This is part of our 8-day trip to the Andalusia region of Spain in July 2019. You can find the overall itinerary and links to other stops on this trip in our Andalusia post.
The Costa del Sol in Spain’s Andalusia region is loaded with popular seaside resort towns, and Nerja is one of them. It’s also a great place to visit with kids.
Nerja is less than an hour drive from Malaga (or a slightly longer bus ride). It can easily be a stop on your travels through the Costa del Sol (as it was for us) or your ultimate destination. Nerja with kids is fantastic. Not only is it an ideal location for enjoying the beach and sea, but there are also some great kid-friendly day trips nearby. So make sure to set aside a few days for excursions outside of the town! For us, this included the stunning white village of Frigiliana and a relaxing river walk at El Rio Chillar.
Nerja
The town is set at the foot of Sierra de Almijara mountains and features beautiful beaches with stunning coastline. We went to Playa Burriana, the largest and most popular beach in Nerja.
The beach is pristine and even on a hot July day, it didn’t feel too crowded. The sand is quite coarse, mixed with small pebbles, and gets insanely hot in the summer; definitely take shoes you can slip on and off when you leave your towel. Such as when your kids drag you to the nice playground equipment set right on the beach. There is also a plethora of water activities available such as kayaking and paddle boats. Playa Burriana is also home to one of the most popular beach restaurants, Ayo, for paella. It’s fascinating to watch them cook the paella in huge pans over wood fires.
If you’re spending more time in Nerja, there is plenty more to keep you busy. This includes the popular Nerja caves, the historic city center, the Church of El Salvador, and the Balcon De Europa for beautiful sea views.
Frigiliana
When you think of Costa del Sol, it doesn’t get more iconic than the quaint white villages (pueblos blancos) built on the mountainsides. And Frigiliana is a gorgeous white village, just a 10-15 minute drive north of Nerja. In fact it’s been named one of the most beautiful towns in Andalusia.
While it consists of mostly restaurants and gift shops, it’s a picturesque setting with views to the sea. You can spend hours just strolling through the old town’s narrow winding cobblestone streets and taking pictures of the flowers, blue doorways, alleyways, Arabic architecture and honestly everything you see.
There is a nice church as you walk up the hill called Church of San Antonio. It was a Muslim mosque from the 8th-15th century before Christians took control and turned it into a church. The inside includes a unique archway painted with skulls and crossbones to represent life beyond the grave. Just passed the church you can see La Fuente Vieja (the old fountain). Built in 1640, it was designed as a watering hole to supply the population and cattle with water. It’s a really well-kept landmark and very interesting to see.
Before leaving Frigiliana, we stopped at the restaurant Gloria Bendita Frigiliana. Though probably not the best food in Frigiliana, it worked well for our large group (three adults and four kids). There are tables outside on the balcony that offer plenty of space and beautiful views.
El Rio Chillar river walk
It’s no surprise that Costa del Sol, or Coast of the Sun, can get quite hot in the summer, with temperatures around 30 C / high 80s F. While that can make for a lovely beach day in Nerja, sometimes the direct sun can be a bit too much. Enter El Rio Chillar river walk, just a short drive north of Nerja, one of my favorite things we did while in Andalusia.
The walk goes through ankle- or shin-deep crystal clear water (so make sure to take water shoes or extra sneakers). Hills and trees on either side provide plenty of shade from the summer sun, as well as beautiful scenery. There are very cool places where rock walls offer only narrow passage for the river, and also deeper pools of water where you can swim. We packed some snacks and sat on the rocks next to one of these pools for a short break.
The walk is easy enough for any age – our kids were 4 and 6 years old at the time and only required minimal carrying. And since it’s a straight path on the river, you can turn around any time to go back. If you go the full way, which is around 8 km / 5 mi (and then the same distance back), there is a waterfall as your reward.
I can imagine the river gets very crowded on weekends and early afternoons. We went on a Tuesday afternoon in July from around 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm and only passed a few people on the route. It actually felt very secluded most of the time. Alternately you could go early in the morning to avoid the crowds. And yes, we were on the move for 4 hours with no complaints from the kids. It’s such a fun walk!
Parking can be a bit tricky, and we were lucky to park close to the trailhead when we went. I believe now that parking at that location is no longer allowed. But there are public parking locations about a 15-minute walk away. You can find out more info about the public parking lots at the Nerja Tourism website. Once you arrive at the trailhead, it’s another 5-10 minutes until you get to the more wooded part of the river. Don’t be worried if you see an open area with only a small stream upon arrival (like the first picture above left in this section).