I’ve been to many places in Spain, but missed much of the Costa del Sol. If you have spent time in Cadiz, Málaga or Valencia what recommendations do you have of things to see and what did you like or dislike on your visit? I’ll be traveling in late May, early June. Thanks!
Posted by
St Paul
157 posts
We are in Malaga now for our 6th winter visit. We love the city and after trying a number of different neighborhoods, we found we like the SOHO area best for convenience to transportation, city center and its attractions and being close to the water/beach/promenade. Aside from just walking around the city admiring the architecture and the beautiful parks, things to see include the Alcazaba, Roman Theatre, the Castle, the Cathedral, Muelle Uno and a number of interesting museums. There are also day trips to Nerja, Mijas, Antequera and many other towns. Walking or taking the bus further west in Málaga gets you to a quieter part of the city with a very nice promenade/restaurants and the beautiful Auto(with fashions) Museum. There is nothing we dislike about the city!
We went to Valencia last winter for ten days before Málaga and we loved it. We stayed close to the train station which was a nice area and close to a main square with a friendly TI. Turia Park is an old river bed that is about 5 miles long and beautiful for walking or biking with many activities throughout. It ends at the City of Arts and Sciences. We went into the aquarium which was very good. The Valencia Cathedral is said to have the Holy Grail. The Church of St Nicolas has beautiful frescoes and is called the Sistine Chapel of Spain. Also recommend the Ceramics Museum housed in a beautiful former palace. Much to see including the Silk Exchange building, beautiful plazas and the Central Market. The beach is quite far from city center and to us that was the drawback as we like walking along the sea.
We head to Cadiz for the first time next month and are looking forward to seeing that city.
Good luck with your decision!
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you so much for your information! Very informative. I hope you enjoy Cadiz and if you have any tidbits to share after being there, I’m all ears!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7383 posts
Cádiz is along the Costa de la Luz. To me, it has no must see/wow sites, is easy to walk around and pretty relaxing, and good for a couple nights. Others will disagree. It does have a beach and some nice parks. From it there are ferries that go to Rota and Puerto de Santa María that make for nice side trips. The main tourist season begins in mid May so it could be fairly busy.
Posted by
Near Vancouver, British Columbia
47 posts
From Cadiz, what do Rota and Puerto have to offer in terms of attractions? Or just a nice boat ride?
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7383 posts
Rota is just nice to walk around and it has a promenade that parallels the beach. The town gets very busy with tourists May through mid-September. It has no real attraction other than the beach.
Puerto de Santa Maria has a bull ring if one desires to see a fight, a castle where Ferdinand and Isabella supposedly gave Columbus the money for one of his voyages, and it has a decent cathedral.
If the bay waters are too rough, the ferry stops running.
Posted by
North Italy
419 posts
About Malaga, I've been several times and liked everything, although I always went in low season - March or November. There's so much to see and do but it's also nice just strolling along the port area or the beach.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2020/01/malaga-what-to-see-and-do-free-31-ideas.html
The last time I went in March 2024 it was very very busy in the streets of the old town though. I'd avoid being there at the weekend if you can,
Cadiz is more just strolling around, there are various routes you can follow around the historical centre and Parque Genoves, the botanical garden, is lovely.
We were based in El Puerto de santa Maria because we had a car, and took the ferry over. It's worth a day or a half day