Top 10 Motril Shore Excursions
If you are set to visit Motril on a cruise holiday, you may be expecting a traditional Spanish seaside town.
Depending on where you are from and what your experience of Spain has been, that will either be a costa style holiday resort or a historic destination, full of culture, great food and lots to explore.
It doesn’t matter too much which of those you are expecting as what you will get is concrete, concrete and some run-down buildings, made of concrete.
To say there’s not much there is to do a disservice to the phrase but without giving to much away for this list, it does offer access to some great destinations including the nearby Granada.
But just what are the top 10 Motril shore excursions? That is just what I answer in this list, which is based on my experience of visiting the port on a cruise holiday and the research I did before visiting there.
Shore Excursions In Motril
Granada On Your Own
This had to be the number one for this list as it was the shore excursion that I did when I visited the port of Motril.
Granada was somewhere I had always wanted to visit and after my wife’s Spanish friend told he that she simply had to go, well, we simply had to go!
One of the highlights of any visit there is a visit to the Palaces of Alhambra and that is where I spent most of my time there which luckily for me, most of the people on my shuttle were also heading there, so the driver agreed to take us the entrance.
That is usually up a large hill from the city centre where you normally get dropped off, so if you have mobility issues, it may not be best to get an explore on your own style but for everybody else, this is the way to go.
Granada and Alhambra Palace
Granada is a city full of history, different cultures and natural beauty that really needs to be explored by simply walking around and taking it all in.
One part of the city that needs a bit more planning is the magnificent Alhambra Palace which sits atop the city and that needs you to have bought a ticket in advance.
To take away needing to sort out your ticket in advance and the need to trek up the hill is to book a shore excursion that takes you to the place with included entrance and that also gives you time to explore the city on your own.
Granada City Tour
Granada Islamic history means you can expect to walk around narrow cobble streets that wind their way around a labyrinth style layout, narrow road bridges with no pavements and with a lack of traffic allowed in many parts- you will likely need to do a lot of walking.
If you have mobility issues or you just don’t fancy dealing with all of that in the scorching southern Spain sun, booking on a trip with a guided tour of the city is probably the best option and that can be done via a mixture or coach tour, road train and guided walks.
Nazari Gardens Visit
On this excursion, you will head far from the ports less than glamourous setting to head to the beautiful of Velez de Benaudalla, where you will find the stunning Nazari Gardens.
There you will spend some time exploring one of the last remaining Muslim gardens in southern Spain which offer piece, tranquillity and some of the most impressive Cyprus trees in Europe.
Gastronomy Tour of Salobrena
After a leisurely drive along the coast, you arrive at the peaceful town of Salobrena, where you will try some local dishes in the Costa Tropical before heading to its beautiful castle.
You will then continue on to La Hurradura and Almunecar to take in the beautiful seaside towns that offer a traditional Moorish influence highlighted by their beautiful architecture.
Andalusian Tour and Traditional Tapas
When many people think of Andalusia, it will likely be the Costa Del Sol that comes to mind as it is there were so many go on at least one holiday to.
Away from the dive bars, night clubs and drunken holidaymakers, Andalucía is full of natural beauty, fascinating towns and an idyllic countryside.
For this type of tour, you will head out to explore a number of traditional villages, drive along the beautiful coastline and then head to a local family establishment to try a range of traditional tapas places.
Malaga Tour
Malaga is much more than an airport as it is a bustling city in its own right that has plenty of visitors to explore.
From its castle to its fortress and form its port to its historic city centre- there s lots to see and do and it is well worth visiting if you have never been before.
With that said, I have placed a shorex to Malaga relatively lowly as Malaga is a cruise port in its own right so if you really want to explore, you are better of booking a ship calling in their rather than trekking from Motril.
Caves Of Nerja
The caves of Nerja are a series of caverns located just outside of the city of Malaga in the town of Nerja.
The caverns are one of Spain’s main tourist attractions and they are somewhere that I have visited and enjoyed.
The impressive caverns features some large chambers, including one that hosts concerts and miles of them can be easily explored on foot, but they are quite some distance from the port of Motril which is why they feature as lowly as they do.
Casa de Los Bates & Almunecar
This type of tour will allow you to take in some of the beautiful coastline of southern Spain, head to a traditional coastal village and explore the gardens of a 19th century mansion.
After a short transfer, you arrive at the hilltop Casa de los Bates, the aforementioned 19th century estate that is now a boutique hotel that house two incredible gardens that really highly the botanical nature of southern Spain.
After exploring the gardens, you will head back to your coach and then head to the beautiful coastal village of Almunescar which offers steep winding streets from the Middle Ages.
There are numerous small plazas, beautiful geraniums and a Moorish castle awaiting you there before you head back to your awaiting ship.
Discover El Torcal de Antequera National Park
El Torcal de Antequera is a nature reserve in the stunningly beautiful Sierra del Torcal mountain range to the south of the city of Antequera.
Known for its unusual land formation, rock sculptures and some of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe.
Motril Shorex
If you are looking to visit the cruise port of Motril in Spain, the chances are you will need to book a shore excursion either directly with a local company or through your line.
In this list, I bring you my pick of the best shore excursions available in Motril based on my own experience of visiting there on a cruise.
