Nestled between Torremolinos and Fuengirola on Spain’s Costa del Sol, Benalmádena is made up of three main districts: The oldest, the inland town of Benalmádena Pueblo, is a typical Andalusian village, notable for its archaeological museum and narrow cobblestone streets lined with white-painted houses. The newer Benalmádena Costa is, obviously, on the coast, with beaches, hotels, and the Puerto Marina, home to restaurants, luxury shopping, nightclubs, and more than 1,000 spots to park your yacht. In between lies Arroyo de la Miel, whose scenic plazas and winding streets lend it a traditional feel that has lured more than a few British expats to make a permanent home here. Benalmádena’s attractions range from the conventional (an aquarium, theme parks, sea-view golfing at Torrequebrada) to the decidedly unexpected (a butterfly park, Europe’s tallest Buddhist stupa).

The easiest way to get to Benalmádena is to fly into the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP), about six miles away. You could also look at flights through Gibraltar, about a 1.5-hour drive southwest, with arrivals from various British cities. If you’re coming from elsewhere in Spain, you may opt to take a high-speed train from Madrid (3.5 hours), Seville (2 hours), or Barcelona (6 hours) to the María Zambrano Station in Málaga. From there, you can hop on a regional railway line to Benalmádena. You can get around easily enough by bus or cab, so unless you plan to use Benalmádena as a base for exploring Andalusia, save yourself the parking hassles and skip the rental car.

There a reason they call this the Costa del Sol: With 320 days of sunshine per year and an average annual temperature of about 66 degrees Fahrenheit, you seldom have to pack anything more than a light sweater for your Benalmádena vacation (especially if you plan to visit the nude beach near Torrequebrada — though you will want to bring sandals to protect your feet from the gravelly shore). Expect highs in the mid- to upper 80s in the summer, along with some mugginess and a lot of vacationers. Spring and fall are also nice, when the water is still warm enough for swimming, but crowds are a bit thinner. December and January are the region’s wettest months; it’s about 61 degrees on average in January, with overnight lows dipping below 50.

Parque de la Paloma

With walkways named after Spain’s most celebrated women authors, this large, centrally located green space is the tranquil heart of Benalmádena: It’s home to a lake, a cactus garden, and lots of free-roaming rabbits, chickens, peacocks, turtles, and swans. You can also ride the Ferris wheel at the nearby Tivoli World theme park.

Castillo Monumento Colomares

With its mishmash of Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, and Mudéjar architecture, this quirky fairytale castle monument might look like it was built centuries ago by the ancient inhabitants of Andalucía, but it was only built between 1987 and 1994.

Calamorro Cable Car

The Benalmádena skyline is defined by the towering profile of the 2,500-foot Mount Calamorro, and the town’s teleférico (cable car) gets you to the top in just 15 minutes. At the peak, you can enjoy hiking trails and panoramic views: On a clear day, you can see all the way to Morocco.