The following are our top things to do on the Costa Del Sol. Hope you enjoy the read and find some interesting and fun things to do while on holidays.
(all prices quoted are approximate)
1: Biopark Zoo
Located in the town of Fuengirola, this small but very well designed and laid out zoo makes for a great morning or afternoon out. You’ll see tigers, silverback gorillas, crocodiles, snakes, and lots more! For more information you can visit their website at www.bioparcfuengirola.com. Price: €16.10 for kids and €21.10 for adults
Location: Fuengirola
2: Selwo Marina
Just next to Paloma Park in the centre of Arroyo de la Miel (Benalmadena) you’ll find Selwo Marina, the only Dolphinarium in Andalucia and one of the most popular attractions on the Coast. Your kids will enjoy dolphin and sea lion shows, a visit to the penguin’s ice-cold habitat, dolphin encounters and more. Price: €15.50 for kids and €21.50 for adults (look out for discount vouchers at the airport and also they hand them out along the streets in the resorts)
Location: Benalmadena
3: Selwo Aventura Wildlife Park in Estepona
This is the largest wildlife park on the Costa del Sol and a great opportunity to see some of the Africa and Asia’s largest and fiercest animals as they roam in the wild. You’ll need a few hours to make your way around the whole park and a hat and sun-cream are highly recommended. You can read more about our Selwo Aventura experience at www.selwo.es
Price: From €20.00 if you buy your tickets online through their website
Location: Estepona
4: Crocodile Park
The Crocodile Park is home to more than 200 crocodiles, including ‘Paco’, a 600 kg monster croc! Visits last a couple of hours and include a guided tour and live demonstrations from expert handlers. One of the highlights of the visit is the opportunity to hold a live croc in your arms!
Price: From €9.75 if you buy online
Location: Torremolinos (Next to Aqualand)
5: Parque Aquatico Mijas – Waterpark in Fuengirola. Or Aqualand Torremolinos (bigger)
Although a little smaller in size than Aqualand, the Mijas Water Park promises a fun day out for all the family. With a wide selection of water slides for children of all ages, your kids will have a ball!
Prices: From €11.50 per child €18 per adult purchasing online
Location: Fuengirola or Torremolinos
6: Dolphin and Whale Watching
Would you like to see dolphins and whales in their natural habitat? You’ve got a few options… Benalmadena has several boat charters which offer dolphin watching excursions. Also there is a company called Coastal Cruceros, who offer Dolphin Trips from the marina in Benalmadena few times a day, always check with them before travelling down because if its windy they will not be operating. costasolcruceros.com
Tarifa, on the Atlantic coast, also offer dolphin and whale watching excursions. It’s a bit of a drive but they pretty much guarantee viewings (if not you get a ticket to go out another day for free). The company we work with and recommend is called Turmares (tel. 956 680 741) and they are the only ones with a glass bottom boat which allows you to see the dolphins and whales from an underwater perspective.
Price: From Tarifa: €20 for kids and €30 for adults / From Benalmadena: €8 for kids and €18 for adults
Location: Benalmádena Marina and Tarifa Port
7: A trip on the Benalmadena Cable Car plus bird show
For some of the most stunning views of the Costa del Sol, we recommend a trip up Benalmádena’s ‘Monte Calamorro’ on the cable car. Once you get to the top you can enjoy a walk along the specially designated pathways or watch the spectacular birds of prey exhibition. Don’t forget your camera as the views are out of this world!
Price: From €13.50 for a child (3 to 10) return and €17.90 for adult return
Location: The cable car leaves from the Tivoli World parking area in Arroyo de la Miel (Benalmadena)
(You will also find discount vouchers around for this trip – check times for Bird Show, so to plan your trip in incorporate it)
8: The Nerja Caves – Very good
These caves are worth a visit. It takes about 45 minutes to walk through the caves. Nerja has some of the most spectacular caves in Spain. Declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 2006, a natural wonder.
The Nerja caves are in Maro, 4 km from Nerja in the direction of Almería exit 295 off A7 signposted ‘Cueva de Nerja’, will lead directly to the grotto.
Carretera de Maro, s / n, 29787 Nerja, Málaga
36.76168 -3.844792
952 52 95 20
Price: Free for chidren up to 6 years; €12 for kids from 6 to 12 years; €14 for adults
Location: Just outside the town of Nerja
9: Visit White Washed Village of Mijas
One of the jewels of the Costa Del Sol is the beautiful little village of Mijas, which is nestles comfortably in the mountainside at 428 meters above sea level. The village is situated up the mountain from Fuengirola.
10. Mini golf
Situated in Torremolinos along the sea front, this mini golf and arcade provides entertainment for both adults and children, during the day or in the evening
11. “La Canada” shopping Centre
This is a very large shopping centre near Marbella filled with every shop and restaurant you could possibly want. We would also recommend a walk around the yachts at Puerto Banus ( 10-15 minutes from shopping centre)
12. Shopping, Cinema, entertainment at Plaza Mayor https://www.plazamayor.es/
This shopping mall is between the airport and Torremolinos.
13. Caminito Del Rey (The Kings Way)
Fantastic walk and views. However, due to popular demand this needs to be prebooked (usually months in advance). The total route of the Caminito del Rey is 7.7 km. the distance between the entrance through the control booth and the exit is 2.9 km, divided between 1.5 km of footbridges and 1.4 km of trail or forest track. You also have to add on the distances between 1.7 and 2.7 kms of path from the north entrance and 2.1 km from the south entrance to the control booths. All this means is that the estimated time to complete the entire route is between 3 and 4 hours. The route is done in one direction only, entering from the north (Ardales) and leaving from the south (Álora). We recommend that you park your car at Ardales lake, do the walk, get the bus back and have a well-deserved swim in the lovely lake.
Check out Reservas.caminitodelrey.info
14. Day Trip to Sevilla
It takes approximately 2½ hours to drive from Villa Paula to Seville, but it is well worth the journey. Seville a beautiful city with lovely narrow streets to explore or take a stroll in Parque de Maria Luisa. The following are our recommendations of things to do. It will not be possible to do all our favourites in 1 day, so plan your trip and time well. We use the APK2 Arjona car park, located along by the river in the centre of Seville.
- Guided Bike Tour – we used SeeByBike company – they were good.
- Cathedral de Seville – It holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus. Make sure you go to the top of the Giralda Tower to see the beautiful 360° views of Seville. Prebook to avoid the long queue.
- Royal Alcazar of Seville or Royal Palace of Seville is well worth a visit with its beautiful buildings and gardens. Prebook to avoid the long queues again.
- Plaza De Espana – Located in Parque de Maria Luisa, another beautiful sight.
- River Cruise – Nice cruise, but not a lot to see along the riverbanks. It is good if you want to take a break and sit back and watch the city passing by.
- Las Setas de la Encarnacion – Large wooden structure (resembles a mushroom) great viewing path on the roof.
- Seville Fashion Outlets- Located out by the airport, a good stop for shopping on your way home. Check out sevillafashionoutlet.com
15. Granada – Visit Alhambra Palace
16. Malaga City
17. Day trip to Gibraltar
18. Hire a bike and ride all along the coast. I would recommend an electric bike – you can get so far with very little effort.
Villa Paula Vinuela 