Malaga Province, Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain

The southern Province of Malaga is one of eight provinces in Andalucia, Southern Spain. It is the usual point of entry into Andalucia if arriving by plane. The province is itself divided into six departments as shown below. The city of Malaga is the second largest in Andalucia and is one of the most vibrant. It is often ignored by visitors who slip straight off from the airport to the resort towns, but it is well worth investigating.

Sun and sand are the main reason why thousands flock to the province each year. More than three quarters of all visitors come here with these two points in mind. The Costa del Sol benefits enormously from a mavellous climate that rarely reaches extremes. Warm summers and mild winters make this the ideal destination for enjoying a dip in the sea, especially as the benign climate also keeps the waters of the Mediterranean at just the right temperature. On the Malaga coast tiny, secluded coves rub shoulders with vast beaches.

The Costa del Sol tourism sector, aware of the potential of its beaches, has succeeded in taking full advantage of them, offering bathers a wide range of alternative facilities and services. Tourists can choose to relax, enjoy a broad spectrum of different water sports or sample the area´s culinary delights in the numerous beach restaurants found along the sands of the province.

Few places in the world can boast such contrasting landscapes as mountains and beaches side by side. Malaga City, the province´s capital, is one such privileged location with beaches that lie close to the city centre, some of which have been integrated into the urban structure itself.

The coastal towns of the province are described in our Costa del Sol section but, with its mountainous interior, this province is much more than its infamous coastline. For those who are prepared to travel inland a little, the area of Axarquia is full of small white villages of Muslim origin, each with thier own character and history. Axarquia is also home to Malaga´s primary fishing town and harbour at Caleta de Velez. There are many other areas of incredible natural beauty, spectacular gorges, good walking areas, one of Europe's two main breeding grounds for the greater flamingo and sites of early civilisations. Further inland are the towns of Ronda split in two by a gaping gorge spanned by an 18th century bridge, and Antequera with its Baroque and Renaissance architecture.

MALAGA PROVINCE