We originally wanted to fit a few days at the Costa del Sol (Spain’s South coast) into our latest trip itinerary, but we just didn’t have enough time. As a compromise, we decided to squeeze in a short day trip to the town of Nerja while we were staying 3 nights in Granada. Alsa, a bus carrier in Spain, runs 7 trips per day to connect the two towns. Each trip takes approximately 2 to 2½ hours and costs €10 each way. The bus station in Granada is not centrally located, but can be reached easily by local buses or taxi. The Nerja station is also not central, but is a quick 10 minute walk to the main retail and restaurant area or a 10-20 minute walk to any of the town’s great beaches. Although a trip back and forth is a lot to fit into a day, we thought our journey to Nerja was well worth the time investment. We experienced a whole new culture of Spain, and enjoyed some excellent sunshine, cheap food, and warm Mediterranean water.
The ride to Nerja on the Alsa bus was very pleasant. The drive follows a major highway that skirts by the Sierra Nevada mountains. It passes over several dramatic gorges and by many wind turbines, both major feats in engineering. After reaching the ocean, if follows along the local road connecting all the coastal towns. There are at least 2 stops between Granada and Nerja. One nice surprise was that our Alsa bus to Nerja had free wifi on-board, which allowed us to do trip planning en route. We were not so fortunate on our way back.
Once arriving in Nerja, we followed the road down to the Balcony of Europe, which is pictured above. On the way, we picked-up a beach towel for €6 (well worth it in comparison to dragging your own all around Europe). The Balcony of Europe offers some very picturesque views of the surrounding beaches, coastal mountains, and the expansive Mediterranean. Africa is likely too far away to see even on a very clear day, but it’s exciting thinking it’s just beyond the horizon.
