Spend a day enjoying the warm sun and swimming in the calm Mediterranean Sea at Salon Beach (Playa El Salon). This small sandy beach lies west of the Balcón de Europa. Large rocks shelter the beach from winds and also enhance its picturesque setting. Salon Beach is popular with local families but non-Spanish visitors to Nerja often overlook it.
The beach is especially busy during the summer months, so get here early to find a good sunbathing spot. Rent sun loungers and umbrellas or simply lay your towel down on the sand. Make use of the public changing rooms, showers and toilets. Lifeguards patrol the beach in summer, making it a safe environment for children.
Go for a swim in the clear water and look below the gentle waves for colourful fish darting over the seabed. Spot more aquatic creatures around the rocks at both ends of the bay. Gaze up at the Balcón de Europa, a viewpoint on a promontory that was once part of an ancient Arabic fortification.
There are no restaurants at the beach but you can purchase drinks from a small kiosk. Bring your own food to enjoy a picnic while gazing over the blue sea.
Walk down to the beach via a street that winds downhill from the Plaza Balcón de Europa. The beach itself has no parking, but there is a parking lot close to Plaza de España, about a 5-minute walk from the beach. Free parking is available at Parque Verano Azul and at a lot adjacent to Nerja’s main bus station, which are both about a 10-minute walk away.
Salon Beach is close to several of Nerja’s other major tourist attractions. Visit the 17th-century Church of El Salvador, notable for its gleaming whitewashed façade and artistic tile plaques. Learn about the town’s history at the Nerja Museum. Delve into the lively nightlife scene in the bars and restaurants at Plaza Tutti Frutti.
