Nerja sits along Spain’s southern coast and is a picturesque town with a relaxed vibe. We stayed in Nerja during our 2-week Andalusia road trip in March 2024. We spent one full day here (two nights). Our itinerary is short and sweet – if you just want lists of things to do (including extra things and beaches we didn’t get to), where to stay, and day trip suggestions, check out our Nerja Travel Guide.
While Nerja is usually a beach destination, we were greeted with a lovely haze that blew in from a Saharan desert storm. This meant no beach day for us, and as a result we explored the surrounding areas. There is a map of all our suggestions at the end of this post. If you want to check out where we ate during our 2 weeks, our gluten free guide for Andalusia is here.
Here is what we did during our 1 days (2 nights) in Nerja:
Day 0: Arrive in Nerja, possible visit to Frigiliana, beach, Balcon de Europa
Day 1: Playa La Herradura, Mirador de Cerro Gordo, Nerja old town
Day 2: Depart Nerja, possible visit to El Torcal de Antequera
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DETAILS:
Nerja Arrival Day:
Today you will arrive in Nerja! If you’re driving here from elsewhere in Andalusia, we highly suggest a stop in the adorable town of Frigiliana. Spend 2 – 3 hours exploring this town full of sprawling valley views and whitewashed buildings. From Frigiliana, it is about a 20 minute drive to Nerja, where you’ll be spending two nights. We stayed MB Boutique Hotel, which was walking distance to the main town square and to the beach.
Once you’ve checked into your accommodations, make your way to the beach to catch a glimpse of the water! We headed to Playa Torrecilla before making our way through to Balcon de Europa. Explore the cute streets that branch all out from the square in front of Balcon de Europa.
Nerja DAY 1:
We originally had planned today as a beach day but had unfavourable weather. As such, we improvised! However, today would be a great day to spend at the beach or at the Nerja Caves.
If you want to follow our “fly by the seat of our pants” day, start by heading towards Acueductor del Aguila, which is a large bridge with many arches. Next you’ll make your way to Playa La Herradura in the small nearby town of Herradura. We were hoping for better weather here but had no such luck. There is a promenade you can walk down that borders the beach, and there are many cafes and restaurants with patios facing the water. There also seem to be several water sport rentals, though these were closed during our visit due to the weather.
From Herradura, you can head to Mirador de Cerro Gordo which has a beautiful view of the water and coastline. It is a short walk from the nearby parking, and there is a tower here with informational plaques on the history of the area. There is also a restaurant on the cliffside with views of the coastline as well.
Once you’re done exploring, you can head back into Nerja and back to explore more of the old town.
Nerja DAY 2:
You will leave Nerja today, which for us meant driving to Ronda to continue our Andalusian road trip. If you are also leaving Nerja by car or need a day trip idea, we suggest stopping at El Torcal de Antequera. This is a massive natural park full of rocks made from limestone formations. You can take anywhere from a leisurely 45 minute stroll to a tough 4 hour hike.
MAP of our Nerja Spain Itinerary
HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one type of activity at a time or see all the activities on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.
Helpful Planning Tips
I rely on these tools when planning my trips:
- Get Your Guide – book experiences such as the Nerja caves, day trips, and more
- Airalo eSIM – get Spanish data instantly on arrival, without roaming charges
- Stay22 – compare hotels across Nerja at a glance
- Wanderlog – keep track of your trip details, organize your itinerary, and map out your stops
Thanks for sharing, even though you only spend a full day in Nerja there does look like a lot to do in that day, with the beaches, shops and resturants 🙂
For sure! If we had better weather and were there longer, I’m sure there would be more beach time and day trips to take.