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Treasures of Traveling in Nerja
Nerja is a beautiful and charming coastal beach town located along Spain’s sunny Costa del Sol that has kept its traditional charm with its narrow cobblestone streets and whitewashed houses. Nerja is well known for its spectacular coastline between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of the Sierras de Tejeda. If you are visiting Andalucia, the region of southern Spain, there are many cities like Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba that are filled with historical wonders, but Nerja’s coast will draw you in to relax for a few days under the Andalucian sun. It’s located between the larger cities of Granada and Malaga and Sevilla isn’t that far away. Nerja isn’t just a beach resort town and actually has many other things to offer, other than beaches. Here are five things to do in Nerja.
Exploring Nerja’s Balcón de Europa
If you plan to visit Nerja, the main focal point of this beautiful coastal town is the Balcón de Europa (Balcony of Europe). It’s one of the most famous landmarks in Nerja, where you can just wander along the palm-lined broadwalk to the large circular plaza at the end. This plaza is extremely popular for both locals and tourists to be seen and meet up with friends. It has a nice pedestrian plaza area with stores, restaurants and cafes. While visiting Balcón de Europa, I suggest stopping and ordering an ice cream from a gelateria as this Mediterranean hot spot just begs you to savor some gelato while enjoying the views from one of the many benches overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
One of the main reasons this viewing terrace is so popular with visitors is because of it’s balcony over the rocky cliff that has wonderful views of the Nerja coastline in both directions. You can view many of Nerja’s popular beaches, the Mediterranean Sea that stretches for miles and the rugged mountains of the Sierra de Almijara that surround this lively Mediterranean town along Spain’s famous Costa del Sol.
The Best Beaches in Nerja
Nerja is well known throughout Spain for its famous beaches and coves because many of them are featured as the best beaches in Spain. Nerja is one of Costa del Sol’s most well known destinations as this community has kept its traditional fishing village feel with its whitewashed buildings and small town feel so it has become a well known seaside resort. The majority of people who visit Nerja come to vacation and relax on one of the many beaches along this stretch of Spain’s Costa del Sol. Many of the beaches are tucked away in quiet coves between different rock outcroppings and cliffs. Many of these cliffs offer beautiful views, but one of the best views of the coastline in Nerja is from the Balcón de Europa.
Many of these beaches are also in walking distance from the center of Nerja so it makes it easy to enjoy the beach and explore the town on the same visit. Even if you don’t feel like walking far, there are restaurants, stores, public restrooms and showers close to the shoreline. Another reason that makes a beach day in Nerja so comfortable is the large number of lifeguard stations located along the beaches in Nerja. There are actually so many different beaches in Nerja that you could visit a new beach each day of the week. Let’s take a closer look at a few of those different beaches starting in east Nerja and moving west, getting closer to the central part of the city.
Walk along Nerja’s Pedestrians Streets and Shop in the Local Stores
Nerja and Spain’s Costa del Sol has about 320 sunny days every year on average so it’s a wonderful town to visit to enjoy the outdoor weather. Even during the winter months, it is still a decent warm temperature that you can sit outside one of the many local restaurants and enjoy the sun’s rays while you sample this local Spanish cuisine. While discovering Nerja on foot, car or bus, you will see how they have white washed the majority of their buildings so it is such a beautiful and traditional Mediterranean style village.
They have many narrow, pedestrian only, cobblestone streets with stores and restaurants all around the central part of town. This makes these charming streets of Nerja fun to explore and wander around as you shop for a gift for someone back home. There are also many nice restaurants near Balcón de Europa, but you will find a large selection of wonderful restaurants along Calle Almirante Ferrandiz. This is sometimes called Nerja’s restaurant row and you will have the option to enjoy the local cuisine inside or outside in the Mediterranean air.
The Nerja Caves – Las Cuevas de Nerja
The Nerja Caves are a very popular place to visit in Nerja because it is such a great place to visit that is so different from the beaches. This cave complex is well known for having a large amount of stalagmites and stalactites. Not only does it have an extensive cave system, but it is home of the world’s largest column. A column is formed by the merging of a stalagmite and a stalactite. It is measured as 32m in height and 13.7m at its base. It has held this Guinness World Record since 1989. Las Cuevas de Nerja (the Nerja Caves in Spanish) were discovered in 1959, by a group of young niños exploring the area and are about five kilometers in length.
Many important artifacts have been found in the cave system from prehistoric tools, Roman pottery, Moorish coins and a variety of biodiversity that lives in the cave. The cave is also well known for having the world’s oldest Neanderthal cave paintings. They have been dated between 42,300 and 43,500 years old, making them the oldest works of art in the world. It is believed that the Nerja Caves were inhabited by humans for about 4,000 years, as skeletal remains have also been found. Part of the caves were also used as burial chambers.
Part of the cave system is so large they have created a theater inside the cave, known as the Waterfall room or “Sala Cascada”, to hold a dance and music festival known as the Nerja Cave Festival or “Festival de las Cuevas de Nerja”. It’s a great cave complex to visit, but just remember that the 45 minute unguided tour does consist of going up and down 400 stairs as you venture deep into the cave through the mountain. The cave system is located in the small village of Maro just two and half miles east of Nerja. To visit the Nerja Caves, you can take a car or ride a local bus.
Visiting the Eagle Aqueduct – Acueducto del Águila
The Acueducto del Águila, also known as the Eagle’s Bridge or Puente del Águila was built in the 19th century, over the Maro River, which is more of a ravine, to supply water to the local sugar refinery. Even though the sugar refinery is not in operation today, the aqueduct is still used for irrigation. If you plan to visit the Nerja Caves, then you will pass this aqueduct on the road to the caves.
Treasures of Traveling in Nerja
There are many wonderful treasures of traveling to visit in southern Spain and these are five of the top things to do in Nerja, Spain! The Costa del Sol has so much to offer any tourists and the Nerja has spectacular beaches and views of endless rugged coastline and mountains. There is a tremendous amount of exploring to do throughout Nerja from the town itself to the enormous cave system and the spectacular beaches. Most people decide to visit Nerja during the summer months for the wonderful Mediterranean weather, but the winter months can also be nice as it won’t be nearly as crowded as during the summer months. If you are planning to visit Nerja, make sure to make a stop in Granada and Seville, two other wonderful cities to visit in Andalucía, the southern region of Spain.
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