Buying from the UK
Getting to the Costa del Sol from the UK
One of the reasons British buyers have chosen this coast for decades: it is close. Málaga airport has direct flights from airports across the UK — about two hours forty-five minutes to three hours from London — and every town we work in is around an hour's drive or less from the arrivals hall.
By Costa Meridian · updated October 2026
Flights into Málaga
Málaga–Costa del Sol (AGP) is the coast's airport and one of Spain's busiest — and travellers from the UK are its largest foreign market, over six million passengers in 2025. There are direct flights from London Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend, and from Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Liverpool, Leeds Bradford, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast International and Cardiff, with more regional airports added in summer. In winter there are fewer flights, but the main routes keep flying. That matters for an owner: a long weekend in February is a realistic plan, not a project.
From the airport to each town
By car or taxi, outside rush hour, along the coastal motorway — summer traffic adds time:
- Torremolinos: 10–15 minutes
- Benalmádena: 15–20 minutes
- Fuengirola: 20–25 minutes
- Mijas village: about 30 minutes
- Mijas Costa and La Cala: 30–35 minutes
- Marbella centre: 40–45 minutes
- Nueva Andalucía and Puerto Banús: 45–50 minutes
- San Pedro de Alcántara: 50–55 minutes
- Estepona: 55–65 minutes
West of Fuengirola the AP-7 toll motorway runs parallel to the free A-7 and is the faster choice in summer traffic. Car hire desks and taxis are at the terminal.
The train along the coast
The C-1 local train runs from Málaga city through the airport station to Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola, where the line ends — roughly every twenty minutes, and twelve minutes from the airport to the city centre. No train serves Mijas village, Marbella, San Pedro or Estepona: west of Fuengirola the coast is served by bus and by road.
What it means when you choose a town
Closeness to the airport changes how often you will actually use a home. Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola are minutes from the terminal and on the train; Marbella and Estepona are a longer drive, and buyers who choose them usually come for longer stays. Each of our town pages has what a buyer coming from the UK asks about that town — and prices in pounds.
More for buyers coming from the UK
Figures and procedures reflect Andalusía at the time of writing and do change — your lawyer confirms the current numbers before you sign anything. If you want them confirmed for your situation, ask us.