Flowered lane with white houses and flower pots, old town of Estepona

The garden of the Costa del Sol

Estepona, the flowered village with big-town charm

Estepona has reinvented itself as the “garden of the Costa del Sol”: every lane in the centre wears its own colour of flower pots, every blank façade its mural. Twenty kilometres of beaches, a lively fishing port and the Sierra Bermeja as a backdrop complete the picture.

Explore the old town on foot, from the Paseo de las Flores to the Plaza de las Flores, then go hunting for the giant murals scattered across the neighbourhoods. The port still holds a fish auction in the morning and a market on Sundays; the seafront promenade, one of the longest on the coast, is perfect for a bike ride.

Less showy than neighbouring Marbella, Estepona wins over families and those seeking village life with the comfort of a resort. Casares, Gaucín and the Sierra Bermeja offer lovely escapes into the hinterland.

Estepona

What to see and do in Estepona

The flowered old town

Thousands of colourful flower pots, a maze of white lanes.

The mural route

More than sixty monumental murals to discover façade after façade.

The Orchidarium

A spectacular glasshouse of over a thousand orchid species, right in the centre.

The port and fish auction

Morning fish, beach shacks and the Sunday market.

Practical information

From Málaga airport: About 85 km · 60 min by road
Best season: May to October; spring for the flowers, September for quiet beaches.
Ideal for: Families · Village & beach holiday · Street-art and garden lovers

My advice