Explore
Villages
12 articles
VillagesTorremolinos Old Town, Málaga, What Opens Its Door
Torremolinos has an old town above the beach and its two landmarks are the two you cannot walk into. The Torre Pimentel, from around 1300 and 12 metres tall, is closed inside, and the free Casa de los Navajas of 1925 is marked temporarily closed on one municipal page while another lists it open Wednesday to Sunday.
VillagesTorrox, Málaga, and Who Signs the Best Climate Claim
Torrox sells itself on the best climate in Europe, and the phrase is signed by the town hall itself rather than by any weather service. The other thing to know before booking is that Torrox is two separate places: 9 kilometres of coast with 7 beaches, and a Moorish hill village several kilometres inland.
VillagesWhat to see in Benalmadena, and in which of its three parts
Only one of the three parts has a train station, and it is neither the old town on the hill nor the marina down at the water. Benalmádena splits across close to 27 square kilometres, with the Pueblo around 300 metres up and more than 9 kilometres of coast, and only Arroyo de la Miel is on the C-1.
VillagesCasares, the village with two dates nobody else can hold
Six separate events crowd into August here, starting with the village fair on the first weekend, four days in the old town. The two dates no other village can hold are 28 February and 5 July, in the birthplace of Blas Infante, and April brings a route of kid goat and Payoya cheese.
VillagesManilva, a village founded to repopulate a raided coast
Two archaeological sites hold the highest heritage listing here, Los Castillejos de Alcorrín from the 9th century BC and the Roman surroundings of the Castillo de la Duquesa. The council puts the village 97 kilometres from the capital, and its 18,818 residents triple every single summer.
VillagesJúzcar, Malaga's blue village, has no Smurfs left
Sony Pictures painted it in 2011 with more than 4,000 litres of paint, reaching the church of Santa Catalina, on condition that it went back to white. The residents voted otherwise, 149 to 36 with 4 spoiled, the Smurf figures left instead, and the village now calls itself La Aldea Azul.
VillagesThe white villages route is in Cádiz, not in Malaga
The official Pueblos Blancos route takes in 19 places and every single one of them is in Cádiz province, around the Sierra de Grazalema. Malaga has excellent white villages but no declared route under that name, which is why coach trips set off from Ronda and cross without saying so.
VillagesMijas Pueblo, the donkey taxis stop when AEMET says so
A municipal by-law caps the donkey taxi load at 80 kilos, tightens the veterinary checks and sets hygiene standards for the stables and the ranks. It also ties the service to AEMET warnings, stopping from 14:00 to 18:00 on a yellow one, and for as long as an orange or red one lasts.
VillagesGranada from Málaga, and the Alhambra Ticket Trap
The Nasrid Palaces admit 300 people every half hour and the slot is forfeited if you are late, so it has to fall mid-morning or later in the day. A direct Avant does exist, with no change at Antequera-Santa Ana, though the day's timetable has to be checked on Renfe before the ticket is bought, and tickets go on sale up to 3 months ahead, in your own name.
VillagesNerja Caves, Tickets, Hours and the Two Thirds You Miss
Book online and the adult ticket drops from 18 euros to 16, and it quietly includes the Nerja Museum down in the town, which most visitors never claim. What you walk is 5 halls of the Tourist Galleries, from the Vestibule to the Cataclysm Hall, on an audio-guided route of 45 minutes to an hour.
VillagesIs There a Train from Málaga to Ronda? Not Right Now
Two coaches a day go up, at 8am and 9.15am, and three come back, at 3pm, 4.15pm and 6.35pm, on the Avanza L-304 from Málaga bus station. Book the wrong return and Ronda becomes a photograph of the gorge rather than a visit, and the train is no alternative, because the line is under works.
VillagesFrigiliana and Nerja in One Day from Málaga
Twelve services each way from Monday to Saturday and seven on Sundays and public holidays, so the last one down is not what breaks the day. On a Sunday the service stops for three and a half hours in the middle, and the last departure stretches to 10pm between 1 July and 31 August.