Impressions of Fuengirola
We liked Fuengirola. We actually liked it more than either Benalmádena and Torremolinos.
In this post I’ll cover:
- What’s Fuengirola like?
- Why you should (or shouldn’t) visit Fuengirola
- Daytrips from Fuengirola
- Fuengirola as a base in Spain
What’s Fuengirola like?
Fuengirola feels like a real Spanish town. Although has a good-sized expat population (I’ve read 25% of the population is made up of foreigners) it doesn’t feel overrun by foreigners. Lots of local businesses and you’ll see families walking, sitting and playing in the main square (Plaza de la Constitución). There are lots of bars and cafés in the streets inland from the beachside promenade, most frequented just by locals. Compared to many places along this coast, Fuengirola just feels much more Spanish. I was actually surprised reading the 25% figure that I mention up top.
Fuengirola is compact, full of tall buildings (5 to 10 stories), narrow streets and plazas with palm trees. Coming out of Fuengirola train station, you feel like you’ve stepped into the heart of a city. The streets are busy with pedestrians, there’s traffic and buses…it doesn’t feel like your typical beach town. Then you hit the beachside promenade (the Paseo Maritimo) – a beautiful walkway that stretches along the coastline with access to wide, beautiful beaches. In Benalmádena the promenade and beaches are lined by huge hotels and separated from the main town of Arroyo de la Miel. In Fuengirola you’re right there, you can have a beer at a downtown bar and within a couple of minutes you can be strolling down the promenade.
As I say, Fuengirola feels very Spanish and people we met were relaxed, friendly and unrushed.
The town made an instant good impression on us.
Should you visit Fuengirola?
Fuengirola is not full of tourist attractions and I probably wouldn’t recommend it as a base for those coming on a family vacation. In that case I would suggest Benalmádena where you have a lot more children-friendly attractions (Sea life Aquarium, Selwo Marina, Benalmadena’s cable car, Parque la Paloma, Castillo de Colomares…).
But Fuengirola has a few attractions which are worth visiting:
Sohail Castle is a 10th Century Moorish Castle with cannons and fantastic views of the coastline. Free (but temporarily closed June 13 – Sept 16 2024)
Bioparc Fuengirola is a zoo focusing on 5 different zones: Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Indo Pacific, Madagascar and Equatorial Africa. Definitely a great place to visit for a few hours with kids.
Sould Park is a children’s park with different kinds of rides and games.
Other than that, Fuengirola is a place to come for a beach vacation. Its promenade and beaches, in my opinion, are among the very best on the Costa del Sol.
Daytrips from Fuengirola
Fuengirola is the last stop on the commuter train line from Malaga, which makes it a convenient base to explore other places on the Costa del Sol.
Being on the same line, Benalmádena (17 minutes), Torremolinos (25 minutes) and Malaga (45 minutes) are easily accessible.
You can take the 122 bus to Mijas Pueblo (that’ll take about 20 minutes) or an Avanza bus to Marbella (about 35 minutes). Both are great day trips.
These are a lot of other options. Have a look at this post: The Best of the Costa del Sol
Fuengirola as a base in Spain
Our perspective on Fuengirola was more about “what’s Fuengirola like as a place to live?” than on Fuengirola as a place to visit.
We’re not beach people so many of Fuengirola’s attractions are lost on us. But we like authentic places, places not run over by foreigners. And that’s why we liked Fuengirola. It might not be a place where we’d choose to live…but if we had to choose between Fuengirola and many of its neighbours we’d choose Fuengirola.
There are also practical considerations: being on the commuter train line is very convenient, an advantage over places like Marbella and Estepona to the southwest (both require either a car or bus to get to)
But it was more than that. Fuengirola is a relaxed, friendly and authentic town that we really liked. It’s very much an underrated destination on the Costa del Sol.
Related: What’s Benalmádena like?
Related: Where to live on the Costa Del Sol
On a holiday visiting Fuengirola only for the day, we were very impressed too. Always enjoy reading your stories.
Thank you Sally 🙂
We are planning our retirement living scouting trip for 2025 and are finding the blog and “boots on the ground” approach very helpful!
Very kind. Thank you Maura!