General information on Nerja
Nerja itself has been a very popular destination for both European and Spanish holidaymakers for many years but has always maintained it’s heritage and remains, in appearance, a traditional Spanish Coastal town. Frigiliana is a place to go if you want to see a traditional Spanish mountain village and is a beautiful place to visit. David Riordan from Frigiliana Tours takes a look at the history of the two areas...
Nerja has gone through a remarkable transition over the past 30 years from sleepy fishing village to the hottest spot on the Costa del Sol. It has happened because of several factors. The successive town governments have been careful not to replicate the urban sprawl that has been the downfall of several formerly attractive villages along the coast. The construction of the super highway during the past 10 years has reduced the travel time from Nerja to the airport from over two hours to forty minutes. Where the highway goes, so goes development. Just look at the budding development in some of the villages where the highway is going next. Who ever heard of Velez de Benaudalla before six months ago?
It is not hard to see why Nerja, with 16 kilometres of pristine white beaches, is so attractive, especially to sun starved northern Europeans. From mid April through October you can see them toplessly doing their best to prematurely age while the locals pick the delicious and bountiful mussels off the rocks at the end of Burriana beach. If you like great seafood like mussels, and especially if you like paella, by far the best and most famous restaurant on Burriana beach is Ayo’s. You know you are doing something right when people don't even have to refer to the name of your restaurant. In Nerja, the locals simply say, "I'll meet you for Paella at 2" and everyone knows that that means Ayo’s. When you go there, you may have to be aggressive to get a table, especially weekends from 1-4 as hungry folks with saliva dribbling out of their mouths circle the soon to be emptied tables like sharks.
Ayo is also famous for another reason. He was one of a group of locals who first explored the caves of Nerja back in the late 1950’s. The caves are amazing and are a must see for any visit to the Costa. Inside they have found cave paintings dating back 20,000 years. Human remains dating back 6000 years have also been uncovered. The cave is the home of the largest stalactite in the world. Only about one third of the more than 35,000 square metres are open to the public, but believe me, that is plenty impressive.
Now the caves have been developed into a first class destination with bi-lingual displays and professional and very tasteful lighting. A great time to visit the caves is at the end of July when they host a weeklong festival of cultural events. The festival runs from July 19 through the 24th this year and promises to be among the best ever. The highlights include guitarist Paco de Lucia, flamenco star José Bros, and the Malaga philharmonic orchestra. The phenomenal acoustics and intimate and unusual environment make for a pleasurable and memorable evening.
Nerja, like the entire Axarquia area, suffered enormous damage during the earthquakes of December 25th and 26th, 1884. As a result of the terrible damage, King Alphonso XII visited the area to view the destruction and see what he could do. During that famous visit, he passed through Nerja and so admired the view from the edge of the pedestrian walkway out to the sea that he exclaimed, "This must truly be the Balcony of Europe". The leaders of Nerja had a knack for marketing and so "Balcon de Europa" was born. You can see or perhaps take a picture with a wonderful statue of King Alphonso XII while you take in the breathtaking views.
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