My Week in Nerja

September 11, 2016

Getting There...

Nerja is a bit further afield than your normal tourist spots and it takes a bit of effort to get there, but it's a hidden gem that's definitely worth the visit!

We flew into Malaga airport (paid about €250 each for return flights), from there we hopped on a train, which is right outside the airport, and took a 10 minute journey to Malaga Zambrano Train Station. Just across from the train station is the bus station, your next mode of transport. The buses to Nerja are maybe every hour or so, but if you're left waiting there's a nice cafe bar in the bus station, which we greatly appreciated as we were starving! The bus journey to Nerja takes about an hour, and from there you can either walk to your accommodation or get a taxi.

Top tip: Make sure you give yourself enough time to find your correct bus, as there's plenty of different buses at the station and the last thing you want to do is get the wrong one!

Sweating after nearly missing the bus!

Nerja itself ....

Nerja is a small enough town, but there is certainly no shortage of bars, restaurants and boutiques, all of which look equally enticing. The cobbled narrow streets are lined with beautiful white buildings, in which the giant, dark green, palm trees perfectly contrast against.

You will also notice that there's no McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks or any big chain like that, nothing that will taint the authenticity of the town. Just streets filled with beautifully designed and decorated buildings.

The two main streets for a wide choice of food and drink are Calle Almirante Ferrandiz and Calle Pintada. I absolutely loved walking in and around this area admiring the beauty of Nerja. These streets were always packed with holiday makers eating and drinking, as well as Spanish musicians entertaining the crowds.

El Balcon

El Balcon is the focal point of Nerja, an open area, on a cliff edge, which juts out over the sea offering beautiful views of the coast below. Beside El Balcon is the town plaza which is always bustling. It's the perfect people watching spot and in the evening it comes alive with artists, musicians and men selling all sorts of (good quality) fake merchandise.
There's also a few bars that are on the cliffs edge offering stunning views of El Balcon itself.

Views of El Balcon

Food & Drink.....

The most important part of any holiday!! Like I said, Nerja has plenty of restaurants and there is something for everyone! My ultimate favourite meal was at Julie's & Valeries which is a tiny Cuban restaurant serving mainly vegetarian tapas. I was so hesitant about going but the food was unreal! Another must visit is La Puntilla, this is a real authentic Spanish restaurant and the food is to die for! I was also obsessed with paella for lunch and the best one I had was from the busiest restaurant on the beach - Restaurante Merendero Moreno. And of course, everything was washed down with a delicious glass of sangria.

As I mentioned, the food and drink in Nerja is so cheap! We ate out for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday without breaking the bank. Breakfast was always a bread roll/croissant with jam or butter with coffees, and that never set us back more than €6.

Lunch was usually similar price and we often ordered a litre of sangria for €11.50 to cool ourselves down.

For dinner and drinks in the evening you can expect to pay €2 for a glass of wine/bottle of beer in a bar. Then dinner with a bottle of wine would come to in and around €35. If it sounds like all I did on this holiday was eat and drink - well you wouldn't be wrong! :)

Calle Hernando de Carabeo

Calle Hernando de Carabeo was my favourite part of Nerja! It's just a street (which leads down to El Balcon) that will take you five minutes to walk down but it is stunning!! The houses on this street are absolutely beautiful, magnificent buildings. The one below is just an example of how fab this street is.

Nerja was an amazing holiday and I'll definitely be returning! It was the perfect holiday for myself and Dean - just completely relaxed. There was no mad bars or clubs, we even struggled to get a drink after 1am! But it is a busy, lively place none the less. The town is easy enough to get around and we never needed a taxi, but leave the heels at home!

We went the last week in August and the weather was just perfect! It was about 27/28 degrees during the day and only dropped to about 24 degrees at night. I panic packed but think I did well in terms of outfits. I noticed a lot of the other holiday makers were dressed very well so I'll have to step it up a notch next time :)