Malaga Airport to Nerja: the drive east that has no train at all

If you've read about getting from Malaga Airport to Marbella, you'll know the Cercanías train line stops well short of it. Heading the other direction, east along the coast to Nerja, the story is simpler still — there's no rail option at all, in either direction, for this stretch of the Costa del Sol.

The distance is around 60km and the drive usually takes 50 minutes to an hour on the A-7, longer in the summer bottlenecks around Málaga city and Rincón de la Victoria that this route has to pass through first.

There's a direct bus that runs the full route and it's the cheapest way to go, useful if you're travelling alone or as a couple and don't mind the extra time it adds compared to a car.

Taxis will do it in one go without changes, but it's a long enough fare that the price is worth checking before you get in, and the rank at Malaga gets busy during weekend changeover days.

Given there's no train to fall back on here, the case for a pre-booked transfer is a bit stronger than on routes where public transport covers more of the gap. Rule of thumb: solo and not in a rush, the bus is fine. Group, late flight, or just tired of hoping a taxi queue moves quickly, a transfer locks in the price and the driver before you've even landed.