Motril Day Trips - things to do - In and Around Spanish Resorts
Introduction - Beaches - Accommodation - Car Hire - Nightlife
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There are plenty of places to visit and leisure activities to enjoy in and around Motril whether you're a nature lover, sun worshipper, sports enthusiast or gourmet.
In the town itself there are buildings of historic interest including the17th century baroque-style town hall with its Moorish panel work in the ceilings of the entrance and assembly halls. There's the Casa de las Palmas 16th century sugar mill which has been preserved as testament to this region's principal source of income until the 20th century. Today Motril is the capital of the only region of sugar cane cultivation in Europe and the Andalucian government is at pains to preserve the vestiges of the industry's past.
Also worth visiting is the baroque style Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza which stands on a hilltop, on the site of a former Moorish palace, overlooking the Park of the People of the Americas.
The town centre and the marina offer a good variety of tapas bars and restaurants and you'll find plenty of delicious fresh seafood dishes. Down at the port you can watch the fishing boats come in and auction off the day's catch.
The marina and nautical club offer a variety of watersports including diving, sailing, fishing, windsurfing and flysurfing. You can hire a boat here and take an excursion across the water to North Africa. The marina has 168 moorings and is always a hive of activity, especially in the summer months.
Los Mariscos is the Costa Tropical's only golf course, located eight kilometres west of the town amid the sugar cane and exotic fruit plantations. The course includes many natural obstacles and the club is well-equipped with a putting green, driving range and lesire facilities which include a gym, Jacuzzi, sauna and restaurant.
Other sports available in the area include whitewater rafting (there's a course which goes right through the centre of Granada), rock climbing, mountain biking and hiking.
In the winter months you can take to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada where you'll find the Sol y Nieve (sun and snow) ski slopes of Europe's most southerly ski resort. The resort has a ski school which provides ski-ing and snowboarding instruction for all levels.
Even if you're not a snow sports fan, this is still a lovely day trip and you can simply soak up the sun and enjoy a good lunch in the village square at the base of the main ski slopes.
Granada is only 40 minutes drive from Motril for a fascinating day trip to visit the the Hamman Arabic baths, Generalife Gardens and of course the fabulous Alhambra Palace. Make sure you book tickets for the palace before you go in high season or you may not get in as this is Spain's third most popular tourist attraction and it gets extremely crowded in the summer.
Or head off into the wonderful wilderness of the Alpujarras on the southern side of the Sierra Nevada - one of Spain's most spectacular regions where tiny ancient villages cling impossibly to mountain peaks and life seems not to have changes for centuries.
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