Best Areas to Stay in Nerja, Spain

Nerja’s Old Town is located on a rocky cliff facing the Mediterranean Sea.

This beautiful area showcases the typical appearance of the Andalusian coastal towns; whitewashed houses decorated with flowers and steep and narrow pedestrian streets lead to terraces with impressive coastline views.

At its heart lies the Plaza de España, a lively public square full of restaurants and cafes where some of the town’s most emblematic buildings are located. Here, you’ll find the town hall and the Nerja Museum, which offers interactive exhibits, objects, works of art and artefacts related to the municipality’s history.

The old town of Nerja is also home to other attractions of historical value, such as the Church of El Salvador or the hermitage of Las Angustias.

On the outskirts of the historic centre of Nerja is the Parque Verano Azul, a green space dedicated to the iconic Spanish television series from the eighties.

However, perhaps the most prominent tourist attraction in the centre of Nerja is the famous Balcón de Europa. This viewpoint was built on a cliff and offers stunning views of the sea. It is located on the Calahonda beach promenade.

At the foot of the Balcón de Europa you can find some of the most popular beaches in Nerja including La Calahonda, La Caletilla or El Chorrillo.

Since it is an area of ​​narrow pedestrian streets, the best way to get around the centre of Nerja is on foot. To reach other areas, the municipality offers three urban bus lines (one of which operates only in the summer) connecting the town centre with other neighbourhoods in the area.

The accommodation offer in the centre of Nerja is varied and ranges from inexpensive family-run properties to luxurious boutique hotels and many tourist apartments.

Burriana Beach is located approximately 1.5 km from Nerja’s Historic Town Centre.

This famous beach is one of the largest and most visited in the municipality and stands out for its wide sandy area and calm waters, suitable for swimming.

Playa de Burriana is a fully-serviced beach and offers showers, toilets, beach bars, sun loungers, volleyball courts and watersports equipment rental venues.

The district near the beach is a very modern area. It has many residential developments and luxury condominiums. Camino de Burriana street, which serves as the area’s promenade, is full of restaurants, bars and beach clubs.

Although Burriana can get crowded with tourists during the summer, visitors looking for a little more tranquillity can find quieter bathing areas in the nearby Carabeíllo beach.

Lines 1 and 2 of the Nerja bus system connect Burriana Beach with the city centre and nearby developments.

The surroundings of Burriana Beach offer a large number of hotels and tourist apartments.

Punta Lara is a residential development located about 4 km west of the centre of Nerja.

This recently created complex of compounds is characterised by its mix of residential and holiday apartments and villas.

Being a planned area, Punta Lara does not have an urban centre. Most of its shops, bars and restaurants are scattered around the different urbanizaciones.

The main attraction making Punta Lara one of the best areas to stay in Nerja is no doubt El Playazo Beach. This massive and semi-virgin beach survived the overdevelopment of the rest of Costa del Sol and is surrounded by farms and sugarcane plantations.

Other nearby beaches include Playa Güilche and Playa Calaceite.

The local bus network’s Black Line covers some areas of Punta Lara and connects some of its compounds and the town centre.

However, the best way to move between this area and the town centre is by car.

Frigiliana is a small mountain village located about 7 km north of the historic centre of Nerja.

This charming town is situated in the mountains of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park, and a short distance from Los Cahorros del Río Chíllar.

Its old town is considered one of the most beautiful in the province of Malaga. It has several attractions, such as the San Antonio de Padua church, the Archaeological Museum – Casa del Apero, the Castle of Lizar and the Plaza de las Tres Culturas.

Frigiliana is also home to the Palace of the Counts of Frigiliana. Also called El Ingenio, this industrial colony and sugarcane factory was built around a 16th-century manor palace.

The small town of Frigiliana offers tranquillity and an idyllic setting surrounded by nature and history. The hotel offer in the town, and its surroundings includes inns, hotels and rural accommodation with spectacular views.