Holiday Cottages 4 U
Nerja, Andalucia, Spain
Situated in a unique enclave of incomparable beauty with its beaches of transparent waters and the majestic mountains of the Sierra de Almijara. Nerja offers a warm welcome to visitors, who arrive on its coast, just 55 km from Málaga, the capital of the Costa del Sol.
In its historic past, which dates back to 1487, we find the famous 'Balcón de Europa' , a viewpoint overlooking the sea, built from the ruins of an old medieval castle. The old city maintains all the flavour of Andalucia, with its white-washed houses and balconies with geraniums, while at the same time it offers you a wide selection of restaurants and bars, where you can enjoy the quality and variety of the local gastronomy.
The
beaches, among them the famous 'Burriana' (awarded every year with the
Blue Flag of the EU), are perfect to enjoy the Mediterranean sun and
practice different water sports, that offer fun for all the family
members.
Nerja offers a wide range of cultural activities, among which is the 'Festival de las Cuevas de Nerja'. The mentioned "Cuevas" (caves) which can be visited all year round, are a real natural wonder and are the third most visited monument in Spain.
Top of your list of things to do in Nerja must be to visit the fascinating prehistoric caves, where you step back in time by five million years!
You'll
find the caves three kilometres east of the town on Carretera de la Cueva.
They house archaeological treasures including prehistoric remains and wall
paintings thought to be 20,000 years old. Skeletal remains and other
archaeological finds suggest these caves were inhabited from 25,000 BC up
until the Bronze Age.
Among other historic sights worth seeing is the 19th century aquaduct on the coastal road from Nerja to Maro. The aquaduct, decorated with a gallery of 38 Moorish style horseshoe arches, was built to supply water to the local sugar factory and is still used today to irrigate local farms.
Visit the parish church of El Salvador, built in the 17th century in a baroque-Moorish style, and the 17th century Angustias Chapel with its Andalucian paintings adorning the cupola.
Explore the back streets of the old quarter, built in 1487 after the Christian armies finally ousted the Moors.
A
more modern attraction is the impressive Balcon de Europa built on top of
a rocky outcrop which was once the site of a 9th century fortress. This
wide promenade, adorned with palm trees and exotic plants, has magnificent
views (as far as the African coast on a clear day) and is a popular
meeting place for drinking, dining and partying.
At the Balcon you can hire a horse drawn carriage for a relaxing and enjoyable sightseeing trip of the town. Or for the more energetic, the local tourist information centre provides an excellent leaflet called "The 12 Walks of Nerja".
The Paseo de los Carabineros is another beautiful promenade in a landscape of natural rock skirting the beaches of Calahonda and Carabeillo.
The name Nerja comes from the Arabic Narija which can be translated as "rich in water" or "abundant fountain". With an average year-round temperature of 19C, a coastline stretching for 16 kilometres and seven beaches within walking distance of the town it's easy to see why so much of life here is centred on the seafront.
Immediately below the Balcon, in front of Hotel Europa, you'll find Playa Caletilla, a small beach with softer sand than some of the other beaches in the area which tend to be more shingly.
To the left of the Balcon is the small and picturesque fishermen's beach, Playa Calahonda. The beach, reached by a steep path down from the Balcon, is a mixture of sand and small pebbles and is sheltered from the wind with rocks on either side. A restaurant opens here in the summer months and you can hire sun beds and shades.
Playa Torrecilla is a popular beach at the bottom of the town. It has been artificially widened to create a perfect beach for young children with shallow and generally calm water and soft sand.
Follow the cobbled walkway which leads off to the right of the Balcon, between Hotel Europa and the church, and you'll find Playa el Salon, a small and secluded beach which many visitors never stumble across. There's a beach bar here, good sand and sun beds for hire.
Just around the corner from Playa Torrecilla, to the right of the town is Nerja's longest and most rugged beach, Playazo. The beach stretches for two kilometres but it tends to be less crowded than its neighbours because it is primarily stony and there are less bars and facilities here.
Playazo is also Nerja's most rugged beach. Flat and almost straight, it's about 2 kilometres, stretching from the eastern edge of town along to the Marinas de Nerja hotel complex, passing several beach bars along the way.
While Playazo is a great place for a stroll, the sand is a coarse mixture of small to large pebbles with the fine sandy areas being close to the sea.
Playazo beach is generally less crowded than the other beaches primarily because of the fewer bars and facilities. Facilities on Playzo include beach showers and toilets in the form of portable wooden chalets located more or less at each end. These facilities are only open during summer months.
The most popular and well-equipped beach is Playa Burriana to the far east of the town. You can either take your car to the beach (there's a fee paying car park alongside it) or take the scenic rocky coastal path which leads from the town centre all the way to Burriana (about a 20 minute walk).
The 800-metre beach is a mixture of fine sand and pebbles and has all the facilities you could wish for. There are numerous beach bars and seafront cafes here. You can hire sun beds and shades and there's a full range of water sports including scuba diving and boat cruises along the coast.
Tuesday, 10 July 2007