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Frigiliana is great for children: The old town is pedestrianised; everything is close together and you can walk around it in a couple of hours.
The only thing you need to know before you go: The Moorish quarter is all the steps. With a baby, a baby carrier, not a pushchair. With that sorted, it’s a perfect plan.
Start here if the children are young, because it saves you the first bit of the climb and they love it.
It is a tourist train that departs from the Plaza del Ingenio and takes you on a panoramic tour of the village. €3 for adults and €2 for children.
It also helps you find your way round: you can see where you’re going to walk next.
It’s called Barribarto and it is designated a Historic Site. It is the best-preserved Moorish-Mudejar quarter in the province.
The trick to making sure children don’t get tired: there are people on the streets numbered ceramic panels which recount the history of the Moorish rebellion in instalments. Turn it into a treasure hunt It works like this: they drag you along to find the next one.
The Plaza de las Tres Culturas It is the centre of everything, and from there you can see the sugar mill.
Two specific examples, to cut a long story short:
You can get there by strolling along the main streets; there’s no need to walk far.
Now that really is unique: the factory Our Lady of Mount Carmelknown as El Ingenio, is the only one in Europe that still produces cane honey made from sugar cane.
It’s not a museum: it’s a working factory, housed in a 16th-century building.
And if you can choose a date: on 4 May is Cane Honey Day, where you can watch the food being prepared. It’s the best day of the year to bring children along.
And here’s the best story you can tell a child during the whole journey.
El Acebuchal was a hamlet of mule drivers and charcoal burners, a stopping place for traders travelling from Málaga to Granada. He was about 200 inhabitants.
In 1949, the Civil Guard expelled them all. It was not during the Civil War, as is sometimes claimed, but ten years later: it was suspected that the neighbours were providing food and shelter to the Maquis, the guerrillas who were still hiding in these mountains.
The village stood empty for half a century. No water, no electricity, falling apart.
Then, in 1998, one of those who had left returned: Antonio García, «El Zumbo», and his wife Virtudes began to rebuild it by hand, without water or electricity, until 2003. Other families followed suit. There are now nearly thirty renovated houses.
Practical information:
Frigiliana is right at the entrance to the park, with short footpaths winding through olive and almond groves that are ideal for children. Water, a cap, and set the distance to suit your pace.
Spring is when it’s at its best, with the almond trees in bloom.
In the old town there are workshops selling pottery and weaving where you can watch the craftspeople at work, and some of them offer ceramic painting activities for children. There is one next to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas.
Four days in August celebrating the town’s Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures: music, a market and a parade. It has a family-friendly atmosphere and many of the activities are free.
Full details at the 3 Cultures Festival in Frigiliana.
Frigiliana has no coastline, but The beaches at Nerja and Maro are a quarter of an hour away. The plan of visiting the town in the morning and going to the beach in the afternoon works really well with children.
Which ones to choose, in the best beaches near Frigiliana y those in Nerja.
Ten minutes away: the Balcony of Europe y the Nerja Caves, which are a sure-fire hit with children — huge stalactites and an atmosphere of adventure, all without any effort. —.
At what to see in Nerja y the Nerja Caves.
In the old town, there are terraces with views and simple dishes. Try the desserts made with cane honey, which is the people’s creation.
Professional conduct advice: Go for a walk first, then have a bite to eat. Hills with a car full of children aren’t quite the same.
A complete tour of the village, in Things to see and do in Frigiliana. And the whole region in the villages of the Axarquía.
We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. When you’ve got children, not driving is half the battle won: The day trip combines Nerja and Frigiliana, with transport from Málaga and the Costa del Sol, a guide and a glass of wine with tapas in Frigiliana.
More white villages in The Route of the Five White Villages.
It’s a bit of a slog. The Moorish quarter is full of steps and the streets are cobbled and sloping, so it’s much more practical to carry a rucksack. Alternatively, the Three Cultures Train departs from Plaza del Ingenio and takes you on a scenic tour of the village for €3 for adults and €2 for children.
The Nuestra Señora del Carmen factory is the only one in Europe that still produces cane honey from sugar cane. It is housed in a 16th-century building in the centre of the village and is not a museum, but a working factory. On 4 May, Cane Honey Day is celebrated, with the production process taking place in full view of the public.
Because in 1949 the Civil Guard ordered the eviction of its nearly 200 inhabitants, suspecting that they were providing food and shelter to the maquis, the anti-Franco guerrillas hiding in these mountains. This did not happen during the Civil War, as is often claimed, but a decade later. The village lay deserted for half a century, until 1998, when one of its former residents, Antonio García «El Zumbo», began to rebuild it.
It’s about a twenty-minute drive or a two-hour walk. You reach it via a narrow, winding dirt track, so it’s best to drive slowly. Bear in mind that there is no mobile phone coverage in the village and that, although it is accessed from Frigiliana, it belongs administratively to the municipality of Cómpeta.
It takes place in August and lasts four days. It celebrates the coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures in the village with music, a market and street activities. It has a family-friendly atmosphere and much of the programme is free, although it is advisable to check the programme each year as the dates vary.
No, the village is in the mountains and doesn’t have its own coastline. The nearest beaches are those at Nerja and Maro, about fifteen minutes’ drive away, which means you can combine a visit to the old town in the morning with some time on the beach in the afternoon.
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