Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol

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Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol

Torremolinos is located 7 Km West of Malaga. It is in the province of Málaga and part of the autonomous region of Andalusia. In the 18th century, the city had a thriving milling industry and port, and in order to protect these, a castle/fortress was built in 1763. The Hotel Santa Clara now sits on the spot, but some ruins of the fortress still remain at the top of Montemar.

Due to it's proximity to Málaga, Torremolinos was one of the first cities on the Costa del Sol to embrace tourism in the 1950s as the tourists moved westward. Today, with the growth of both cities, Torremolinos is nearly a suburb of Malaga. Plagued with some growth and image problems in the past, enormous and successful efforts have been made to beautify and clean up the city, with new landscaping, green spaces and an improved beach.

Home to many high rise apartments and hotels and clean, wide, sandy beaches, the city is a very popular tourist destination. Relatively few Spaniards live in Torremolinos and those that do speak English due to the large population of English-speaking tourists and residents.

Local Life

Once very popular with young, night-clubbing British tourists who now prefer to visit Marbella or Fuengirola, Torremolinos is slowly evolving into a slightly quieter and calmer city. The nightlife is still very vibrant though, and there is an enormous variety of clubs and bars. The city has a large gay population, and therefore many gay bars and clubs; two popular areas of town for the gay scene are Pueblo Blanco and La Nogalera.

Calle San Miguel, a pedestrian street, is considered a main avenue of activity in Torremolinos. It's lined with shops, bars and restaurants and in the summer, is very busy. 

Though the beach front is very modern and hectic, the areas of Calvario, Bajondillo and La Carihuela are more traditionally Andalucian. These areas have recently been rejuvenated by locals in order to draw a different kind of tourist. Older cottages, a slower pace and beautiful views of the coast and sea can be found in these former fishing villages.

Leisure Activities In and Around Torremolinos

Torremolinos' beaches are popular for water sports such as scuba diving, water skiing, jet skiing, paragliding and wind surfing. Pony rides, go karting and other sports are also available.

Aqualand water park, just outside the city, has swimming pools, baby pools, numerous water slides, mini golf and tennis. 

• For contact information on Aqualand and other amusement parks in Torremolinos, see The AngloFILE: Amusement & Leisure Parks

Children and adults will find magic shows and entertainment at the Magic Palace. 

• For contact information on the Magic Palace as well as other things to do around Torremolinos, see The AngloFILE: Days Out: Trips & Tours

Every Thursday, food and clothing is sold at the local market behind Aqualand water park. 

• More information can be found on the INFOrmation Page: Markets on the Costa del Sol

Torremolinos Information and Contacts

• See AngloINFO INFOrmation Page Emergency Services to the Costa del Sol

Local Torremolinos resources

• For English-speaking restaurants in Torremolinos, see The AngloFILE Restaurants: Mijas Costa
• For English-speaking bars in Torremolinos, see The AngloFILE: Bars: Mijas Costa
• For English-speaking banks in Torremolinos, see The AngloFILE: Banks & Banking
• For English-speaking churches in Torremolinos, see The AngloFILE: Churches, Religion & Spirituality
• For WiFi hotspots in Torremolinos, see The AngloFILE: WiFi Hotspots & Wireless Access Points