Benalmádena Cable Car

Fifteen minutes in a cable car takes you from the beach to 769 metres up. The Benalmádena Cable Car climbs Mount Calamorro and delivers the best panorama on the Costa del Sol: on clear days you can see from Málaga city all the way to Gibraltar, with the African coast on the horizon.

What’s at the top

• Viewpoints with 360-degree views over the coastline, the mountains and the Alborán Sea.
• Free-flight birds of prey display: eagles, falcons and owls, several times a day.
• Waymarked hiking trails of varying difficulty around the summit.
• Restaurant and terrace with views.

Getting there

The base station is in Arroyo de la Miel, next to the Tivoli site. Public transport here is among the easiest on the coast: Cercanías line C-1, Arroyo de la Miel station, with the cable car a few minutes’ walk away. There is parking nearby if you drive.

When to go

The key factor is visibility. On hazy days the panorama disappears and the outing loses half its point. The best days are westerly conditions after rain, when the air is washed clean. For photographs, sunset is spectacular, and there are extended evening ascents in summer.

With children

It works very well: the cable car ride is an attraction in itself, and the birds of prey display is usually the highlight of the visit. Check the display times when you buy your ticket and plan your ascent around them.

Walking up instead

You can hike up Calamorro on a trail from Arroyo de la Miel: around two hours of demanding climbing with considerable height gain. Plenty of people walk up and ride down, which is an excellent idea except at midday in August.

Combine it with

The Sea Life aquarium and Puerto Marina, both minutes away, or an afternoon on Malapesquera beach.