things to do in fuengirola

Welcome to Fuengirola.

Fuengirola (or Fuengi, as referred to by many English speaking expats who live there) is about 50 minutes by local train from Malaga. It is on the famed Costa del Sol (Sun Coast). Back during the boom days, many British and Northern European retirees decided to move and live in Fuengi (think of it like Americans from the North moving to Florida during the Winter). After the recent global recession hit, many of the expats left and Spanish folks moved in to take over some of the vacated condominiums.

A Fuengirola street looking towards the sea.

Although the coastal streets mostly have plenty of expats milling about, one will see many local Spanish people by just walking a couple of blocks inland. Fuengirola is a nice, quiet town, and a perfect place to spend a few days relaxing and eating well. 

I hope you get the chance to visit this lovely town. If you do, these are my recommendations:

freebies around the world

Traveling could be expensive. In a series of posts, we will let you know about places that allow you entry into famous, fascinating and/or worthwhile sights or activities for free. Yes, gratis. 

For sights, we are not including public spaces (such as Central Park in New York or the medinas of Morocco) but we may include public (i.e, government run) buildings (such as the museums in London).

So, let’s start with a few freebies, shall we?

United States of America

Los Angeles, CA

1. The Getty – Enjoy a lot of paintings, photographs and a garden that changes with the season for free, but you have to pay for parking.

You can get up close and
personal with the steel curves of
the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

2.  The Getty Villa – You can see Greek, Roman and Etruscan art for free, but you will need to sign up for a (free) ticket. Also, parking isn’t free.

3. Walt Disney Concert Hall – Renowned architect Frank Gehry designed this wonderful jumble of shiny steel. You can roam the grounds – don’t miss the “Rose Garden” in the back of the Concert Hall – and enter the building for free but you have to pay to watch a show. Enjoy being up close and personal with the curved steel.

4. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) – Only the permanent collection and non-ticketed exhibitions are free on the Second Tuesday each month. 

5. Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels – Renowned Spanish architect Rafael Moneo designed this gem.

6. Bradbury building – You may have seen this building in movies like Blade Runner and (500) Days of Summer, among other things. This beautiful, light and airy building is free to visit up to the first floor landing. Beyond that, the tenants don't want random folks roaming around their space.