Nerja Today

Beaches in Almuñecar and La Herradura

The old coast road from Nerja to Almuñecar is a most scenic route, and between La Herradura and Almuñecar there are in the region of 25 beaches to choose from. These range from secluded coves to main beachfronts.

Playa de Cantarriján
Playa de Cantarriján lies on the western side of the Cerro Gordo promontory and there are two ways to reach it by car. The original entrance is a steep road winding down the hillside, in good condition, and is signposted off the old road that runs around Cerro Gordo. A newer entrance, off the main N340 about 200m from the tunnel, affords less arduous access to the beach. The beach is a mix of sand and shingle and is designated a nudist bathing area, although the western end tends to be conventional sunbathers. There are a couple of good beach bars which are open throughout the season.

Playa de La Herradura
The beach runs the entire 2 km width of the horseshoe bay that gives the village of La Herradura its name. It is mainly fine sand and even in summer it's never really crowded. There are numerous beachbars, restaurants and shops and there are plenty of watersport activities available.

Playa de Berengueles
A small sandy beach beside the Marina del Este on the rocky Punta de la Mona and very popular for watersports based in the port. There is a good beachbar/ restaurant.

Playa del Muerto
Access to this beach is on foot from the Playa de Cotobro. It consists of secluded shingle coves and rocks and is officially recognised as a nudist bathing area. There are no services in the area

Playa de Cotobro
A picturesque bay just around the headland with a small sand and shingle beach and one restaurant. Walking around the rocks leads to Playa del Muerto.

Playa San Cristóbal
This is a long shingle beach to the west of the town. Its has a wide promenade with an assortment of hotels and apartment blocks. There are plenty of beach bars and restaurants to choose from and various seasonal watersports.

Playa Puerta del Mar
This is Almuñécar's main beach and runs from the aquapark past the mouth of the Rio Verde as far as the castle and Cross in the centre of town. It is a spacious beach and is very popular during the high season. 

Playa Velilla
This is a 2 km sand and shingle beach running the entire length of Velilla. Bars, restaurants and shops are dotted all along the front, and there is a watersports centre in the middle of the beach. Access is easy but parking in summer can be a problem.

Playa El Tesorillo 
This popular sandy beach is small but cosy and there are two good beach bars. Tesorillo means 'The Little Treasure' by the way.

Playa El Pozuelo 
Another small beach shaded by eucalyptus trees - crack the leaves on the spine and take a whiff! This beach does tend to get crowded in high season as it's close to a large hotel. There are a couple of places on the beach to eat and parking is generally not bad

Playa de Cabria
Access to the beach is via the N340 down the riverbed or from the coastal 'paseo' via Taramay. Yet another small (but popular) beach with good eating facilities. An even smaller cove can be reached by walking east around the headland.