Mijas and the Surrounding Area

The municipality of Mijas is located just 30 km from Malaga/Pablo Ruiz Picasso International Airport (with frequent flights to the main European capitals) and 35 km from both Malaga/Maria Zambrano Railway Station (with high-speed connections to Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, etc.) and the Port of Málaga (with daily ferries to various cities in North Africa).

The town itself is located in the heart of the Costa del Sol and provides good access to the main tourist attractions of the southernmost area of continental Europe: Marbella and Málaga (30 minutes away); Ronda, Granada and Gibraltar (about 90 minutes away); Sevilla and Córdoba (less than 2.5 hours away); or the south of Portugal or the north of Morocco (approximately 4 hours away).

However, Mijas has more than enough attractions of its own to satisfy the expectations of those who wish to enjoy a complete tourist experience for a few days without having to make long journeys.

The urban centre of Mijas Pueblo, situated 428 m above sea level and nestled in the foothills of the mountains, forming a natural balcony, offers numerous viewpoints from which to admire the succession of sunny hills dotted with villas that stretch from Benalmádena to Marbella, covering practically all of this vast municipal area.

The layout of Mijas is of Arabic origin, with whitewashed streets, small squares, gardens, patios, churches, hermitages and corners full of flowerpots, offering visitors a delightful setting to enjoy strolling around at the leisurely pace of its inhabitants. This is especially true at sunset, when the municipality becomes a haven of peace and revives its charm of yesteryear.

As you walk around its streets and squares, you will discover a small and cheerful Andalusian town with a rich commercial activity that takes place in an atmosphere of calm and serenity. This tranquillity is barely disrupted by the wanderings of some of the donkeys that visitors can ride to explore the town.

Mijas Pueblo has several places of special interest because of their history and beauty. For instance, there is the La Muralla complex, the remains of the old citadel walls that protected the town, and the parish church, the Auditorium and the adjoining gardens. On clear days with a westerly wind, these gardens offer visitors a wonderful panoramic view of the Strait of Gibraltar, the coast of North Africa and the Rif Mountains in Morocco.

Dotted around Mijas’ historic quarter are several other points of interest, from the churches (Inmaculada Concepción, Virgen de la Peña, San Sebastián and Santa Ana) to the museums (Casa Museo de la Villa, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo and the Carromato de Mijas), not forgetting the rectangular bullring. 

All of this contrasts greatly with Mijas Costa, a well-developed tourist destination that offers innumerable attractions of all kinds for those who want to enjoy a more cosmopolitan atmosphere as well as opportunities for scuba diving, sailing and fishing.

Mijas Costa spreads across 148.5 km2 of land and with 12 km of coastline, also has many natural charms. In particular, the Senda Litoral is the latest addition to the municipality’s interesting features. This coastal path of nature trails and wooden walkways runs along the entire Mijas coastline until it reaches the municipality of Marbella. It takes half a day to walk its full length and you can enjoy a succession of beaches and rocky areas that have been awarded the Blue Flag or the “Q” seal for quality tourism. There is great biodiversity on the seabed here and it is home to a wide variety of European, African, Mediterranean and Atlantic animal and plant species. The seabed off Calahonda Beach, for example, offers an extraordinary natural habitat where underwater vegetation flourishes, including virgin stretches of Posidonia oceanica (commonly known as Neptune grass), and there is an abundance of gorgonian coral. Cetaceans are frequently sighted in this area. Either as you walk along the path or step into one of the bird-watching huts, you can spot several species of water birds (mallards, great crested grebes, coots, white-headed ducks, little grebes and occasionally ospreys), nesting birds (peregrine falcons, tawny owls, eagle owls, etc.) or migratory birds on their annual flight to the African savannahs or wetlands (black storks, black kites and marsh harriers, among others).