The arts

If you are one of those individuals for whom theatre, cinema or the other performing arts are of vital importance, the Costa del Sol is a bit of a desert. There are cinemas but they are not as common as they are in other countries (or indeed other parts of Spain) and the films may not be shown in English. You may have to drive for half an hour to get to your nearest cinema.

Theatre is virtually non-existent. It exists but not to the extent you would find in the UK. There are no touring groups taking the most recent London West End hits out to the provinces. Where it does exist it is unlikely that you will see any big names appearing on stage here. There is theatre in the big cities but plays will be performed in Spanish and once more if you do not understand the language you are at a real disadvantage. Opera and ballet performances are very few and far between. Cities like Malaga have a good selection of museums and art galleries but once you have seen the exhibitions there might be nothing new to see for a long time. Other smaller towns may have a local museum but they can be visited very quickly and you will probably only want to visit once.

With respect to the arts the Costa del Sol is lacking. We have friends who have to return to London every few months to gorge themselves on theatre and the performing arts. Indeed many of the Spanish population feel the same and they have to travel to Seville or Madrid to enjoy theatre and concerts.