Having been to Barcelona & Valencia (2014), we're finally returning to Spain in mid-September for 2+ weeks! Flight to Madrid & same-day train to Seville (3 nts) + Cordoba (3 nts) + Estepona (6 nts) + bus/train back to Madrid (3 nts) before heading back to Canada. I've made our own arrangements. Estepona looks utterly charming & relaxing, hence my decision to spend some extra time in that area. Is that a mistake? I rarely see any posts about this seaside town and wonder why? I would value your input while I still have time to make adjustments if needed. With my thanks.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
9937 posts
Hi, my husband & I stayed in Estepona in 2024, and I went back again in 2025. It’s a nice town on the coast that’s definitely different from the Marbella type of coastal city. I took lots of photos of the lanes with their specific street colored pots, and we enjoyed the laid back atmosphere, riding bikes on the promenade, good Italian restaurants (yes, I like Italian), and my husband played golf one day. We had planned to go back in 2025 and spend a couple of weeks. Our first time there in 2024, we stayed five nights.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
9937 posts
I should add that I noticed there was a lot of construction in 2025 on the edges of the town, so go before the atmosphere changes too much.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
1055 posts
I used to live near Estepona - it is a charming Spanish town. Not really touristy and the main hotels are out of the town centre.
Estepona is not on a train line, and it is worth noting that the main bus station is about a mile to the east of the town centre.
There is a bull ring, a small museum of prehistoric information (some very early remains were found in the hills behind the town), botanical gardens, a street mural walk and a nice small modern art museum. There are a number of chringutos (beach bar/restaurants).
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8727 posts
My guess is most U.S. tourists want to visit the major destinations with limited vacation time. It’s also possible that many tourists don’t visit Spain to hang out at the beach. There are a lot of nice places to visit in Spain that seldom see many tourists because of time constraints or they are not as easily accessible as other locations.