Nerja: A Warm Winter Wonderland
January in Nerja still carries the last notes of Christmas. We begin the month with 1st of January – Año Nuevo, the first sunrise of the new year, and then we move straight into the final chapter of the festive season: Epiphany and the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, when the Three Kings Parade fills the streets with colour and excitement before the decorations slowly come down and the town settles into its winter rhythm.
This tends to be the coldest period of the year — January and February — but don’t let that fool you. In the sun, days can still be spent by the beach. Maybe not in bikini and shorts (although someone always proves us wrong!), but it’s the perfect season for listening to the waves, walking the shoreline, and taking in Nerja at a slower pace. No crowds, no queues, just space to breathe.
January also brings smaller but meaningful local dates like Fiesta de San Antón — a traditional celebration linked to blessings for animals and rural life. These little fiestas remind us that even in the quiet months, Nerja’s cultural heart keeps beating. The weekly markets continue selling fresh local produce, from vegetables and fruit to flowers and artisan products, and the Cultural Centre continues to provide winter entertainment with concerts, theatre, dance, and cinema.
What we love most about this winter is the softness of it all. The way the light rests on the sea. The calm mornings for coffee on a terrace. The freedom to walk into a restaurant without a wait or find a spot on the beach where it feels like the coastline belongs only to you. It’s the season for getting back to our walking and hiking, discovering new corners of Nerja and the Axarquía, from familiar coastal paths to tiny hamlets and mountain viewpoints that feel almost secret in winter. And when you feel like a day trip, a ski-day in Sierra Nevada is just perfect at this time of year, or wandering through the many white villages tucked into the hills — each one with its own charm and plaza life, even in winter. It’s a chapter that invites you to slow down, explore, and fall in love with the simple things again.
By February, the season shifts: Valentine’s Day brings romantic menus, couples watching the sunset on the Balcón, and cafés dressed for date night, and then the colourful build-up begins towards the yearly Nerja Carnival — costumes, music, parades, and that playful town energy we all love. We will provide full event information, schedules, and parade routes closer to the date on our calendar.
And as winter comes to a close, February ends with Día de Andalucía on the 28th, a day of regional identity and community pride that leads us gently toward spring.
Winter here has its own magic. Nerja is still Nerja — just a little quieter, a little softer, and absolutely beautiful.