FUENGIROLA - a modern and vivid town.

Fuengirola Seal and Flag

Fuengirola in the ancient times was known as Suel and Suhayl. It has approximately 72.000 inhabitants and 25% of them come from other countries mainly from Scandinavia, England and other European countries. Since 1960 the town has developed into a major tourist resort. It has a zoo, a number of historical sites like the arabic Sohail Castle dating back to the 10th century and Roman ruins. The Sohail Castle is an open air venue for different cultural programs. Once a year in October the town comes alive when the annual town fiesta is organized and the bullring also offer traditional programme.

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RENFE train service Malaga-Fuengirola

View from Sohail Castle, the western part of the town

We came to learn that Fuengirola is one of the tidiest towns on the coast and it has this marvelous strand promenade (7 km). You can walk from Torreblanca via Los Boliches to Fuengirola town centre easily. Or take the RENFE train which takes about 5 minutes and is inexpensive to use. This train moves between Malaga and Fuengirola. It is very modern and runs three times an hour so if you miss one train take the next one. From Fuengirola the train reaches Malaga airport in about 25 minutes and Malaga city center in about 35-40 minutes. When you arrive at the air terminal, walk out of it, cross the road to the RENFE terminal and buy your ticket at the vending machine. Assistance is available if needed. If you travel by car use  the A7 or AP7 (toll road) along the coast. The A340 runs through all the towns, is slower but can be recommended if you want to get a glimps of the different places. In Spain telephone boots can still be found. The main shopping centre is at Miramar along the A7. Fuengirola centre has many shops. Los Boliches has smaller boutiques and shops and here it is also possible to find Finnish or Scandinavian products but they can be quite expensive. Buying local is the key to keeping your budget tight.

Bizet's CARMEN at Sohail Castle

Los Boliches and its restaurants

The Church in Los Boliches

Fiesta in honour of Sra La Virgen del Carmen in July
(appologize for poor picture taken in the crowd)

A fishermans statue in Los Boliches

The Moorish Sohail Castle

Short history: The town has its origin in Phoenician, Roman and Arab civilisations. At the time (1485) when the Kingdom of Granada fell into the hands of Christian Monarchs an attempt to repopulate Fuengirola failed and in 1511 the site was registered as uninhabited. In the 18th center an Inn and some huts formed a small village that was mainly engaged in fishing and agriculture. The modern Fuengirola started to take its shape from 1960's and onwards. In 2000 the renovation of Sohail Castle was completed. The old port in town is still used by Spanish fishermen (Wikipedia).