12 Great Tips to Experience Costa del Sol Like a Local

Wondering which things you need to know to have a more authentic experience in Costa del Sol? I’ve got you covered.

Born and raised in Costa del Sol, I’ve always loved hosting friends and family from other Spanish cities and showing them all the amazing things they can do and see in my hometown. 

Whereas some of my hosts only wanted to see the main attractions and the touristy life (I had to learn how to be a tourist in my city), others were curious about how they could make the most of the place by having a local experience!

Experiences like enjoying delicious grilled sardines and other Malaga traditional dishes, visiting less well-known little towns with beautiful white houses and narrow streets, or speaking like the locals.

It’s a busy and touristy place, especially during the summer, but I’m going to tell you some travel tips as well as places that locals tend to go to, so you have an authentic experience when you’re travelling to Costa del Sol.

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How to Experience Malaga and Costa del Sol Like a Local

1. Go to the beach early in the morning

The beach is busy all the time during the summer, so my number one piece of advice is to go early in the morning to make sure you get a good spot and chill. This is even more important on Sundays. 

Why? Shopping centres, banks, supermarkets, etc., don’t open on Sundays, so it’s the time when families go to the beach. 

If you don’t like being on a busy beach with kids playing on the shore and umbrellas everywhere, making it difficult to find a spot for yourself, you could avoid going to the beach on a Sunday and look for an alternative plan.

For example, you could walk around Málaga city centre, have lunch in the port and visit one of the many free attractions in Malaga, like the beautiful Alcazaba Castle, from 2 pm for free admission on Sundays. 

If you’re looking for less touristy beaches, I would recommend going to Playa La Misericordia in Málaga or the beginning of Los Álamos beach in Torremolinos. 

2. Avoid eating in restaurants close to the ports

Most of these restaurants offer “traditional Spanish meals”, but they certainly don’t taste as good as a real traditional restaurant.

If you want to spot these places, you can easily do so by looking at their menus, which are available in English, French, German, etc., and the list goes on.

For example, if you go to Torremolinos, you can also spot these places because they’re all next to Irish pubs, Chinese restaurants and Burger King.

If you want to try the local fish and seafood in Torremolinos, I’d recommend having lunch at Los Mellizos and trying the fried fish. You won’t regret it!

3. Try the local food

4. Experience the feria

If you’ve never heard of the Feria de Agosto before, it’s a fair that takes place in Malaga in the middle of August and lasts for 10 days. 

During the day, you can enjoy dancing or having some delicious tapas or wine (Cartojal wine is a must!) Whereas, during the night, you can go on a rollercoaster or many other attractions or listen to live music. 

Alternatively, you can visit other ferias that take place in different towns along the Costa del Sol during the summer. Use this website to help you find more events.

Going to a feria is definitely something to add to your Spain bucket list!

5. Attend a music event

There are many music events going on during the summer wherever you stay in Costa del Sol. 

For example, you can attend Los Alamos festival in Estepona, Starlite concerts which happen in Marbella during summer and you can see many national and international singers (like Jason Derulo or Luis Fonsi), or simply a live flamenco evening in El Pimpi bar, Málaga.

This is a great way to get to know more about the locals and the culture.

6. Try to speak Spanish and engage with the locals

Spanish people are very friendly and outgoing, and always try to help you (even if they don’t know your language). However, they’ll really appreciate you trying to speak the language or even just using a few words.

If you already know a bit of Spanish, beware of the accent! The Andalucia accents (i.e. Málaga, Sevilla, Cádiz, etc.) are very unique, but as a general rule, we don’t pronounce the “s” at the end of words like in other places in Spain. 

Also, every place has some local words you haven’t probably heard of before. In Málaga, we have words like “pechá”, which means a lot, or “perita”, which means cool.

If you’re travelling alone and looking to make friends, I recommend staying in a hostel instead of a hotel. You’ll get to know more people in your situation!

To find a great hostel, check HostelWorld. They don’t charge you any booking fees, offer modern hostels worldwide, and have 24/7 customer service available in several languages. 

Also, you can join one of the many language exchanges which happen in Malaga city centre or have a look at Meet Up for any other events. 

☀️ Join my community. My free Malaga and Costa del Sol Facebook group is the place to ask questions about your trip, be inspired and connect with other travellers who love Southern Spain. Click here to join!

7. Party like a local

Also, drinks have lots of alcohol, so it’ll be easier to get drunk. Why am I telling you this? 

If you’re partying in the UK, alcohol is measured, and you’ll have to spend more money on drinks; however, if you’re partying in Spain, the bartender just pours the alcohol into the glass without measuring.

You can’t leave Costa del Sol without visiting Marbella, one of the top party destinations in Europe.

8. Enjoy an ice cream

If you’re looking for relaxing evenings, you can just grab an ice cream, as many locals do. 

You’ll be surprised to see how many families and young people sit down in the ice cream shop, chat, and enjoy eating their ice cream. 

The two ice cream shops you can’t miss are:

1) Heladería Inma (located in Málaga)

2) Kalua (located in several locations around Costa del Sol) 

They have delicious artisanal ice creams and many flavours to choose from, and they are open until 2 am! 

Depending on the time you go, you’ll probably have to queue a bit, but it’ll be very worth it. My favourite flavour is strawberry sorbet 🙂

9. Visit the lakes and mountains

Costa del Sol is very well-known for the coast, as its name suggests; however, if you want a different experience and are adventurous, why don’t you try to visit the lakes? 

El Caminito del Rey is a must, and it’s very accessible! You can go by car, bus (there’s a shuttle bus), or train from Málaga María Zambrano station. 

If you want to visit other natural places, I would highly recommend visiting them with a local or a tour. 

I’ve always visited these places with my family or friends, so I’ve never been on a tour. However, if you’d love to visit Caminito del Rey with a guide, this guide has very good reviews. 

10. Join others doing sports

Love meeting other people? An easy way to meet others is to join people who are doing sports.

 If you’re on the beach in the morning or evening, you can see many groups playing volleyball. People are very kind, so they’d be happy to introduce you to others and invite you to play with them.

Also, you can find many people playing football or basketball in the big parks such as Parque del Oeste in Málaga.

TIP: To ask in Spanish if you could join them, say “¿Puedo jugar con vosotros?” (Can I play with you?) or “¿Me puedo unir?” (Can I join you?)

11. Order a coffee in a local cafetería

I know you may be thinking, “Oh well! I can do that anywhere in the world, right?” I can do that at Starbucks, Costa, or any other chain! 

But if you want to learn more about the language and culture, I recommend visiting the local cafeteria to see how many different types of coffee you can find. 

Malagueños (people from Málaga) have their own coffee language because you won’t see those names in other parts of Spain. 

For example, if you want to order a latte, you should say “un mitad,” or if you love a strong coffee, ask for “un largo.” 

If you don’t like coffee like me, you can enjoy delicious fresh orange juice!

Some of my favourite cafes in Malaga are Tejeringos Coffee, La Bella Julieta and La Tetería San Agustín.

12. Go to the markets

If you’re staying longer and have your own kitchen, I encourage you to go to the markets to buy your food! 

Prices are lower, and you get fresh and delicious ingredients. Mercado Atarazanas is the most accessible because it’s in the city centre, but it’s also well-known for its beautiful architecture.

In there, you can find local ingredients such as raisins, peaches, honey made in Frigiliana and many others. 

Conclusion on experiencing Costa del Sol like a local

As you can see, it’s possible to experience Costa del Sol like a local!

There are plenty of things to do in Costa del Sol, which is reflected in the amazing combination of the sea and mountains, museums, castles, etc. And there’s nothing better than watching the sunset on a summer evening. Sunsets in Costa del Sol are magical.

But let’s not forget about views! If you’re searching for a beautiful view, then you’ll love the Mijas Pueblo viewpoint, Gibralfaro viewpoint (between Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle), and Balcón de Europa in Nerja.

If you’re wondering where to stay, have a look at these incredible hotels in Malaga. Are you staying in Marbella instead? Then, these Marbella accommodations are ideal for you.

If you’re after more rural and authentic experiences, I’d definitely check towns like Ronda and Antequera. There are many easy and short day trips from Malaga to choose from.

Have you ever been to Costa del Sol? If not, the best way to explore Costa del Sol is a seven-day road trip!

Safe adventures,

Cristina x

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Read more about Costa del Sol

Are you looking for more inspiration for travelling on the Costa del Sol? Have a look at these guides:

• Is Malaga Worth Visiting?
• How to Spend One Day in Malaga
• Reasons Why You Will Love Visiting Malaga in Winter
• Best Things to Do in Torremolinos
• Incredible Things To Do in Benalmadena
• Best Things to Do in Marbella
• Fantastic Things to Do in Estepona
• Best Things to Do in Nerja

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