As you head east from Malaga Airport there are some popular holiday destinations within an hours drive. In the past most people used to head west to the holidat resorts of Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Marbella but these days places like Torrox and Nerja are just as popular.
Nerja itself is located right on the coast about 50kms from Malaga and is accessed via the main coast road called the N340. Nerja is really the most easterly point of the Costa del Sol before you enter the Costa Tropical and has a population of around 22,000 people.
Like many of the now busy coastal resorts Nerja was once a small fishing village before tourists started to realise its charm and potential. The attractions to Nerja were things like the amazing 16 kms of sandy beaches and the unusually clear waters of the sea.
The scenery around Nerja is quite spectacular with many giant cliff faces and and the backdrop of the Sierra Almijara mountain range and right in the heart of Nerja is a section of land that juts out over the Mediterranean called the Balcon de Europa or in English quite simply the balcony of Europe.
There are many attractions and things to do in Nerja but none more spectacular than the Nerja Caves which house some of the oldest wall paintings to be found in Spain. One of the large caverns in the caves is now a popular venue for small concerts with its unique acoustics.
Nerja has managed to avoid too much of the high rise buildings that are seen further west along the Costa del Sol and even though there are many newer urbanisations, they have remained in keeping with the village and just add to the towns charm and character.