As the mercury drops and the nights grow long, many travellers will be looking for a sunny escape to beat the winter chill.
Even in the dead of winter, this beautiful southern Spanish town gets almost 10 hours of sunlight per day.
While many Britons flock to southern Spain to beat the cold, most tourists overlook the beach town of Nerja nestled up the coast from east of Málaga on the Costa del Sol.
The beautiful town is home to just 22,000 people and offers sun, stunning beaches and a charming city centre.
But perhaps the best feature of Nerja is that the temperature often hovers above 20C, even in December, offering travellers an escape from the winter cold.
Early next week, the temperature is set to hit 20C on Tuesday, according to the Met Office.
Temperatures are set to remain mild in the high teens for the coming days. Last week, the region hit 22C and saw plenty of sun along the stunning coast.
Nerja itself makes for a quiet but incredible winter getaway without the crowds often found in nearby Málaga.
The town is beautiful and full of white-washed buildings while El Balcón de Europa – literally Europe’s Balcony – offers stunning panoramas over the region.
Until 1882, the viewpoint was used as a fortress but it now proves popular with visitors and locals alike.
Nerja also has fascinating caves just a short distance from the town where travellers can explore the natural wonder while examining cave paintings believed to be 41,000 years old.
The paintings inside the caves, thought to have been made by Neanderthals, are some of the world’s oldest works of art.
Neerja is less than a three-hour flight from London – plus a short drive from Málaga – making it a perfect winter weekend getaway for those looking to escape the cold this December.
