Estepona, the garden of the Costa del Sol: the back story

About Estepona, the garden of the Costa del Sol: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Marbella Editorial Team

Estepona has turned its old town into a garden, with flower pots on every whitewashed wall.

The garden of the Costa del Sol

Estepona calls itself the garden of the Costa del Sol, and a walk through its old town shows why. The whitewashed lanes are hung with flower pots, often painted in a different colour for each street, and the little squares are full of orange trees and fountains.

Murals and the old town

The town has also become known for its route of giant murals painted on the sides of apartment blocks, which you can follow on foot. In the old town, look for the Plaza de las Flores and the remains of the castle.

Every street in Estepona’s old town seems to have its own colour of flower pot.

The seafront

Below the old town, a long promenade runs beside the Playa de la Rada, the town beach, and the fishing and leisure port lies to the west. The pace is slower and more local than in Marbella.

Getting there

Estepona is about half an hour west of Marbella by car on the coast road, and there are buses along the coast.

Our advice: come in the morning, walk the flower-pot streets before the heat, have a fish lunch by the sea, and drive back past San Pedro in the late afternoon.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Estepona, the garden of the Costa del Sol: the back story before you go.