Varaa Nerja -liput today

Perched on a clifftop above the Mediterranean, Nerja occupies one of the most dramatically positioned stretches of the Andalusian coast. The town sits roughly halfway between Málaga and Almería, where the Sierra de Almijara mountains press close to the shoreline and the sea takes on the deep blue that has drawn visitors to this corner of the Costa Tropical for generations. It is a small town, unhurried in its rhythms, and that quality is precisely what distinguishes it from the larger resort developments further west along the coast.

The focal point of any visit is the Balcón de Europa, a palm-lined promenade built on a promontory that juts out over the sea. Alfonso XII gave it its name during a visit in 1885, and the view from its railing, with the coastline curving away in both directions and the mountains rising behind, remains one of the most photographed in southern Spain. Below the balcony, narrow lanes of whitewashed houses descend towards the coves, and the old town retains the compact, walkable character of a traditional Andalusian pueblo despite the considerable tourist trade that passes through each summer.