Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is the Mediterranean coastal region located in Spain, in the south of the province of Málaga and in the eastern part of Campo de Gibraltar, in the province of Cádiz, south of the Iberian Peninsula. There is no official boundary, but it is generally accepted that the Costa del Sol extends from the municipality of La Línea de la Concepción in the west to Nerja in the east. The Costa del Sol is located entirely in the autonomous community of Andalusia, and the term is practically linked to the coast of the province of Malaga. The term Costa del Sol was coined at the beginning of the XX century by Rodolfo Lussnigg, to promote the Almeria coastline. Until the end of the 1960s, it was used in reference to the entire Mediterranean coast of Eastern Andalusia. The name refers to the sunny climate present in the region most days of the year. The Costa del Sol is one of the most important tourist areas in Spain, concentrating around 35% of tourism in Andalusia and hosting more than 17 million hotel overnight stays per year, according to 2009 data.
The Costa del Sol is a pioneer in Spanish tourism, being a relatively prosperous commercial and industrial center for a good part of the 19th century. The tourist takeoff of the area began in the 1920s, with the opening of the Baños del Carmen in Malaga and the Torremolinos golf course. The Spanish civil war and the subsequent World War II, means that the rise of the area as an international tourist destination did not come until the 1950s, with the arrival of famous celebrities such as Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Ernest Hemingway, John Lennon, Brigitte Bardot or Frank Sinatra. Since then it has been a preferential destination for foreigners, mainly for the British, Germans, Scandinavians and French. The most populated city on the Costa del Sol is the city of Malaga, with a population of close to 600,000 inhabitants, which also forms the backbone of a conurbanization of 18 municipalities, practically continuous, totaling 1,412,541.[ appointment required] Malaga is home to the Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, which is the third busiest airport in mainland Spain, behind Barajas (Madrid) and El Prat (Barcelona).
The A-7 motorway runs through the region, as does the old national highway generally known as the N-340. High-speed trains serve the coastal region and inland areas, the AVE service arrives at the Málaga-María Zambrano station in 2 hours and 46 minutes from Madrid. The Costa del Sol has seaside resorts in Málaga, Tolox, Estepona, Benahavís, Benalmádena, Mijas, Torremolinos and Marbella, the largest concentration of golf courses on the European continent, fifteen marinas, nine theme parks (including amusement parks, aquariums and zoos), as well as an information and communication technology business park (Andalusia Technology Park, known as the PTA) and a Google cybersecurity center and a Vodafone European R&D Center of Excellence. The Costa del Sol welcomed more than 13,000,000 visitors in 2019, enjoys 300 sunny days a year, 150 kilometers of coastline and beaches and is one of the most important tourist, economic and demographic centers in Spain.
Symbols
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The characteristic symbol of the entire Costa del Sol are the sardine skewers. The skewer is a typical dish in the gastronomy of the province of Málaga, which consists of espetar, that is to say, stringing fish, traditionally sardines, in thin and long rods, to roast it with firewood in the sand of the beach.
Not to be confused with espetada, a typical Portuguese dish that consists of skewering pieces of meat and sometimes interspersed with vegetables such as peppers or onions.
Flag
It is common to associate the Costa del Sol, and the entire province of Malaga, with the purple and green flag, a flag that is currently used by the flag of the city of Malaga. This flag is also the one used by the "Malaguistas" (which is how the Malagueños are defined). However, there is no official flag that identifies the Costa del Sol, partly because the Cádiz municipalities of San Roque and La Línea de la Concepción would also be there.
The Biznaga
If we look for a smell on the Costa del Sol, that of the biznaga will immediately come to mind. A ball-shaped bouquet, laboriously made by hand flower by flower, inserted into a dry stem, which in summer the biznagueros sell on the streets. At night, the open flowers give off an intense intoxicating aroma, a delight for the senses. Although it is true that, traditionally, the biznaga is only associated with the capital, it has become a symbol for the Costa del Sol.
Cenachero
The cenachero was an ancient profession that in its basket or esparto basket carries the fresh fish that it proclaims through the streets, making its baskets dance. The cenachero is commonly associated with the Costa del Sol for being a traditional trade, currently completely disappeared.
In 2011, the city of Mobile, Alabama, built a replica of the Cenachero statue, located in Marina Plaza.
Boqueron
Every year, in the Rincón de la Victoria, the Day of the Victorian Boquerón is celebrated. The anchovy, in addition to being itself a symbol of the Costa del Sol, due to how common its catches are in fish markets such as the one in Fuengirola, but has also become a "nickname" for the people of Malaga.
Toponymy
It was the hotelier based in Almería, Don Rodolfo Lussnigg, who coined the term "Costa del Sol" to promote the coast of Almería to which he originally referred exclusively. He began the promotional campaign on February 16, 1928 in the newspaper La Crónica Meridional, in order to attract visitors who were going to the International Exhibitions of 1929. In 1930, the Motrileño writer Francisco Pérez García publishes La Costa del Sol, a volume that mixes literature, descriptions of tourist itineraries in several languages and a collection of photographs that illustrate the most representative places and monuments of the coast that stretches from Malaga to Almería. On October 15, 1933, the Hotel Miramar was inaugurated in Marbella. Its owners, José Laguno Cañas and María Zuzuarregui (daughter of Doña Agustina Zuzuarregui and Sutton de Clonard) promoted the hotel and the city of Málaga in English and French, using the expressions Sunny Coast and Côte du Soleil respectively, on all their stationery and leaflets. This is how Fernando Alcalá Marín collects it in his work Marbella. The Tourism Years (1997).
In any case, it was not until 1947 that the term "Costa del Sol" began to become popular in the media, especially in the Malaga-based Diario Sur. During the 1960s, "Costa del Sol" would refer to the entire Mediterranean coast of Eastern Andalusia.
Currently it refers almost exclusively to the Malaga coast, since the Granada Coast is advertised using the Costa Tropical brand, and the term Costa de Almería refers to the Almería coast. It also covers the municipalities of San Roque and La Línea de la Concepción, which are also part of the Costa del Sol.
Geography
Generally, the Costa del Sol coastline is considered to extend between the border with the province of Granada to the east and the border with Gibraltar to the west, along 185 km of the Mediterranean coast, ranging from the municipality of La Línea de la Concepción to Nerja, although on wrong occasions it also includes the municipalities of the Costa Granada up to Motril. Traditionally it is divided into two zones: the "Western Costa del Sol" and the "Eastern Costa del Sol", being the capital and center of both the city of Malaga.
Climate
The climate is Mediterranean. Summer is hot and dry and winter is mild and humid. The rain falls mainly between the months of November and May. The drought is present from June to September. Summer temperatures range from 20 °C to 30 °C and in winter from 5 °C to 17 °C. The west wind blows from the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Mediterranean Sea.
Relief
The Penibética mountain range runs parallel to the coastline forming the northern limit of the Costa del Sol, made up of a set of coastal mountain ranges that often exceed 1000 m s. no. m. altitude. From east to west, the Tejeda and Almijara mountain ranges make up the mountainous environment of the Eastern Costa del Sol, where the Málaga mountains are also inserted. The Sierra de Mijas, Sierra Alpujata and Sierra Blanca, collectively called the Litoral mountain range, make up the beginning of the western coastal ranges of the Costa del Sol, while Sierra Bermeja and its small extension in Sierra Crestellina close this mountainous alignment.
In the narrow strip between the mountains and the sea there is a great diversity of landscapes: beaches, cliffs, mouths, coves and dunes. The rivers are short and seasonal, which causes shallow estuaries and valleys that are not very suitable for agriculture. The leeward effect caused by the Betic systems means that their contributions are reduced.
The coastline shows a slightly indented profile. It has the largest number of beaches in the entire Andalusian autonomous community, specifically with 124 out of a total of 321. The sandy areas occupy most of the Costa del Sol, saving some rocky sections in Manilva, Mijas, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Rincón de la Victoria and the cliffs of Maro, in the municipality of Nerja.
In the coastal relief, the bays of Malaga and Estepona and the tip of Calaburras stand out. The emergent lands are extended under the sea by a narrow and shallow continental shelf that reaches an average width of about 5 km and a maximum depth of 150-200 m.
Flora and fauna
The Costa del Sol is located between three marine ecoregions: the Lusitanian, the Mauritanian and the Mediterranean, which is why it has abundant biodiversity. Especially numerous are the species of brown, red and calcareous algae. The presence of Posidonia oceanica meadows, an endemic species of the Mediterranean, which can be found above all in the waters of the Maro-Cerro Gordo cliffs, is also notorious. The marine fauna is represented by sponges and corals.
Gastronomy
The cuisine of the Costa del Sol, as in the rest of Andalusia, has historically been influenced by Spanish, Jewish and Arab traditions, and the city of Malaga emphasizes seafood, fried fish and gazpacho. Going for tapas is the best thing to do to get to know the gastronomy of the city, and we can find bars that serve a free tapa with the drink. Weaving churros cannot be missing in the streets of Malaga at breakfast time. The beach bars offer a respite from the summer heat where you can try these dishes while enjoying your holidays.
But the gastronomy of Malaga goes beyond the city, the provinces of Malaga and Cádiz offer a variety of typical dishes.
The most important regions of the province are Antequera, Ronda and Axarquía, where you can discover the best flavors of traditional Spanish cuisine.
In the region of Antequera we find the "molletes" (small breads made in a wood-fired oven, which are very good with olive oil and tomato), the "porra antequerana" (similar to gazpacho, but with the texture of a purée, and with ham and egg). You can also find a wide list of desserts: "bienmesabe" (almonds, eggs, cider syrup, cookies, powdered sugar and powdered cinnamon), mantecados, alfajores and "angelorum" (similar to bienmesabe). These are the most popular dishes in the city of Antequera, but the rest of the towns in the region offer unprecedented dishes whose recipes come from the ancestors, many of these dishes made with products from the Antequera garden.
Ronda is wine and bullfights. In the Ronda region you can find the best wineries in the province of Malaga and oxtail is one of the most unique dishes in this area. Other tasty dishes to highlight are: the rabbit a la rondeña, the gazpacho "a la serrana", the artichoke soup, the lamb cochifrito, the loin stuffed with mushrooms or the stewed pork leg. The cuisine of this region is completed with tasty migas in the Ronda style and with local chorizo, partridge a la rondeña, tortilla a la rondeña, trout a la serrana, pumpkin soup and mountain chestnut soup. The meat from the Ronda region enjoys a great reputation for its high quality. As a sweet star we find the Tagus buds, which will delight any palate. Among the many famous wineries in the region, we must highlight the “Descalzos Viejos” winery, located in an old monastery and overlooking the Tajo de Ronda.
Among the dishes of the cuisine of the Axarquía include fried and spiced goat, fennel stew, ajoblanco (almonds, garlic, water, bread, olive oil, white wine vinegar and a little salt) or chickpeas with calluses The Axarquía boasts important vineyards among its white villages and a multitude of tropical fruit crops, including avocado, mango and custard apple, and with which tasty salads are made.
Towns and cities
The Costa del Sol is made up of the following municipalities, listed from East to West, although they do not appear on the list, the municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Malaga and some of the Serranía de Ronda are also considered Costa del Sol.
- Nerja
It is the most renowned municipality on the Eastern Costa del Sol. Its tourist attractions include the Balcon de Europa and the Nerja cave, as well as the Sierra Tejeda, Alhama y Almijara Natural Park and the Los Acantilados de Maro Natural Area. Nerja has several beaches, including Burriana, Calahonda, El Salón, La Torrecilla, El Playazo, and of course, the virgin paradise of the Maro beaches, an environment that has not yet suffered the consequences of urbanization. uncontrolled from other coastal areas. It has an official population of about 20,000, with a fifth being foreign residents, predominantly English. In Nerja the famous television series Verano azul was recorded.
- Torrox
The valleys of this municipality are generally covered by orchards that offer a strong contrast with the surrounding slopes, occupied by olive trees and vineyards, when not by bushes and pastures. The coastline offers a “strange” panorama in which the plastics from the greenhouses coexist with the coastal tourist development, contrasting with the beautiful images offered by the interior. It has a population of about 16,000.
- Algarrobo
It has an area of 9.7 km² and 6,232 inhabitants. Gentilicio: algarrobeña/o. From north to south it is crossed by the Algarrobo-Sayalonga River, which runs through a valley whose landscape, previously covered with olive trees, almond trees and vineyards, is undergoing a substantial change as the cultivation of vegetables and subtropical products is imposed in the area; hence the gentle hills are giving way to the terraces that the new plantations need. The urban nucleus of Algarrobo, with a Moorish layout, is located three kilometers from the coast, and in order to distinguish the beach area, currently in full expansion, from the town itself, the conventionalism of calling it Algarrobo-Costa has been used. Among the tourist visits, the parish church of Santa Ana, the hermitage of San Sebastián, the watchtowers and the archaeological remains of the Necropolis of Trayamar (Phoenician) stand out.
- Vélez-Málaga
Located in the center of the Axarquía region, dominating the fertile valley of the river that bears its name and surrounded by plantations of subtropical products (this municipality is the main producer of subtropical products in all of Europe), with more than 80,000 inhabitants, Vélez-Málaga has become one of the most important municipalities on the Costa del Sol, it has 22 kilometers of coastline, where old fishing villages have become reference towns for the quality of the services provided and the cleanliness of its beaches, this is the case of the population centers of Chilches, Benajarafe, Valleniza, Almayate (where one of the best naturist beaches on the Costa del Sol is located), Torre del Mar, the main coastal center of the municipality of Vélez-Málaga, place where throughout the year an endless number of activities of all kinds are held, concerts, air festivals, festivals and processions, and also its promenade is one of the longest and most extensive promenades in the C osta del Sol, an enclave where we can satisfy all the needs of our visitors, Caleta de Vélez, where the main fishing-sports port of the entire Andalusian Mediterranean coast is located, without forgetting the beaches of Mezquetilla-Lagos, where a very particular written in Don Quixote and that Miguel de Cervantes immortalizes this city of Vélez-Málaga. The city of Vélez-Málaga itself keeps in its old part, declared a Historic-Artistic-Historic Site, a patrimonial treasure where its old Muslim fortress, next to it the church of Santa María de la Encarnación, a religious building that shares its space with the first museum dedicated to Holy Week in all of Andalusia, other points of interest is the Hermitage of the Virgen de los Remedios, patron saint of the city, a place that has a viewpoint where our visitors will see in 360 degrees the wonderful landscape of the region embodied in the frescoes painted by the artist a sailboat Evaristo Guerra inside the temple. You should not forget to visit the Palace of the Marquises of Beniel, headquarters of the foundation of the Veleña thinker María Zambrano and who left her rich legacy to be contemplated, the Casa de Cervantes, the CAC Contemporary Art Center, the only cultural space of these characteristics located outside an Andalusian capital or the MVVEL, city museum, where the visitor can learn in a very didactic way the human presence in the region from the Paleolithic to almost our time. Hotels, shopping centers, water parks and a wide gastronomic offer in beach bars and restaurants make Vélez-Málaga an extraordinary place to visit throughout the year and learn about its traditions, such as Holy Week, declared a festival of national tourist interest in Andalusia, the Fair of Santiago or Santa Ana with maritime-land procession of the Virgen del Carmen or the Royal Fair of San Miguel at the end of September.
- Rincón de la Victoria
There are several urban centers that make up this municipality: Benagalbón, five kilometers inland, La Cala, Torre de Benagalbón, Aguirre, Los Millares and some others with fewer populations than the previous ones. All these nuclei, especially Rincón de la Victoria and La Cala, have undergone a spectacular expansion in the last 20 years, mainly due to their belonging to the metropolitan area of Malaga; Thus, what at first was a second residence for many people from Málaga in the capital, today has become their first home.
- Malaga
Capital of the Costa del Sol and of the province and communications hub for the area as the center of the metropolitan area. In addition to its very remarkable Historic Center, declared a Monumental Historic Site, connected to the Port, where the traces of its three thousand years of history remain, its parks and beaches, it offers an outstanding museum offer, as well as gastronomy.
- Torremolinos
Between the foothills of the Sierra de Mijas and the sea, in a terrain of gentle relief that gradually loses height as it approaches the beach line, lies the municipality of Torremolinos, an old district of Málaga and an independent municipality from 1988. Once the Mediterranean motorway has been crossed, the large green spaces at the foot of the mountains connect with the complex and diverse urban fabric that gives the town a unique profile (there are four well-differentiated nuclei: El Calvario, El Bajondillo, La Carihuela and the intricate streets that make up the most traditional area of the city).
- Benalmadena
This municipality offers a wide range of leisure and tourism options with almost 13,000 hotel beds, golf courses, an amusement park, a marina, an auditorium, an aquarium, a dolphinarium, the Torrequebrada Casino, downtown of exhibitions and museum of pre-Columbian art; as well as Catholic, Protestant, Hindu and Buddhist temples; and a cable car to the top of Mount Calamorro.
- Fuengirola
In addition to beaches, Fuengirola has a Moorish castle, Roman remains and a remarkable nightlife, a wide range of Nordic and English entertainment, a wide variety of Spanish, English and Irish pubs or discopubs and a good gastronomic offer.
- Mijas
The municipality of Mijas extends its lands from the Sierra de Mijas to the sea, through a landscape of hills and hills. Mijas Pueblo, located at an altitude of 428 m s. no. m., keeps the charm of the typical Andalusian white village. In its 12 km of coastline is the nucleus of La Cala de Mijas and numerous urbanizations.
- Marbella
Marbella, in the center of the Western Costa del Sol, between the foothills of Sierra Blanca and the coastline, is the great recreational center of the southwestern Mediterranean and for decades has been attracting the so-called jetset to its streets and corners. It has in Puerto Banús one of the most important and exclusive marinas in the Mediterranean, where some of the most luxurious yachts in the world dock.
- Benahavís
Mountain village located about 7 km from the beach with spectacular views of the Costa del Sol. With nine golf courses, Benahavís is considered the center of the Costa del Golf and Gastronomic corner of the Costa del Sol due to the numerous restaurants in its urban area.
- Estepona
It has around 21 km of beaches. Focused mainly on tourism, its registered population is 70,000 inhabitants, which is in continuous demographic growth. With a beautiful pedestrianized town center adorned with colored pots, sculptures and large murals on the facades of some buildings, it is a perfect place to shop and enjoy the surroundings facing the sea, Sierra Bermeja and the remains of the San Luis castle.
- Casares
Just 14 kilometers from the bustling and cosmopolitan Costa del Sol, the town of Casares stretches between the Serranía de Ronda and Campo de Gibraltar. It shows the visitor the most genuine flavor of the mountain towns. Thus, this town has preserved in its urban area that air of still time and has renewed, wherever and as good taste allows, the infrastructures that current life demands. It is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, as evidenced by the fact that in 1978 it was declared a historic-artistic site.
- Manilva
It is the municipality located furthest to the southwest of the Malaga coast, adjacent to the province of Cádiz. The Manilveña coast stretches from northeast to southwest, in a 7.8 km coastline that goes from rocky inlets to sandy beaches.
- San Roque
As a municipality adjacent to the province of Málaga, and due to geographical reasons, San Roque is the first municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Cádiz after Manilva, in the heart of Campo de Gibraltar. Decentralized municipality in historic centers, where the luxury urbanization of Sotogrande stands out as a coastal area, considered one of the main residential areas of Andalusia, Spain, and even Europe.
- The Line of Conception
This municipality is located at the western end of the Costa del Sol, although it is administratively in the province of Cádiz and Campo de Gibraltar. It has a total of 11 km of beaches, up to the gate with Gibraltar, also housing two ports, one for fishing and the other for sports. It offers a wide gastronomic offer and a very cosmopolitan atmosphere where more than 23 nationalities currently coexist. The city has an airport a few meters away on foot, in the territory of Gibraltar. Even because it belongs to the province of Cádiz, and because of its geographical situation, as it happens with San Roque, it cannot be classified as Costa de la Luz.
Country
The Costa del Sol is made up of the following regions:
Western Costa del Sol
The Western Costa del Sol is made up of 9 municipalities: Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Mijas, Fuengirola, Marbella, Manilva, Casares, Estepona and Benahavís. The municipalities of Istán and Ojén are also included in this region, although they officially belong to the Sierra de las Nieves region, and therefore do not belong to the Costa del Sol. The Costa del Sol, together with Málaga, is the most famous region of the entire region, in 2011, the region had 497,266 inhabitants, 988 km² and a density of 503.3 inhab./km.
The most famous beaches on the Western Costa del Sol are La Carihuela, in Torremolinos; that of Torreblanca and Los Boliches, in Fuengirola; that of Torrebermeja, in Benalmádena and the beach of Puerto Banús.
Currently, there is a commonwealth of municipalities that regulates all the member municipalities, it should be noted that this community does include Istán and Ojén.
In terms of leisure, the Western Costa del Sol has the largest offer on the entire coast, including the Bioparc Fuengirola and Selwo Aventura Estepona zoos; the See Life Benalmádena aquarium and the Selwo Marina Benalmádena dolphinarium, the Tivoli World amusement park and the Aqua Mijas water parks in Mijas and Aquapark Torremolinos in Torremolinos.
Malaga-Costa del Sol
Málaga-Costa del Sol is the most populated region of the Costa del Sol, this region only includes the municipality of Malaga and should not be confused with the Metropolitan Area of said city. Malaga is also one of the most populated centers in Spain. Malaga is divided into 11 municipal districts, which are: Centro, Este, Cruz de Humilladero, Ciudad Jardín, Puerto de la Torre, Palma-Palmilla, Bailén-Miraflores, Teatinos, Churriana, Campanillas and Carretera de Cádiz.
The city of Malaga has a great cultural offer, with prestigious museums, such as the Carmen-Thyssen or the Picasso, as well as others such as the Pompidou Museum or the Russian Museum Collection. As far as leisure is concerned, Malaga has
Málaga is home to the main infrastructures and means of communication, such as the AVE, at the María Zambrano station or the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport.
The Region of Málaga extends from the Guadalhorce Valley to the Málaga Mountains.
Its most famous beaches are La Malagueta, La Misericordia, Pedregalejo and El Palo.
The Axarquia-Costa del Sol
The Axarquía-Costa del Sol, sometimes known as the Eastern Costa del Sol, or simply “La Axarquía”, is the last of the three regions that make up the coastal area of the Costa del Sol. The Axarquía is the least populated of the regions of the Costa del Sol, its most populous municipality and capital is Vélez-Málaga. The region was conquered from the Muslims as a result of the battles of the Axarquía in 1487, thus falling the castles of Zalia (near Zafarraya and Alcaucín, Bentomiz, in Arenas and La Fortaleza de Vélez). The Axarquía is made up of 31 municipalities, not all of which are coastal.
As far as leisure and tourism is concerned, the Axarquía stands out for its virgin beaches in Nerja, its caves or its densely populated municipalities such as Torrox or Vélez-Málaga. The Aquavelis in Torre del Mar also stands out.
History
The beginnings of the tourism industry
After having been a relatively prosperous commercial and industrial center for much of the XIX century, the province of Málaga experienced a severe contraction in its economy in the last two decades of the same. The steel industry was ruined, trade and the textile industry were weakened, the agricultural sector suffered a deep depression that affected livestock and all the main crops, especially the grapevine, which was devastated by the phylloxera plague.. In this context and with the intention of bringing together the different initiatives of the tourism sector, the Sociedad Propagandística del Clima y Embellecimiento de Málaga was established in 1897.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Nuestra Señora del Carmen spa was inaugurated (1918) and the Torremolinos golf course opened (1928), although due to the Spanish civil war and World War II it was not until the the 50s when famous people such as Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Brigitte Bardot or Frank Sinatra began to arrive in Torremolinos and the coast began to acquire international fame. In 1942 the La Roca hotel opened its doors and in 1959 the Pez Espada hotel.
At that time the so-called Spanish economic miracle (1959-1973) began.
The golden age of the Costa del Sol
The rise of Torremolinos as a tourist destination produced a domino effect, and thus, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, nearby municipalities such as Benalmádena, Fuengirola and Mijas also began an excessive growth in tourism. The 1960s brought about a radical change in the appearance of small fishing villages. The inns of Nerja and Málaga are inaugurated and, promoted by Ricardo Soriano Scholtz von Hermensdorff, Marqués de Ivanrey, and his nephew Alfonso de Hohenlohe, Marbella becomes a fashionable place among aristocrats and the rich. In this decade, the Costa del Sol was the permanent headquarters of a great party dominated by a license in customs that did not exist in the rest of Europe, through which the best-known characters of the time passed.
In 1976, the Costa del Sol Tourist Board was created. This body was the first promotion entity of these characteristics to be founded in Spain, and was a model to be followed by other similar entities that emerged later by the whole country.
Since the 1990s, the appearance of illegal activities by international organized crime, money laundering due to its proximity to Gibraltar or the institutional corruption of some town councils, have earned it the nickname Crime Coast in foreign tabloid media, especially in British tabloids. More recently, the Italian writer Roberto Saviano revealed that the mafia calls the Costa del Sol the Costa Nostra, although they are usually the gangsters on the run and those who leave their country persecuted by a sentence, those who come to the Coast looking for refuge, trying to go unnoticed among the different and numerous nuclei of foreign resident population.
Urbanism
The Costa del Sol is occupied by a practically continuous conurbation of about 185 km. In fact, the first kilometer, once inside the province of Malaga, from the sea inland is 50.8% urbanized.
The tourist boom caused a great construction boom and an excessive and uncontrolled urban growth. Many others have been added to the first large urbanizations that emerged in the 1960s on the Western Costa del Sol, both on the coast and inland, until the area has become a major residential tourism center. The landscape legacy is, therefore, the result of the massive occupation of the territory, which presents high-rise buildings in urban centers and large urbanizations and commercial areas that extend along the entire length of the coast, the main communication routes and the slopes of the mountains, frequently invading the maritime-terrestrial public domain and the riverbeds.
The territorial model defined by the Land Management Plan for the Western Costa del Sol aims to form a supra-municipal urban structure that articulates the territory of the area in a unitary way, which has been called The City of the Sun.
Despite the high urban occupation of the coast, there are still little modified redoubts and natural spaces, some protected, such as the natural areas of the mouth of the Guadalhorce and the cliffs of Maro-Cerro Gordo and the natural monuments of the dunes of Artola and the Peñón del Cuervo.
Urban planning in the rest of the towns is irregular, except for some neighborhoods of modern construction that have an excellent urban plan, with wide streets and avenues, green areas and large green areas in which to walk.
The irregularity and growth of the real estate bubble unleashed a profound urban chaos in the periphery of the city of Malaga, an example of this is the district of Carretera de Cádiz.
Tourist infrastructure
Theatres
- La Velada Theatre, La Línea de la Concepción
- Teatro de la Costa del Sol-Estepona Felipe VI
- Cervantes Theatre, Malaga
- Echegaray Theatre, Malaga
- Teatro Cánovas, Malaga
- Alameda Theatre, Malaga
- Sala Gades, Malaga
- Municipal Theater Vicente Espinel, Ronda
- Teatro del Carmen, Vélez-Málaga
The Golf Coast
The Costa del Sol is also known as the Costa del Golf. It has the highest concentration of golf courses in Andalusia and the European continent, which are distributed as follows: 21 in the municipality of Marbella, 11 in Mijas, 10 in Estepona, 6 in Benahavís, 9 in San Roque, 3 in Málaga, 2 in Casares, Rincón de la Victoria and Benalmádena and 1 in Vélez-Málaga, Fuengirola, Nerja, Manilva. To these are added those existing in inland towns such as Alhaurín el Grande, Alhaurín de la Torre and Antequera.
Marinas
- Puerto Marina Alcaidesa (deportivo)
- Port of La Atunara (sport and fishing)
- Port of Sotogrande (sport)
- Port of La Caleta (sport and fishing)
- Port of the Duchess (sport)
- Port of Estepona (sport and fishing)
- Puerto Banus (sport)
- Puerto Deportivo de Marbella
- Port of Marbella (sport and fishing)
- Port of Cabopino (sport)
- Port of Fuengirola (sport and fishing)
- Benalmadena Sports Port (sport)
- Port of Malaga (commercial, passengers, cruises, sports and fishing)
- Royal Mediterranean Club (sport)
- Puerto El Candado (deportivo)
Marine Centers
- Classroom of the Sea
- Sea Life Benalmadena
- Selwo Marina
Theme Parks
- Aqualand Torremolinos
- AquaVelis
- Mijas Aquatic Park
- Crocodile Park Torremolinos
- Retreat Path
- Selwo Adventure
- Tivoli World
- Funny Beach
- Zoo of Fuengirola
Congress halls
- Palacio de Congresos de La Línea
- Palacio de Congresos y exposiciones de la Costa del Sol
- Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga
- Palacio de Congresos de Marbella
- Palace of Exhibitions and Congresses of Estepona
Natural spaces
- Montes de Malaga Nature Park
- Natural park Sierra de las Nieves
- Natural park Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama
- Natural landscape The cliffs of Maro
- Paraje Natural El desfiladero de los Gaitanes
- Natural landscape Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja
- Natural landscape Sierra Crestellina
Cultural events
Cinema
- Malaga Spanish Film Festival
- Fancine Malaga
- Spanish Film Week of the Costa del Sol Estepona
- International Week of Fantastic Film and Terror of Estepona
- Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes y Cine Alternativo de Benalmádena
- International Biennial for Scientific Film Round
- International Political Film Festival of Ronda
- Malaga French Film Festival
- Cycle of Italian Contemporary Film Malaga
Music
- Nerja cave festival
- Starlite Festival
- Malaga Jazz Festival
- The Porton of Jazz in Alhaurín de la Torre
- European Jazz Festival in Marbella
- Just Jazz in the Picasso Malaga
- Malaga Ritual Festival
- Malaga Biennial in Flamenco
- Serenatas de la Luna Joven Málaga
- Festival Terral Malaga
- Etnimálaga
- Festival Algarrobo Rock
- Weekend Beach Festival (Torre del Mar)
- Flamenco Festival comes from the South
- AV Festival
- Festival Malaga Club
- Summer Festival of Malaga
- Boquerock Festival
- La Cala Reggae
Theater
- Malaga International Theatre Festival
- Festival de Teatro Infantil de Málaga
- International Festival of Theatre with Owners, Objects and Visual Malaga
- Festival de Teatro Alternativo de Málaga
- Festival of Classic Greek and Latin Theatre in Malaga
Other events
- Malaga Air Festival
- Night in Malaga
- Expogays Torremolinos
- Cycle Poetry in the Picasso
- Torre del Mar Airshow
Others
- Ruta de los Murales de Estepona
- Route of the bunkers
- Route of the lid of the Line
- Telecabina de Benalmádena
- Hippodrome Costa del Sol
- Cave of Nerja
- Casino de Torrequebrada
- Casino de Nueva Andalucía
- Casino Plaza Nueva Major
- Rally Costa del Sol
- Rally Costa del Sol - Malaga
The City of the Sun
The Costa del Sol is a continuous urbanization. That is why many platforms and media already define the Costa del Sol as the City of the Sun, a city that works together with several municipalities, something very similar to what happened in Los Angeles. There are plans to unite the western Costa del Sol into a single city defined as Ciudad del Sol, this city would also include the Metropolitan Area of Malaga.
If this project were finally created, with a supra-municipal structure, Málaga would become the fourth most populous city in Spain, only surpassed by Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid.
Communications and infrastructures
As a consequence of the rapid demographic growth due to seasonal and residential tourism on the Costa del Sol, the infrastructures were very deficient in the first decades since the beginning of the tourist boom in the fifties of the twentieth century. Infrastructure plans since then can be divided into three periods:
From 1955 to 1980
Different road plans begin to be designed and the first improvements are made at the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, which are carried out at a slow pace, with the exception of the Cercanías de Málaga that would take the rail connection to Fuengirola.
From 1980 to the year 2000
This second stage is characterized mainly by the construction or expansion of massive infrastructures for the private transport of vehicles, and the expansion of the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, with a second passenger terminal. The A-92 is completed, linking the Costa del Sol with the rest of the high-capacity roads in the south of the peninsula, and the splitting of the old N-340 (currently A-7) to a two-lane track in each direction. Other actions included the MA-20 access to Malaga and the Autopista del Sol, among others.
21st century
In this last stage, the arrival of the high-speed train (AVE) takes place and the construction of the suburban begins in the capital of the Costa del Sol. Likewise, the airport is expanded with a third terminal, improvements are the infrastructures for the reception of cruise ships in the port of Malaga, and the Hiperronda is built. The railway project of the Corridor of the Costa del Sol is currently under study.
Transportation
Air Transportation
Málaga-Costa del Sol airport is the third airport in the Iberian Peninsula and the fourth in Spain in number of travelers. In 2017 it registered 137,092 flights and 18,628,876 passengers (11.7% more than in 2016), of which 16,120,479 correspond to international flights (+12.4%), which represents around 85% of international passenger traffic. the region and places it as the main communications infrastructure in Andalusia, the region's gateway to the world and the great airport in the south of the peninsula and in North Africa. More than 50 airlines (53 in total) maintain direct international connections with 136 cities around the world, mainly throughout Europe, but also in North Africa, the Middle East (Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia) and North America (New York, Toronto and Montreal), as well as national flights to the main Spanish cities. Since 1996, it has also operated a regular helicopter service between Malaga airport and Ceuta heliport, transporting around 20,000 passengers each year.
The airport is connected to the city by urban bus 24 hours a day (line A, Aeropuerto - Paseo del Parque) and numerous intercity buses to the Costa del Sol, as well as by train surroundings. Since 2010 it has a third terminal and since June 2012 with a second runway.
Maritime Transport
By sea through the Port of Malaga, the capital of the province communicates with various ports on the Mediterranean Sea, currently being the second port for tourist cruises in Spain after Barcelona, although the only regular line service is the ferry that connects Malaga with Melilla. Since the 1990s, remodeling has been carried out to integrate the port into the city, expanding the quays and dikes, and building different buildings and museums. There are also other ports in Malaga for sports use: Puerto El Candado and the Real Club Mediterráneo Marina.
In the province of Malaga we find numerous ports, essentially fishing and sports: Puerto Banús, Puerto Marina, the Port of La Bajadilla, the Port of Fuengirola, the Port of La Caleta de Vélez, the Port of Estepona, the Port of Cabopino, the Puerto de la Duquesa and the Marina of Marbella. In the province of Cádiz we find the fishing port of La Atunara and the Marina Alcaidesa marina, both in La Línea de la Concepción.
In 2011, a pioneering Aqua Taxi service in Spain came into operation. It will link the Port of Malaga with those of Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Marbella and Puerto Banús in vessels of up to 12 passengers. The plans contemplate its extension to Gibraltar and Nerja.
Lighthouses located on the Costa del Sol
- Torrox Lighthouse
- Lighthouse of Torre del Mar
- La Farola de Malaga
- Lighthouse of Punta de Calaburras de Mijas
- Lighthouse of Marbella
- Faro de Punta Doncella de Estepona
- Carbonera Lighthouse
Rail Transportation
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From the new Málaga-María Zambrano de Adif Station, the capital is linked with some towns on the coast and the Guadalhorce valley, through the Cercanías Málaga network, and with the rest of Spain with daily trains to Madrid, Barcelona and Córdoba, among other destinations.
The Málaga-Córdoba high-speed line (AVE) was inaugurated on December 23, 2007, reducing the trip to Madrid to two and a half hours. This line connects the city with Antequera-Santa Ana, Puente Genil, Puertollano and Ciudad Real. In the same way, an AVE line is established between Malaga and Seville using the Malaga-Córdoba-Sevilla routes, saving 35 minutes on the journey. In addition, with the construction of the bypass in Madrid, a direct AVE service to Zaragoza and Barcelona and other towns in Aragon and Catalonia has been inaugurated.
Apart from high-speed services, other long-distance services still operate. One to Barcelona through Albacete and Valencia (Arco García Lorca), another night to Barcelona through the AVE line but by sleeper train (Trenhotel Gibralfaro) and another to Bilbao through Valladolid and Ávila (Estrella Picasso). Regarding the Media Distancia routes, the only two routes with passenger service are destined for Seville and Ronda, both circulating through El Chorro.
The current Cercanías Málaga lines are shown here:
 Nearby train lines
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line | Traject. | Tour | Operator |
 | Malaga - Airport - Fuengirola | 31 km |  |
 | Málaga - Álora | 38 km | |
City and Intercity Bus
Málaga's urban buses have an extensive and complex network that dates back to the 50s and currently has 34 daytime lines, plus 5 nighttime lines, 4 circular lines, and an express line to the airport. The company that manages the entire bus network is the EMT. Urban buses are practical and agile when it comes to moving around the municipality of Malaga, linking all points of the city with the Historic Center.
Here are all the urban bus lines:
| Line | Traject. | Average frequency (Laborables) | Average frequency (Saturday) | Average frequency (Domingos and Festives) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
From the Malaga bus station, managed by the EMT, located on Paseo de los Tilos, next to the “María Zambrano” Train Station, it connects the capital with all the municipalities of the province, and the main cities of Spain and Europe.
To facilitate communications with the periphery, in February 2005 the single ticket of the Málaga Area Metropolitan Transport Consortium came into force, which coordinates the urban bus lines of Málaga and Alhaurín de la Torre, and the lines that connect the city with the municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Malaga. Currently, the Consorcio card can be used on the suburban train and in the future, it will include the metro. The vehicles are beige, and the line number has three figures, preceded by an M (Metropolitan)
There is also a bus station at Muelle Heredia, rehabilitated by the Transport Consortium in 2010, in the center of the city, next to the Port of Malaga, with destinations to various locations in its metropolitan area: Rincón de La Victoria, Vélez-Málaga, Churriana, Campanillas, Torremolinos, Benalmádena, the Barriada del Sexmo (Cártama) and the Barriada de Los Núñez (Almogía).
Road Network
The main road axes in the province are those that form part of the State Highway Network, of national interest and built and maintained by the Government of Spain. The coastal axis of the Mediterranean highway stands out, built in the 1980s in its section between Malaga and Marbella and which was one of the first free highways in Andalusia. In the 1990s, this highway was extended at its ends to Estepona and Nerja, and the road access to Malaga from Antequera was doubled, connecting with the interior of Andalusia and Spain. A toll motorway between Fuengirola and Estepona was also put into service, later extended to the provincial border with Cádiz. In the 2000s, the coastal highway finally reached the borders of the province, and in 2010, several projects were completed in order to relieve traffic congestion in the province. The capital's second ring road and a toll highway to Puerto de las Pedrizas were opened to traffic; Actions were also carried out on urban highways, such as the new access to the airport and the burying of the highway through San Pedro Alcántara.
The regional network is secondary but equally fundamental, not only for provincial routes, but also for regional and national ones. The A-92 stands out, a transversal highway built on old national highways that connects Seville with Almería, passing through the north of the province of Málaga. It was built in the 1990s; later it was complemented with a shortcut to shorten the journeys between Malaga and Granada, and consequently with Madrid. The other autonomous highway in the province is the A-357, which began connecting the center of Malaga with the new university campus and the Andalusia Technology Park, and in successive extensions it reached various municipalities in the Guadalhorce Valley. Other outstanding single carriageway highways in the regional network are the A-384 from Antequera to Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz), the A-397 from Ronda to San Pedro Alcántara, and the A-356 that connects Vélez-Málaga with Casabermeja and therefore with the A-45.
Festivities and traditions
August Fair
The August Fair is the most famous tradition of the entire Costa del Sol par excellence. One of the singularities of the Malaga Fair lies in the division of the celebration areas, because although the fairgrounds are located in the Cortijo de Torres, the historic center of Malaga lives its particular "Daytime Fair". Therefore, it could be said that there are two fairs in Malaga, the "Day Fair" in the center of the city, and the "Night Fair" in the Cortijo de Torres, although in the fairgrounds the festive activity is maintained during all day
During the day, the city center is abuzz with people, largely due to the holiday when hundreds of thousands of people from all corners of the world spend their vacations on the coast. The streets of the historic center are decorated with lanterns and floral decorations, booths are set up, shows for children and adults are held, dances, parades with orchestras and an endless number of events, among which it is worth highlighting the Verdiales Pandas that walk the streets and main squares displaying their unique and ancient folklore, while carriages and decorated horse teams take to the streets of the city. Likewise, flamenco and copla are present throughout the fair, since we must not forget that Malaga and its province are a geographical area of cante. In addition to traditional music, in many establishments during the Day Fair and in the booths at the Night Fair you can listen to different musical styles for any taste.
At night the party is concentrated in the Real del Cortijo de Torres, where booths, stalls and mechanical attractions are located in an orderly manner for the amusement of all audiences.
Holy Week
Holy Week is one of the most fervent traditions on the entire Costa del Sol. Although Holy Week in Malaga is the most famous in the country, other municipalities such as Vélez-Málaga also have Holy Week.
In Holy Week, the sacred images procession on thrones, instead of pasos, as they are called in the rest of Andalusia, in addition the bearers are replaced by men on thrones, who carry the throne on their shoulders by means of poles and not by neck as costaleros do.
The most important processions in all of Malaga's Holy Week are: El Cautivo, Esperanza, Pollinica, Paloma, Sepulcro, El Rico and Mena. This last one is perhaps the most anticipated, due to the participation of the Legion during the procession and its previous disembarkation in the port.
It is also worth highlighting the Holy Week of La Línea de la Concepción, declared a festival of tourist interest in Andalusia since 2005, where it is worth noting sculptural carvings by the masters Luis Ortega Bru and Antonio Castillo Lastrucci.
Festival of the three cultures (Frigiliana)
The Frigiliana 3 Culturas Festival is a mixture of party and culture that was born in 2006 with the idea of the government group to promote Frigiliana with a major tourist event in the province, thus combining culture, gastronomy, music, theater... in an amalgamation of activities that make up each edition and that literally brings thousands of people to Frigiliana.
The tapa route is undoubtedly one of the activities that attracts the most participation. The festival offers a wide range of tapas with drinks at a reasonable price, €1.50. Each edition there are hundreds of people who take to the streets to complete the route and thus obtain the accrediting shirt, others, more calm, simply take advantage of it to walk through the town with friends. But gastronomy is also present in the gastronomic days. Every year several restaurants in the town prepare menus specifically designed for the festival, in this way relevance is given to Sephardic, Arab or Christian food, being able to taste dishes that are not usually on restaurant menus.
The soul of the festival is found in the street and in the more than 100 stalls spread throughout the historic center of the town.
Future projects
The Costa del Sol has several future projects that will transform it into a consolidated economic and tourist center for Spain, others to improve the quality of life in the area:
Expansion of Málaga suburban trains
The municipality of Marbella has no rail communication of any kind, which is why the Ministry of Public Works intends to extend the current commuter line to Estepona, passing through Mijas and Marbella. Another of the possible extensions of the network would be to create the C-3 line from Malaga to Nerja, since the Eastern Costa del Sol is also in a state of rail cutoff.
Malaga Metro
The Málaga Metro is another of the main projects on the coast. Currently the network only has two lines, in the future it is expected to run to the Airport and Alhaurín de la Torre, as well as to Rincón de la Victoria, communicating all the districts of the city, including the Andalusia Technology Park.
Airport City of Alhaurín de la Torre
Globalization and the current business context are marking the future of 21st century international airports and turning the areas close to them into important areas of strategic and metropolitan opportunity.
The trend is for the areas near these aerodromes to stop being a mere transit space, to become the final destination thanks to the urban and economic centers that are being established there. Sustainable urban centers with international appeal where people live, work and play and are known as "airport cities". The project would create more than 25,000 direct jobs and 80,000 indirect ones. It would also put Alhaurín de la Torre at an important point on the Costa del Sol, since it would become a consolidated commercial, financial and business center.
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Annex: Municipalities of the State of Mexico