Private transfer from Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport to Comares

Comares sits on a rocky summit around 700 metres above sea level, which is why it's often called the balcony of the Axarquía. It's a small white village of steep, narrow lanes where you follow a ceramic-tile footpath route past the Iglesia de la Encarnación and the remains of the old Moorish fortress. From the mirador the view runs across olive and almond terraces towards the coast. Most visitors are walkers, cyclists and travellers renting rural houses in the surrounding hills, plus people coming for the village zip line. Comares stays quiet and cool compared to the coast, so it's popular in summer with those escaping the beach heat, and in spring and autumn for hiking. Nearby villages include Cútar, El Borge, Riogordo and Colmenar.

The journey starts on the A-7 motorway heading east along the coast, past Rincón de la Victoria and towards the Vélez-Málaga area. After leaving the fast coastal road, you turn inland and climb through the Axarquía countryside on progressively narrower roads such as the MA-3107 and MA-3130, winding up through olive and vine terraces. The final stretch is a series of tight bends as the road rises to the village. Expect around 55 kilometres in total and roughly an hour and ten minutes, most of it easy motorway followed by about twenty minutes of slow mountain driving. The last climb is scenic but genuinely twisty, so let the driver know in advance if anyone in the car is prone to travel sickness.

Cars cannot reach most of the old village. Vehicles stop at the entrance near the main car park and church, and from there you walk in on foot along the tile-marked lanes, some of them steep. Pack light or bring a wheeled case that copes with cobbles, and confirm with your accommodation how close a vehicle can actually get, since some rural houses sit on tracks below the village. There are few services once you're up here: bring cash, as not every bar or shop takes cards, and stock up on supplies in Vélez-Málaga on the way if you're self-catering. Evenings get cool at this altitude even in summer, so carry a layer. For a return airport trip, book ahead — taxis are not always waiting in the village.