Verano Azul was a series that premiered in 1981 in the 80s, more precisely, and was filmed in the coastal city of Nerja in the province of Malaga.
Those of us who are a few years older remember that youth series fondly, and for some, like us, it is a memory that takes us back to our years at school, when upon arriving home we waited for the scheduled time to turn on the television channel, which showed that episode once a week that would captivate us from beginning to end, even with that introduction that was repeated in each episode, without the possibility of skipping it as there is now, and that lasted a few minutes, something unthinkable in these times.
I’m not one of those who believe that everything in the past was better, let alone that now with the platforms everything is easier to access, and that we choose what to watch, when, and where, but… there are series that stayed in our hearts, and Verano Azul was one of them.
Indice:
Tour of Nerja
We are going to take a tour of Nerja, a tourist tour, telling what there is to see, where to stay, where you can go, but also including some locations from the series, for those who, like us, are still waiting to see Chanquete in La Dorada.
We chose to stay in Nerja for two days, it was our second visit, we had already been there in 2013 but only for one night and this time we wanted to enjoy it a little more as well as its surroundings. In fact we will go to Almuñecar after some location scouting.
If you have thought about setting foot in one of the towns on the Costa del Sol, Nerja may be an option, it is a charming place.
Arrival and lodging
The arrival can be a bit complicated if you are thinking of arriving in the center itself, at the Balcón de Europa, since you will not be able to arrive with the car, but you can leave it in the municipal car park, although the price is somewhat high, €20 we pay for the full day in the month of October 2021, I don’t know if in the summer season it will be even more so. But if you leave it there you will only carry your bags a few meters, if like us you have the accommodation near the church in the old town.
We chose the Marissal Hostel, the location is privileged, inside it is simple but correct, it is one of the many options that Nerja has.
The Balcony of Europe
And we begin with the main place in Nerja, the Balcón de Europa. This wonderful place was a fortress in the 9th century and in the 16th century it was the site of the lower castle of Nerja, which was completely destroyed by the English in the war of independence.
When King Alfonzo XII visited Nerja in 1885 on the occasion of an earthquake that had occurred the previous year, he said that the place was the balcony of Europe when he saw the views from there. A statue of the king has been erected to commemorate this event, which shows him leaning against the Mediterranean. Cast in bronze, it is the work of the sculptor Francisco Martín Molina.
And it is here where one of the scenes from chapter one was filmed, where Julia meets the boys.
The Balcón de Europa is located adjacent to two of the most well-known beaches in Nerja . They are Calahonda beach on your left and Caletilla beach on your right.
Both are perfect for a day at the beach, if like us you have chosen accommodation in this area.
►A very good plan is to take a free tour of Nerja, walking through those streets has a lot of charm and accompanied by a guide is the perfect combination.
Calahonda Beach
We went down to Calahonda through the “boquete de Calahonda”, where this promenade that takes us to the cove begins. Many scenes were also filmed on this beach, such as the one in the first chapter.
Calahonda is a small beach, a small cove in the centre of Nerja with a large influx.
It is a beautiful beach in the centre of Nerja and one of the most photographed beaches due to its location. As we saw, it is located at the foot of the Balcón de Europa promenade. Don’t miss taking some nice photos from the Balcón de Europa towards Calahonda early in the morning, the beach looks beautiful at that time.
We take the opportunity to do a little beach and continue the tour through the beautiful Nerja.
On the promenade we find the statue of Chanquete, it has been here since 2019.
We turn our steps towards the Paseo del Balcón de Europa and we will head towards…
Church of El Salvador
This is the main church in Nerja. It is located between Plaza Cavana and the Paseo del Balcón de Europa, very close to the descent to the Salón beach and next to a large tree called the Cerote tree by the people of Nerja. Inside we find the mural dedicated to the Incarnation, by Francisco Hernández and the Bronze Christ, a work by Aurelio Teno. It is one of the few temples with representations of the three Archangels (Saint Michael is the patron saint of Nerja).
Plaza Cavana
We continue walking through the streets of Nerja, heading towards Plaza Cavana. Next to the church we find another of the locations.
We arrived at Plaza Cavana, one of the meeting places for residents and tourists of Nerja, and another of the locations for the series.
Are you in another city like Malaga or Fuengirola and want to visit Nerja?, this tour of Nerja and Frigiliana can be a good option.
Plaza Cavana is a beautiful square in the center of town, just behind the church of the Savior, and is a great place to sit on the terraces of cafes and relax.
Our steps take us along streets full of colorful shops. We pass by where Pancho’s dairy used to be on El Barrio street at number 23, which of course 40 years later no longer resembles the place at all.
Walks always take us through beautiful corners of this city
►Do you plan to visit the city of Malaga?, check out this post► What to see in Malaga
Plaza de los Cangrejos Park
In the chapter ‘Pancho Panza’ at the beginning of this one, Pancho, Piranha and Tito appear in some ruins trying to gather lizards.
These ruins were of an old factory ‘Los Cangrejos’ or San Clemente, today the factory is no longer there and in its place there is a square, Plaza de los Cangrejos in honor of that factory. Apart from being a beautiful place, if you walk along the coast you get beautiful views towards the Balcón de Europa.
Tasca de Frasco (Bar el Molino)
Do you remember the Jarsco tavern?, it is a bar, the Bar el Molino, if you enter you find many photos of Verano azul decorating it.
Burriana Beach
We set off on a walk towards another of Nerja’s emblematic beaches, Playa de Burriana. On the way we will pass by the Parador de Nerja, where some scenes from the episode “El idolo” were filmed, and the path next to it passes by what was Julia’s house in the series, which is now largely hidden by a wall.
This beach is an icon in Nerja and Verano Azul.
On that descent we arrive at Burriana Beach, which was also the setting for several episodes of Verano Azul. Considered one of the best beaches in the municipality of Malaga, Burriana beach stands out for its crystal clear waters and fine golden sand.
We find here the Antonio Mercero promenade, in homage to the director of the series Verano Azul, it was inaugurated in 2001 when the series celebrated 20 years
On Burriana Beach we find the emblematic Chiringuito de Ayo for the Verano Azul series in Nerja. We couldn’t help but be tempted and stop for a bite to eat in it.
Nerja Caves
We move a little away from the city and we are going to tour the Caves of Nerja.
On the way we pass by the Águila aqueduct. The Aqueduct of the Eagle is a nineteenth-century construction located in the municipality of Nerja, near Maro.
The Nerja Cave is one of the most spectacular caves in Spain. Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2006, it is a natural wonder. This is a visit that I totally recommend, it was also our second visit and it continued to surprise us as the first time.
These caves in Nerja remind us of the episode of the Green Cat Cave in the series. Although the exterior scenes are in the previously mentioned cave, the interior scenes were filmed here in the Nerja Caves.
The price of the normal ticket is €12, then you have a night tour with Miguel Joven (Tito from Verano Azul), and also a tour + tourist train through Nerja. More information on the official website of the Nerja Caves.
Cala Chica (La Caleta Beach)
Since we are in Maro we are going to take the opportunity to visit the cliffs and see two locations from the series, one of them called Cala Chica.
By the way, we see the Ingenio de Maro or Armengol is a typical image of the series, it appears in several chapters such as the first ‘El encuentro’, ‘El guateque de papa’, etc…
It is actually in the neighbouring town of Nerja, Maro. We find it on the road that leads to the cove of Maro and also to the access to Cala Chica.
We also tell you that on the road between it and Cala de Maro is where a part of the head of the program has been filmed, where they are seen on bicycles
And we arrived at the famous Cala Chica, actually Caleta de Maro or Maro beach, where countless scenes of the gang have taken place, a beach that was always a meeting point for them, but perhaps the one we remember most is the arrival of Pancho giving notice that Chanquete has died.
Blue Summer Park
We turn our steps back towards the city, and finish the tour of Nerja in the Verano Azul Park.
The Verano Azul park, inaugurated in 2001, is an obligatory tribute from the town of Nerja to the series.
This place includes the copy of the Dorada and a playground where each street in the park is named after the characters of the series. The names of the characters are on plaques with feet on each street, as well as the names of the chapters of the series as markers in the parking lot.
Widget not in any sidebars
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NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
