Costa del Sol Trains - Costa del Sol Travel Guide - Costa del Sol Airports - Costa del Sol Roads

Getting to the Costa del Sol and Getting around the Costa del Sol

Flying to the Costa del Sol

The most popular mode of transport to get to the Costa del Sol from other European destinations is by plane. There are a large number of flights and operators now serving the Costa del Sol from various airports including a good selection of low cost and budget airlines (there is not a Marbella airport as some might think).

The main airport is Malaga Airport (AGP) as it fairly central for all destinations on the Costa del Sol and is one of the busiest Spanish Airports. The choice of other airports for travelling to the Costa del Sol include the newly opened international Granada Airport, Gibraltar Airport and Jerez Airport (on the Costa de la Luz).

Recommended airports for the eastern section of the Costa del Sol would be either Granada Airport or Malaga Airport. For the western section of the Costa del Sol we would recommend Malaga Airport, Gibraltar Airport or Jerez Airport (on the Costa de la Luz).

Roads on the Costa del Sol

The main road that runs the entire length of the Costa del Sol is the N340 / A7. In the majority of sections it is dual carriageway but does reduce to one lane as it passes through some towns. The N340 does miss most towns now as it was split from the former route which went directly through the majority of towns along the coast of the Costa del Sol. The old route is now referred to in most of the sections as the N340a so unless you want to drive along the slow coastal sections or are heading for a specific location it is best avoided.

Although the N340 / A7 is more of a motorway now, there are still some major bottlenecks on the route. The main one is the Malaga City sections and Malaga Airport sections. In the summer allow extra travelling time to and from the airport as it can get very busy, espeically as there are a number of road improvements and the expansion of the airport.

Another major bottleneck is the section at San Pedro de Alcantara. This section has numerous traffic lights and can back up to past Puerto Banus in the east and Cancelada in the west. There has been talk and many protests about the construction of an underpass for this section of the N340. There has been a lot of red tape but at last there are a number of improvements and widening schemes currently in operation.

The AP7 toll road is a very good option in the summer months if you want a much quieter route and without delays. The toll road continues to be extended and rejoins the N340 in areas that it does not run through. The AP7 toll road starts just by the Mijas / Fuengirola exit of the N340 if you are heading west (towards Cadiz / Algeciras). The N340 splits off to the right and the AP7 continues straight on. The toll road will continue until Marbella where it will rejoin the N340 for a short period before splitting off once again. From the Mijas section to Marbella you will have one toll to pay which varies during the seasons. Expect to pay around 5 euros for a car in the summer. If you want Marbella or Puerto Banus then you should not rejoin the toll road after the Marbella section of the N340. If you are heading for Estepona and beyond then it is recommended that you take the toll road after Marbella as the major bottleneck through San Pedro de Alcantara will surely hold you up.

The toll road will now run through to Sotogrande where it will once again rejoin the N340. If you want Estepona you should exit at the Estepona section. The toll from Marbella to the San Pedro toll booth will be around 3,60 euros for a car in the summer. Around the Estepona area the toll road will once again rejoin the N340 for a short time until it splits once again and continues to just before Sotogrande. The section between Estepona and Sotogrande will cost around 5 euros for a car in the summer.

Costa del Sol Car Hire

The easiest way to get around from resort to resort is by car and as you would imagine there are a number of car hire firms on the Costa del Sol offering different rates and services.

To help simplify your Costa del Sol car hire search we have teamed up with a number of the leading Costa del Sol car hire companies so that you can compare the various rates and options available all in one place.

Just use the search form below to compare your Costa del Sol car hire;

Ports and Marinas on the Costa del Sol

The main port on the Costa del Sol is at Malaga where many luxury cruise liners make a stop on their journeys allowing for new people to join the ship or some people to leave. The other main port of this size and type is that of Gibraltar although you will have to cross the border into Spain.

Smaller ports are scattered all over the Costa del Sol, the most famous of which is Puerto Banus. Others are located at Sotogrande, Puerto de la Duquesa, Marbella, Cabopino, Fuengirola and Benalmadena. All of these are smaller and will have a limit as to the size of craft allowed in.

Costa del Sol Trains

The far western section of the Costa del Sol is not yet served by a rail network although there are plans to extend the current train line from which currently ends in Fuengirola right down to Algerciras.

At the moment the rail services start at Fuengirola in the west and runs through to Malaga and Antequera, from where you can get connections to the RENFE and AVE trains for access to the major cities of Spain.

The recent improvements to the Malaga - Madrid line has saves the journey time to around two and a half hours and at a cost of around 79€ each way.