[edit]
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Puerto Banús is an upscale community about 30 minutes' drive away from Estepona Port, with a large number of designer stores.
Selwo Safari Park is styled after African safari parks and houses 2000 animals in semi-wild conditions. It is a 20-minute drive from Estepona Port on the public transport route.
Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Estepona is the exhibition and congress centre of Estepona, located opposite the supermarket on the eastern edge of Estepona - closest to Marbella. This centre is home to nearly all of Estepona's organised events including product presentations, fairs, commercial exhibitions, concerts and more.
Ruta de Murales Artísticos is an enjoyable walk around town that allows you to discover the Route of Artistic Murals which entails the facades of large buildings being used as canvases for more than 40 artistic paintings.
Beaches[edit]
Estepona has over 20 km of coastline, and 17 different beaches. Most of these are immediately next to the various hotels and residential complexes outside the town itself. The nearest beaches to the town are the Playa del Cristo, and the Playa de la Rada. The Playa del Cristo is five minutes west of Estepona Marina. It is a small, sheltered, cove with lifeguards in season and also two "chiringuitos" or beach front bar/restaurants, a rough car park, and children's play area. As it is both sheltered from the east wind (locally known as Levante) and very shallow, it is very popular with families with primary-age children; this means that you need to come here early to get a seafront spot on the beach in July and August. La Rada Beach is much larger and more open; it is over 2.5 km in length, and runs from the marina past the Estepona Old Town to the beginning of the boardwalk near the big Carrefour supermarket in the east. It is the town's main beach, is backed by a very attractive Paseo Maritimo seafront promenade, and has every facility: bars, restaurants, play areas for children, showers, lavatories, access points for those in wheelchairs, and of course lifeguards in season. Parking is in the underground car parks along the seafront. There is also a popular naturist/nudist beach of Costa Natura to the west of Estepona, which was the first official naturist site in Spain.
Estepona Old Town - Centro Historico[edit]
Calle Papuecas - Estepona Garden of the Costa del Sol.
The San Luis castle (Castillo de San Luis) dates to the 15th century when Queen Isabella I ordered it built to protect the town against the Moorish invaders. Most of the narrow streets and small, one-storey, houses were built in the 18th and 19th centuries, and until the mid 1950s many had no running water or sanitation. Since then, many have had a second storey built (sometimes with a roof terrace on top), all have electricity and all mod-cons, and most are in the more than 100 streets and plazas that have been improved and embellished by having the street repaved, sewers re-installed, and flowerpots provided - and filled - by the Ayuntamiento, the Town Council. Each street has its own colour scheme. The local residents take pride in their attractive streets, mainly traffic free nowadays. Unlike many other Old Towns in Andalucia, these streets are not lined with row after row of shops and bars.
Restaurants[edit]
Estepona is not known for the "night club" culture found in some areas on the Costa del Sol, but does have a wide variety of bar and restaurants. Except for Coral by OB, exclusive rooftop terrace, restaurant and club , dinner shows and other exclusive events taking place here. Dining choices emphasise locally caught seafood, and range from local Spanish cuisine to other Mediterranean cuisines, including Italian and French. Many restaurants have terraces allowing diners to eat al fresco (outside) during the late evening.
Most restaurants are located near the seafront, either along the main promenade fronting the sea or along Calle Real. There are a number of small plazas or squares next to Calle Real, on which numerous restaurants can be found.
Shopping[edit]
Estepona's small and medium-size local shops, particularly in the old town, offer locally made produce and goods. The recently renovated indoor market in the town centre has stalls offering fresh meat, fish and vegetables. Boutiques in the main town centre offer contemporary international clothing brands and other goods. Typical of Spanish towns of this size, a market is held in the main square (on Wednesdays), featuring clothing as well as food and vegetables. Estepona port also hosts a Sunday market for "touristy" goods.
There are no large shopping complexes in Estepona. The main food stores are the hipermercado complex at the edge of the town, a smaller express store in the middle of the town and several supermarkets. Two supermarkets in the port area feature fresh produce, meat and seafood as well as convenience style foods. The nearest large department stores are the complex just off the north ringroad of Marbella, and the department stores in Puerto Banús, just before Marbella. Both can be accessed by traveling east from Estepona towards Málaga on the A7.
