Costa del Sol Guide - Fuengirola

Fuengirola Information

The esplanade in Fuengirola, called the Paseo Marítimo Rey de España, is one of the longest in the country. Its almost seven-kilometre length looks out over beaches with chiringuitos and restaurants along the way. Here too is the marina, a pleasure port of the first order, filled with bars and good restaurants and, of course, all types of boats. Tradition and modernity meet here, with the fishermen's boats sharing this space too, and a street market there on Sundays. The marina can hold 226 boats, about half of them there on a temporary basis.

Among the most important of the archaeological remains in the municipality are the Roman hot baths at Torreblanca, the remains of various Roman roads in the area, Cañada Real and the marble pieces found in the Mijas quarries. These were used to build a monument in the form of a temple in the Plaza de Castilla in Los Boliches. The Visigoths were, in fact, the first to settle here, but more in passing than as permanent residents. The Moorish presence was consolidated from the 8th century onwards, and evidence of their settlements is the burial ground discovered near the hot springs at Torreblanca. It was from this period that we get the name Sohail, a bastardisation of the Latin Suel. It was destroyed in a Viking raid in 858, and the people took refuge in Mijas. It was not until the 10th century that the Cordoba leader, Abderramán III, reconstructed the fortress and re-built the urban centre, and it remained in Moorish hands until captured by the Christians in 1487. The castle was reconstructed again in the 18th century with the aim of fighting smugglers in the area, and from then on the town became an important supply centre for ships sailing towards the Straits of Gibrtaltar. It was at this time that the place became definitively known as Fuengirola, the name deriving from a Genoa ship called a "girona", that frequently made harbour here, trading in groceries (boliches). Thus the name Los Boliches, formerly separate from but now forming part of the same urban area as Fuengirola.

Map of Fuengirola

Map of Nerja

Sohail Castle is one of the most interesting buildings in the town, and following the work carried out there, it is currently used for holding cultural events, like the Festival Ciudad de Fuengirola. Opening hours are 10 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., and the building is closed on Mondays. There is a small museum inside, showing different aspects of the castle.

One of the newest buildings in Fuengirola is the recently inaugurated cultural centre in the feria grounds, Palacio de la Paz built on 2,000 square metres with capacity for 1,800 people. It was designed in such a way that the three storeys can be used for different cultural activities. The ground floor can hold 1,200 people, and has entrances on three sides. On the first floor are most of the balconies and boxes, while the second floor is more suitable for exhibitions and other big events. The building is fully equipped with the latest sound and vision technology