Destination Guides: Costa Tropical (Granada Coast)

Sierra Nevada

Granada province is a province of extremes – from the Sierra Nevada mountains in the middle of the province and the cold, high altitude regions in the North, to the warm beaches of the Costa Tropical in the South. The coast is famous for its exceptionally mild winter temperatures (average 18°C in January) and its beaches.

The coastal resorts are much quieter than their counterparts on the nearby Costa del Sol, and you’ll find more Spanish tourists than British ones. It’s an excellent place to visit if you want to discover the “real Spain” while still being able to relax on the beach or in one of the many chiringuitos (beach restaurants)

Some towns on the Costa Tropical

Almuñecar

75km east of Malaga airport, Almuñecar is the largest resort on the Costa Tropical. Almuñecar is famous for its beaches, but also worth visiting are the old quarter, the Moorish castle (Castillo de San Miguel), the Roman aqueduct and the El Majuelo botanical gardens.

La Herradura

Salobreña at night

La Herradura is just to the East of Almuñecar. The village itself is at one end of a 2km sandy bay which is protected at either end by large headlands. At La Herradura, you’ll find a diving centre, several watersports clubs and many restaurants and bars, plus the beautiful old white village.

Salobreña

Salobreña is a beautiful town nestled on a hill by the sea, and topped with an old castle. The town is great fun to explore (although getting to the top is hard work!), and the beaches below are relatively quiet, yet with a good enough choice of restaurants and bars. NB many of Salobreña’s beach restaurants are closed in low season.

Places to visit nearby

Granada

No visit to Granada province would be complete without a visit to Granada city. Once the capital of Moorish Spain, Granada boasts some of the best examples of Moorish / Arabic architecture in Europe, including the famous palaces at the Alhambra. It is also one of the last cities in Spain to retain the tradition of free tapas with a round of drinks in bars, it’s friendly and has an excellent music scene. Well worth a day-trip or overnight stay.

Las Alpujarras

For stunning mountain scenery and cooler temperatures, Las Alpujarras is only 40km from the coast.

Find out more at the Andalucia tourist board website: www.andalucia.org

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