Where is Frigiliana?
Frigiliana is located just 50 minutes east of Malaga Airport and 5 kilometres inland from Nerja, a popular holiday destination on Spain’s renowned Costa del Sol. It lies in the foothills of the Almijara mountains and just on the border of the Sierras de Tejeda y Almijara Nature Park.
What kind of place is Frigiliana?
Frigiliana is an indisputably exquisite little town which has won a number of awards for the prettiest town in Malaga province. It has a population of around 2,300 and is one of the area’s white towns, or ‘pueblos blancos’, whose greatest apparent influence dates back to the time of the Moors. Winding, narrow, cobbled streets lead you past dazzling white buildings with balconies and tumbling cascades of brightly-coloured geraniums.
What is there to do and see in Frigiliana?
In order to truly appreciate the beauty of Frigiliana itself, as well as the wonderful views that its position affords, this is a town which is best explored on foot. From El Balcon de Europa, a central promenade lined with palm trees, you can see right down to the coast, and the small plazas that you come across on your journey offer delightfully shady places to take a short rest.
As you stroll through the town, look out for the 17th century church of Saint Anthony of Padua with its many original frescoes, and a 16th century Renaissance palace which has since become a molasses factory. At the top of the town, you will also find a Moorish castle and elsewhere a former granary which was built during the 1700s.
Although the resident population of Frigiliana is only small, the town offers a surprising array of bars and restaurants in which to relax and watch the world go by, as well as to taste some of the locally-produced wines. The town also offers a good range of shops selling local produce and leather goods, textiles and rugs. In addition, you will find a number of shops will sell the work of the local artisans, including pottery, ceramics and decorative plates, as well as paintings and items carved from wood.
Frigiliana also offers its own small archaeological museum which is located in the ‘House of Culture’. Here you can see evidence of how the area’s first inhabitants, the Phoenicians, lived and worked.
What is there to do and see in the area generally?
Whilst serving as a peaceful and relaxing base for a holiday, and offering plenty to do in its own right, Frigiliana is also ideally situated for exploring the nearby coastal resorts or simply lazing the days away on the beach.
A ten minute bus journey from Frigiliana will take you into nearby Nerja, a bustling resort where you will find all the amenities that you would expect from the Costa del Sol. Just 3 kilometres from here are the Nerja Caves, where you can visit the underground caverns with their stalagmites, stalactites and columns, not to mention Palaeolithic wall paintings.