Torremolinos or Benalmadena which one is better to visit?
Torremolinos or Benalmadena are two coastal cities that lie next to each other in the sunny Costa del sol region of Southern Spain. Both cities are so different from each other so it would make sense to explore both to get the best of each city’s vibe and culture. But if you only have a day or short time to visit, which would you spend more time in, Torremolinos or Benalmadena?
We share the pros and cons to visiting both cities and highlight all the cool and fun things to explore, see and enjoy in both cities below so you can plan accordingly. If your timeframe was longer, I would definitely suggest visiting both to actually compare and enjoy the unique attractions, landmarks and fun things to do in either city.
A quick overview of Torremolinos and Benalmadena
Less than a 10 minute drive from each other, you’ll find some key differences in each city’s attractions and characteristics below. Both cities sit right on the Costa del Sol with attractive beach areas and boardwalk promenades, but there are some differences in the following topics.
Torremolinos town and beaches
One of the oldest and first towns to open up nationally if not internationally to mass tourism starting with the notoriety of famed stars and personalities to the city and beaches. Originally a sleepy small fishing village, the city is full grown and bustling in the tourist scene with lively squares, public beaches, fun shopping and walking promenades filled with interesting boutique stores and food venues.
Benalmadena city
The more upscale city sitting next to Torremolinos, Benalmadena is about about 20 Km from Malaga and can be reached by trains, local buses or easy transport through efficient highways to the city and Costa del Sol region. You’ll find more fancy shopping, theme parks, and also nice sandy beaches to enjoy here in the city’s coastline areas.
Top things to do in both cities
Torremolinos top things to do and see
Torremeolinos once a sleepy fishing village is now an internation beach and city destination in the Costa del Sol, with 6 attractive Torremolinos beaches to enjoy and the old town called, Casco Antiqua to explore. You can check out the town’s oldest sights to.
There’s plenty of things to around Torremolinos and not just the beach scene, even though it is spectacular. If you are looking for landmarks and historic sites, you can visit the Casa de los Navajas, the Torre de los Molinos and then the Church of Buen Consejo. The Old town has lovely public squares, cool walking only promenades with shops, fantastic bars, cafes and international dining.
Close to the city is family friendly fun at Aqualand Torremolinos, which filled with water focused rides and slides, rollercoasters, rapids, wave pools, jacuzzis and the highest kamikaze in Europe. There’s also The Crocodile Park is the only one of its kind in Europe, home to more than 200 of crocs, including the largest in Europe.
Outdoor adventurers can do some golfing at Parador del Golf which is the oldest golf course in Andalusia with an 18 hole course and gorgeous established plantings and views.
There’s also the Parque La Bateria is the over 74,000 sq. meters and features a huge lake, cycling paths, running circuits and a children’s playground. If that’s not green-fingered enough for you, A completely revitalized bontanical garden is the Jardin Botanico Molino de Inca. which used to be an old mill area and now housed gorgeous water features and a thousand plant species, the site ancient mill houses with mill and an elaborate garden with beautiful aviary and even a Japanes garden.
Benalmadena
Benalmadena is fairly newer to Torremolinos, but also has an old town, but not as nice compared to the elegant parts of Torremolinos. The main attraction to visiting Benalmadena is the gorgeous port area with beautiful walking promenades, a hrbor scene with elegant luxury yachts’ and the area filled with beautiful bars, restaurants, boutique stores and shopping. The family oriented Sea life Beanalmadena, which is home to over 5,000 marine species from across the world.
Other unique attractions to the city includes the landmark dedicated to Christopher Columbus. called Castillo de Colomares,. This monument built in the 1980’s is unusual and fun to explore along with the world’s smallest church.
Other cool attractions to visit in Benalmadena includes:
Stupa Benalmadena which is the tallest stupa in Europe
The Benalmadena Cable Car too, offering fantastic views of the Costa del Sol from the top.
The Parque de la Paloma is one of the region’s most beautiful regional parks, with full facilities including terraces, picnic areas, walking and bike trails and a sweet duck pond.
Close by is Selwo Marina, home to penguins, dolphins and sea lions.
Enjoy a beach day in Benalmadena at Benalmádena Marina Beach, Malapesquera Beach and Beach Santa Ana – one of the most popular and accessible beaches to enjoy
Food and drink scene at Torremolinos vs Benalmadena
You’ll get why the foodie scene here in both cities are a level above with international visitors coming to both cities to enjoy a delicious local cuisine and also international flavors that appeal to a varied tourist base that come here for some food enjoyment and excellent dining opportunities.
Food and venues in Torremolinos
Torremolinos caters to a wide variety of tourist from fast food dining, happy hour crowds to very nice fine dining venues. Research the food venues to find out the best values and quality based on location, price points and ratings. Seafood and shellfish is very popular and featured regularly in most restaurants as is the case for most traditional style restaurants. On the other side of the scale are Chiringuitos or waterfront restaurants that cater to mostly tourist crowds and feature local Spanish cuisine and popular seafood specialties.
Bar and nightlight in Torremolinos is also busy and lively with both straight and LGBTQ clients with many popular bars, clubs and low key hang out spots around the Old Town areas and for gay clientelle around Plaza La Nogalera.
Food and venues Benalmadena
Benalmadena caters to an international set and offers cuisine from international inspired restaurants and dishes in all of the Costa del Sol. You’ll find a variety of bars and restaurants around the Puerto Marina from Irish pubs, British bars to happy hour places. In between are food food inexpensive fast food joints, traditional chiringuitos for seafood and local Spanish cuisine along the beachfront areas.
Benalmadena also offers a colorful and busy nightlight scene with bars, night clubs and upscale venues in the Marina area
Check out these other posts of the region for more inspiration
Hot to get to Torremolinos from Malaga
Best things to do in Torrremolinos
Pin and Save this for later
How to choose from Torremolinos vs Benalmadena
If you had more time to explore, I would do both, but you can also get a taste for either cities by walking the beach promenade which runs from both cities and you’ll get to see the most active tourist spots in both areas.
Torremolinos vs Benalmadena deliver different things on so many fronts, from historical and cultural landmarks, a gorgeous beach promenade and beaches, Old town center, cool plazas and hang out spots to enjoy in the city. Thanks for checking out this post on Visit Spain and Mediterranean, please do share the post with any of the social media channels around the post, thanks for visiting!
