Places to Visit

Cordoba

Founded by the Romans in 169BC Cordoba was a city of great importance used for shipping olive oil, wine and wheat back to Rome, it being situated at the highest navigable point of the Guadalquivir river. Later on when the Muslims took the city in 711AD it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of El- Andalus when the great mosque (Mezquita) was built and following centuries of extensions to the building, it became one of the largest mosques in all of Islam.

One of the best times to visit Cordoba is during the first few weeks in May, when there is The Festival of the Patios. Private homes are open to view the floral displays on their patios. There is a guide route of all the patios which can also be viewed well into the evening. Prizes are awarded for the best displays.

The drive from Mijas to Cordoba takes approximately 2 to 2 ½ hours. 

Gibraltar

Located about 1 and ¼ hours drive from Mijas (if using the toll road AP7) is the rock og Gibraltar.

There are many interesting things to see in this tiny country including the cable cars up the rock, the monkeys, the caves and the tunnels which were used during wartime. As well as the sights there are plenty of shops selling duty free goods along  Main Street.

There are many tour operators in Fuengirola offering trips to Gibraltar which include seeing the sights and allowing a couple of hours free time for shopping. These trips are inexpensive and are often the best way of seeing everything the rock has to offer.

It is quite a contrast from the Costa del Sol with the traditional red postboxes and the British Bobbies! The currency is pounds sterling but the everywhere will also accept payment in Euros.

If you decide to visit Gibraltar don´t forget to take your passport with you. There is often a long queue of traffic waiting to enter Gibraltar and also waiting to leave it, so if driving it may be worth parking up in Spain and walking through the control points. Once over the border there are frequent buses from there into the town centre. 

Granada

Home of the Alhambra Palace this city can be reached in approximately 2 hours by car from Mijas. The Alhambra Palace and the Generalife Gardens are the most well preserved of all the Islamic architecture in Spain. This medieval fortress towers above the city, it covers an area of 100,000 sq. metres and is a truly magnificent site. The gardens are much the same as when used by the Arab kings over a thousand years ago. You will need several hours to view the Alhambra properly. It is advisable to purchase tickets in advance and one of the places where this can be done is in the tourist office in Mijas village.

The mountains of the Sierra Nevada can be seen from the city and are a spectacular sight especially when covered with snow. The ski resorts are around ½ hours drive from Gran