Guide to Estepona on the Costa del Sol - everything from attractions to the housing market

The name Estepona probably comes from the Moorish "Astabbuna or Alextebunna". The Battle of Estepona was in 1342 and in 1457 Henry IV of Castile won the city from the Moors. The town was built around a church but was later destroyed and only the church's bell tower remained. However, there are historical excavations in the city dating back as far as Roman times (under the Plaza del Reloj). Since 1729, the city has had its own city rights.

Despite its huge popularity among tourists, the old coastal town of Estepona has managed to preserve its charm and Andalusian character. The city has 70,000 inhabitants and here there is a large selection of hotels, restaurants (with a traditional tapas culture), shopping and nightlife.

The atmosphere here is something very special. The narrow cobbled streets are lined with small shops and cafes and plants and flowers in all their colors hang from the house walls. A funny thing to mention is that each street has its own color on the flower pots. Here it is better to walk or ride a horse than to drive. These old, colorful neighborhoods are a photographer's wet dream.

Strolling around the alleys of Estepona is peaceful and relaxing. Here you see the cozy houses and everywhere you look you find orange trees and beautiful flowers. At Plaza de las Flores, the central square, you sit surrounded by vegetation and can enjoy a cup of coffee in the sun.

Along the popular bar and restaurant street Calle Real, you will find many restaurants serving typically Spanish dishes. There are a lot of "hidden" bodegas and tapas restaurants in Estepona that serve delicious food for cheap money. Ask the friendly locals for tips!

There are not many large shopping complexes here, but the selection of clothing stores is large and there is everything from budget to luxury brands. Hipermercado is the only large grocery store and is outside the city. There are plenty of small grocery stores around town.

At the far west end of the long promenade is Estepona's marina.
Here you can buy fish and shellfish and there is a large selection of bars and restaurants. Esteponia's street market is also found here, where you can buy textile and leather goods.

From here, you also decide whether to go on excursions at sea, such as fishing, boat trips and diving.

Beach guide Estepona

There are a number of beaches to choose from in and around Estepona. The child-friendly beach Playa el Cristo is located in a bay, which means that the hours of sunshine are many and the water is warm. There are two beach bars, a lifeguard station and showers here. In the center of Estepona is the beach La Rada . Here you can sit at one of the many beach bars and drink cava, eat sardines and paella. Playa el Padron is another popular beach where there is also a small shopping center with fashion and interior design shops. Puro Beach Club is also located here, where you can enjoy a drink in the pool and eat delicious food in the restaurant.

Sights in and around Estepona

There are a number of different attractions in Estepona. Among other things, the Parque Selwo Aventura where you can experience adventure, wildlife (the zoo houses lots of different exotic animals such as rhinos, crocodiles, elephants, etc.)) and nature, Castillo San Louise (castle ruins from the 15th century) and a bullring, which was built 1972.

Estepona's botanical garden is well worth a visit as it is home to over 8,000 different orchids.

The very special project, "La Ruta de Murale Artisticos de Estepona" (Estepona Route of Artistic Paintings) is well worth a visit.
As the city likes to highlight its cultural attractions, a map of all the murals in the city has been made. This is available at the tourist office. There are also two statues that are worth seeing the "Monumento a la Peseta", which is a tribute to the peseta and the "Monumento al Turista" a tribute to the tourist.

Sierrea Bermeja (1449 meters) is a mountain outside Estepona that is part of a natural park. There are many nice hiking trails here and you can see wild mountain goats wandering around on the steep cliffs. The unique conifer Pinsapo also grows here.

In the small residential area of ​​Cancelada , located between San Pedro and Estepona, the typical Spanish atmosphere reigns all year round. Here there are small residential areas, schools, churches, restaurants and shops.

A very popular activity is golf. There are many golf courses around Estepona. Some golf clubs worth mentioning are Atalaya and El Paraiso.

If the accident is imminent - important telephone numbers

  • The Swedish consulate is located in Malaga, more specifically at Calle Córdoba 6. Opening hours are normally 10am-1pm. Telephone number for the consulate: +34 952 604 383
  • Embassy of Sweden in Madrid +34 917 02 20 00
  • Should you happen to be involved in a crime, it is most appropriate that you visit the police station in Estepona. Calle Valle Inclán, 1, 29680 Estepona, Málaga , Spain (see map below). Telephone: (0034) 952 800 600
  • The emergency number in Spain is the same as in Sweden: 112.
  • If you need to contact the police by phone, call 091.
  • The Swedish Church in Fuengirola is still active. Although so many people may not turn there when they encounter problems, it can still be good to know that they have an emergency telephone number: +34 675 945 929.

Housing market Estepona - houses and apartments for sale

Estepona is for many a cheaper alternative to expensive Puerto Banus, Marbella. 

Estepona is a place that is on the rise in popularity and that constantly does many people right.  The New Golden Mile between Estepona and Marbella is primarily recommended if you look at prices and the range of housing.

As the prices have gone up for a longer period of time on second-hand homes while they have not fallen despite the Corona crisis, combined with the fact that they are getting old and worn (there are a lot of problems with leaks etc. in older Spanish buildings, built before the new building standards in 2006 ) so new development primarily recommended See our overview article with new development on the Costa del Sol (including Estepona and the New Golden Mile).

Write to info@spanskafastigheter.se and tell us what type of apartment or house you are looking for in Estepona and we will get back with a report on the best buys here and now.

We have hundreds of properties in and around Estepona for sale . Prices start at €75,000 (studios). Expect an apartment with a sea view to cost around €200,000 at least. If you want to buy a home with 2 bedrooms and a sea view in popular Cancelada , you can count on slightly higher prices (there are, however, sometimes slightly cheaper apartments, but this is becoming increasingly rare). A 3 bedroom sea view apartment in Cancelada is priced at around €280,000 and up.

As for bank properties in Estepona, the supply, as it usually is for prosperous areas in Spain, is very thin. At the time of writing, there are no apartments and houses in the largest bank's database, none of which are recommended (there are bigger finds to be made in the resale segment).

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Hotel accommodation in Estepona

Do you want to rent an apartment or house, or book a hotel in Estepona?
In that case, the following actors are mainly recommended, as they have the best prices as well as the range: Hotels-com is recommended because of the lowest price guarantee at hotels
If you are going to rent a car, it is recommended that you read this article.
Most of our clients rent a car in the area via cheap Holiday Auto

Read also:

Cheap flights to, among others, Malaga (which is the airport you land at if you're going to Estepona. It's about 80 km away).

About renting a house or apartment in Spain

Overview of the best new development on the Solkusten

Guide to the Costa del Sol

→Everything you need to know about investing in Spain

Luxury villas and luxury apartments in Spain.