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The
Costa del Sol is situated in the South of Spain, which a member
of the European community located in the far west of the
Mediterranean. The area of coastline that is the Costa del Sol
extends northwards from the Straits of Gibraltar, which is the door to
the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of this land
establishes the division between the west of the Costa del Sol,
which include; Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Marbella,
Estepona, Manilva and areas surrounding Cádiz and Sotogrande; and the
east of the Costa del Sol, which include Nerja, Torre del Mar and
Tolox.
Málaga
borders on the provinces of Granada in the East; Córdoba in the North
and Cádiz in the West. Málaga can be easily reached via direct roads
from all of these places, however the most direct approach is via
the southbound National 5 road from Madrid, through Granada. The
road via Córdoba is also quite straightforward and connects with the
main road 92, which links Sevilla and Granada.
The
National 340 coastal road is not very good quality, however, when you
eventually arrive in Málaga you can take the main road or use the
motorway. Coach travel is relatively simple and there are frequent
and regular services from Madrid, Barcelona and the North of Spain,
Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada and Cádiz to Málaga.
Málaga
airport,
which is also known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso airport, is the fourth busiest
airport in Spain (almost ten million passengers each year) and has the
capacity for 500 flights per day. You can fly direct to
the majority of the main European capitals as well as big
international cities like New York. Many companies also offer regular
charter flights to these destinations.
There
are numerous companies that fly direct from the Costa del Sol to
Madrid and Barcelona throughout the day. Iberia has seven connections a
day to Madrid and it is possible to check flight times and book tickets
for these flights via their website. The airport is situated next to the
main road that runs through the Costa del Sol, which makes it a
relatively simple affair to get to your final destination.
The
train journey to Madrid is approximately four hours long and is
via the Talgo 200 (run by the cost-effective Renfe company). They also
run a service called 'coche-cama' which allows you to take your car on
the train. From Málaga there are also local trains with good connecting
services to other cities in Andalusia.
There
are also good connections from the Costa del Sol to various other
cities within Spain.
Ronda
and Serranía.
This historic city is in a wonderful location, placed high above a
famous cliff and surrounded by mountains. It captured the imaginations
of many European romantic writers during the XIX century. You can get to
it from the town of San Pedro de Alcántara, in the west of Marbella;
via the Guadalhorce valley from Málaga or from the north of the
province. If you approach it from Ronda, it is advisable to also visit
the extraordinary Valle del Genal, with its Moorish influenced villages,
famous Spanish Firs (unique species) and the river Guadiaro, which runs
down to the limits of the Costa del Sol.
Antequera
and La Vega. This
place in the north of the province is well known for its prehistoric
dolmens and its other many religious and civil monuments. Most journeys
into Málaga, excluding the ones via the coast, will usually pass
through this city and its surrounding countryside of characteristic
undulating ploughed fields and typical hillside villages protected by
old fortifications. From here, you can easily gain access to the Torcal,
the most important calcareous area in Europe; and the Laguna de
Fuentepiedra, the largest breeding area for the continental flamingo and
other wading birds in Europe apart from La Camargue in France.
Los
Montes and La Hoya.
The main road
that links Antequera and Málaga passes through Los Montes, an ecosystem
with an abundant variety of vegetation and diverse habitat. A more
scenic route would be to take the old Camino Real, between Colmenar and
Málaga; a fantastic journey that winds down from 1000 metres above sea
level down to the Mediterranean sea. If you follow this road to the
north, towards Granada and the Axarquía, it passes through La Hoya,
where you will find a beautiful labyrinth of streams and pools amongst
almond orchards, olive trees and holm oak woods.
La
Axarquía.
The range of calcareous mountains which pass through Málaga give way to
this area which extends until the east of the Costa del Sol. It
is easy to get to this location from Vélez-Málaga and also Nerja.
Behind the impressive peaks of Tejeda and Almijara at 2000 metres high,
there are a number of villages with a distinct Arabic influence.
The
transport links with the Costa del Sol have been made as
convenient, efficient and comfortable as possible due to its importance
as an international tourist destination and also the increasing
prominence of the South of Spain within the national economy.
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