Mijas,
which is situated in the hills above Fuengirola, is a typical and
beautiful white walled Andalucian village. It is well worth a visit from
wherever you are staying on the Costa del Sol. It provides lovely views
over the Costa from it’s extensive gardens and also has many souvenir
and local goods shops. It is particularly renowed for it’s leather wear.
Access to Mijas is relatively simple from wherever you are staying.
There are direct buses from Malaga via Torremolinos, Benalmadena Costa,
Arroyo de la Miel and Benalmadena Pueblo. There are also very regular
buses direct from Fuengirola. To access by road just follow the E15
motorway. There are signs to Mijas from the eastern edges of Fuegirola
(Junction 213). We need a starting point for this walk and I suggest we
meet up outside the Ayuntamiento de Mijas or Mijas Town Hall. It’s easy
to find. If you’ve arrived by bus or one of the many organised tours,
it's right in front of the bus station. If you’ve come up by car, when
you arrive at the roundabout at the top of the hill next to the petrol
station, turn left along Avenido de Mejico. When the road forks bear
left and look for and take the P parking signs on your left. This takes
you down to a large multi-story car park. After parking take your ticket
with you and take the lift/stairs to the top of the car park and you
exit next to the Town Hall. We’ll turn left to begin with passing the
large square across the road on your right which we’ll return to later.
The first place we come to is the Burros de Mijas, the Mijas Donkeys
which offer rides along Avenida de Mejico and around the Square. This is
not to everyone’s taste and this is not the place for a philosophical
debate on the ethics but, if it’s what you want, it’s here. The donkeys
are licensed by the Town Hall and regularly inspected. Whilst on matters
bovine, there are also horse drawn carriage rides around the village
available from around the main square.We will eventually be turning
right up the ramped road but, before we do, we need to travel back in
time by visiting the Sanctuario de la Virgin de la Pena. Walk straight
forward and then left towards a chapel carved into the wall. Here the
patron saint of Mijas is worshipped. Back in around 1586 a vision of the
Virgin appearred here and on carving out the chapel an image of the
Virgin was found inside. Make sure you enter the chapel and climb up
onto the roof for a glimpse of some of the more wonderful views we’ll
see more of later. On leaving the Sanctuario retrace you steps to the
road and straight forward up the ramped road/car park past all the
waiting horse and carriages. At the top of the ramp, on the left, in
what looks like an old carriage, is the Miniture Museum. Although it
looks relatively new it has been here since 1972. Walking straight
forward takes us along Calle Fuente del Algarrabo where there are many
cafes to rest and shops to visit. At the end of the road, where it
starts to descend, there are local pottery shops with the colourful
pottery contrasting starkly with the white walls. Drop down and bear
left into the Plaza. The majority of things here are on the left however
if you want a short detour keep right and turn right just at the bottom
righthand edge of the square to visit the local covered market on Calle
de Lasla. Returning to the Square there are a number of shops and
restaurants here to browse around and through the archway there are more
shops and restaurants with views right down to the Costa.When you’ve
had your fill, climb the road ramp in the bottom left hand corner of the
square and enjoy the gardens and water features on your left. At the
top you reach the Mijas Bullring which has it’s own museum which
includes entry into the bull ring itself. Moving forwards brings you to
the Inglesia Santa Ana. At the right hand side of the church are
fountains which change their dance every few minutes. Also in the area
is the Mijas Auditario where open concerts and events are held.
Continuing forwards brings you to the walls with stunning, uniterrupted
views to the coast and on a clear day you can see the Atlas Mountains in
Morroco. Follow the walls all the way around and the path will
eventually bring you, in a circle, back to the Square. We leave the
square in the same corner we orginally entered taking the left fork up
the hill past the Folk Museum and the central 17th century Church of San
Sabastian. Please call in to admire it’s architecture and also note the
streets (calle) heading up the rocky hillside. Whilst on the subject of
churches, you will have noticed throughout the walk the tiny white
chapel in the hillside above you. This is Shrine of the Calvario. Built
in 1710 and only open on Easter Friday (Semana Santa or Holy week is a
time of great importance in Spain and the festivals and parades
including here, in Mijas, are well worth seeing). Continuing along take
the next passage on your right which takes you along what was known by
the young brits in the 1970’s, when Mijas was very undeveloped, as the
strip. Here there are shops and restaurants again until you emerge into
familiar territory. Turn left and at the top of the stairs descend into
the main square which is once again surrounded by shops and cafes. In
the centre of the square the many fiestas are celebrated and if you are
lucky, you may catch a local Flamenco display. This brings us back to
the car park and if you haven’t enjoyed some refreshment treat yourself
to something and spend a few moments enjoying the sights and sounds that
are Mijas Pueblo. We find the best day for visiting is Saturday. Many
hotels and apartments change over at the weekend and very few coach
tours are run to Mijas, so it is much quieter.
