5 great family plans for the Easter holidays in Benalmádena

Easter in Benalmádena

In anticipation of the school break over Holy Week starting next Monday, I thought I’d write about my five recommended family plans for the Easter holidays in Benalmádena.

Why Benalmádena?

As well as being a popular choice for families on the Costa del Sol, due to its solid infrastructure – including a wealth of top quality international and private schools – affordable property and large expat community, Benalmádena has also always been a favourite destination for tourists throughout the year, including the Easter holidays.

If you fall into one of these two categories and you’re stuck for something to do as a family this Easter holidays in Benalmádena, you may be interested in one (or more) of the following suggestions…

1. Cable Car

The cable car in Benalmádena is a great – and inexpensive – way to spend one morning or afternoon… unless, of course, you have vertigo or a crippling fear of heights.

The “teleférico” experience takes you 769 metres up to the top of Calamorro Mountain and departs from next to Tivoli World on the aptly-named Avenida del Tivoli.

I say “morning” or “afternoon” because, although there are plenty of things to do at the top, I’d say all the walking routes at the mountain’s peak should only take around an hour or two to negotiate.

And that’s taking into account some time to admire the exceptional views over the town, its surroundings and the Mediterranean coastline that stretches its way east and west for miles, eventually disappearing behind the headland in both directions.

There is a snack bar-cum-cafeteria as soon as you get out at the top, which comes in very useful on warm days when you need to stay hydrated – especially after walking around for a bit – and the kids will love the twice-daily birds of prey show they put on in the “Garden of Eagles”, too.

2. Selwo Marina

Proud to have the only dolphinarium and ice penguinarium in Andalucía, Selwo Marina is one of two animal parks you could visit over the Easter holidays in Benalmádena. The park is home to a vast array of interesting creatures from lizards to sea lions and is split into five areas: The Caribbean, Ice Island, The Hollow, The Amazon and The Tropics.

Open from 10am until 7pm next week, you’ll have enough time to fully explore the five zones and kids will love the demonstrations, talks and feeding time shows.

3. Sealife Benalmádena

The other animal park I make mention to above is the Sealife aquarium. If aquatic animals in huge tanks are more your thing, Sealife Benalmádena is the day trip for you.

Imagine being just the thickness of glass away from sharks, turtles, octopuses and fish of all shapes, sizes and dazzling colours… like I said, if this doesn’t petrify you, it’s a great plan for the Easter holidays in Benalmádena!

The Sealife aquarium is open daily from 10am until 6pm and you can get tickets online for less than €10. Bargain!

4. La Paloma Park

For something a little more sedate, why not simply take a picnic down to La Paloma Park? Located not far from both the centre of town, the beach and Selwo Marina (above), this 200,000 square-metre green space has been upgraded with different leisure areas, facilities and conveniences over the years.

The park features a lake in its centre, as well as a children’s playground, snack bar and library, and it is home to a plethora of animals such as ducks, swans, rabbits and peacocks.

What’s more, you might even get a glimpse of the trees in blossom this Easter holidays in Benalmádena. The phenomenon, which occurs around this time of year, brings spectacular colour to the park and is well worth trying to catch.

5. Puerto Marina

Keeping with a more relaxed vibe, taking a stroll around Benalmádena’s exquisite port area – or “Puerto Marina” in Spanish – is always a safe bet.

The marina, which can moor over 1,000 boats, was opened in 1979 and has won the award “Best Marina in the World” on numerous occasions. It boasts a shopping centre, many restaurants and other attractions while, for the younger (adult) crowd, it also has several late-night bars and nightclubs.

From here, you can even climb aboard a boat and sail to nearby Fuengirola and back or go on a fishing tour, as a number of companies offer a wide range of excursions several times a day.

More than meets the eye

There’s so much more to do for families in Benalmádena and its surrounding areas (like Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Mijas Costa, for example) besides this list of five I’ve suggested in this post.

To give you an idea of what the popular tourist and expat town of Benalmádena is like, we’ve recently uploaded our video guide of the area. If you enjoy the video, subscribe to our YouTube channel!

The video complements our thorough area guide, which details more reasons why the buzzing beach mecca is a great place to set down your roots or to own a holiday home in the sun.

I hope this post and our video guide gave you some inspiration! Let me know in the comments below what you like (or dislike) about Benalmádena, if you've done any of the things above, or if you have any other recommendations.