One Day in Mijas (Pueblo), Spain – Complete Travel Guide
Last weekend we visited one of the most charming places in Andalucia – a little town called Mijas. If you search Mijas on the map you will see that there are three little villages with the same name – Mijas pueblo, located in mountains, Mijas Costa and La Cala de Mijas. Apparently, they all refer to one municipality in Malaga, which makes Mijas one of the richest towns in Spain, where subsidies from the government are based on the area that the town or village occupies. You can notice it by how well the roads are maintained and the streets are nicely groomed, where practically every corner is Instagram-worthy.
Although Mijas pueblo almost entirely consists of white houses beautifully scattered along the mountains, officially it doesn’t belong to the famous route of white villages (“La Ruta de los pueblos blancos“). The reason lies probably in its geographical location – too close to the coast and main resorts, and hence too accessible and overloaded by tourists. If you want to discover traditional Andalucian lifestyle, Mijas is probably not the first place to go, however, you can’t deny its incredible charm and authentic beauty. It is definitely worth visiting and below are some tips to help you to plan your trip.
How to get in there
The easiest way to get to Mijas is by car – you will enjoy spectacular road views and the drive will take only 15-20 minutes from the nearest coastal towns – Fuengirola, Torremolinos, and Marbella. Public transportation is also well developed and quite cheap – for example, the bus from Torremolinos to Mijas will cost around 2 Euros. There are also bus routes from Malaga and other nearby towns – you can check the schedule on this website. Bear in mind that the bus trip with all stops that it makes will take significantly longer – for example, around 1 hour from Torremolinos.
What to see
The main attraction of Mijas is its beautiful narrow streets white cute white houses with terracotta roofs. All the buildings are neat and well maintained. Flowers in typical blue pots make them even more attractive and photogenic.
If you ask locals what to see in Mijas Pueblo, most of them will mention the traditional mule taxi (“burro” taxi). Converted into the main tourist attraction, the mules are beautifully dressed and groomed. I am against using animals with such purposes, that’s why we didn’t take a drive, although it didn’t stop me to admire how cute these animals are. Traditional harness and cart make them look even more authentic.
Another attraction of Mijas is its numerous viewpoints. You can see the coast, nearby villages and in good weather even Gibraltar. Magnificent panorama in front of you will take your breath away.
The church located at one of the viewpoints, Mirador del Compas next to the main parking, is one of the most unusual that I have seen as almost entirely built inside the rock (La Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña ).
By the way, the cost of parking is only 1 euro – any day and any time, and that’s probably the cheapest tourist parking in Spain.
Almost at every corner you will find trays with roasted nuts (garrapiñadas) – another famous feature of Mijas. The almonds are fried in boiling caramel right in front of you – the smell is so alluring that you can’t resist buying a little bag for yourself.
Some other famous spots include the bullfight square (Plaza De Toros), Museum of Miniatures and ethnographic museum (Casa Museo).
Where to eat
In Mijas, like any other tourist city, there are plenty of restaurants and cafes. On the Internet, you can find reviews of almost all gastronomic places of Mijas (for example, here they are put in order by rating.
Before your trip I recommend you to look at it and note which places are worth visiting. For example, Aroma Cafe & Secret Garden on San Sebastian street has a very authentic atmosphere and cuisine.
Hope these tips were useful, save it for later:
