Nerja is a location at the foothills of the Almijara mountain range. Its tropical landscape marked out by plantations of sugar cane, offers on the other hand its nearby mountains a great deal of small and big game. 51 kms. away from Malaga and only 25 from the capital of the Axarquia, Velez-Malaga, in a place where simplicity is the protagonist when its more than 13000 inhabitants deal with the visitors. Since Prehistoric times, and due to its proximity to Africa and its warm weather, Nerja was inhabited by man. The excavations that have taken place and the different remains found, date the city some 30000 years back. Its urban area was a Roman settlement as its proximity to Detunda (nowadays Maro) shows, and it reached a great splendour in the times of king Abderraman, when the poets sang its beauty and praised the manufacture of the silk and its importance in the market of Damasco.
Its charming popular architecture, with the white walls dotted with flowers, oozes Andalusian flavour and it is in harmony with the marvellous view we can admire from the Balcon de Europa (Balcony of Europe), situated on a cliff where there used to stand a castle.
Nerja also boasts a lively nightlife based upon typical restaurants, discos, music cafes, flamenco clubs, as well as shops with articles for all tastes. As always, past and present come together and all this activities take place under the watchfull look of the remains of the ancient Roman road "Castulo-Malaga" the Hermitage of Ntra. Sra. de la Angustias,dating from the XVII century, and the Baroque Parish-Church of El Salvador, built in the XVII century. Out of its three naves, the central one still keeps its old wooden framework. Maro, the second urban nucleus of Nerja, with its Moorish savouriness, and more than 800 inhabitants, most of them fishermen and peasants, has played a star role in the history of Nerja. This is shown by monuments like el ingenio, trapiche or mill, the XVII century Church of Ntra. Sra. de las Maravillas, the Sugar Factory and the Nature Reserve of Los Acantilados, not forgetting its Acueducto del Aguila, and the world famous "Cave of Nerja"
Maro also has a magnificent beach which is part of the more than 16 km of beaches belonging to Nerja, together with those of Burriana, Calahonda, Playazo, Carabeo, La Torrecilla, El Salon, La Caleta de Maro, Rio de la Miel, or El Cañuelo, all of them with clear waters, and offering the opportunity of practising, among other sports, underwater fishing.
During the year, the traveller can enjoy the Cavalcade of the Three Wise Men, The Feasts of San Anton in Maro, the Carnivals in February, an interesting Holy Week, the Romeria of San Isidro on May the 15, the typical feasts of San Juan in June the Maritime Procession of the Virgen del Carmen in July, the Festivals of Music and Dance of the Cave of Nerja in July-August, the Feasts of the Maravillas in Maro from the 8 to the 10 of September and the Patronal Feasts from the 9 to the 12 of October.
Nerja's Beaches
Burriana Beach
This is the most popular tourist beach on the Nerja coast. There are various ways of reaching it, but the most important, approximately 1 km in length, is the access to be found at the exit from Nerja going towards Almería on the N-340, to the right, at the level of the residential development “Verano Azul”; this way down to the beach is ideal for cars, as it is tarmac in excellent condition. The beach consists of coarse sand and gravel, and is black in colour.
Its size is 700 m in length by some 35 m wide, and tends to become crowded.
It has good facilities, including car-parks, regular bus service, newly-built hotels, Red Cross post, danger signals, lifeguards, showers, telephones, umbrellas, sunbeds, water sports for hire, promenade, beach bars, souvenir shops, restaurants...
Every year it is awarded the EU Blue Flag.
Torrecilla Beach
A beach approximately 225 m in length and an average of 25m wide. It attracts a high concentration of people.
It consists of medium-grain sand, and is black in colour. It has four possible means of access:
1. Across the beach of El Chucho and round the promontory where the ruined tower of La Torrecilla stands, and from which the beach takes its name.
2. Using the path down from the end of Calle Antonio Añejo.
3. Via the Paseo de la Plaza de los Cangrejos
4. By the path down to the beach, at the end of the Avenida Castilla Pérez
A beach with good facilities, consisting of: regular bus service, hotels, restaurants, telephones, showers, umbrellas, sunbeds, waters ports for hire, promenade, beach bar. It has been awarded the Blue Flag.
El Salón Beach
This beach is 200 m in length and some 10 m wide. It has a high density of people, and is more of an urban beach. It consists of medium-coarse sand, black in colour.
Access is by means of the Plaza de la Iglesia, situated in the Balcón de Europa. It can only be reached on foot.
It is equipped with telephone, and waste-bins.
Carabeo Beach
A beach of black, medium-grain sand, 120 m in length and approximately 15 m wide at its central part. It can get crowded.
This beach can be reached via the Paseo de los Carabineros, or via Calle Carabeo using the stepped path downwards that you will find at the end of the street.
It is equipped with telephone, and waste-bins.
Calahonda beach
Situated under the Balcón de Europa, it can be accessed by the path downwards called the “boquete de Calahonda”, to be found at the end of the Calle Puerta del Mar.
It has a length of about115 m, and an average width of 20 m; it can get crowded, and the buildings surrounding it are urban in type.
The sand is medium-grain and black in colour. It is well equipped with restaurants, hotels, showers, umbrellas, sunbeds, waste-bins, telephones and water sports for hire. The Paseo de los Carabineros starts off from this beach, leading to Burriana Beach across some picturesque cliffs.
El Playazo Beach
The westernmost beach in the municipality of Nerja, this has two ways of accessing it by car:
1. On the right, at the 289.5 km milestone on the N-340 going towards Almería. It is only a short way to the beach.
2. From inside the town itself, going down Calle Antonio Ferrándiz, as far as the “I.E.S. El Chaparil”, the old Factory of San José, where you turn to the right into a lane which, after crossing the Chíllar River, brings you in sight of the beach.
The most spectacular part of the beach is the surroundings: the "vega" of Nerja.
It is about 1800 m long, and 30 m wide. It has a medium density of people, and is in a natural setting. Its sand is black and of medium grain. The Chíllar River flows into the sea on the eastern side of this beach, and the Seco River to the west.
El Chucho Beach
This is to be found between the mouth of the Chíllar River, which leads it on to El Playazo Beach, and which is one of the possible ways to reach it, and La Torrecilla Beach.
It is about 200 m long, and 30 m wide. Its sand is also medium-grain and black in colour.
La Caletilla Beach
This beach has a length of about 50 m and a width of approximately 10 m. It attracts a medium density of people, and is more urban in its surroundings.
It consists of medium-coarse black sand. There are two ways to get to it:
1. Through the Hotel Balcón de Europa (which is private), situated on the Paseo of the same name
2. Across the Calahonda Beach
The hotel and service facilities consist of restaurants, accommodation, telephone, waste-bins, umbrellas, sunbeds and water sports for hire.
El Chorrillo Beach
In order to get to this secluded cove, follow the path from the Paseo de los Carabineros.
It also has sand of medium grain and black in colour. It is 20 m in width, and 60 m long, with a medium degree of occupation.
It has a telephone, and waste-bins.
Carabeillo Beach
This beach can be accessed by the path down from the “Mirador del bandito”, situated at the end of Calle Carabeo, or across Burriana Beach. The path can only be done on foot.
The size of the beach is approximately 70 m long and 10 m wide. It does not get very crowded, and is equipped with telephone, and waste-bins. Its sand is black and of medium grain.