
Costa del Sol Resorts, Towns & Cities
The Costa de Sol begins near Estepona and stretches east to Torremolinos. A little further to the east is Málaga which is both a city and province. Marbella is another popular city here with lies west of Málaga. Lining the coastal areas are many popular tourism towns and villages. Mijas, Fuengirola and Benalmádena are among to top areas to visit. We already touch on Estepona and Torremolinos which we go into more detail about below.
Region Of Andalucia & 8 Provinces
The masive region of Andalucia accounts for the vast majority of southern Spain. There are 8.5 million inhabitants here which is the largest of the 17 Autonomous Regions of Spain. Andalucia covers an area of 87,268 km2. This is the second largest region for landmass behind Castile and León which covers 94,223 km2.
2019 saw Andalucia welcome 12.1 million visitors. This was an increase of 3.5% on the previous year. Not all would have been heading to the Costa del Sol mind you. Forming Andalucia are 8 provinces, One of which is Málaga next to the Costa del Sol. The other 7 are Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, and Seville. The Costa del Sol does se it´s fair share of visitors which is usually at least 5 million per year. Seville is both a province and the Capital City of Andalucia.
Málaga: The Capital Of The Costa del Sol

As we mention above, Málaga is both the major city and one of the 8 provinces of Andalucia. Many consider this city to be the Capital City of the Costa del Sol. Marbella may also wish to claim that title which is in the heart of this coastal area. Málaga is also where the major airport here is so you will probably pass through this location. Pablo Ruiz Picasso airport in Málaga is one of the busiest airports in Spain. This is due to how close the airport is to the touristy areas of the Costa del Sol.
Marbella

Marbella is the second largest city along the southern Spanish coastline. There are around 140,000 permanent inhabitants here. This is quite a bit smaller than the larger city of Málaga which has 600,000. Despites it´s smaller size, Marbella attracts far more tourism than Málaga. This pretty city often welcomes more than 5 million people per year.
Adding to the beauty of Marbella is the Sierra Blanca mountain range. This range surrounds many of the beautiful beaches here. In total, there are more than 20 beaches to top up the tan when you visit.