Malaga – Costa Del Sol Travel Guide For Kids . Beaches, sunscreen and parents can get boring after the first few days on holiday. The good news is that our Costa del Sol travel guide has loads of things for you to do, if you know where to look. There is a Safari Park, several water parks, off-road quad and jeep trips and loads of boats to see in the marinas up and down the coast.
There is wake boarding, water-skiing, snow skiing – in the winter, and even caves to explore. The area around Malaga has lots to do and what you need is a plan of action.
Gil the Travelling Gecko wrote a book about visiting a friend on the Costa del Sol. You can buy it here.
Malaga City – things for kids to do
Malaga City is probably a bit more for grown ups, and there is some good shopping, a lovely marina area and several museums and historic buildings.
See what I mean when I said it was for adults? Well maybe you have to let mum and dad do something they enjoy at least once during your holiday, even if it means building sand castles on the beach for a couple of days. On the bright side Malaga and the Costa Del Sol area offer loads of organized activity days. These include football, skateboarding, cycling, abseiling and tons more.
Malaga – things for kids to do
Malaga Downhill Shop often organises ‘free-ride’ events in and around Malaga and Benalmadena. These are for roller skate, scooter and skateboard heroes who enjoy street skating as part of a large group. These are ideal outings for teenagers as long as you are happy for your kids to go exploring with a bunch of complete strangers. Some trips are leisurely whilst others are a little more demanding. Ages tend to range from young teenagers up to active pensioners and together they create a great vibe!
Important Information
- Make sure that their phones are fully charged and they know where you are staying. (Hotel, B&B or other accommodation)
- You need to have the name and contact number of the person in charge for the event and know where abouts it finishes.
- The group tends to skate, bike and scoot in sections, with pit-stops at local cafes and eateries at fairly regular intervals.
- Make sure your kids have some money with them.
- Your kids will come back with new friends and probably talk about the adventure for weeks to come.
- You will be ‘the best ever hero parents’ for letting them go and do something unique
West of Malaga – Costa Del Sol Travel Guide For Kids
Torremolinos – things for kids to do
Torremolinos, which is close to Malaga airport, has a really good water park which gets better every year. It has some really high slides and lots of different pools to play in. Remember to put sunscreen on because you will be having so much fun you will not realize how strong the sun is. Torremolinos also has a crocodile park which is great fun for everyone and for the daring amongst you, you can even hold a baby crocodile. Down on the beaches you can rent pedalos, wave-runners, try the banana boat or even paragliding.
Benalmadena – things for kids to do
Benalmadena has a large marina filled with boats to look at, but it also has an Aquarium with dolphins and tropical fish. If you want something a little more adventurous you can catch a cable car which takes you to the top of the mountain. Throughout the day there are bird shows with eagles and owls, which sometimes land on you. Until you see them up close, you will not believe just how big some of these birds are. There is also a Butterfly Zoo which is located in Benalmadena Pueblo, next the largest Buddhist temple in Europe.
Just over the mountain top in Alhaurin de la Torre is one of the longest zip-lines in Spain. They also have the longest ‘twin zip-line’ in Andalucia where you can pretend to be Superman and slide face down at up to 100 kph. You can also try archery plus a host of other activities.
Fuengirola – things for kids to do
Fuengirola has a great zoo which has all kinds of reptiles, big cats, monkeys and parrots. There is a large family of ringed-tailed lemurs. They live in a special enclosure which you are allowed to go into, which is really fun, especially when they are jumping around your head.
There is a castle overlooking the beach in Fuengirola and during the summer time they often have medieval markets where you can try out archery and imagine living there, hundreds of years ago. From the castle, which is called the Castillo de Sohail, you can see the coast of Africa. Down on the beaches you can rent pedalos, wave-runners, try the banana boat or even paragliding. You can even zip-line across the river.
There is a scuba store in Fuengirola port ran by a great guy called Adrian. You can get your PADI qualifications or just enjoy a great day out with an experienced professional. Check them out here.
Just over the bridge, is a large shopping complex called the Miramar Centre, where you can try Go-carting on the roof. Outside there is a large skate bowl which is really popular with the local kids.
Mijas – things for kids to do
Mijas is the mountainside village which you can see from the beach in Fuengirola. The village of Mijas is one of the most famous white villages of southern Spain. You can ride donkeys or go in a horse and cart around the village which is time to give your legs a rest. Mijas has lots of cobbled streets and lots of steps, so be careful not to fall over. There are lots of shops where you can buy t-shirts and other stuff to remember Spain with. If your parents don’t want to walk, you can always rent a trip in a tuk-tuk, which are funny little vehicles.
Marbella and San Pedro – things for kids to do
The famous Puerto Banus, home to luxury private boats and loads of expensive sports cars
Marbella is little further down the coast toward Gibraltar, is famous for the Puerto Banus marina where you can see huge boats and lots of expensive cars. It may not sound like a kid’s thing to do, but it is really nice to walk around and have photos taken by the boats and luxury sports cars.
A great day out for everyone – and we mean everyone!
Hidden away in an area called Nueva Andalucia there is lake where you can try wake-boarding or water-skiing. This is loads of fun especially when you crash and have to be picked up by the old motor boat and taken back to the shore. Sometimes you can feel the little fish against your legs. There is a small bar and cafe where you can grab a drink or even have a tasty lunch. Check it out here
Estepona – things for kids to do
Continuing down the coast to Estepona there is the Selwo safari park, which is a great way to get up close and personal with lots of wild animals. The guided tours are great fun and are a really fun day out.
Gibraltar – things for kids to do
Many families like to visit Gibraltar, which can be done by renting a car or going on a bus trip. Gibraltar is a weird place to visit, because it is actually a little piece of Britain sticking out into the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean at the bottom of Spain. From Gibraltar you are only a few miles away from Morocco which is a country in Africa. There are some great caves to visit and also the famous troop of Barbary monkeys which live at the top of the rock.
Tarifa – things for kids to do
Tarifa is home to some of the best kite surfing in Europe. Book a lesson and give it a go.
About another 30 minutes driving and you can experience one of the coolest little towns in Europe. Although it is not technically on the Costa del Sol, Tarifa is well worth a visit. Tarifa is home to many kite surfing schools and the Tarifa Pirates. There are some great shops which sell surf and skate clothing and equipment.
East of Malaga – Costa Del Sol Travel Guide For Kids
Nerja – things for kids to do
On the other side of Malaga, there is a town called Nerja, which is famous for its network of caves. You can go on a guided tour or do it yourself, well with your parents of course. You will see stalactites and stalagmites and be able to see where people actually used to live thousands of years ago. Did you know that someone who lives in a cave is called a troglodyte? It’s a funny name isn’t it? Explore the Nerja Caves
La Herradura – things for kids to do
You can rent kayaks, jet-skis or go snorkeling in the warm water
A few miles past Nerja there is a small village called La Herradura, which means The Horseshoe in Spanish. The village has a very stony beach which is not much fun to walk on, but out in the bay they have a floating deck area with slides on it, which are lots of fun. Just around the corner, in the next bay there is a small beach and a marina. From the beach you can go snorkeling in the nice clear water which is much warmer than in the Malaga to Marbella area.
Many of the scuba diving businesses come to La Herradura as the waters are clear and the diving is excellent.
Inland of Malaga – Costa Del Sol Travel Guide For Kids
Guadalhorce Lakes – things for kids to do
If your parents are renting a car, you could visit the Guadalhorce Lakes. As long as you are not afraid of heights maybe you could even try out the Kings Walk which is a really narrow pathway fixed the edge of a mountain. The King’s Walk – which in Spanish is “El camino del Rey“. This fantastic walk takes on a walk through the mountains. In some places you are actually walking off the side of the mountain.
You can also see the huge eagles flying high above the mountain on which they live. You will need to book places because it gets really busy. There is also a secret tunnel which you can walk through which takes you from one valley into another one. It goes all the way through the middle of the mountain and you will need a torch so you do not fall over. It’s a great way to scare your mum if she doesn’t like the dark.
Antequera – things for kids to do
Not far away from here, near a town called Antequera there is a Wolf Park. You can learn about the different kinds of wolves and get very close to them, which is a little scary but good fun.
There is also some really old burial chambers called Dolmens which are protected. These three tombs, which are buried beneath the earth are one of the most remarkable architectural works of European prehistory. It is one of the most important examples of European ‘Megalithism’, which means building with huge stones and boulders.
Nearby the El Torcal mountains give you a chance to see what living on the moon could look like. These very strange mountains are a great experience.
Granada and the Sierra Nevada
Only a couple of hours away is the city of Granada. Granada is famous for its stunning Alhambra Palace and the beautiful gardens.
You can read more about the Alhambra here.
More importantly the Sierra Nevada is only half an hour from Granada and is a great place to go skiing and snowboarding. The ski resort normally opens from November through until March, but may open earlier if there is enough snow. The bottom slopes are great for beginners and there is some excellent powder skiing at the top of the mountain for experienced skiers.
You can read more about Sierra Nevada here.
Hopefully our ‘Costa Del Sol Travel Guide For Kids’ will help you in making your trip full of fun and adventure.
Up and down the coast there are also a number of cinemas which show films in English.
Regardless of your age, you will find plenty of things to keep entertained.
