Best day trips from Marbella: Our top 3

We have narrowed down our top 3 day trips to the following destinations, as we know The Costa Del Sol is known for it’s stunning beaches, mouth watering cuisine and lavish lifestyle, however if you want to get away from the busy and touristy areas for a day or quick weekend get-away, we highly recommend venturing to some of the locations listed below as they all offer such unique experiences and are well worth visiting if you have time.

1.Nerja

About:

Nerja is a picturesque coastal resort town some 50 kilometres east of Málaga city conected by the A-7 coastal highway. It marks the eastern limit of Málaga provine’s Costa del Sol, perfect for summer day trips or weekend stays. Located around an hour and a half drive from Marbella, however there are also multiple services that offer direct transport, find out more about the bus services by clicking here.

Beaches:

Nerja has more than its fair share of fabulous beaches, boasting 16 kilometres of beaches with powdery sand and sparkling clear and calm water, and a splattering of small coves. All major water sports are available along the coastline, including water skiing, scuba diving and sailing.

The main beaches are Burriana and Torrecilla, both have been awarded the blue flag. Favourite amongst locals and visitors alike is Burriana Beach, where you can enjoy good food, including delicious shellfish barbecues on the beach and the speciality lunchtime paella.

Things to do:

The old quarter of the town is still virtually unchanged with narrow, winding streets, whitewashed houses with wrought iron terraces overflowing with geraniums, on which a canary can sometimes be heard singing.

When in Nerja visits to the 17th Century Church of El Salvador and the Gardens of Capistrano Playa are essential.

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes here to choose from, and lots of lovely plazas (squares) where you can sit and watch the world pass by.

You can also visit the famous Cuevas de Nerja (the Nerja Caves). The caves incorporate the world’s widest column, the grand centre column in the Sala del Cataclismo (Cataclysm Hall), which reaches a height of 32 metres. Also the Karstic cavities formed by erosion of marble by water and view the Palaeolithic wall paintings, dating back over 20,000 years.

There is a restaurant attached to the caves with lovely views, and a museum and gift shop.

2. Ronda

About:

The beautiful and historic town of Ronda is one of the oldest towns in Spain and is one of the genuine Andalucian treasures that is accessible to tourists visiting the Costa del Sol. Located an hour and a quarters drive inland from Marbella, you can also find information about direct transport by clicking here.

Please note we recommend doing day trips to Ronda during the summer but avoiding August, as it is inland it can get extremely hot.

Things to do:

Ronda can often become engulfed with group trips; but the town is much better explored on your own, finding your way around the pretty narrow cobbled centre and stopping to take in the magnificent views to the surrounding sierra.

The town is easily explored on foot with the first stop normally being the 18th century Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) which sits across the 100m chasm of the El Tajo Gorge where the Rio Gaudelvin runs below.

You can also visit Ronda’s Arab Baths are some of the best preserved in Spain. They were built during the town’s 12th-century Moorish period and were used by Muslims to purify themselves before visiting the mosque. The design is similar to a Roman bathhouse, with separate hot, warm and cool rooms where people would gather and socialise.

If you get peckish you can have a stroll through the beautiful old town and grab something to eat from the amazing selection of Tapas bars & restaurants Ronda has to offer.

 

3. Málaga

About:

Málaga City, birthplace of the incredible Picasso and boasting one of the best climates in Europe. Málaga is now one of Spain’s most popular cultural, gastronomic and leisure destinations with amazing nightlife.

The charming old town, the trendy area of SOHO, where some of the world’s most important urban artists have left their mark, the beloved Muelle Uno port, with its Michelin star restaurants, cocktail bars and fashion boutiques, and countless golden sand beaches, all come together to create a must see destination.

Located just 50 minutes drive from Marbella, this makes it ideal for day trips and getaways, there is also plenty of options for excursions and direct bus routes, for more information on the bus routes click here.

Beaches:

There are 15 beaches within Málaga’s city limits, from the chichi beach of Baños del Carmen, to the dark golden stretch of sand of Playa de la Misericordia. The beaches are clean, family-friendly and accessible, with restaurant bars and beach clubs offering everything from traditional Pescaito Malagueño (fried mixed fish), to Moroccan-style couscous and mint tea, to hip beach party nights.

Things do to:

First stop for many, is the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress set high on a hill overlooking the city. The easiest way to get up to the Alcazaba is via a lift on Calle Guillen Sotelo. Alternatively you can catch the city tour bus, which drops visitors off and picks them up, take a taxi, or if you’re feeling energetic, you can walk up to the top.  The views from the ancient walled fortress look out across the city and out to the Mediterranean sea and make the visit extra special.

Málaga’s Renaissance cathedral has a dominating presence in the heart of the old town. Construction started in 1528 after the city was conquered by Ferdinand and Isabella, and finished in 1782, although the building work was never completed. Much of the facade was eventually completed in the Baroque style, although the south tower was never constructed, hence the cathedral’s local nickname, La Manquita (the one armed lady).The super modern port area,

Muelle Uno, is a must visit zone for shopping, dining and just walking out to be seen. It’s also the location for the projected Pompidou Centre, which is to set to become a fixture from 2015. Some of the world’s largest cruisers dock at Muelle Uno; their guests step off, with umbrellas to protect them from the sun and head off into Malaga to soak up the atmosphere for a few hours.

Málaga Old town, which dates back to Phonetician times, has a central pedestrian area made up of wide marbled promenades and narrow alleyways. Pretty squares are lined with traditional Spanish cafes and bars and there’s a good shopping scene. For over night day trips I highly recommend looking at the boutique hotels and AirBnb options in the old town as they have some beautiful options.

There is also a great selection of museums, you can find out more about those by clicking here.

About Alegra:

We hope you enjoy exploring our breathtaking Andalucía and decide to do some more day trips after reading this blog post!

If you are looking for a place to stay during your next trip to the Costa Del Sol don’t hesitate in having a look at our selection of lovely holiday rentals we have to offer, you can find them by clicking here.

If while you’re on your holiday you inevitably fall in love with the lifestyle and beautiful scenery and decide you want to make your stay a little more permanent by investing in a holiday home or making the Costa Del Sol your permanent home, we offer a large selection of beautiful properties along the Coast to ensure we can help find you the perfect property. You can browse some of our properties by clicking here.