Nerja



Nerja (pronounced like: N'air'-ha) is a seaside resort on the Costa del Sol, in the region of Andalucia of Spain. It is one of the few resort towns on Costa del Sol that isn't dominated by large ugly concrete hotels. It's in the attractive foothills of the Sierra Almijara mountains.

It is famous in Spain as the location of the Eighties children's TV program Verano azul a fact celebrated in one of the local parks with plaques and a replica of the boat used in the program.

Understand
Don't be misled by the tourist brochure descriptions of Nerja as a fishing village. Tourism is this town's main industry and the few fishermen with their boats still to be seen along the beach provide a picturesque scene for visitors and a slim livelihood for local families. Until about the 1990s, the town retained a strong Spanish identity, but the influx of northern European visitors and residents has eroded significantly the genuine charm of a truly Spanish working town.

Compared to many other Costa Del Sol destinations, especially to the west of Malaga, Nerja is not a very "touristy" town. It is a quiet town with a central historical area that still feels like a village, and the tourist mix is not exclusively northern European as many Spanish people use this resort for holidays, together with French and Italians. Unsurprisingly, the town's relative peacefulness and the absence of high rise developments along the coast or noisy nightclubs means many British people have retired here.

The town is built on a hillside with a not too steep gradient and the sprawling centre consists of an older part with white streets partly pedestrianized mainly to the east of the Balcon de Europa, the natural focus of the town and the venue for fiestas, but beyond the 17th-century church and the Plaza Cavana more modern development takes over and it is in these areas that the town seems like any other recently developed Spanish Costa resort.

Get in
There is no plane, boat or train service to Nerja - the nearest city you can access with these modes of transport is Malaga to the west. The train station in Malaga is across the street from the bus station, where you catch a bus to Nerja. The port in Malaga serves cruise ships from North Africa (alternatively, there is a seaport in Almeria to the east).

From Malaga Airport, which is served by flights from across Europe and America, you can drive along the A-7 E-15 motorway in the direction of Almeria and Motril, hire a taxi to Nerja (which will cost €78-100), or you can take a bus to the Malaga bus station and transfer to a Nerja-bound bus there.

By bus
The bus stop in Nerja is on Avenida de Pescia, between a large roundabout and a bridge with blue railings. There's no facilities - it's just a ticket booth with benches, with taxis occasionally parking across the street. The stop is about a 10-minute walk inland from the Balcony of Europe and serves buses along the coast and to the major Andalusian cities. From Malaga there is non-stop service available and a trip will cost less than €5. There is also another bus stop a few miles outside Nerja proper serving the Nerja caves.

Nerja has buses to many other places in southern Spain, but some as few as one bus a day.

By car
The A-7 E-15 motorway runs parallel to the coast, with Nerja about a 10-minute drive from the clearly marked freeway exit. Be aware that the long Torrox tunnel you will drive through has cameras at both ends to calculate your speed and fines for speeding are harsh.

Even in the winter months, street parking can be very difficult in the town's narrow and sometimes one-way streets, so use one of the two large central carparks instead - One is off Calle La Cruz, in the middle of town, which charges a reasonable rate per hour. The other is a larger car park off Prol Carabeo, a 5-minute walk from the town centre and the one most often used by locals but very expensive for visitors.

The town has several roundabouts. The Spanish are taught to drive around the outside of a roundabout, even when going all the way around, and have the right-of-way when they do so. This leads to them cutting across the path of tourists on the inside who think they have the right-of-way. Also, many people tend to step out onto crossings without looking so always be prepared to stop at a crossing.

Distances to Nerja: Madrid 550 km, Almeria 170 km, Granada 105 km, Malaga 50 km.

Get around
Walking is the easiest way. The centre of Nerja is small enough to be able to walk around on foot though you will find yourself walking up or down a sometimes gradual, sometimes steep hill much of the time. As the town has no specific centre, shops, banks, bars and eateries are scattered throughout the town.

There is a bus from the beach near the Monica hotel which takes you uphill as far as the Sol supermarket. Next stop is about a mile out of town, before returning on the same route. Another bus from the same stop takes you uphill then along the N340 and past where the Tuesday and Sunday market is held (it stops there on the way there and back so gets very crowded on market days). Do not get them mixed up.

See

 * The Balcony of Europe (Balcón de Europa) is a reconstructed promenade built out onto a natural headland in the centre of town with spectacular views along the coast. It was constructed around 1487 in the place of a 9th-century castle. The balcony today is the main focus for the town, with a tree-lined paseo surrounded by cafes and ice cream shops and frequented by street performers and the occasional concert. Granted, for all the attention tourist guides give to this place there's not much to do except look up and down the coast, but the views are spectacular. Beneath the overlook, a glass-walled restaurant offers the chance to eat in a sit-down setting while taking in the scenery, but you can expect a high price tag for the privilege.




 * Beaches. There are thirteen kilometers of beaches in Nerja.

Do

 * Painting course and workshops, Painting course in Spain, Nerja which will be held from November up to February. The course will be given by Guus van Lingen. This is the way to become a better painter. See painting-course-spain.com/
 * Painting course and workshops, Painting course in Spain, Nerja which will be held from November up to February. The course will be given by Guus van Lingen. This is the way to become a better painter. See painting-course-spain.com/

There is a shop amongst the shops facing the Burriana beach which has diving gear and tanks for hire and does courses on PADI diving.

There are several internet cafes around town, some of which will print off pages, including etickets if using Ryanair. Prices range from €1 (with a ticket allowing 10 or more hours over your stay) to €3.50 an hour, with most charging about €1.80. A fair number of bars, hotels and hostels (hostals) have free wifi. Like elsewhere in Spain, some bars also have large screen TVs showing football matches.

There is a carnival each year in February or March. The parade starts in the evening near the Hotel Jimasol and makes its way uphill then downhill by a different route. The local tourist office has full details.

There is also a local Feria celebration in October which goes on for about a week, day and night, well into the early hours of the morning. If you are staying anywhere near the celebrations, don't expect to get to sleep till the noise finally stops.

Walks
Nerja is set in the attractive foothills of the Sierra de Almijarra and has plenty of good walking routes for all abilities nearby. However increasingly around town there is dog muck on the pavements from lazy dog owners who are legally obliged to pick it up in bags and dispose of it. This is despite an army of street cleaners out each morning who work to keep the streets tidy.


 * Pick up the free Nerja walks guide book in the Tourist Information office near the Balcon de Europa. The book details a wide variety of walks in the area, with maps and directions for where to walk, and interesting facts about the places you pass.

Water parks
Two water parks are a reasonable journey from Nerja by car, public-bus or complimentary-bus


 * Parque Acuático Aquatropic - Almuñécar
 * Aquavelis - Torre del Mar

Buy
The maximum you can draw out from all of the town's ATMs on a non-Spanish credit or debit card per calendar week is €500.

There are markets on Sundays (Boot Market near the Almijara 11 area and Flaming Urbanisations) a good distance from the centre of town and Tuesdays at Chaparil. There is a Thursday fleamarket at the Boatyard.

As well as a wide assortment of small shops around town selling all sorts of items (do shop around), there are several Chinese bazaars which sell a huge selection of items fairly cheaply.


 * Secondhand books can be bought and exchanged at the Nerja Bookshop at number 32 on Calle Granada. Foreign newspapers, including the British press are sold in many places around town.

There are also foreign exchange bureaus around the lower part of town which give better rates than in Britain, with no commission. They change British pounds, Scandinavian currencies and American and Canadian dollars. Sometimes other currencies.

Eat
If staying at one of the many apartments in Nerja, there are a number of supermarkets: Mercadona, Sol, LIDL, Mas, etc. as well as mini-marts around town. Also a Lidl a little way along the Frigiliana road out of town. Supermarket hours are normally M-Sa 09:15 to 21:15. Although superficially there appear to be many foreign-owned tourist restaurants, there are a significant number of Spanish-owned places since the town has a large Spanish population.



Drink

 * Calle del Almirante Tons of bars, restaurants, souvenirs for anyone who can not speak Spanish. Most establishments are owned by UK ex-pats. A great place to catch a football match with a pint of Guinness or Newcastle.
 * Tutti Fruti square is the main area where to spend the evenings (if you are under 35!) There are more than 10 bars, pubs, restaurants, etc., and are open everyday. Most bars get busy around 01:00, so don't expect much action before that.  Closing times vary from 04:00 in the winter to 07:00 during the summer.
 * El Molino Bar is one of the most typical flamenco bars in Nerja. It is believed to be the oldest bar running in Nerja, and the building has been used for over 350 years (first as an olive oil mill, therefore the name).  Live music played every night.

Sleep
There is a large choice of hotels, apartments and hostels. Long rentals are advertised at many agencies around town, which take advantage of the very mild but sometimes a bit wet winters in Nerja. Some have satellite TV with British channels, but others are just Spanish TV. Some accommodation has free Wi-Fi.



Connect
There is only one post office in town and expect to wait in a long queue there. Spanish title is Correos and it is at the Balcon de Europa end of Calle Almirante Ferrándiz. Hours are M-F 08:30-20:30, and Sa 09:30-13:00. There are a number of post boxes around town.

Listen
The town has a commercial Spanish-language pop radio station Radio Nerja

Go next

 * Frigiliana - a white Andalucian village 8 km inland, the village itself is a labyrinth of charming narrow whitewashed streets with old Andalucian houses. Around the village are a series of tiled wall displays telling the story of the village during the Moorish occupation and the Reconquista (the expulsion of the moors from Spain).
 * Granada - once one of the most important cities in Spain, and home of the world famous Alhambra.
 * Malaga - home of Picasso
 * Maro - charming neighbouring village with good beach
 * Almunecar
 * Sierra Nevada - the tallest mountains in Spain.