The capital of the province, Malaga, is Spain’s second largest port and the second largest city in the Andalucian Community with a population in excess of half a million people. The city also provides the point of division between the east and west of the Costa del Sol.

The western part of the Costa del Sol, which stretches about 100 kilometres from Malaga city to the province of Cadiz, is more highly developed in terms of infrastructure and property than the eastern coast and is a favoured destination of package holidays. Principal towns along the western coast include Benalmádena, Estepona, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella and Torremolinos.

The coastline to the east of Malaga city stretches for approximately 54 kilometres and its main towns include Nerja, Rincón de la Victoria, Torrox and Vélez-Málaga. Of these, Nerja, is the most important urban area and is home to much of the eastern Costa del Sol’s tourist accommodation.

Economy:
With its combination of a warm climate and beautiful beaches the Costa del Sol is one of Europe’s most popular year-round holiday destinations attracting in the region of 8 million visitors a year. Unsurprisingly much of the region’s economy revolves around the tourist industry, with large numbers of hotels, holiday apartments, restaurants and entertainment centres having been established along the coast to cater for a wide range of cliental.

The development of tourism in the region is centred on the town of Torremolinos, which is located just 6 kilometres from Malaga Airport and boasts two long sandy beaches. It was here that the first tourists began flocking during the tourism boom of the early 1960s and today it has become the biggest and perhaps most famous of the resorts on the Costa del Sol. It is predominantly a family resort aimed at the package holiday business and is packed full of bars, restaurants, nightclubs and shops. A large proportion of visitors to the resort are British and English is the accepted language.

Marbella is Spain's equivalent of the southern French port of St Tropez and, together with the nearby town of Puerto Banus, attracts the rich and famous with its luxury hotels and marinas.

Local Infrastructure:
The region benefits from a good road network, which includes the National 340 coastal highway running the length of the Costa del Sol and the new Autopista (toll road), which provides fast and efficient travel between some of the major towns in the area including Málaga, Estepona , Marbella, Calahonda and San Pedro.

There are extensive bus and coach networks throughout Andalucia stopping at all the main towns in the region including frequent and regular services between Malaga and Barcelona, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Madrid and Sevilla. There are also numerous local train services from Málaga providing good connections with services to other cities in Andalucia.

Malaga International Airport, also known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso airport, is located 8 kilometres to the west of Malaga city and is Spain’s 4th busiest airport capable of handling 500 flights a day. The airport caters for direct flights to and from the majority of Europe’s principal capital cities as well as to other major international destinations such as New York.

Standard of Living:
The region’s mild climate allows for the year round enjoyment of a vast range of outdoor activities from water sports, such as wind surfing and sailing, to golf. In fact, the Costa del Sol is not only home to hundreds of kilometres of fantastic beaches but, according to the Costa del Sol tourist board, it also has the highest density of golf courses in Europe.