Costa del Sol, Spain

Fast Facts

Location: In the autonomous community of Andalusia, along the Mediterranean coastline of Málaga province in southern Spain.
Best Time to Visit: April through October.
Getting there:
Air:
You need to come down to Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport or the Málaga Airport (IATA code: AGP, ICAO code:LEMG). The airport is located just 8 km away from the Malaga city. If you don't find a direct flight to Málaga airport, you need to come down via Madrid or Barcelona in order to catch a connecting flight to Malaga.
From airport, you can take a taxi to reach your destination. You can find one from the Terminals 1 and 2. Taxi cabs are white in color with blue stripe and a plate with green light.
You can also take the bus of Line 19 of EMT (Empresa Malagueńa de Transportes) to reach Paseo del Parque in downtown Málaga from airport. There are also CTSA-Portillo shuttle buses that leave every 45 minutes from Terminals 1 and 2 to reach Marbella.
Train:
You can reach here by Madrid-Málaga AVE high-speed train (HST). It takes only 2˝ to 3 hours to reach Costa de Sol from Madrid. 11 pairs of trains run between these two destinations every day. Fridays may have some more trains. You can get discounts on tickets if you buy them in advance. You can also reach Málaga by train from many other destinations within Spain including Barcelona.
Nearest airport: Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport or Málaga Airport (AGP)
Nearest rail station: Málaga (AVE high-speed train)

Introduction

Picturesque, magical, tranquil and exciting, mixed with a dash of glamour – this is probably the best way to describe Costa del Sol, the hottest tourist spot in coastal Spain. Architecture and nature co-exist in perfect harmony at Costa del Sol, along with friendly and hospitable people, great sunbathing and beach activities and a cosmopolitan crowd that arrive from all parts of the world. Costa del Sol, Spain is the coastal region along the Mediterranean of the Málaga province. One of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe, Costa del Sol stretches just over 150 km. from Almeria to Tarifa along the Málaga province and is considered as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. An autonomous community of Andalusia, Costa del Sol is located between Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical – the two lesser known costas. Primarily it was a series of small quiet fishing settlements. However, Costa del Sol later has completely transformed itself into a popular tourist destination with development of exquisite resorts and skyscrapers along the coastline. To add with these, the incomparable weather of the region and the modern infrastructure are just good enough to make the vacation of any traveler a truly memorable one.

Things to do in Costa del Sol

Costa del Sol is the perfect destination for the travelers who love the warmth of sun and sand and love to indulge themselves into the waves to the blue sea. With an average temperature of 18şC with more than 300 days of sunshine every year, Costa del Sol is the perfect place for a range of activities like sailing, scuba diving, horse riding, dolphin safaris, sun bathing at the beach, and even golfing too. All of these have been able to attract millions of tourists every year here from all the corners of the world, making this place one of the most popular ones in whole Europe.

Costa del Sol has a lot to offer to the tourists. Be it the wonderful beaches or exquisite resorts in Torremolionos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Mijas Costa, or be it the famous marian at Puerto Banus, Estepona, and Sotogrande, or the Tivoli world theme park and even around 70 Costa del Sol golf courses – you will really be flooded with options in choosing your activities here.

Costa del Sol is best known for its inviting beaches. Three of the nine districts that constitute Málaga province have coastline, namely La Axarquía (Eastern Costa del Sol), the Málaga Mountains, including the provincial capital, and the Western Costa de Sol. The beaches of Costa del Sol are fully equipped with all modern day services and facilities. There could be every kind of beaches in Costa del Sol which one can imagine, including seven beaches even for the nudists (including two in Estepona and one each in Benalmádena, Cabopino (Marbella), Benalmádena, Guadalmar, Torre del Mar y Maro.

The beaches, especially which are located close to large urban areas, have a number of services including beach bars, toilets, showers, children's playgrounds, water cycle, Jet ski, ski rentals, first aid stations, and even lifegurads.

Among the must visit beaches in Costa del Sol, there are La Cala Beach (Las Doradas) – a Blue Flag award winner in 2002), Calahonda & Nerja, Puerto Banus, La Carihuela (Torremolinos), Playa El Cristo (Estepons), and Playa Nueva Andalucia. You should also visit the beaches like San Pedro, El Cabo Rocoso Beach, El Bombo Beach, Butiplaya Beach or Torrevieja Beach, El Charcon Beach, El Faro Beach, Peidra del Cura Beach, El Egido Beach, and El Maro etc.

Water Sports:

Costa del Sol is the heaven for the tourists who love water sports. There are eleven marinas in Costa del Sol which offer a range of water sports, sailing training, and training in underwater diving. You will also find all the basic services that may be needed by any sailor.

Other Activities

Excursion: Full day excursions from Costa del Sol are one of the popular ways to enjoy your vacation. Some of the most popular excursions are to Granada, Ronda, Seville, Cordoba, and Gibraltar. You can also go to Nerja and Frigiliana, Malaga City, Ruengirola and Mijas, Countryside of Audalucia, and a ferry trip to Tangier.

Golf: Costa del Sol is the Mecca of golf in Europe. It has got around 60 golf courses in Andalucia including 30 along the coastline.

Dolphin and Whale Watching Safaris: Dolphin and Whale Watching Safaris are one of the popular activities in Costa del Sol. The safaris would take you to straits of Gibraltar from La Linea, Gibraltar and Tarifa.

The expanse and the happening party life of Costa del Sol are best experienced first hand. However, if you are keen to find out how the experience is, you may find the following links useful:

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=djFgtZ4lKSY: To find out why Costa del Sol is such a popular destination among tourists from various parts of the world, watch this video! Architecture, beaches, people – it has them all.

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=IcG6Z99hhzs&feature=related: Another great video that captures the magic of Costa del Sol. Wonderful music and great narrative makes this clip one that you would love to watch. Enjoy!

http://www.malagaweb.com/blog/News-10.html: For important travel related information, as well as a comprehensive overview of the tourist site, read this article! You will find answers to many of your tour related questions in this write-up.