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SPAIN | Costa del Sol, Spain Travel Guide
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
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Nerja
Balcón de Europa, Nerja, Spain (cc)
Photo: Technische Fred
Nerja
Ahh, at last a resort town on the Costa del Sol that doesn’t feel like a resort town on the Costa del Sol. Nerja is no longer the best-kept secret on the southern Mediterranean Coast, but it has managed to retain a sense of quietude, charm and beauty. The old streets are crooked then straight, narrow and cobbled into an entertaining maze. Its ancient caves attract as many tourists as the small beaches lying in little crooks, below and between cliffs with stone stairs to reach them. And off the main plaza is the Balcón de Europa, a corner perch high atop a cliff with beautiful views far out over the Mediterranean Sea.
Sightseeing in Nerja
Watch the sunset over the Mediterranean from the Balcón de Europa, a mirador built over the ruins of a ninth-century castle that was destroyed by the British in the 19th century. It sits above the Playa de la Caletilla on the edge of the old town built by the Christians at the end of the 15th century, after the Arabs had been ousted from the land. From the Balcón, the Playa del Salón can be reached or follow the Paseo de Carabineros past a number of smaller beaches, the jardines de Europa and finally to the long, sprawling and often-crowded Playa de Burriana.
The heavily touristed Cuevas de Nerja (caves) are 4½ km (2.7 miles) northeast of the town. This immense underground cathedral contains over two km (1.2 miles) of caverns adorned with cave art dating to the Paleolithic era. In one of its larger chambers the Sala de la Cascada has been installed, serving as an auditorium with a 600-person capacity where classical and flamenco music shows are held in the summer. Flag down a taxi or hop on a municipal bus to reach the site.
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