The oldest remains found in Estepona date from prehistoric and Neolithic times, along with the Copper and Bronze Ages. Of note is the megalithic necropolis of Corominas. Among the numerous Phoenician and Roman settlements, particularly worth a visit are the ruins at the mouth of the River Guadalmansa, which may have belonged to the Roman town of Salduba.

The city of Estebbuna, the forerunner to today’s Estepona, was founded during the golden age of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the 10th century. It was re-conquered by King Enrique IV of Castile in 1456 and destroyed not long after. At the start of the 16th century, the Catholic Kings ordered the reconstruction of Estepona’s walls, due to its excellent strategic position, and 30 families moved back into the town. In 1729, Felipe V awarded the Privilegio de Villazgo (status of a villa or royal burgh) to a prosperous population of over 600 inhabitants, which has continued to grow until today.

PLACES OF INTEREST IN ESTEPONA

AQUEDUCT OF THE ANGEL - One of the pillars of Estepona’s economy has historically been agriculture. This eighteenth-century water wheel and aqueduct recall a time when Estepona was one of the most important agricultural regions in the province of Malaga.

BOULEVARD - Large pedestrianised boulevard lined with trees and flower beds, which opens the city out to the sea, creating one of the best promenades in Spain. It runs from Calle Terraza, in the heart of Estepona, to the lighthouse at Punta Doncella. This avenue provides a transition between the city and the sea, a pleasant place to walk as it is fully pedestrianised, peaceful, and filled with plants and flowers. It also has a bike path. It takes you right up to the Mirador del Carmen, a socio-cultural centre that houses an exhibition hall, featuring fifty exhibits from the Carmen Thyssen Collection, and a viewing tower with stunning views of the Mediterranean.

 

HOUSE OF THE TANK - The building dates to the eighteenth century and was acquired by the City Council in 1853 to be used as the Town Hall. The name, which means “house of the cistern” derives from the fact that beneath the courtyard is an old rectangular cistern covered by a half-barrel vault dating back to the period of Muslim rule. It currently houses the Municipal Archaeological Museum.

PUNTA DONCELLA LIGHTHOUSE - Since the 20th century, this lighthouse and the one at Almina in Ceuta emit the two beams that help guide vessels through the Strait of Gibraltar.

OUR LADY OF LOS REMEDIOS CHURCH - From the 18th century, it was originally a convent for Franciscan friars. The main façade combines Marian, Franciscan, and colonial iconographic elements.

VIEWPOINT OF CARMEN - The Torre Mirador is a watchtower that boasts breathtaking panoramic views of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the work of Malaga architect Salvador Moreno Peralta, winner of the national prize for urban planning. It houses a large vertical library, a music conservatory, an auditorium for cultural events and an exhibition hall.

PROMENADE - A spacious esplanade nearly three kilometres long, running from Playa de la Rada to the Fishermen´s Port and connected to the “Senda Litoral” path. A place to enjoy stunning sunrises and sunsets.

FLOWERS SQUARE - A cosy, friendly square in the old quarter where you can enjoy a drink or tapas.

BULLRING - Opened in 1972, its asymmetrical design, the work of the architect Juan Mora Urbano, makes it a bullring unlike any other in the world.

RUINS OF SAN LUIS CASTLE - Built by Felipe II (16th century) to reinforce the medieval walls of Estepona.

THE CLOCK TOWER - The tower of the old Remedios Church, built during the 16th century. The church was seriously damaged in the 1755 earthquake and later demolished, leaving only the tower. A neo-classical belfry was added in the 18th century.

 

BEACON TOWERS - Running along 23 kilometres of coastline, Estepona has seven beacon towers of Muslim and Castilian origin, witnesses to a defence system that lasted until the 19th century. The towers are: Arroyo Vaquero, Saladavieja, Padrón, Velerín, Guadalmansa (or Desmochada), Saladillo and Baños (or de Casasola).

BOTANICAL GARDENS AND ORCHID HOUSE - The gardens cover a total area of 16,230m2 and are divided into three zones: an outdoor area, an entrance square on top of a large 17-metre-high waterfall and an orchid house containing over 4,000 orchids, including more than 1,500 species from around the world, a pool, three waterfalls and three glass domes, the tallest one standing around 30 metres high.

TYPICAL STREETS - Estepona conserves the charm of a typical Andalusian town, with peaceful squares and white houses. Discover its recently renovated old quarter, one of the most beautiful in Andalusia. It is a joy to wander around and discover the true essence of an Andalusian town, with its white streets network featuring bright coloured flower pots, so close to the sea.

MARINA - The MARINA OF ESTEPONA, a lovely urban setup with a distinctly maritime air, is a place where you can spend an enjoyable time breathing the sea air, enjoying the stunning views of the water with the boats bobbing on it and people walking in search of a well-deserved rest, which they might well find in one of the numerous and wonderful restaurants and stores at the port.

ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM - The main purpose of the museum is to showcase and explain the ways of life, customs, economies, and other aspects of the lives of the inhabitants of Estepona province over the past centuries. The museum boasts a display of more than 2,000 objects of ethnographic interest.

ANTONIO ORDOÑEZ BULLFIGHTING MUSEUM - Many objects related to bullfighting, including photographs of important bullfighters throughout the ages, the heads of bulls won on memorable afternoons, photos of scenes in the ring that have gone down in history, tools and emblems of Spanish and Portuguese cattle ranches, posters on bullfights and suits donated by some of Spain’s top bullfighters.

PALEONTOLOGY MUSEUM - Distinguished by its important collection of molluscs and invertebrates from the Pliocene Era found in Estepona, a coral reef from the Late Triassic period, which is unique on the Iberian Peninsula, a collection of replica Argentinean dinosaur skeletons from the Mesozoic Era, and a fossil collection from the Miocene Epoch.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM - The Archaeological Museum is situated in “Casa del Aljibe”, a building constructed in the 18th century on a well that pertained to a tower from Muslim times. The building was acquired by the Town Hall in 1853 and was its offices through to 2011. The rich heritage we can admire inside comes both from private collections and archaeological digs carried out in recent decades. Among the prehistoric remains, of note is the 5,000-year-old small statue of the ‘Venus of Estepona’.

(MAD) THE PROVINCIAL ART MUSEUM - Located in the emblematic Casa de Las Tejerinas on Plaza de las Flores, exhibits contemporary art, particularly 21st-century paintings by well-known Spanish artists.

COROMINAS PREHISTORIC NECROPOLIS INTERPRETATION CENTRE - Specially designed for this exhibition, it has the peculiarity of being in an underground building beneath a burial mound, thereby recreating megalithic funeral architecture. Inside, the site topography has been reconstructed and includes five dolmens from around 5,000 years old in their original position, from which dozens of individuals who had been buried with pieces of pottery, stone tools, arrow tips, axes and personal adornments were exhumed. Particularly important are the necklace beads, some made from semi-precious stones, along with perforated seashells.

OPEN AIR MUSEUM: MURALS, POEMS AND SCULPTURES - Estepona is committed to culture and exhibits art in its streets. Open-air sculptures by renowned artists, poems in different languages, artistic murals that decorate building façades and bring life to the streets... a rich and diverse heritage will surprise visitors, who can wander through the different neighbourhoods and areas with buildings that host pictorial works of great quality and originality, and discover a new way of enjoying art.

ESTEPONA IS THE GARDEN OF THE COSTA DEL SOL - Tourists can immerse themselves in its recently renovated old town, one of the most beautiful on the coast, with more than 130 streets for pedestrians or with reduced traffic, quiet squares and white houses adorned with thousands of pots loaded with flowers. Walking and discovering, a few meters from the sea, the true essence of an Andalusian town, is a luxury. Estepona "Garden of the Costa del Sol" is a unique place for the visitor to enjoy.

Estepona has become one of the most dynamic tourist cities on the Costa del Sol. Its special location between the sea and the mountain makes it possible to enjoy many activities in a small geographic area. It has a varied landscape with gentle changes in height and is crossed by dozens of streams and small rivers. Nature lovers can enjoy paths and excursions around places of great beauty, such as the Sierra Bermeja, declared a Natural Space, where you find the Paseo de Los Pinsapos track and the Pico de Los Reales; or San Isidro Municipal Park, with its network of forest paths where you can practice outdoor activities.

The low-lying, sandy coast of Estepona runs for more than 23 kilometres, offering a total of 17 beaches, most equipped with the facilities needed to guarantee the safety of locals and visitors, with service modules that include changing rooms, showers, toilets, first aid equipment, handicapped facilities, a hammock area, sailing areas, snack bars and areas with recreational games.

PLAYA DE LA RADA is the most emblematic beach in Estepona. In addition to hosting a full range of services, it has excellent lifeguard facilities. One of its big advantages is that it is close to the main streets of the town, making it very convenient for people who wish to enjoy the beach after visiting the centre.

A promenade runs along the beach’s three-kilometre length, where all sorts of recreational activities take place during summer. PLAYA DEL CRISTO is a pretty bay, a perfect setting for children - the water is very clean and warm because it is protected. One part of the beach features a grove. The other beaches are La Galera, Bahía Dorada, Arroyo Vaquero, Costa Natura (nudist), Guadalobón, Punta de la Plata, Punta Pinillos, El Padrón, Del Castor, El Velerín, Playa Bella, Guadalmansa, El Saladillo, Casasola and Atalaya.

The Coastal Path is an important environmental resource for visitors and fitness enthusiasts alike. It hugs the coastline, winding its way through stunning natural beauty spots of immeasurable value. You can ramble, hike, or run along the footpath, taking in breath-taking views of the beach, sunrise or sunset.

Estepona offers the possibility of playing all sorts of sports: traditional ones such as swimming, football, tennis, and basketball; water sports such as sailing, kite- surfing, and diving; modern sports such as paddle tennis, paragliding, and horse-riding; and others in contact with nature such as hiking and cycling. Estepona has sophisticated facilities, such as the Fair & Sports Area, the Athletics Stadium, and the Regal Equestrian School, among others. Estepona enjoys an optimal climate for playing golf, with an annual medium temperature of 19ºC and sunshine more than 325 days per year. It is distinguished by the importance of its excellent-quality golf courses with different degrees of difficulty.

Estepona features a wide gastronomic variety in restaurants, inns, bars, and beach bars, found throughout the old town, the marina, and the housing developments, which offer everything from traditional cuisine to the most innovative and international dishes. A true showcase of world gastronomy concentrated in a single place. Cafés terraces for enjoying the sun, chillout venues, typical Mediterranean cuisine in its original setting, exotic ambiences that will carry you away to faraway lands, products from the sea and land…a universe to discover.

Estepona is proud to offer high-class hotel infrastructure, where tourists are looked after with quality service in an exclusive, pleasant setting, offering guests a great variety of leisure services, the best spa and thalassotherapy treatments and varied culinary options, in addition to many other services. Hotels are increasingly opting to include services targeted at sport, health and beauty and congress tourism in their offers, as these are becoming more popular in the area. All of this makes Estepona an attractive place to enjoy a good, happy, memorable stay.