Nerja Spain is a really beautiful Spanish town in the Costa del Sol and is definitely worth visiting. It’s approximately one hour from Benalmádena and is popular for its beautiful sandy beaches, historic sites, incredible views of the Mediterranean sea and unique activities. I’m going to walk you through my recommendations for things to do and see in Nerja.
Topics I cover in this Nerja Spain travel guide are:
- Nerja Spain Bus Tour Information
- Things To Do In Nerja
- Where To Eat In Nerja
- Location Of Public Washrooms In Nerja
Nerja Spain Bus Tour
My family and I booked this trip to Nerja Spain as part of a one day bus tour leaving from Benalmádena. Although bus tours aren’t always my favourite way to travel, it was a great way to see the town without having to stress about how to get there, renting a car, driving, and parking.
When you book your Nerja bus tour they have lots of spots to choose from on where you want to be picked up so it’s easy to find one close to your hotel if you’re staying in and around Benalmádena or Torremolinos. I do recommend that you make sure you consider how many stops are after yours because you can be on the bus for longer than you expect. One thing to note is that the buses do not have washrooms.
The tour guide will give you a bit of details on the bus about the places you’re about to visit. Depending on your tour, they explain everything in multiple languages. Our tour guide cycled through about five different languages so it is a lot of chatter on the bus because it takes a little bit of time to go through all the languages. Once you do get to Nerja, there isn’t any touring that happens around the city so you have free time to roam. I am OK with this because I like having free time to wander and see things that I have looked up ahead of time. I am going to share some of those things to do in Nerja Spain with you below.
Things To Do In Nerja Spain
1. Enjoy The View From The White Arches
Your tour guide will most likely drop you off right at the white arches near the Balcon Espana. This is a very beautiful place but can also be quite touristy. The views are incredible and if you happen to catch the arches at a time when they aren’t full of people it’s a great photo opportunity.
2. Walk Through Boquete De Calahonda To Beach
From the white arches you’ll see the beach down below. I definitely recommend walking through the Boquete De Calahonda to the beach. It’s a beautiful pathway down to the beach and the view from the beach looking back up Nerja along the cliff is really incredible.
3. Visit The Fisherman’s House
While you’re down at the beach, you’ll see the fisherman’s house. It’s a really cute house built into the cliff. It’s a cute spot to grab a picture sitting on the front steps. You can see I took the opportunity to grab a picture! I truly don’t know much about this house other than it looks cute and reminds me of Greece.
4. Enjoy the view from Calahonda Beach
Right behind the fisherman‘s house on the beach are big boulders that you can look through and see the Mediterranean sea. It’s a really beautiful view of the sea and you get to see the Balcon De Europa from a completely different angle. I saw people climbing on the boulders when I was there which also makes for a great picture. You just want make sure you pay attention to how big the waves are.
5. Stroll The Balcón De Europa
Once you make your way back along the path back up to the white arches, you can stroll the Balcón De Europa. The views are incredible. They have a few restaurants here but I usually always try to opt for something off the main tourist area to try and find a more local experience. You can find my recommendation for a coffee, light lunch and/or snack below.
6. Explore The Flower Pot Wall Street
One of my favourite things to do in all white washed Spanish towns is wander and explore all the little side streets. You just never know what you’ll find. In Nerja there’s a street with flower pots along the wall and on the cobble stones of the narrow street. It’s a really beautiful spot and great place for that Instagram worthy picture. If you continue along the street, it leads to a view of the sea. This flower pot wall is located right next to the church on Calle Tajillo.
7. Wander The Streets
Once you make your way back up from the beach and after you’ve checked out the flower pot street, I highly recommend simply wandering even more of the streets. It’s such a beautiful white washed village with beautiful, winding, narrow streets. I’m always in awe of how unique and detailed some of the streets and houses in Spain can be and Nerja Spain is no different.
8. Visit Rainbow Steps
Another cool photo op, but also opportunity to get to another beach and see more of Nerja and the coast is to head to the rainbow steps. I enjoyed this walk to the steps because it really gets you to explore more of the city and see a completely different, less touristy area. We did have a hard time finding them so I’m going to do my best to direct you there. Essentially, you want to head to the Hotel Riu along the water. The rainbow steps are in between Hotel Riu and Hotel Perla Marina.
9. Walk Along the Playa La Torrecilla Promenade
After you’ve visited the rainbow steps, you can walk along the Playa La Torrecilla promenade. This promenade continues in both directions and is a great spot to enjoy the beach and beautiful views. On our walk back to the Balcon De Europa to meet up with our Nerja tour guide, we noticed there were lots of spots to enjoy a coffee or lunch while enjoying the views of the Mediterranean.
10. Visit Frigiliana Spain
Once you meet back up with your tour group, you’ll most likely be on your way to Frigiliana. A trip to Frigiliana Spain is included in most Nerja bus tours.
Frigiliana is a small town that’s even higher in the mountains than Nerja. Prepare to walk some hills! Frigiliana is quite a bit smaller than Nerja with a population of approximately 3000 people.
We ended up doing the train tour that they have available right where you get off the bus. This tour costs €3.50/person and if you are tired from walking around Nerja, it’s a great way to see some of the town and rest your legs. This train tour is approximately 20 minutes. Your tour guide might make you think that the train tour is mandatory, but it isn’t. You can feel free to walk the streets on your own if you’d prefer. Just make sure you know when you’re meeting back on the bus.
11. Enjoy Gelato
After the train tour and wandering the hilly streets of Frigiliana, it was time for some gelato. We ended up finding a great spot for gelato and it actually happened to be really reasonably priced and delicious. I chose the M&M flavour! This is also a great spot to grab a drink or bite to eat.
As you can see, it has a great patio if you have time to sit and take in the vibes of Frigiliana, which I highly recommend. The name of this cafe is Almijara Cafe.
12. Do Some Local Shopping
If you’re in the mood for some shopping, both Nerja & Frigiliana have some great local shops to check out. I loved these beautiful embroidered floral scarves.
13. Nerja Caves
Visiting the Nerja caves is a popular option among tourists. I did not visit the caves but if this is something you’re interested in, I’ll link to some tours below.
14. Eagle Aqueduct
The Eagle Aqueduct is another famous tourist attraction in Nerja. I did not visit it but I wanted to include it just in case it’s something you would like to see. You can find more information about the Eagle Aqueduct here.
15. La Dorada
Apparently La Dorada is a famous boat from a Spanish soap opera from the 80s. The boat there now is a replica but to be completely honest, I don’t recommend spending much time trying to see it. It’s sitting at the side of a parking lot near where the tour buses will drop you off. It would make a good Instagram picture if that’s what you’re after. If not, I wouldn’t rush to see it.
Where To Eat In Nerja Spain
Coffee Mar
If you’re looking for a place to grab lunch on a budget and somewhere that the locals go, check out Coffee Mar. We happened to find Coffee Mar by accident because it started to rain and we quickly found whatever place was closest to get out of the rain. What a great find! This café is located through a hallway that leads to an open air plaza. It was a great spot to grab a coffee and sandwich. They also have a washroom to use. It’s a great spot especially if you want to avoid the touristy cafes along the Balcón De Europa.
Coffee Mar definitely seemed like a popular spot among locals. I always love finding these spots! Obviously I appreciated the blush pink accent colour as well.
Where The Public Washrooms are in Nerja Spain
Plaza Cultural
If you’re looking for public washrooms in Nerja, I’ve got you covered. This was something that we took us a little bit of time to find after asking a few people who weren’t giving us very direct directions. So I will explain how to get to the public washrooms that are located in the parking garage, one floor underground. If you head under cultural flag arch toward the Plaza Cultural, you will find a big open plaza. If you locate a staircase (see picture below) towards the centre of the plaza and follow it down that then, at the bottom of the staircase, turn left, turn left again, and then turn left again you will find the washrooms. If you look in the picture below, I have put an arrow where the staircase is located.
Locate the staircase (see arrow in picture below) towards the centre of the plaza and follow the stairs underground. At the bottom of the staircase, turn left, turn left again, and then turn left again you will find the washrooms. It’s always a good idea when traveling in Spain to back some tissues because not all public washrooms are stocked with toilet paper.
We really enjoyed our day in Nerja and Frigiliana and think it is definitely worth visiting. It’s really a lovely city to wander the streets and enjoy the vibes of another Andalusian Spanish town.
