"Nerja" a Nerja Travel Page by jaygee

I have been going once a year to Nerja for the last four years and will be there again this year.

Nerja is right on the coast at the foothills of the Sierra De Tejada mountains some 50 kilometres to the east of Malaga, approximately an hours drive at most from Malaga Airport.

I have seen Nerja being variously described as a little peaceful village or Britain by the seaside. The truth is probably in between. The days when Nerja was a typical small fishing village has long since gone and tourism is now the main industry but the town certainly retains much of its character, particularly the old part of town with narrow cobbled streets and Tapas Bars.

I believe there is planning restrictions, as Nerja is devoid of large high rise concrete buildings and the proposed opening of a Macdonalds in the centre was prevented and the proposed site is now a Tapas Bar.

There are many English style pubs and restaurants and shops selling the usual tourist tattle but good Spanish eating places and local shops still exist side by side and although the British and Irish are probably the biggest group of tourists, you will still hear plenty of French, German, Italian and Spanish being spoken.

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Musicians on the Balcon

The Balcon de Europa and the surrounding area gives the town a lovely centre and is a great place to stroll round. and have an icecream.

This is a pretty promenade along the edge of a cliff, once the site of a Moorish castle, and has great views of the Mediterranean and the coves and beaches below and to the sides. Horse-drawn carriages are available here for trips round the town. The horses seem well cared for.

The Balcon was made famous and popular by a visit to it by King Alfonso XII of Spain (1857-1885) and the statue at the left hand side, just past the old cannon, is one of him

The town's monuments include the 17th Century Church of El Salvador, in a style which is a mixture of Baroque and Moorish. The church is close to the Balcon.

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Beach by side of Balcon

At night this area around the church and the Balcon has a couple of pavement artists, people selling jewelry, a few buskers, and sometimes fire eaters and is a nice place for an after dinner stroll.

Just outside the town is Nerja's most famous attraction, its caves. Thes include arcaeological treasures such as paintings over 2,000 years old.

There are quite a few beaches within walking distance of the town.

Nerja is probably a better choce for couples and families than singles. The average age of the tourists is probably quite high.

The surrounding area, which increases in height quite rapidly as you go inland, can only be described as gorgeous and is best explored by car. The area is full of lovely little villages of which Frigilliana is the most famous.

In the fields ouside Nerja, I have seen fields still being ploughed by oxen.

Inland there are many good restaurants serving typically Spanish food, some of these are just by the side of the road.

There are many villas with their own swimming pools in the area and these are what attracted me to the area originally but now I find Nerja just keeps calling to me to come back.