East of Nerja the coast becomes more rugged; with your own wheels you can head to some great beaches reached by tracks down from the A7. Playa del Cañuelo, immediately before the border with Granada province, is one of the best, with a couple of summer-only restaurants.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.31 MILES
It’s hard to imagine the surreal world that lies beneath the mountain foothills 4km east of Nerja, and it’s even harder to believe that these vast caverns…
4.75 MILES
Located in the heart of town, the fabulous balcón juts out like a natural pier, forming a beautiful palm-lined terrace with panoramic views of the sea…
11.2 MILES
Salobreña’s historic centre (west of the modern town) comprises the barrios that once huddled inside its medieval walls. Slender cobbled lanes meander up…
5.48 MILES
Almuñécar's impressive hilltop castle was built over Islamic, Roman and Phoenician fortifications by the conquering Christians in the 16th century, was…
11.12 MILES
Crowning the gleaming-white old town, Salobreña's landmark Moorish castle dates to the 12th century, though the site was fortified as early as the 10th…
0.9 MILES
Hemmed in by rocky cliffs and the glittering Mediterranean, gorgeous grey-pebble Cantarriján is one of Andalucía's original and favourite nudist beaches…
11.17 MILES
A standout for its slender tower and beautifully tiled side portal, this 16th-century Mudéjar church was built on the site of a former mosque. The…
5.43 MILES
A rocky outcrop crowned by a large crucifix, the Peñón del Santo commands sweeping views of the town's seafront. To the west, the Playa de San Cristóbal…
Nearby Nerja attractions
0.9 MILES
Hemmed in by rocky cliffs and the glittering Mediterranean, gorgeous grey-pebble Cantarriján is one of Andalucía's original and favourite nudist beaches…
3.31 MILES
It’s hard to imagine the surreal world that lies beneath the mountain foothills 4km east of Nerja, and it’s even harder to believe that these vast caverns…
4.41 MILES
This is Nerja’s longest and best beach, with plenty of towel space on the sand. From Balcón de Europa, walk east down bleached white Calle Carabeo and…
4.72 MILES
This small, pretty cove is just east of the Balcón de Europa. You can rent sunbeds and parasols here, though it does get busy at the height of summer,…
4.75 MILES
Located in the heart of town, the fabulous balcón juts out like a natural pier, forming a beautiful palm-lined terrace with panoramic views of the sea…
4.87 MILES
Nerja’s museum traces the history of the town from the cave dwellers of Paleolithic times to the tourist-boom years of the ’60s, and is well worth a…
5.18 MILES
Almuñécar's western and best beach is a pretty grey-pebble strip framed by green headlands and dotted with seafood chiringuitos that catches the sun well…
5.4 MILES
A lush park built around the remains of a Carthaginian and Roman fish-salting workshop, where garum (fermented fish sauce) was produced before being…