Estepona, the garden of the Costa del Sol

A city between sea and mountains

Protected by the Sierra Bermeja, a colossus of reddish rock covered in pine forests, Estepona combines the benefits of the Andalusian climate and its 320 days of sunshine per year. Influenced by the Atlantic twenty kilometers away, the area offers one of the best climates in Europe and summers tempered by sea air.

The Sierra Bermeja is a meeting point for hikers who love to overlook the Mediterranean. The panorama extends over the Pillars of Hercules, the Rock of Gibraltar and Mount Djebel Musa, on the Moroccan shore. A marked six-kilometer round-trip trail, the Paseo de los Pinsapos, of low difficulty, crosses a pine forest found only in this part of the world, bordered by streams.

This dual exposure is what makes the heights so appealing: from the developments backed against the sierra, the view extends over the entire bay, and summer nights remain cooler than by the sea. The motorway places Marbella twenty minutes away, Gibraltar about three quarters of an hour, and Málaga airport one hour away.

The developments closest to the mountains — Selwo and Valle Romano — offer the most open views of the sierra and the sea.

An authentic old town, with flower-filled streets

With its streets rehabilitated and planted with flowers in recent years, Estepona has transformed its appeal and attracts more and more visitors, carried by glowing articles in international travel guides. The Plaza de las Flores, the Ruta de los Murales and its painted facades make it one of the most photographed town centers on the coast. The Estepona tourist office publishes the routes.

The town center is explored on foot. The streets of the casco antiguo are cobbled and largely pedestrianized, and you can reach the beach in a few minutes. Food shops, market and terraces operate year-round, which distinguishes Estepona from the more seasonal resorts on the coast.

This is the point that comes up most often among our French-speaking buyers: finding a town that is still alive in January, where you do your shopping on foot and where neighbors are there all year round. The trade-off is well known: parking is hard to come by in high season, and properties in the casco antiguo rarely come on the market.

To live a few minutes' walk from this town center, see our apartments in El Padrón and our penthouses in Estepona.

Estepona, garden of the Costa del Sol

To cement its reputation as the garden of the Costa del Sol, the town has installed more than ten thousand pots in its center. Most adorn the facades and display geraniums, coral plants and dragon trees, watered daily.

The largest orchidarium in Europe is its emblem: fifteen thousand square meters, more than a thousand varieties of orchids and eight thousand plants in total. Opening hours and prices · Orchidarium website.

Allow one hour for the visit, a stone's throw from the Plaza de las Flores. The park closes on Mondays.