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Guide
to Estepona, Costa del
Sol, Spain
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An
Andalucian
fishing
village
on the
Costa
del
Sol
that
has
begun
to
move
into
the
tourist
industry
yet
still
preserve
its
peaceful,
town
atmosphere.
The
town
is
located
25km
from
Marbella
and
just
within
an
hour
of
Malaga.
The
town
is
sheltered
on its
northern
side
by the
Sierra
Bermeja
mountains
which
reach
1,449m
at
their
highest
point,
Los
Reales.
Estepona
has a
wonderful,
quiet
cove
Playa
de
Cristo
(right),
which
is
ideal
for
small
children
because
of its
shallow,
safe
waters,
a
long,
sandy
beach
called
La
Rada (see
details
at
bottom
of
page)
and a
small
nudist
beach.
The
beaches
are
very
clean
and
well
cared
for
and
all
have
bars
on
them.
In
total
there
is
23km
of
sand.
The
beaches
boast
the
Blue
Flag
Award.
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Estepona
port
and
harbour
was
built
in
1977
and is
of two
parts.
It is
located
a
short
walk
from
the
town
centre.
Half
is
mainly
fishing
orientated,
the
other
mostly
sports
and
modern
marina
facilities.
Here
it is
possible
to
rent a
boat
with
or
without
a
skipper.
You
can
find
companies
offering
dolphin
spotting
trips
and
fishing
excursions.
There
are
also
many
bars
and
restaurants
to
cater
for
all
tastes.
The
port
has
direct
sun
most
of the
day.
The
port
also
has
its
own
market
on a
Sunday.
There
is
limited
parking
in the
port;
especially
busy
on
Sundays
for
the
market. |
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The
town
is of
attractive
construction,
combining
modern
with
old
and
has
many
places
to see
including
the
Plaza
de las
Flores
and
the
Torre
de
Reloj
(clock
tower).
There
is a
wonderful
Wednesday
market
at
which
all
manners
of
local
produce
can be
found
(one
of the
best
on the
coast).
Estepona
has a
good,
internal
bus
system
along
with
ample
supplies
of
local
taxis.
Hotels
are
low-rise
and
quite
rare.
There
are
thousands
of
apartments
for
sale
or
rent
and a
massive
amount
of
property
agents.
The
main
N340
highway
and
the
new
toll
road
easily
access
the
town.
English,
German
and
French
is
understood
in
most
establishments.
The
Paseo
Maritimo
is
currently
being
rebuilt
and
improved.
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On the
outskirts
of the
town,
heading
towards
Gibraltar
is the
town
bullring
(pictured
right).
This
white-washed
building
has a
strange
architectural
style,
similar
in
style
to
that
of
Dali's
work.
The
bullring
offers
bullfights
on a
regular
basis,
as
well
as
doubling
up for
concerts
and
film
shows.
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The
climate
of the
Estepona
area
is a
big
attraction
to
tourists
for it
has an
average
annual
temperature
of
18.7ยบ.
The
golf
is
also a
major
attraction
as
there
are 8
courses
in
this
area
alone
out of
over
40 on
the
Costa
del
Sol.
If you
take
time
to
explore
Estepona
you
will
discover
the
quiet
resting
place
in the
centre
known
as
Plaza
de las
Flores,
surrounded
by
quaint
bars
and
orange
trees.
The
clock
tower
in
Plaza
del
Reloj,
built
by
Henry
V,
dates
from
the
15th
century
and
still
keeps
perfect
time,
(pictured
right).
See
the
tool
museum
near
the
bullring
which
has an
impressive
array
of
tools
from
the
town's
history. |
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In
1996
Estepona
opened
the
doors
to its
new
conference
and
exhibition
centre
which
caters
for up
to 300
people.
This
is
located
on the
northern
side
of the
town,
accessed
by the
N340
coastal
road.
In
the
Misioneros
Square
in
Estepona
is
the
Municipal
Museum
of
Palaeontology
which
presents
a
diverse
collection
of
fossils
from
the
area.
In
total,
the
newly
constructed
museum
holds
36,000
fossils,
20,000
of
which
are
from
Estepona.
Fiestas
When
it
comes
to
festivals
and
fiestas,
Estepona
is
no
different
to
any
other
Spanish
town
and
has
its
fair
share
of
festivities.
The
15th
May
is
the
Fiesta
of
San
Isidro
Labrador
when
the
townsfolk
take
to
the
streets
with
processions
and
during
Easter
(Semana
Santa),
the
street
processions
are
both
beautiful
and
impressive.
One
of
the
biggest
fiestas
is
the
annual
feria
that
takes
place
in
July.
The
event
lasts
a
whole
week
and
consists
of a
day
fair
and
a
night
fair.
Both
fairs
give
way
to
the
rhythm
of 'Sevillianas',
rumbas
and
popular
Spanish
music.
The
whole
of
the
town
bursts
into
colour
and
passion.
At
midday
the
bars
fill
to
capacity
when
all
manner
of
Andalucian
cuisine
can
be
sampled
including
the
well
known
paella
which
is
traditionally
eaten
in
the
streets.
The
day
fair
continues
until
seven
in
the
evening
when
everyone
rests
in
preparation
for
the
night
fair.
The
town
is
illuminated
at
night
with
thousands
of
light
bulbs
and
the
meeting
points
change
from
the
bars
to
the
outdoor
pavilions
and
the
fairground
rides.
A
children's
paradise
emerges
from
the
darkness
with
rides
of
every
description.
The
smell
of
candyfloss
mingles
with
that
of
cooked
octopus
and
music
emits
from
every
street.
Estepona's
annual
fair
is
repeated
on
the
grand
scale
every
year
and
never
fails
to
attract
thousands
of
visitors
and
satisfies
each
and
every
one
of
them.
The
star
of the
seas
The
evening
of the
16th
July
is a
very
special
time
for
the
residents
of
Estepona
for
this
is the
night
when
the
patron
saint
Virgen
del
Carmen
is
celebrated.
This
is one
of the
most
deeply
rooted
traditions
of
this
fishing
village
and
the
celebrations
begin
with
the
image
of the
Virgin
being
carried
through
the
town,
towards
the
sea.
All
along
the
coast,
the
tiny
fishing
boats,
all
illuminated,
await
her
arrival.
Boats
sounding
their
horns
and
decorated
with
flowers
and
lanterns
receive
the
blessing
of the
Virgin.
Prayers
are
said
for
those
lost
at sea
and
for
the
protection
of
those
that
continue
to
make a
living
from
the
ocean.
The
religious
masses
begin
on the
13th
July
and
continue
each
evening
until
the
16th
with
offerings
of
flowers
and
presentations
of
commemorative
medals.
After
the
blessing
at
sea,
the
Virgin
is
carried
through
the
streets
once
ore to
her
resting
place
in the
chapel
where
the
'Queen
of the
Seas'
watches
over
the
fishing
community.
The
fiesta
comes
to
completion
with a
public
holiday
on the
Monday.
Bandera
Azul
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