Information About Mijas

Mijas

Mijas Information

Mijas belongs to one of the typical white villages that are spread all over Andalucia. It is a town which is divided into Mijas Pueblo (the old town), Las Lagunas and La Cala de Mijas. Situated in the heart of the Costa del Sol, Mijas is an ideal base to get to know the coast and the traditional way of life at the same time. While Las Lagunas and La Cala de Mijas can be found by the sea, the old town is located on a mountain from which one can overlook not only the coast, the beaches and the Mediterranean but also the town of Fuengirola and other surrounding areas.

Mijas Pueblo is the part in which you can find whitewashed houses, the town hall, the bullring, historic buildings and parks with spectacular area views. Both Las Lagunas and La Cala de Mijas have less visitors and tourists as this is where you will find more housing developments. The former farms and agriculture that were found along the Fuengirola River have been replaced by hotels and world-class golf courses as tourism is the town’s main focus now.

Traces of Mijas’ history can be found throughout. There are for example the town’s old watch towers which are located close to the sea. In addition to the Torre Vieja and the Calaburras towers there are also the Torre Nueva which was built in the 19th century and the Torre de Calahonda which dates back as far as the 16th century.

Information On Mijas, Costa del Sol, Spain

Information On Mijas, Costa del Sol, Spain

Mijas is perfectly connected to the rest of the Costa del Sol, as the coast road is running right through it. Even Mijas Pueblo can be reached without trouble as there is an excellent road leading from the motorway right up to the centre. In addition to the now main roads there is also another, old road leading from Benalmadena to Mijas Pueblo. This road is recommended for those who want to enjoy magnificent views of the area and do not mind the plenty of curves.

Mijas Pueblo itself represents the traditional Spanish way of life, even though tourism has mainly taken over this peaceful place. Tranquillity and peacefulness can still be found here as there are no tourist busses driving along the roads and hardly any cars either. If you wonder why… you should see the very narrow and cobbled roads that are mainly one-ways! Cars are usually parked at the bottom of the town in the large parking garage that is located right behind the town hall. From here you can either explore the city on foot or go for a ride in one of the horse drawn carriages or the donkey rides that made the town so famous.

A great variety of bars and restaurants can be found in Mijas Pueblo, offering everything from pizza, pasta, Argentinean meats and typical Spanish cuisine. Some of the restaurants feature large panoramic windows from which one can enjoy the most amazing views. Please note that especially during the summer months, reservations are strongly recommended at many of the dining venues. When strolling along the charming streets you will also find a number of shops, selling local products such as leather goods, wicker items, typical painted tiles and little gifts such as donkey key rings or Mijas post cards.

Those interested in the history of Mijas can visit the two Mudejar churches that can be found here. Dating back to 850, there is also a sanctuary of Mijas’ patron saint. Should you be visiting the town in January, you will be able to attend the San Anton Festival – one of the countless festivities held in Mijas.

In the area around the town’s parish church several archaeological treasures have been found that date back a very long way. Back in the Roman times Mijas was known as “Tarnisa” and could be found on the old road that connected Cadiz with Malaga. As nearly every town and city along the Costa del Sol, Mijas also has a Moorish background. Conquered in 714 by the Moors, the towns name was changed from Tarnisa into “Mixa” – the origin of the name as we know it today. After being re-captured and re-re captured a couple of times during the rebellion of Omar ben Hafsun, Mijas finally fell into the hands of Christians in 1487. Later during the fights in 1512, Mijas remained loyal to Juana La Loca and therefore was awarded the “Muy Leal” title as well as freedom from taxes.