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Estepona It is known as «the garden of the Costa del Sol»: a whitewashed old town with flowerpots on every corner, 62 murals large-format billboards scattered throughout the city and Europe’s largest orchid nursery.
It’s at the western end of the coast; you can do almost everything on foot, and it makes for a perfect day out. These are The ten must-haves.
Cobbled pedestrian streets, white houses and hundreds of plant pots in blue, green and terracotta. The collection is known as the neighbourhood of the flowers, and the council refreshes the decorations throughout the year, so It’s lovely at any time of year.
The two must-visit streets are Terraza Street y Flower Street. But what works here is just wandering about with no particular plan.
The heart of the old town: orange trees, a fountain in the centre and terraces all around. The most flower-filled streets branch off from here, so it serves as a good point of reference.
In the square itself is the Casa de las Tejerinas, which houses the tourist information centre and temporary exhibitions. Pop in to pick up the map of the murals Before we start.
62 works painted on party walls and façades by artists from all over the world, scattered throughout the town centre. It is an open-air museum and free of charge.
The trick: Pick up a map from the tourist office or download one, as many of them are outside the pedestrianised area and aren’t visible from the street. You can find the route at the art mural trail.
It’s the most surprising visit, and this is no local exaggeration: it is home to the largest collection of orchids in Europe on public display.
It opened in March 2015 and it has more than 5,000 plants, including more than 1,300 species of orchids. Inside there is three glass domes —the eldest of 30 metres—, a 15-metre waterfall, a bamboo grove, a water lily pond and 300 square metres of vertical gardens.
The prices – which nobody usually mentions:
No booking is required: Tickets can be bought at the box office.
Two things to look for inside: on miniature orchid garden, unique in Europe, with species measuring less than ten centimetres; and vanilla, which many people don’t realise is a climbing orchid.
Further information at the Estepona Botanical Gardens.
One of the city’s landmarks, right in the heart of the old town. It is the old bell tower which remains of the original church, and its silhouette can be seen from across half of Estepona.
Nearby lie the remains of the San Luis Castle and the Church of Our Lady of Los Remedios, which round off the historic quarter.
More than two kilometres an urban beach right next to the city centre, with dark sand —like the rest of the Malaga coastline, not the ‘Golden Coast’— and a landscaped promenade with the Sierra Bermeja in the background.
It’s the perfect spot to watch the sunset, and you can walk there from the old town.
The alternative if you’re travelling with children. It is a small, sheltered cove next to the harbour, with much calmer waters the city beach and facilities right on the sand.
Estepona preserves the fishing fleet, so the marina and the fishing harbour coexist here. In the afternoon, a market is set up craft market and at night it’s full of terraces.
It’s also where you’ll find the best seafood in the city, as you’ll see below.
Fresh produce, fish of the day and a local atmosphere. Go in the morning, which is when it works.
To understand how Estepona evolved from a fishing village into what it is today. They’re in the centre and can be seen in a flash, so they fit in nicely between one stroll and the next.
Five verified sites, and with the detail that’s often missing: when they close.
10 Puerto Pesquero Street, in the harbour — the fishing harbour, not the marina —. With A rating of 4.6 and over 6,500 reviews, is Estepona’s leading seafood restaurant.
Two tips to save you a trip:
30 Paseo Marítimo Pedro Manrique. Skewers, charcoal-grilled fish and paella, with your feet in the sand. 4.3 out of 5, based on over 3,300 reviews. Closed on Tuesdays; the rest, from 10.30 am to 10.30 pm.
7 Raphael Street. A wine bar and gastropub with a patio, creative tapas and an excellent wine list. Open every day from 12:00 to midnight, and until 1:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
19 Calle Real. Breakfasts, bowls and vegetarian options, rated 4.6. Please note: it’s closed on Wednesdays and is only open until 6.00 pm, so it’s no good for dinner.
At Guadalmansa, Cádiz road, km 164, about 8 kilometres to the east From the city centre: you’ll need a car or a taxi. Mediterranean cuisine in a beach club setting, with live music on many evenings.
The old town is a pedestrian zone, so leave your car in the perimeter car parks and walk in.
Marbella It’s half an hour away and Mijas Something else. You can find more ideas at what to see near Marbella y the best beaches in the area.
We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. From here, the best option is to head west:
The whole destination, in The Malaga Guide.
Admission for adults costs 5 euros, and there is a reduced rate of 3 euros for pensioners, people with disabilities and children aged 6 to 12. Children under 6 go in for free. No booking is required: tickets can be purchased directly at the Orchid House ticket office.
In the morning, the old town with the Plaza de las Flores and Calle Terraza – but first, pick up a map of the murals from the tourist information office. Mid-morning, the Orchid House. And in the afternoon, the seafront promenade and the harbour to watch the sunset. Everything is within walking distance, apart from a few murals, which are scattered throughout the town centre.
Sixty-two large-scale works, painted on party walls and façades by artists from various countries and scattered throughout the town centre. The tour is free, and it’s a good idea to pick up a map from the tourist office, located in the Casa de las Tejerinas, as many of the works are outside the pedestrianised area.
La Escollera, at 10 Puerto Pesquero Street, is the top-rated restaurant with over 6,500 reviews. Two things to bear in mind: it doesn’t take bookings, so you’ll need to arrive before it opens and put your name on the list, and it’s closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. From Wednesday to Saturday it’s open for lunch and dinner, and on Sundays only for lunch.
Because of the hundreds of colourful flowerpots that decorate the streets of the old town, known as the ‘neighbourhood of flowers’, and because the council renews the floral displays throughout the year. Added to this is the Orchid House, which houses the largest collection of orchids in Europe open to the public.
It’s about 85 kilometres along the A-7 or the AP-7 toll motorway, around an hour’s drive, and just half an hour from Marbella. There are also frequent buses from both cities. As the old town is pedestrianised, it’s best to park on the outskirts and explore it on foot.
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