Family things to do in Mijas — beaches, parks, attractions and days out that actually work with children.
The water park on the Mijas side of Fuengirola — slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and toddler areas. Summer season only (roughly May to September); check opening dates before you go.
Plaza Virgen de la Peña, Mijas Pueblo
The village's best-known and most-debated tradition since the 1960s — donkeys and donkey carts for hire from the main square. Many visitors now prefer to photograph the bronze donkey statue instead; the town hall regulates working hours and conditions.
Avenida del Compás, Mijas Pueblo
A quirky museum of miniatures in a caravan-shaped building — a painting on a grain of rice, sculptures on pinheads and other oddities collected by a travelling hypnotist. Twenty entertaining minutes.
Plaza de la Libertad, Mijas Pueblo
The village folk museum in the old town hall — rooms recreating traditional Mijas life, from the olive press and wine cellar to a country kitchen. Small, inexpensive and genuinely local.
A tiny chapel carved into the rock in the 17th century to house the image of the village's patron — on a clifftop viewpoint with one of the best panoramas over the coast.
A short, steep path from the top of the village up through the pines to a small white hermitage on the hillside — about half an hour up, with a fine view back over Mijas and the coast.
Plaza de la Constitución, Mijas Pueblo
The parish church beside the Muralla gardens, built in the 16th century on the site of the old mosque and castle — its bell tower was once a defensive tower.
Landscaped gardens along the remains of the old Moorish walls at the top of the village, with a clifftop path and sweeping views down to Fuengirola and — on a clear day — across to Africa.
Sitio de Calahonda, Mijas Costa
The sandy beach below the residential hills of Calahonda and Riviera del Sol at the western end of Mijas — sunbeds, beach bars and the far end of the coastal boardwalk.
The main village beach of La Cala de Mijas — sandy, well kept and right in front of the square and the tower, with sunbeds, showers and chiringuitos along the back.
The long beach running east from La Cala — a mix of sand and rocky patches, quieter than the village beach and good for a walk along the shore.
Plaza Virgen de la Peña, Mijas Pueblo
The main square of Mijas Pueblo and the natural starting point — café terraces, craft shops, the tourist office and the free Wednesday flamenco show, with the lanes of the white village climbing away behind.
A flat wooden boardwalk along the shore from La Cala de Mijas west towards Calahonda — around six kilometres each way, past coves, watchtowers and beach bars. Easy, pushchair-friendly and at its best early or at sunset.
Plaza del Torreón, La Cala de Mijas
The squat 18th-century watchtower on the seafront at La Cala de Mijas — the village's symbol, now a small interpretation centre on the coast's defensive towers, in the square by the beach.
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