The people of Malaga are proud of the fact that Picasso was born here and it was a big day when the King and Queen of Spain inaugurated the Museo Picasso (Picasso Museum) on the 27th October 2003. On that first day alone almost 2,000 people visited. the museum, which is housed in the Palacio de Buenavista.
The magnificent Castillo de Gibralfaro sits on a high hill overlooking Malaga city and port, and dates back to the 10th century. The image of Gibralfaro is well known: you can see it in both Malaga city and province's seal and flag.
The present-day fishing village is a new settlement which developed over the last century or so. Like most towns on the Costa del Sol, it has seen rapid growth over the last few decades.
One of the most charming aspects of Manilva is that, despite its prime location on the coast, there is a refreshing lack of anonymous sky-scraper construction. Therefore, although tourists are just starting to discover the village (with good reason), it remains intrinsically Spanish. The majority of residents live in the commercial centre which covers just two square kilometers.
Sulphur is the ninth most abundant element of the universe and is one of nature´s great jokes on the human race. Known to the ancients as "Brimstone" it is one of the elements essential to life as a constituent of various biologically active compounds. Pure sulphur is odourless, but fun-loving nature frequently combines it with hydrogen to produce hydrogen sulphide, which has the odour of rotten eggs.
Ojén, population 3000 like Istán, has somehow remained relatively unspoiled in spite of its accessibility and closeness to Marbella.
Monda is a tiny town (or large village) in the mountains just inland from the Costa del Sol. Situated past Ojén on the A-355, it lies a mountain valley at 365m and has a population of less than 2,000. It is well-linked by road with Marbella, just 15km away, as well as Coin and Cartama (for Malaga). Thanks to development on the nearby coast over the last few decades, the town has enjoyed new prosperity.
To many Andalucíans, native and expatriate alike, Benahavis is synonymous with food. It has the highest concentration of high class restaurants in the region and draws visitors by the thousand who come simply to savour the cuisine.
It also has an extremely high percentage of resident expatriates who have found its situation and ambience irresistible.
Torre del Mar is one of the main tourist resorts east of Malaga on the Costa del Sol. Located about half way between Malaga and Nerja. The resort of Torre del Mar is the beach resort of the inland town and part of the municipal district of Vélez-Málaga, capital of the Axarquia region.
The bustling market town of Vélez-Málaga lies 5 km inland from Torre del Mar, surrounded by subtropical vegetation. Capital of La Axarquía, Vélez-Malaga, often simply referred to as Vélez, is the centre of an agricultural region known for its strawberries and vineyards, which produce the muscatel grapes from which the famous Málaga wines are made.
There are six main beaches in Torremolinos: Los Alamos, Playamar, Bajondillo, La Carihuela, Montemar and El Saltillo. The 7 km main promenade has recently undergone improvements with additional landscaping and wider pavements. Now all the beaches are linked.
San Pedro de Alcántara is in an ideal situation, just 10 kilometres west from all the glitz and glamour of Marbella, yet just a few minutes drive away from the natural beauty of the Sierra de Ronda mountain range and 20 km from the town of Estepona. An ancient farming community, once famous for sugar cane, today San Pedro is a refreshingly unspoilt pueblo with an appeal all of its own.
Las Cuevas de Nerja (the Caves of Nerja) are a series of naturally formed caves and caverns in the hills of Maro, 4km North-East of Nerja, some of which have taken up to two million years to form. The caves contain the widest naturally-formed column in the world, at 32m high and 13x7m at its base. Formed by the merging of a stalagmite and stalactite, it has held the Guinness World Record since 1989. The caves also famously host the annual Nerja International Festival of Music and Dance.
One of the jewels of the Costa del Sol is the beautiful little village of Mijas, which nestles comfortably in the mountainside at 400 meters above sea level about 10km from the coast. Of the ten thousand population, there are so many foreign and English speaking residents in and around the village that the Town Hall has a very helpful Foreigner's Department, which caters for the needs of those residents who do not speak Spanish.
Fuengirola is famous for its seven kilometre (5 mile) stretch of sandy beach, beginning at the Sohail Castle to the west (at the Beatriz Spa Hotel) and ending at Torreblanca to the east. The promenade is officially called Paseo Maritimo Rey de España. (Promenade).
Zoos aren't what they used to be, fortunately. You won't find miserable animals pacing up and down shoebox cages, clinging to solitary branches or paddling around in sad puddles at Bioparc Fuengirola - Fuengirola's visitor and animal-friendly zoo.
Just seven kilometres north of Nerja is the beautiful white village of Frigiliana sits high on a mountain ridge overlooking the sea with spectacular panoramic views.
This 2km beach is bounded at the west by the Torre de la Sal headland and runs to the next headland at Bahia Dorada; it is about 40m wide. Not overly busy, this is mainly used by the residents of the urbanizations that straddle of the coast road.
There are about 100 different watchtowers (Torre Vigia or Torre Atalaya or Torre Almenara) along the coast of Southern Spain. Some are of Moorish origins others from date from the later Christian re-conquest period. All with the purpose of looking out for invaders from the South. They have lasted the centuries with remarkable strength.
Puerto de la Duquesa is one of the Costa del Sol's marinas that is enjoyed by sailors and tourists alike. Located one hour's drive from the airport of Malaga and 45 minutes form Gibraltar airport. La Duquesa seems like a thousand miles away from the throng of the holiday resorts. It is relatively quiet during most of the year. The restaurants come alive in July and August.
