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The Axarquía Inland is an idyllic escape for those looking for rural charm, breathtaking landscapes, and traditional Andalusian life. Located less than an hour from Málaga Airport, this area offers a lower cost of living and strong investment opportunities, making it perfect for countryside retreats, sustainable living, and boutique hospitality businesses.
Surrounded by the hilly terrain, olive groves, and the Sierra Tejeda – Almijara Natural Park, this region is home to some of the most beautiful white villages in Spain. For spectacular views, head to Comares, Periana, and Canillas de Aceituno. Lesser known villages like Sayalonga and Sedella showcase Moorish history and excellent hiking routes. The famous Mudejar Route (Frigiliana, Canillas de Aceituno, and Salares) highlights the area’s rich historical heritage, while Totalán and Benamargosa offer an authentic countryside living experience.
There is a great variety of outdoor activities in the Axarquía Inland which include hiking, cycling, horseback riding and vineyards tours. Gastronomically it also has a lot to offer, with its organic olive oil, the muscatel wine, and the raisins which you will see drying in the sun “the traditional way”.
Despite its rural appeal, the Axarquía Inland remains well-connected to the coast. Many of its villages are just a 30-40 minute drive from the beaches of the Axarquía Coast, offering the best of both worlds, countryside tranquility with easy access to the Mediterranean.
This region is ideal for those searching for Traditional Andalusian Farmhouses (“Fincas”), restored village houses full of character, and investment properties in the growing slow-tourism market. Many nature lovers, retirees, and investors are drawn to the peaceful surroundings, affordability, and rising demand for countryside holiday rentals.
I discovered that there are many stories about this village, the most frequently told one being that it was where the resistance fighters against Franco hid and that eventually they were discovered and chased out of town.…
Read MoreAlcaucín is situated on the western slopes of La Maroma at the entrance to the Natural Park of the Sierras de Tejeda, close to the spectacular Zafarraya gap, where you can step out of Malaga and into Granada province. The…
Read MoreAlfarnate is one of the villages on the Route of Oil and Mountains and can be found in the far northwest of the Axarquia at a height of 925 metres and although as villages go its almost completely flat its surrounded by the…
Read MoreAlfarnatejo is situated on The Route of Olive Oil and Mountains. The natives are called Alfarnateños and the town´s nickname is Palancos. Alfarnatejo is 50 km from Malaga and 42 km from the coast at Torre del Mar. The easiest…
Read MoreAlgarrobo is named after the carob tree and it is also one of the villages visited on the route of Sun and Wine. Natives of the town are called Algarrobeños. You have to be careful when arranging to meet someone there. You…
Read MoreAlmáchar is situated 35 km from Málaga and 20 minutes from the sea. Almáchar derives from the Arabic “Al Maysar” meaning “The Meadows” and the village used to be known as Almáchar de la Cruz because of the cross that stood…
Read MoreÁrchez is a small village that sits at the foot of the Tejeda and Almijar on the Sayalonga river. It's perfectly preserved 14th century red brick minaret of a former mosque, which can be seen from every point in the town,…
Read MoreArenas is on the Mudéjar route. It is situated east of Vélez-Málaga at 416 metres, under the ruins of the Moorish Bentomiz Fortress whose origin goes back to the Iberian era. It was occupied and modified by the Phoenicians,…
Read MoreBenamargosa is a lively village that stands at the heart of the Vélez-Málaga region and dates back to the 15th century to the time of the Moriscos, Moorish converts to Christianity. As you drive past Axarquia airport the…
Read MoreBenamocarra is situated 33 km from Málaga and just 9 km from the coast, the closest beach being the naturist beach at Almayate. The town is of Arabic origin and its name derived from Banu Mukarram which means The Tribe of…
Read MoreThis small village is a hop, skip and a jump away from the larger village of Macharaviaya. There is even a 2 km walking track between the 2 villages called the Ruta de Salvador Rueda after the Hamlet´s most famous son, the…
Read MoreCanillas de Aceituno is situated 17 km from its capital, Vélez-Málaga, in the north east of the region at an altitude of 650 metres above sea level. There are three ways of reaching the village. From Arenas and then turning…
Read MoreCanillas de Albaida (pronounced Alb eye da) is part of the Sun and Wine route and is situated 52 km from Malaga and 24 km from Vélez-Málaga. The name Albaida means white and was named by the Arabs who founded the village…
Read MoreColmenar, the capital of the Montes de Málaga, lies in the most westerly point of the Axarquía, 30 km from Málaga and the coast. It is 700 metres above sea level and is part of the Ruta del Aceite y los Montes. Although populated…
Read MoreComares is probably the most talked about and most seen (from afar) village in the Axarquía. From almost wherever you are you can catch sight of Comares. It sits right on top of the mountain some 735 metres above sea level,…
Read MoreCómpeta, pronounced by stressing the Com and not the Peta, is a high mountain village situated in the foothills of Sierra Almijara with an 18 km long windy road taking you up to the village from the coast. It’s on the route…
Read MoreThe very name conjures up images of pantomime fairies and cats! However the Romans named it La Paloma, the Pigeon! The villages perches, perhaps a little pigeon like, 600metre above sea level, with spectacular views of the…
Read MoreCútar is a small village perched on the side of a hill, situated on the road from Benamargosa to El Borge, which are its closest neighbours, and a 30 min drive to Vélez-Málaga. It is part of the Route of the Raisin and the…
Read MoreDaimalos, pronounced Die Malos, is a very small village which is part of the municipality of Arenas on the Mudejar Route. It is 50 km from Málaga and just 16 km from the sea side resorts of Torre del Mar. Known for its Oloroso…
Read MoreThe history of El Borge is dominated by the rebellious nature of its early inhabitants. The most infamous being El Bizco, the one-eyed bandit of Borge, whose house of birth is now a museum, hotel and restaurant, proving just…
Read MoreFrigiliana (pronounced Frihiliana) is the Axarquía's answer to Mijas and has won several awards for beauty and conservation. It is one of the larger villages in the area with a population of around 3000. Some of them own…
Read MoreJust a short drive up from the motorway and only a 10 min drive from the coast is the mountainous village of Iznate. It nestles into the hillside at 303 m above sea level and has the most incredible views to the north, east…
Read MoreLos Romanes village really established itself when the reservoir at Viñuela was built. Suddenly homes that had views of the mountains, stunning as they are were overlooking a magnificent lake. That's when tourism in the area…
Read MoreMacharaviaya is probably best known for being home to the noble Galvez family who completely uplifted the village and the lives of the people who lived there in the 18th century by bringing prosperity to a small town struggling…
Read MoreMoclinejo can be approached either up the hill from Benagalbón, or down the hill from Almáchar. Either way will take you about 10 min in the car and the drive back down towards the motorway although winding it is worth the…
Read MorePeriana is situated 58 km from Malaga and 23 km from Velez-Malaga at an altitude of 547 metres above sea level. The village is backed by mountains, the highest point being Mount Umbria and the sierras of Carrion and Pinto.…
Read MoreRiogordo is on the scenic Route of Olive Oil and Mountains, 39 km from Málaga and just under 50 km from the coastal resort of Torre del Mar. It is famous for its snails. The Day of the Snail is an annual festival where people…
Read MoreSalares is situated on the very edge of the Tejeda National Park at 579 m above sea level. This white gem of a village is steeped in history and was inhabited by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians. Known as Salaria…
Read MoreThis small village has about 160 inhabitants and is situated next to Benamargosa. In fact folklore has it that Salto del Negro was named when the Moors refused to convert to Christianity and either jumped or were pushed off…
Read MoreSayalonga has stayed pretty much as it was during Arab rule with the Mudejarstyle Church of Santa Catalina, which was built in the XVI Century on the site of an old mosque and the 90,000 l water tank El Ventorillo del Aljibe.…
Read MoreAt 689 m above sea level, we discover Sedella, so named, according to the town hall website, because Queen Isabella when told of the fight between Christians and Muslims at an area known as Arroyo de la Matanza said, Sé de…
Read MoreBetween the Axarquía and the Montes of Málaga is the small village of Totalán, part of the scenic Route of the Raisin, 13 km inland from the coast at Rincón de la Victoria and 22 km from Málaga, it is approached from the…
Read MoreAt just 6 km from the coast, driving on the A-356 in the direction of Viñuela from Vélez-Málaga is the hamlet of Trapiche (pronounced Trapeechay). It is named after the Mill that was once there and the old machinery is now…
Read MoreTurning left on the A-356 at El Cruce restaurant onto the MA-3113 and driving past the airport the next village is Triana at just 6.5 km from Vélez-Málaga. As villages go, this one is extremely flat which is unusual in the…
Read MoreVélez-Málaga is the capital of the Axarquía and is on the scenic route of sun and avocado. It is situated just 1 km inland from the coast at Torre del Mar. After the Moors conquest of Spain they founded Vélez-Málaga, naming…
Read MoreThe name Viñuela these days makes people think of the lake or reservoir and surrounding areas but La Viñuela the typical little white Spanish village is from where the lake took its name. La Viñuela (the little vineyard)…
Read MoreAlthough (Ventas de) Zafarraya is the gateway to the Granada province and not in the Axarquía at all, it is only just outside La Comarca. As you leave the flat roads of Granada province and pass through this gateway, the…
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