Playa de Maro

About Playa de Maro

Playa de Maro is the beach directly below Maro, the small white village that belongs to Nerja, at the eastern end of the Málaga coast. It lies within the Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo Natural Area, the protected line of limestone cliffs and coves that continues into Almuñécar in Granada province.

About 500 metres long, it is a natural beach with no promenade or building behind it: dark golden, fairly coarse sand gives way to small pebbles at the water's edge. Rocky bottoms and Posidonia seagrass make the rocks at either end good for snorkelling. In summer, kayaks and paddleboards can be hired, and tours paddle east along the cliffs to the Cascada de Maro, where water drops about 15 metres into the sea. A small beach bar and a lifeguard operate only in the summer season.

The beach is reached by a steep track down from the village, roughly a 10 to 15-minute walk, and harder on the way back up. In 2025 Nerja opened a free 100-space car park at the western entrance to Maro.

June and September bring warm water without August crowds. In July and August arrive before about 9.30, when parking runs out, or come after 6 pm.

Playa de Maro in pictures

What you’ll find

• Beach boatsBoat rentalRent
• Beach lifeguardSupervised swimmingFree
• Pebble beachRest on beachFree
• Sandy beachRest on beachFree
• Sea shoreSnorkellingRentSwimmingFree

Nearby places to visit

East along the protected cliffs, Playa del Molino de Papel (2 km) is a small, undeveloped beach towards Cerro Gordo. Heading west towards Nerja, Playa de Burriana (3 km) is the town's largest beach, with a promenade of restaurants and beach bars, followed by Playa Carabeillo (3 km), a tiny cove beneath the cliff-top houses. In the centre of town, Playa de la Calahonda (4 km) sits directly below the Balcón de Europa, and the Nerja Museum (4 km) on Plaza de España covers local history from the Phoenicians onwards. Combine a morning at Maro with an afternoon in Nerja.