Beautiful Marbella

Fuengirola

Fuengirola is a seaside resorrt on the de Sol in southern Spain, 29km west of Malaga with neighbours Mijas, Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Marbella. The city is conveniently located for the main attractions in this region. Fuengirola is a mix of all European nationalities and ideal for families. It is also very popular with the Spanish, many of whom have a summer residence here. It has a number of historical sites and open parks.

Particularities

Modern Fuengirola

Around 1960, Fuengirola became a leading tourist center with associated facilities for eating, sleeping and relaxing. The city has widebeaches along an east to west boardwalk that encompasses smaller adjacent town. The city has an urban character, with a lot of high-rise buildings, also near the coast, but in the heart of the city there are still many narrow streets which are considerably equipped with shops and a wide range of gourmet restaurants with traditional Andalusian dishes.

Major Sights

Feria square is located in the center of the city. A market is held here twice a week, in October the large funfair with party tents and in the spring the Feria de Los Pueblos ( country festival).
The weekly market, as in most cities, ensures pleasant activities. Market stalls with clothes, bags, shoes and other nice souvenirs, but also fresh fruit and other delicacies that are beautifully displayed and where customers can negotiate the price. In short, a pleasant morning between 9am to 2pm.
Where the market is held on Tuesday, the weekly flea market is on Saturday. Here are all kinds of stalls with different second-hand clothes up to furniture.

Beaches

An 8km long beach promenade on a free accessible silky sandy beach, leads continuously from north to south Fuengirola.

Fuengirola has no fewer than 8 beautiful beaches, all with the 'blue flag' certificate, an international eco-label that is awarded annually to marinas and beaches that are safe and clean.

Playa el Ejido, also called Playa del Castillo, is the southernmost stretch of beach. It is named after Castillo de Sohail, the castle that is located on the on adjacent hill to defend the city in the past.
Playa Santa Amalia is separated from Playa del Castillo by the Rio de Fuengirola in the event of prolonged precipitation. That is why a suspension bridge was built to connect both beaches. In the summer the mouth is dry.
Playa San Francisco next to Playa Santa Amalia is a well-kept beach with many amenities.
El Puerto de Fuengirola, the next beach, is located on the port of Fuengirola: a place full of boats, shops, water sports activities and many restaurants and bars. Many activities and excursions are organized from this location.
Los Boliches is one of the most popular beaches in Fuengirola. It offers everything you could want for a day at the seaside: beach beds, umbrellas, playgrounds and restaurants. the beach is 1300 meters long, so there is always a place to be found.
Playa las Gaviotas is 2 km long and 60 meters wide. Although this beach is 5 km from the center, it is quite busy in summer8 There are beach bars and the possibility to rent a beach bed.
Playa de Torreblanca is easily accessible by train from Fuengirola or Malaga. You just need to get off at the Torreblanca stop. From there it is a 400 meters downhill walk to the beach. On this sand strip of 1 km there are playground equipments on which the children can have fun.
Playa Carvajal is the furthest away from the center of Fuengirola , but is easily accessible by train. It is a fairly quiet beach where you can enjoy your holiday. For the chilren there is a water park at sea "Costa Water Park" where they can have fun all day.

Fuengirola offers various exquisite possibilities at its beautiful beaches.

During wintertime the beautiful sunsets are a must see.

Culinary

Fuengirola is especially popular with tourists who like to find a wide variety of entertainment and restaurants in the area. Andalusian traditional tapas and local seafood restaurants make Fuengirola a popular choice for dining out. Fuengirola is one of the liveliest places for nightlife on the Costa del Sol. Along the boulevard, the "Paseo Maritimo" , there are more than 300 restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs and lounge bars.

Venues

Artey Cocina
Palangregos
El Paso
La Oliva Taberna
Casa Colon

Sights

Experience Fuengirola

Some sights at Fuengirola

Plaza de la Constitución is the most famous square in Fuengirola with very cozy restaurants and cafes. When the sun is down, a charming atmosphere is created thanks to the intimate lighting and live music. You must have been there for a romantic evening. In the center of the square is a beautiful old church Parroquia de Nuestra Señoradel Rosario. it is the main church of Fuengirola where many weddings and baptisms are organized. Opposite the church is a fountain, with 2 articles from the Spanish constitution that have been in force since 1978.

Plaza San Rafael is a square located in the Los Boliches district. It borders the boulevard and is one of the cozy spots in Fuengirola. This is due to the mix of restaurants and shops, but also because of the large influx of tourists who easily find this part of the city. In the middle of the square stands the monument of Angel San Rafael. The archangel's meter-high sculpture is surround by a beatifully landscaped fountain. On the boulevard near the square are also a Roman monument "quarry of the Roman era" and a tribute to athiete José Milan Jimenez, born in Los Boliches.

More Sights

Monumento a la Peseta on the boulevard of Los Boliches. This memorial was created by José Gómez Guerrero in memory of the peseta, official currency in Spain and Andorra from October 19th, 1868 to january 1st, 2002 xhen March 1st, 2002, the country went for the euro.
Finca del Secretanio. In the north of Fuengirola, the excavations from Roman times can be visited. They were discovered around 1970 during the construction of the railway. Among other things, parts of a fish salting factory were found. The Romans used the large amounts of tuna and mackerel present in the south to prepare their popular fish sauce "Garum" Thermal baths and a pottery workshop were also excavated. The Venus of Fuengirola on display in the Historical Museum was also found here.
Plaza de toros the bull fighting arena was opened on july 8th, 1962. the arena is located south of the center and borders the Biopark. There have been quite some renovations over the years, the last one in 2012. Although this Spanish tradition has been increasingly discredited, bulfights and horse shows habe been staged again ever since, mainly during the summer and the Feria de Rosaria from October 6 th to 12 th.
Plaza del Ayuntamiento is the former town hall square of Fuengirola. Afther a facelift to facilitate accessibility, a new monument was unveiled: Catholic Monarch monument, a tribute to the Catholic monarchs as well as the celebration of Catholicism.
Port Fuengirola, with mainly pleasure boats is always nice to walk through. It is a pleasantly busy location and the place for basic but tasteful restaurants. As from here, watersports are available as also the ferry to Benalmadena and a dolphin excursion. Last but not least there is Souldpark and a cute train that brings you to the various sights.
Mezquita de Fuengirola, is the city's only mosque, located at the roundabout that Av. Miramar and Av. Santa Amalia connects. Here is also the Rosa de los Vientos, a wild rose sculpture of 8 pieces of stainless steel, corresponding to the cardinal points on a compass.
Museo de la Ciudad, the city museum of Fuengirola has a great location in the city center near the town hall. The history of fishing in Fuengirola and Los Boliches should centainly not be missed here.
Salón Varietés Theater. Located in a side street off Plaza de la Constitución, this charming 1925 theater with 296 seats served as a Spanish theater and later a cinema. Since the renovations in 1985, it is the only English-language theater on the Costa del Sol and therefore very popular with tourists. Musicals, dramas and comedies are mainly performed.
Plaza de España, together with the Parque de Sol the beautiful park in Fuengirola.

History

Fuengirola over the years

Fuengirola was originally founded by the Phoenicians and has subsequently been owned by, among others, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths and Moors, so that many influences have left their marks. In the foothills of the mountain range behind the city to the south, remains of an early Phoenician settlement were found. Later, this site was occupied by the Romans and the area included a city known in ancient times as Suel.

In 1485 Fuengirola officially became part of the Crown of Castile through the capture of the castle. Because of its location, it was often attacked by pirates, which at one point made it a depopulated area where people only went to guard the coast and defend themselves.

In May 1841 Fuengirola was administratively detached from Mijas. At that time, residents were mainly employed in fishing and agricuture.

In 1984, a series of architectural elements of a Roman temple were discovered in Los Boliches. These parts, probably from the Mijas quarry, have been rebuilt and can be admired on the Los Boliches boulevard.

From the sixties of the last century Fuengirola has slowly grown into the tourist destination it is today.

Sohail Castle

The castle was built by adb-ar-Rahman III in the mid-10th century. The city of Suel was no longer nemad as sush from the beginning of the Middle Ages, the name Suel was later changed to Suhayl which also became the name of the castle and its surroundings.

Writher and scholar Al-Suhayli ( 1114-1185 ) lived there for quite some time and later became known as one of the seven saints of Marrakesh, where he was buried.

In the early Middle Ages, the city was set on fire and its inhabitants fled to Mijas. Of Suhayl, only the fort remained, and according to historian Alonso de Palencia, the town of Font-Jirola developed at the foot of the castle.

In 1485, the settlement, along with the rest of the kingdom of Granada, fell into the hands of the Christian Monarchs. An attempt to repopulate the site with 30 people failed, and in 1511 the city was registered as uninhabited, except fot the fortress and a watchtower. Land originally reserved fot Fuengirola was assigned to Mijas.

In the 17th century, after the threat of the Turkish and Moroccan pirates disappeared, azn new urban settlement developed.

Fuengirolaa Battle

This battle took place in the area during the Spanish War of Independence. On October 15th, 1810, a small army of about 200 men from the Polish Duchy of Warsaw defeated a mixed British-Spanish army of 3,000 soldiers under the command of Lord Blayney.

Accessibility

By car

Fuengirola is very easy to reach from Malaga airport via the A7/AP7 towards Agecirias. Fuengirola follows after Torremolinos and Benalmadena.

By train

There is a good train connection between Malaga airport and Fuengirola (line C-1). Malaga center can also be reached with this connection. Travel time is 33 minutes from the airport to the center of Fuengirola. A train leaves every 20 minutes.

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