about the coast. On that day we discovered Nerja Caves, Frigilian and Nerja city. Today I will only write about Nerja and its caves. Frigiliana will be on another post.
Nerja is considered one of the most important tourist spots on the Costa del Sol. It’s 50 km from Malaga and has a charming old town with whitewashed houses and narrow streets that makes this place one of the most beautiful in the region.
Nerja, a former sleepy fishing village, turned summer hot spot for many tourists. I would say British and Spanish are the most, but obviously there are many nationalities who love the region. And I know, what attracts them the most, narrow streets, whitewashed houses, Spanish style balconies, incredible sea views, countless beaches, rocky caves all surrounded by the Sierra de Almijara mountain range.
Obviously Nerja is famous for its turquoise beaches, but definitely is not only this.
To get to Nerja is very easy, there are direct buses every half an hour from Malaga. And if you rent a car, you will see how easy is to get there by car. We didn’t rent a car, we came by bus. At the time we wanted to book our tickets, we were in doubts about where to go, as there were 2 destinations: Nerja city and Nerja Caves. We decided not to buy a round trip, so we just took 1 way ticket to Nerja Caves, and we were right.
LAS CUEVAS DE NERJA. NERJA CAVES
We arrived at 1.00 pm, but due to lots of people, we couldn’t enter inside the caves till 3.00 pm. It is lovely to stay outside as well, as there is a picnic area and a restaurant with marvelous views over the sea.
Nerja Caves are considered as one of the most famous places in Nerja. These prehistoric stalactite and stalagmite caves -where you can also find Paleolithic paintings- were discovered in 1959 by a group of local boys.
The Nerja Caves stretch for almost 5 km underground they are made by the formation of karstic cavities, their origins dating back millions of years. They’re also home to the world’s largest stalagmite, 32-metre high column measuring 13 metres by 7 metres at its base.
Entry is €10 and this includes an audio guided tour plus an audiovisual presentation. Kids less than 5 years enter for free.
We were very impressed of the caves, dimensions and the history behind these.
On our way out, we were surprised that we had to wait for another 2h to get to Nerja city. Then, we understood how great is to rent a car and not depend on public transport. Another option to go to the city was asking for a taxi, which is from 8 to 10 EUR.
Our plans were to visit Frigiliana in the same day, so within all the options, we chose to take a taxi right to Frigiliana and Nerja, that costed us 15EUR, but it saved us time. As, who knows at what time we could take another bus from Nerja to Frigiliana. And of course, we had to be back in Malaga in the same evening.
After Frigiliana, we took a bus and went right to Nerja city center. We walked the principal street, that is full of local shops, lovely restaurants and narrow streets connected to this.
By the end of the street, opened to our eyes Balcon de Europa.
BALCON DE EUROPA
Balcony of Europe offers a magnificent panoramic view of the entire coastline and is a favorite spot to watch the sun set. It is known as the centre of Nerja and it provides a panoramic view of Nerja’s coastline. The promenade that has been built on the foundations of an old fort is lined with palm trees and a large plaza.
During the evening this area really comes alive with tourists and locals alike, portrait artists, street entertainers, musicians. It was spectacular to feel the breeze of the sea at such an altitude. 2 of Nerja’s main beaches (Calahonda and Caletilla) can be reached from the Balcon in just a short walk down a path.
THE BEACHES
Playa de Calahonda – Calahonda Beach
It’s right next to Balcon de Europa and surrounded by restaurants that look over it from a cliff. As all tourists do, we didn’t miss to take pictures of the peculiar “hippie house” you can see below.
If we only have had more time to enjoy Nerja beaches, we would enjoy the water of the sea. But it was already the time to go back to Malaga.
On our way back to Malaga, we were exhausted. Just imagine, to do all this with 2 little kiddos. I am pretty amazed that they did it with us. And it was nothing better, than come back to the room, and see it all cleaned up and ready to just jump into it and sleep.
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