Benalmadena Tourist Attractions - Tours - things to do - In and Around Costa de Sol
Benalmadena Holiday Travel Guide & Vacations - Beaches - Benalmadena Apartment Accommodation & Hotel Lodgings - Car Hire in Benalmadena Spain - Benalmadena Nightlife & Restaurants
Benalmadena boasts more than its fair share of major attractions and worthy day trips which accounts for its reputation as one of the Costa del Sol's most favoured holiday spots. There's a wealth of water sports here, a golf course, a bustling modern marina, some big family entertainment centres and a huge selection of bars and restaurants.
Benalmadena Pueblo
Starting with Benalmadena Pueblo, a visit to the truly stunning Castillo de Colomares is a must. This fairytale castle, which looks like it was plucked from the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie, is an extraordinarily beautiful mish-mash of features taken from some of the most famous castles around the world. The castle was built as a tribute to Christpher Columbus whose voyages of discovery to the New World started from nearby Cadiz. It's located alongside the Eagles Garden where you can see regular falconry displays.
The Jardines del Muro (Wall Gardens) provide a restful blend of water features and tropical plants with panoramic views of the Costa del Sol.
If you're interested in Benalmadena's colourful history - the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Arabs have all left their mark here - take a day trip to the Archaeological Museum to view the various finds which have been unearthed in and around the municipality in recent years.
In the pueblo's Plaza del España you can see Benalmadena's answer to Denmark's Little Mermaid - the Fuente de la Niña statue of a little girl who has become a major symbol for the town.
For more information on attractions in Benalmadena consider Visitmarina.co.uk
The Costa
Along Benalmadena Costa you'll see three ancient watch towers (the torres vigias) of Bermeja, Torrequebrada and Torremuelle. And there's the fascinating Arab-style Bil-Bil Castle, built in 1934 as a private home but now a popular visitor centre and exhibition and concert hall.
Leaving history and culture aside, the Puerto Deportivo marina is the place to go for thoroughly modern entertainment, facilities and refreshment. The marina is packed with bars, restaurants and street cafes - a perfect place to people watch over a jug of Sangria or a bottle of Malaga wine.
Sample some of the local traditional dishes which include roasted baby pork, fried fish, grilled sardines, shell fish, paella and gazpacho.
One of the big attractions at the marina is the Mississippi Willow, a restored paddle steamer brought over from the USA and now a floating bar and restaurant. The kids will love a cruise round the bay in the afternoon - and at night the Mississippi turns into a party venue.
The Sea Life Centre, also based at the marina, provides a fascinating and educational few hours of entertainment for children and adults alike.
Set slightly back from the beachfront is the beautiful Paloma Pak (Dove Park) consisting of 200,000 square metres of landscaped gardens. There's a large lake and fountain with ducks, swans, pelicans and enclosures with a variety of birds and animals.
Arroyo de la Miel is home to one of the Costa's most popular family attractions - the Tivoli amusement park which includes thrill rides, carousels, wild west and flamenco shows.
Alongside Tivoli is the cable car which takes passengers 750m above sea level to Monte Calamorro where, on a clear day, you can see the Atlas mountains in North Africa.
On Fridays in the Tivoli car park there's a huge open market where you can buy everything from fresh artichokes and antiques to cheap watches (with fake designer tags!).
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