Nerja is a coastal town in southern Spain that is an easy day trip from Málaga Centro. To reach Nerja from Málaga Centro buses run about every hour costing 5-7 euros and take around an hour and a half. I highly recommend downloading the also app and booking your tickets on the app ahead of time, tickets between Málaga and Nerja sell out quickly and if you wait to buy them when trying to board the bus, your odds of being turned away are high.
You can catch the bus from the main bus station in Málaga or the smaller bus station located in the city center and ride to the station in Nerja, or if you plan to visit the Cuevas Nerja you can buy your ticket to go a few more stops to the caves and start your day there.
Cueva de Nerja
The famous Nerja Cave is found in a district of Nerja called Maro, stretching around 5 km, and has been forming for over 800,000 years. This extensive structure of caves was used and frequented by human groups during prehistory from about 35,000 years ago to about 3,600 years ago. The caves were discovered in January 1959 by a group of locals on a night walk looking for bats.
Our ancestors lived in the caves, decorated them, and used them as sacred burial places. Evidence of this has survived until the present day, making these caves a key factor in the studies of our predecessors and their way of life. The Nerja Caves are home to at least 589 rock paintings from the Upper Paleolithic and recent ancient history, though you can not visit those areas due to conservation issues.
To visit the caves, you can buy tickets at the entrance, but you can save some money and skip the ticket line by buying online. Your basic 16 euro ticket will include entrance to the caves, an audioguide to pre-download, access to the botanical garden, and a virtual reality experience. You can also add one-way or round-trip transportation to ride the small train that transports people hourly from the caves to the city center. On your visit to the Nerja Caves, you can enjoy exploring the caves with a self-paced walk that can be done in 45-60 minutes to see some of the largest rock formations around and one of the most important caves in the world.
Nerja Centro
Nerja is a breathtakingly gorgeous, coastal, walkable town, filled with tapas bars, cute boutiques, and stunning lookouts. Exploring on foot can be easily done if you are in average shape and without mobility impairments. Nerja is quite hilly, so if inclines, ramps or curbs present a challenge for you, exploring without a car may be more difficult. I recommend visiting Recondo for lunch and tapas while you’re in the center. Drinks here were well priced and with each drink you order, you get to choose a free tapa! Hint: pick the smaller sized drinks, as any size will get you that free tapa.
Beaches & Overlooks
One of the most popular attractions in Andalucía is the Balcón de Europa, a beautiful balcony where you can look out over the Mediterranean Sea. The balcony was named after the big earthquake that hit Nerja in 1884 and is an incredible spot to enjoy taking in the views of the sea. From here you can easily explore the streets of Nerja visiting cafes, ice cream shops, boutique stores, and bars.
In addition to the Balcón de Europa, there are multiple other beautiful overlooks and beaches along the coast of Nerja. Just a bit east of the balcony you can find the viewing point of Mirador del Bendito and two gorgeous beaches: Playa Carabeillo and Playa Carabeo.
Cascada Grande de Maro
If being on the water is something you enjoy, I can’t recommend enough the kayak tour we did through the Cliffs or Nerja and Maro to the Maro waterfall. The tour was a small group, well organized, affordable, and breathtakingly gorgeous. It lasts 2-2.5 hours, leaving from Play Burriana, as a group you’ll kayak along the coast in the clear blue water pausing for a couple of optional swim breaks and photoshoots, then ending at the Maro waterfall. After paddling around, or through, the waterfall, you paddle back to the beach, at whatever pace suits you.
I am not a fan of large group tours or excursions, but the size of this tour was perfect, and our guide was great. The water was clear and refreshing on a hot day, and going under the waterfall was so refreshing. The guide also took a handful of photos of us with a GoPro that we could access within 24 hours! You can book this tour here without regrets!
Nerja can be easily explored fully in a single-day trip, but going for another day or two would allow more time for relaxing on the beach if you’re into that. Either way, if you are in the Andalucía region, a trip to Nerja should not be missed. Happy travels!
The Ambitious Passport 