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The Most Popular Spot in Nerja
The Nerja Balcon de Europa is a favourite spot with both locals and visitors. Located in the center of Nerja's historic part of town it has breathtaking views out to the Mediterranean sea. With those views it´s not surprising that the name Balcon de Europa literally means “Balcony of Europe”. The locals call it simply “el Balcon” and it´s without doubt the towns meeting place. Whenever I´m meeting up with friends or family members, 9 times out of 10, the meeting place will be at the Balcon.
History of the Nerja Balcon de EuropaThe spot where the Balcon stands used to be the site of a 9th Century Moorish fortress and you will find two historic canons on the Balcon which serve as a reminder of the military significance the top of the cliff once had.The story of how the name Nerja Balcon de Europa came about dates back to December 1884 when much of Nerja was destroyed by an earthquake.
Following the earthquake, King Alfonso XII visited the area and was so impressed with the view from the top of the cliff that jutted out to sea that he decided to give it the name Balcon de Europa. Although in reality, it was already known by that name, but nobody was going to argue with the King! So the Balcon became a promenade called Paseo Balcon de Europa ending in a semi-circular viewpoint jutting out to the sea. You will find a statue of the king located on the viewpoint of the Balcon to commemorate this event (which for some reason some small children find quite scary!). Nowadays, the Balcon is lined with palm trees and flanked to the left by beautiful white arches. From the left of the viewpoint you get a close-up view of Calahonda beach and sweeping views out to the Mediterranean sea and the Sierra Almijara mountain range. The view really is breathtaking! From the right of the viewpoint you get a view of
La Caletilla beach.
Things to do in Nerja on Balcon de EuropaA favourite past-time of locals and visitors is to take a leisurely evening stroll down to the Balcon, enjoy an ice-cream (or two), and watch the world go by!
A must do when you’re at the Balcon is to sample one of the ice-creams at El Valenciano. El Valenciano ice-creams are all home-made and are delicious. But watch out ... they are addictive! And having to choose a flavour is not easy when you have so much choice ... in fact I even counted how many flavours there were to choose from ... 43 flavours!
At the entrance to the Balcon de Europa you will find the 17th Century El Salvador Church. This church was built in baroque-mudejar style and is well worth a visit inside. Catholic masses are held here regularly and you can visit the church during its opening hours.
It’s a great place to sit, enjoy the views and people watch. However, expect to pay quite a bit more than you would in other local bars or restaurants not located at the Balcon. There is also a panoramic restaurant located right at the edge of the cliff underneath the promenade. A great and fun way to get a tour of the Nerja town is by horse and carriage. Horse and carriage rides leave from the Balcon and a 20 minute ride will cost you about 30 Euros.
Want to stay in Nerja on Balcon de Europa?There are 2 hotels located on the Balcon de Europa:The 4 star Hotel Balcon de Europa which is enviously located on the right hand side of the Balcon and right next to La Caletilla beach For a cheaper alternative the 2 star guesthouse Hostal Marissal also located right by the Balcon de Europa is great.
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