Estepona Old Town

Estepona was an ordinary Costa del Sol town until a municipal programme from around 2011 repaved the old quarter, banned cars from much of it, and set out to fill it with colour: streets such as Calle Caridad and Calle Nueva now carry thousands of painted ceramic pots on the walls, colour-themed street by street, and a route of more than sixty large murals painted on the blank ends of apartment blocks across the town, several by well-known Spanish muralists. The result is a place that is genuinely pleasant to walk rather than a resort seafront. Behind it are the church of Los Remedios, a small castle remnant, an orchid house with a domed greenhouse, and a promenade running for kilometres.

What you actually see

• The flower pot streets - lanes hung with thousands of painted ceramic pots.
• The mural route - over sixty large paintings on apartment block ends.
• The orchid house - a domed greenhouse with a large orchid collection.
• The old quarter - repaved pedestrian streets behind the seafront.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the pleasantest walking and the pots at their fullest; summer is hot and busy. The murals are visible year-round and a marked route map is available from the tourist office.

Honest expectations

The transformation is recent and municipal, so it lacks the accumulated character of older Andalusian towns. The mural route covers a wide area and needs several hours or a bicycle. Beyond the old quarter, Estepona is standard coastal development.

Nearby

Marbella lies east along the coast; Casares and the Sierra Bermeja rise inland.