Estepona (Spain) is a city on the famous Costa del Sol coast. Estepona belongs to the province of Malaga, and is located 82 kilometers from its administrative center, the city of Malaga.
In Spain, Estepona is known as the “Garden of the Costa del Sol”. The fact is that in the 20th century, this city was almost completely rebuilt, with many streets designed in the typical Andalusian style. And although at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, Estepona underwent intensive urbanization, it retained its Andalusian essence. Currently, Estepona (total area 137 km²) is divided into 8 quarters, and each of them has special architectural and historical components.
Estepona has a population of around 67,000 and is multinational: the proportion of foreigners living here is the highest in Andalusia (around 25%). This situation is due to the fact that at the end of the 20th century Estepona saw an intensive development of tourism, and some foreigners not only came here for a holiday, but also stayed to live.
Estepona is especially popular among wealthy Europeans looking for peace and quiet, although it is also suitable for a lively youth holiday. Several things make Estepona an attractive resort: the picturesque view of the city, many bars, entertainment venues, numerous boutiques of prestigious brands, comfortable climate conditions, comfortable beaches, good tourist infrastructure.
Transport accessibility
From Estepona to the east there are routes to San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella, Torremolinos, Málaga, Hospital Costa del Sol, Benalmádena, and to the west to Algeciras and La Línea de La Concepción. The resort is also connected by motorway to Granada, Cádiz and Cordoba.
The closest international airport to Estepona is Gibraltar (45 km away) and receives flights from Manchester, Bristol, and London. A little further (80 km away) is Malaga Airport, from where a direct bus from Avanza Grupo runs to Estepona twice a day.
Hotels in Estepona
Expensive 4* and 5* hotels in Estepona are only located near the sea. Almost every such hotel has a swimming pool and entertainment for guests of any age. A double room in a 5* hotel costs 90-150 €, but there is no upper limit. A double room in a 4* hotel can be found for 70-90 € per night, and in a 3* hotel – for 50-60 €.
Hotels located directly in the city are more convenient for those tourists who want to see the sights of the historical center and the surrounding area. The cost of accommodation in city hotels is approximately the same as in hotels on the coast, but the city is mainly concentrated in budget hotels 2*-3* without a swimming pool.
Beaches
The Mediterranean coastline, which stretches along the entire Estepona for 21 km, is occupied by 17 beaches. All of them have a sand or sand-and-pebbles surface. The coast is clean, and the entry into the water is smooth and comfortable. The only unfavorable feature of the resort is the cold currents that come here from time to time, due to which the water temperature drops for a couple of days.
There are wild beaches, but most are well-equipped and suitable for a comfortable holiday.
Playa del Cristo
Playa del Cristo is located within the city limits, west of the port. It occupies a shallow bay, well protected from the east winds.
The beach strip, which is about 700 m long, is well equipped and lifeguards ensure order.
Playa del Cristo is always crowded and is especially popular with families with children.
Rada Beach
Situated near the city centre, Playa La Rada is well known among holidaymakers. Starting at the pier, it runs along the historic centre and ends at the Paseo Maritimo promenade. Its length is about 2.7 km.
In addition, Playa de la Rada is accessible to visitors with disabilities.
The beach is great, but even a slight breeze there is equivalent to a sandstorm.
During the summer, Playa La Rada is used for music festivals.
Padron Beach
2 km east of the city center, not far from the Kempinski Resort, by the Padron River is the popular Playa del Padrón beach. The beach strip is about 1.5 km long and has natural shade thanks to numerous palm trees. Playa del Padrón is so clean that octopuses live here and vacationers often come specifically to catch them.
The beach is well equipped, there are even points where you can rent water sports equipment.
Attractions and entertainment
As in many other cities in Spain, Estepona has plenty of attractions: historical monuments, museums, entertainment centers, zoos and parks.
Historical center
The old town, which occupies the center of Estepona, looks like a typical provincial Andalusian village. Here, all the architecture deserves attention and is worthy of being called a landmark.
The center of the Old Town is the pretty Plaza de las Flores, from which numerous narrow streets radiate in all directions: los Reyes, Sierra, Casares, Corta, San Antonio. The sidewalks here are decorated with stone mosaics, the facades of snow-white houses are decorated with tile frescoes, and the basements are finished with light ceramics. On the balconies, terraces and walls of the houses there are pots and flowerpots, and each street has its own color palette. Almost all the streets of the historical center are pedestrian or have limited traffic.
The Old Town not only has numerous historical sites, but also authentic cafes, art galleries and souvenir shops.
Important information: There is a tourist information centre in the Plaza de los Flores where you can get a map of Estepona with the points of interest marked on it.
Paseo Maritimo embankment
Paseo Maritimo is a well-kept avenue with numerous flower beds, an attractive fountain, children’s areas, areas for rollerblading and skateboarding, cafes and restaurants.
After 9:00 pm, everyone who is in Estepona at the time gathers here. Concerts are also often held here, with children and small bands performing.
Paseo Marítimo runs for 3 km along Playa La Rada, ending at a famous local landmark – the fishing port.
Port Deportivo
The local port is a modern marina with 447 berths. You can rent a yacht for a walk or fishing here, and it will cost much less than in other cities in Spain.
Puerto Deportivo is also a walking area, where the specific smell of the sea and coastal restaurants-cafes-bars with slightly exorbitant prices reign.
Every day, a fish market opens in the port, where you can buy the freshest seafood. On Sundays, there is a street market, where textiles, leather goods, and souvenirs are offered.
The port is located near the city center. The exact address of the landmark is: Av. Luis Braille, 23/Torre de Control s/n, 29680, Estepona, Spain.
Botanical Garden and Orchidarium
One of the most interesting attractions of Estepona is the Botanical Garden with the Orchid House.
Interesting fact! The Orchid House was visited by 35,000 people in its first week of operation.
The botanical garden covers an area of 13,000 m², where numerous paths are laid among more than 5,000 plants. There are original vertical gardens, a lake, a high waterfall with pools.
The striking and impressive building of the Orchidarium has become the centerpiece of Estepona’s innovative architecture. This greenhouse has three magnificent domes: the largest weighs 50 tons and rises to 30 m, while the other smaller ones are 16 m and 6 m high. The Orchid House contains the largest collection of orchids in Europe and one of the largest in the world: more than 1,300 species of flowers.
Attraction address: Calle Terraza 86, 29680, Estepona, Spain.
The Botanical Garden is open 24 hours a day, and the Orchid House operates according to the following schedule:
- Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday – from 11:00 to 21:00, break from 14:00 to 17:00;
- Friday and Saturday – 10:00 to 23:00, break from 14:00 to 17:00.
Entrance ticket for adults 3 €, for children 1 €.
The official website of the attraction, where you can find out the cost of tickets, schedule and time of launching the waterfall: www.orchidariumestepona.com.
Important! When planning to visit Parque Botánico-Orquidari, please note: the orchid blooming season lasts from November to early March.
City Murals
Original paintings, called “murals”, adorn the facades of many buildings in different areas of Estepona.
This is interesting! In 2017, the world’s first International Mural Competition took place in Estepona, Spain.
Estepona began to acquire its modern artistic look in 2012, when the city council decided that brightly painted facades would help to liven up the grey urban landscape.
“Venus” was the first to grace a building on Barriada Mar y Sierra. The mural depicts an archaeological landmark: a 5,000-year-old clay statue of Venus found in Estepona and housed in the city’s Archaeological Museum.
On Calle Nuestra Senora there is a very interesting mural called “Flower of the Future”. Right in front of the building, in front of the fresco with the flower, the artist installed a metal sculpture of the same plant. If you stand at the right point, it seems that the fresco is the shadow of the sculpture.
Another attraction is the “Fishing Day” at Barriada Isabel Simon. This is one of the largest murals in Spain: it is placed on the walls of six block buildings located one after the other.
A special Artistic Painting Route (Ruta de Murales Artisticos) has been developed for the resort’s guests. By the way, the murals look impressive in the photos illustrating Estepona and Spain.
Important! At the tourist information centre you can pick up a map showing the most outstanding frescoes. The map is regularly updated as new examples of this type of painting appear in Estepona.
Selwo Aventure Amusement Park
Selwo Aventura is the perfect combination of a theme park and a zoo, providing the perfect conditions for an active family holiday.
The entire territory of the amusement park is divided into two parts. At the bottom, where there are many plants and shade, visitors can enjoy a variety of entertainment attractions. Here you can walk along a suspension bridge, fly along a high bungee, go down a rope (zipline) over the Great African Lake or ride a camel.
Above, in the far part of the park, there is an African savannah, where there is much less shade, but there are fountains-showers installed next to all the paths. Every half hour, a safari tour is conducted through the savannah in a truck (meeting at the pavilion with hyenas), the group is accompanied by an English-speaking guide. The car drives very close to the animals: rhinoceroses, zebras, giraffes, antelopes, hippos. You can feed the zebras, the guide supplies them with special food. At the place where the safari begins, a carob tree grows – there you can collect horns and feed them to the goats that live in a contact pen along the safari route.
Selwo Aventura is home to over two hundred different species of animals, all of which are given the most natural living conditions possible. Estepona Zoo has several themed areas:
- The central cordon’s exhibition hall is dedicated to an exhibition of reptiles and creeping creatures.
- The Land of Lynxes is a zone where big cats live: the American, European and Pyrenean lynxes.
- The Lakes Reserve is home to giant hippos and rhinos, as well as giraffes, zebras, antelopes and lions.
- The Night Grotto is a zone where the conditions and atmosphere of caves are created, and where you can see the inhabitants of the underground world.
- The gallery of nature is filled with representatives of hundreds of plant species from the most diverse climatic regions of our planet.
Advice! In the summer, when the heat is intense, after 13:00 most animals in the African savannah hide in the shade and sleep. Therefore, you need to arrive as early as possible, when the park opens, and go on a safari almost immediately. The car will take you up to the far part of the park, where the “end” of the zoo with African animals is located: lions, zebras, giraffes. From there, it will be convenient to walk through the entire zoo in the opposite direction, constantly going down – this way you will be in the tropical forests before the siesta begins, where it is not so hot, and the animals are still active.
Selwo Lodge is located on the territory of Selwo Aventura – this exclusive hotel can be considered a separate attraction of the park. It is formed from two thematic villages Watu and Masai, which have 23 comfortable bungalows stylized as African huts.
Selwo Aventura is located 11 km from the city, at the address: Avda, s/n Autovía del Mediterráneo, A7 km 162.5 29680 Estepona, Málaga, Spain.
Selwo Aventura opening hours:
- In April-June, September and October – on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00, on other days of the week from 10:00 to 18:00.
- In July and August – daily from 10:00 to 20:00.
- November-March – Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, closed on weekdays.
| Ticket prices at the box office | Ticket prices online | |
|---|---|---|
| For adults (from 11 to 65 years old) | 25,90 € | 17,90 € |
| For children (3 to 10 years) and seniors (65+) | 18,00 € | 14,90 € |
| Safari tour | 10 € |
You can learn about the park’s facilities, check its opening hours and order tickets online on the attraction’s website www.selwo.es.
Weather in Estepona
Due to its proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, Estepona’s climate is similar to that of the rest of the Costa del Sol in Spain: Mediterranean, with 325+ days of sunshine per year. There is little rainfall, with rain typically falling on no more than 35 days per year.
Summer is hot, the average air temperature is +25°C, the average maximum is +30°C, but sometimes it reaches +35°C. In winter the weather is mild, the air warms up to +10…13°C.
The prevailing westerly and eastern winds at this resort affect the water temperature in the sea. Along the eastern shores, where waves with seaweed often rise, the water warms up to a moderate temperature. On the western coast, the water is usually calm and perfectly clean, but at the same time colder. The highest water temperature off the coast of Estepona (Spain) is observed from the beginning of August and in the first ten days of September: about 24°C.
Estepona from a bird’s eye view:
