Mama MálagaPostsSeasons & MonthsWinter on the Costa del Sol – Embracing the magic

Winter on the Costa del Sol – Embracing the magic

November 4, 2023

Last modified on: October 19, 2024

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What to see and to do in December, January and February

Winter on the Costa del Sol is pure delight. We’ll explore the diverse facets of the winter season on the Costa del Sol, from engaging activities and delicious gastronomy to festive celebrations, cultural explorations and shopping delights. And if you are one of those people that think there is nothing to do on the Costa during winter, I’m about to change your mind!

What to expect of the weather

December

On December, daytime temperatures typically range from 15°C to 20°C (59°F to 68°F). Evenings can be cooler, ranging from 8°C to 12°C (46°F to 54°F). December often sees mild and sunny days, but occasional rainfall is not uncommon. The sea temperature remains relatively cool, making beach activities more suitable for the sun-seekers with a higher tolerance for cooler waters (I wouldn’t go in the water!).

January

January’s daytime temperatures hover around 14°C to 18°C (57°F to 64°F); nights can be cooler, ranging from 7°C to 11°C (45°F to 52°F). The trend of mild temperatures with occasional rainfall continues.

February

On February, daytime temperatures start to rise slightly, ranging from 15°C to 19°C (59°F to 66°F). Nights become milder, with temperatures ranging from 8°C to 12°C (46°F to 54°F). February marks a transition towards spring, with more frequent sunny days; occasional rainfall may still occur, but the overall weather becomes more stable.

Outdoor activities

Skiing in the Sierra Nevada

Swap your hiking boots for skis and head to the Sierra Nevada, where winter transforms the mountains into a snowy playground. A short drive from the Costa del Sol, the Sierra Nevada ski resort offers thrilling slopes for skiers and snowboarders of all levels. Imagine gliding down the powdery slopes against a backdrop of stunning mountain landscapes—a winter adventure that adds a twist to your Costa del Sol experience.

It is advisable to buy tickets to go up the mountain ahead, as the prices at the booth can be much higher. You can check here a small-but-great guide about the Sierra nevada Ski passes.

You’ll need to go to Granada, which takes about 1 and a half hours by car, less by train (which costs about 20 to 25 euros each way, but may cost more or take longer on some days and times) or by bus for around 10 euros. The train departs from Malaga-Maria Zambrano Station, and the buses, from the bus station right behind Maria Zambrano. Chose to come and go on the same day or spend a couple nights in lovely Granada! 😉

If, like me, you need some extra classes before facing the slopes (hopefully not literally), or if you prefer to go on an easy hike in the snow, here are two interesting activities for us:

You can read more about each of them on the links above – what to wear, what to bring, duration, availability and a lot more. And if you go to beach later, you can say you went skiing and to the beach on the same day! Not many places in the world allow for that.

Cheese Fair in Estepona

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Feria del queso in Estepona

Estepona hosts yearly cheese fairs in December (in 2023, it went from December 14 to 17 in Calle Terraza, in the center of Estepona). Besides cheese, the participants in the event also have the chance to try othe delicacies, such as dried fruits, wines and olive oils. This mouthwatering, cultural and free of charge event is an unique opportunity to get to know more about the diverse selection of cheese produced in Spain. And now I’m hungry.

How to get there:

Beachside strolling

Though entering the sea is not a good option during winter on the Costa del Sol, walking along the beautiful and large promenades of the Costa del Sol is still a delightful activity. Different from the inner parts of the cities, the paseos (promenades) are full of people – you would think it’s summer. Even during winter and despite the rainy season, the skies are still blue and sunny on most days, making a seaside walk a perfect program.

The image above is from Google Maps, taken on January 2021. Not so many people around because it was covid times and Spain had a severe lockdown. Still, people would go to the beachside when they could leave home!

Romantic escapades

Suppose you want to add a bit of romance to your trip… The Costa del Sol is the right place and winter, the right season! You can mix and match romantic escapades with the traditional festivities and indoor or outdoor activities. It’s sure to be a honeymoon on Costa del Sol wonderland. Look at these suggestions and fall in love:

Candlelight events

Candlelights are live music shows that always happen in a beautiful venue illuminated by candles. There are several shows throughout the year, with different themes, but they tend each to happen just during one or two days.

It’s better to buy the ticket soon, as they tend to run out fast! Sometimes these events occur in open spaces, but in December they are all happening indoors – better for the weather and probably for acoustics. See pictures of the venues and the location of each place in the links above. Candlelight shows are impressive and unforgettable experiences that are sure to brighten your evenings in the Costa del Sol!

Hamman al Ándalus

Baths, with warm or hot waters, and massages are an Arab tradition incorporated to the south of Spain during the thousand-years long occupation of Andalucía by the Moors. The magnifique Hamman al Ándalus is part of this traditional legacy, where you can enjoy a circuit of thermal waters and a relaxing massage with essential oils in the center of Malaga. Admire the elaborate Arabic interiors while relaxing in the spa– good for body and soul, and prone to sparkle romance! Choose the time that fits you best, get your ticket and bring your swimsuit.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - hamman al andalus — **Hamman al Ándalus**

Indoor activities

Museo Picasso in Malaga

Escape the winter chilly days by immersing yourself in the rich cultural heritage of Malaga. The Picasso Museum, located in the heart of the city, showcases a remarkable collection of works by the legendary artist Pablo Picasso. Wander through the halls adorned with paintings, sculptures, and sketches, gaining insights into the artistic evolution of one of the 20th century’s most influential artists.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Picasso — One can’t take pictures of the artworks, but here is a picture of the gift shop right in front of Museo Picasso!

The museum is in Malaga’s historical center, in the Palacio Buena Vista (Calle San Agustín, 8, Malaga). It is free of charge on Sundays from 16:00 (the museum closes at 18:00 during winter), and not-booked people enter only after others leave. Because there is often a line, actually entering for free depends a bit on luck.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Museo Picasso — The lines at Museo Picasso

To visit Museo Picasso, you can try your luck on a Sunday afternoon, or you can book your ticket for an earlier hour and avoid much of the crowd (on the left), or you can get a skip the line ticket (on the right), with a guided tour:

Directions to get there:

Centre Pompidou Malaga

For contemporary art experience, visit the Centre Pompidou Malaga, a branch of the iconic Parisian museum. Marvel at modern masterpieces and thought-provoking exhibitions that push the boundaries of artistic expression. The museum’s striking architecture itself is a work of art, offering a visually stunning backdrop to your cultural exploration.

The museum also offers free entrance on Sundays, from 04:00 pm. It is open from 09:30 am to 08:00 pm and stays closed on Tuesdays. You can get you ticket ahead here:

Directions to Centre Pompidou Malaga:

Botanical Wonder in Estepona

Escape the cold and go straight into tropical weather by visiting a world of botanical marvels at the Orchidarium Estepona. This unique attraction, nestled in the heart of Estepona, features a mesmerizing collection of orchids from around the globe. Wander through lush gardens, greenhouses, and waterfalls, discovering the diverse beauty of these exotic flowers. The Orchidarium provides a tranquil escape, allowing visitors to connect with nature in a harmonious setting.

Estepona’s Orchidarium is the largest Orchidarium in Spain and one of the most important in Europe due to the number of species it houses. And who doesn’t love orchids?

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Estepona Orchidarium — Fredclarkeara ‘After Dark’, also called ‘black orchid’, which bloomed on February 2023 in the Orchidarium. Photo by Orchidarium Estepona.

Orchidarium Estepona Botanical Park address is Calle Terraza, 86, Estepona. It is closed on Mondays and opens on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00 and on the other days from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 15:00 to 18:00. Tickets are bought directly at the entrance of the botanical park, and cost €3 for adults and €1 for children (4 to 11 years old).

Festivities

As usual, there are festivities going on everywhere in the Costa del Sol, throughout the season. The Costa del Sol never stops celebrating! The winter festivities happen every year, so we can anticipate what will be happening where and have an estimate about the dates; for more precise information, check this page again as the season progress – you can bookmark it; I tend to add updates whenever I get newer (and reliable) information.

Christmas lights

Although the Costa del Sol will not be blanketed in snow, the towns and cities come alive with festive decorations during the Christmas season. From Malaga to Estepona, the whole Costa fills their main streets with Christmas lights, creating a truly festive and breathtaking ambiance. Particularly famous are the lights in Calle Larios, in Malaga’s historic center. They have different setups for the lights every year, and they are always spectacular!

The lights stay on during the nights from around the last Friday of November till Epiphany, on January 6^th. In 2023, they were turned on for the first time on November 24, at 19:00. This is an event that usually attracts thousands of people. ~~Join the fun or wait to go see the lights the following day, with less of a crowd!~~ Edit: I waited a week to go there with Kiddo, and it was still pretty much crowded, so be warned 🙂 but it was a nice crowd, full of kids and mesmerized passersby.

In 2023, the lights turned on everyday at 18:30, and there are special shows with music and dancing lights everynight at 18:30, 20:00 and 22:00 (except on December 24 and 31). Below, a little bit of the show:

In Benalmadena, the lights are also stunning:

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Christmas lights in Benalmadena — Christmas lights in Avenida Blas Infante, Benalmadena

And in Torremolinos, more stunning lights!

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Christmas lights in Torremolinos — Christmas lights in Avenida Palma de Mallorca, Torremolinos

Holiday Markets

Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit by exploring the Christmas markets that pop up throughout the region. These markets offer a charming array of handmade crafts, artisanal goods, and seasonal treats – a way for you to bring some Christmas feeling (and food) to your place during vacations.

There are markets in Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, Estepona, Nerja, Torrox, and Rincón de la Victoria – pretty much everywhere in the Costa del Sol! Check our pages related to Christmas for location and dates for each Christmas street market.

Fuengirola’s Christmas Market

Fuengirola’s Christmas market happens in the Plaza de la Constitución and is my favorite in the Costa, because they really stick to the theme and sell only Christmas-themed food, beverages and crafts. And more, there may be snow!

How to get to the Plaza de la Constitución from Fuengirola train station:

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Fuengirola

Below, a few pictures of the Christmas Market in Fuengirola:

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Christmas market in Fuengirola

You can find Christmas ornaments, candies, clothes (scarves, socks), food (such as cheese and meat), and Christmas beverages (I had a glögi, which I love!). As you can see, it gets crowded, like the lights in Malaga. I may have been there in a particularly crowded time, because it was a Saturday evening, during the snow show. Talking about it, here is a short video:

Snow at Fuengirola’s Christmas market

Benalmadena’s Christmas Market

Benalmadena’s Christmas Market happens along Avenida de la Constitución, in Arroyo de la Miel. Getting there is easy: when you get out at Benalmadena-Arroyo train station, you are already on the Avenida de la Constitución! Different from Fuengirola’s market, the goods here are a mix of Christmas and regular, every day goods.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Christmas market in Benalmadena — Benalmadena’s Christmas market, in Avenida de la Constitución.

Below, its approximate location:

To have a feel of what to expect from Christmas markets and city lights, check Benalmadena’s Christmas Lights 2022 video from Morning Nhu below:

https://youtu.be/Ds0Xzfl0TM4

Check also the kind of clothes people are wearing, so you know what to pack. 😉

Torremolinos Christmas Market

The Christmas market in Torremolinos happens either in the Plaza de la Nogalera, right by the exit to the Torremolinos Train Station, or in Avenida Palma de Mallorca.

Estepona’s Christmas Market

Estepona’s Christmas market happens in Calle Veracruz, in the house of the Brotherhood del Santísimo Cristo de la Vera+Cruz.

Other Christmas attractions

The cities in the Costa are very creative and prepare a lot more than lights and markets to celebrate the festive season. You can expect to find a diversity of nativity scenes all over the Costa, creative workshops, traditional food parties and traditional music parties (Zabombas), among many other things. Here are a few that happened in 2023 and will probably happen again, perhaps with some variations:

Belén municipal

Winter on the Costa del Sol - nativity scene

The beautiful Municipal nativity scene in Benalmadena’s Plaza Pueblosol. Below, a closer look. They make a detailed diorama of more than just the nativity itself; it pretty much displays a whole little city, with Romans, farmers, bread makers and so on. Worth checking if you are nearby.

Belén de plastilina

This fun and creative nativity scene in the Casa de la Cultura in Benalmadena has all its characters made of playdough. So much detail! Very funny to observe; I took Kiddo there, and he approved.

Aldea Navideña

In the Santa Claus village in Torremolinos, kids get to see Santa in person and to deliver their letters in hand.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Santa Claus

If you want to book a Christmas dinner at a restaurant ora New Year’s Eve party (or meal), you have to act fast. Check with the restaurants you already like to see if they are offering a Christmas dinner event, or check our related post below to (maybe) find new ones. Most well-known restaurants offer it; but they tend to get fully booked quite early – in November or even October.

Related post:
2024 Christmas Restaurants and Parties

New Year’s Eve Celebrations

Ring in the New Year with lively celebrations along the coastal promenades. Fireworks displays light up the night sky, creating a festive atmosphere that continues into the early hours of the morning. From my experience, the big hotels tend to have their own shows, which we can enjoy from different parts of the cities. 🙂

It is a Spanish tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight, to guarantee a good new year. If you are spending New Year’s with a Spanish group, bring your grapes too and join the tradition!

Three Kings Parade

One major highlight of the holiday season on the Costa del Sol is the vibrant Three Kings Parade on (or around) January 6^th (Día de reyes or Three Kings Day). The cities in the Costa del Sol host spectacular processions featuring elaborately decorated floats, costumed characters, and the iconic arrival of the Three Wise Men, who proceed to a street parade and distribute sweets and small gifts to spectators. The Spanish consider the Three Kings’ Day as a second Christmas!

Kids usually get gifts from their parents on King’s Day as well as at Christmas (Spanish kids are really lucky), but the three Kings gift tends to be either a book or something else functional – a new backpack, clothes – or just candy; toys are more for Christmas.

It is a unique experience to go see the 3 Kings parade, and if you have kids, even better! But notice that the parades usually don’t happen on January 6^th, so keep an eye out for parades on January 5^th. Check the Ayuntamiento’s page (or the Facebook page) of the city where you are staying for itineraries and dates for the Three Kings Parade / Día de Reyes. Check also our Christmas posts; all of them end with the parades – routes and dates can be found there. 😉

Carnival

Despite when the official Carnival dates happen, different cities choose to celebrate it on different dates, close to the official ones (sometimes not even so close!). There are sure to have lively parades with very original costumes, lots of street food – mainly fish and particularly anchovies (boquerones), the fish that symbolizes Malaga. The association between Malaga and this typical fish is so strong that those born in Malaga are called both malagueños and boquerones! They are synonyms!

This particularly colorful festivity is celebrated in the historic center of Malaga and also through the main street of Malaga neighborhoods, and in the towns of the Costa. Slightly different traditions follow suit in the other cities in the Costa – such as the quema de la lagartija (burning of the lizard) in Benalmadena, but there is sure to be parades and several opportunities to play for both kids and adults in diverse events going on around the Carnival days.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Carnival — Carnival in Benalmadena, 2024

Día de Andalucía

Andalucia is the autonomous community where the province of Malaga is; therefore, the Costa del Sol is in Andalucia. Andalucia day is celebrated on February 28, and if you are on the Costa del Sol close to that date, you’ll see several kids going to or from school wearing typical Andalusian costumes. 🙂 It’s too cute!

But not on the 28^th itself, as it is an official regional holiday. Also, it is common that kids have this week off (semana blanca) as one of the 2 small vacations that happen throughout the year – the other one being the holy week, in spring.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Andalusia day

Pictures from Simon disfraces

Some cities have civic celebrations, others may do a small parade. If you want to celebrate it the traditional way, have some bread with olive oil in the morning, as this is the typical Andalucian breakfast. And if you see some beautiful green flags around, you know what is going on – a proud Andalusian is celebrating his or her lovely land.

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Andalusia flag — Andalucia’s flag

Seasonal gastronomy

Seasonal Delicacies

Winter on the Costa del Sol introduces a shift in the culinary landscape, with local restaurants featuring seasonal delights. Indulge in comforting dishes such as hearty stews and grilled meats, besides the fresh seafood. The local markets come alive with winter produce, showcasing the vibrant colors of citrus fruits, avocados, and almonds. Please try the tangerines!

Shopping during winter on the Costa del Sol

Plaza Mayor

For a unique shopping experience, explore Plaza Mayor — a vibrant shopping and entertainment complex near Malaga. This open-air plaza features an array of boutiques, international brands, and charming cafes, creating a delightful atmosphere for a leisurely day of shopping.

If you want to see a few pictures about this lovely shopping center (which, in my opinion, is a must see even without shopping intentions), check the Plaza Mayor section in the post about Malaga train stations. Just make sure it is not raining when you go!

Winter on the Costa del Sol - Plaza Mayor — The iconic bull at Plaza Mayor

Getting there:

Miramar Shopping Centre in Fuengirola

Delve into the world of retail therapy at Miramar, Fuengirola’s premier shopping destination. With a diverse selection of shops, restaurants, and entertainment options, Miramar offers the convenience of a covered shopping center.

During the Christmas season, the terrace of Miramar shopping turns into a magical train station, with several Christmas related activities and workshops for children. Santa Claus and the 3 wise appear be there, the elves do magic tricks and baloon twisting; there can be story telling and lots of snow!

Miramar has cinemas, too. If you intend to watch something but are afraid it will be in Spanish, there’s a way you can avoid this problem: look for V.O.S.E on the poster of the movie. That stands for Versión Original Subtitulada en Español (original version with Spanish subtitles). If the movie doesn’t inform it is VOSE, it is most likely dubbed in Spanish.

Luxury Shopping in Puerto Banus

For those seeking luxury goods, Puerto Banus is a haven of upscale boutiques and designer stores. Stroll along the marina and indulge in shopping sprees at renowned brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Versace, all set against the backdrop of luxury yachts and Mediterranean views.

General Tips for a winter on the Costa del Sol

Layering

While daytime temperatures are relatively mild, evenings can be cooler. Pack layers to adjust to varying temperatures throughout the day. I tend to go walking almost every day, for 30 minutes to one hour – winter or not – and I can tell from experience that in winter, I usually go out with a light coat and come back carrying it (not wearing it). Therefore, layers are essential, because even though the weather is a bit chilly, a bit of exercise (walking, not jogging or running) is already enough to heat up so that the coat becomes excessive. Now, when my walk includes a stop in a café, then yes, the coat comes back on!

Rain Gear

Bring a light rain jacket and a small umbrella, especially in December and January, when rainfall is more likely.

Indoor and Outdoor Balance

Embrace the milder weather by balancing outdoor activities with visits to museums, cultural attractions, and cozy cafes. There are great experiences waiting to be discovered both indoors and outdoors!

Conclusion

Winter on the Costa del Sol unveils a side of this enchanting region that is often overlooked. From invigorating outdoor activities and delicious gastronomy to festive celebrations, cultural explorations, and a diverse shopping scene, the coastal towns and cities come alive with a different kind of magic during the winter months.

To make sure you always have options, plan for both rainy and sunny days. We can never really know weeks in advance what the weather is going to bring us, but it is possible to have plans A and B; a blend of your favorite outdoor and indoor activities can make any day unique. 😉 Embrace the tranquility, savor the seasonal flavors, and immerse yourself in the rich experiences that make winter on the Costa del Sol truly special.

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