Our Personal Review of Istan, Spain
One of our favourite places to go to at the weekend is Istan. Istan is a small village with just over 1,500 inhabitants. Its just 25 minutes from Marbella but feels a million miles away. Here are some photos of Istan, the fantastic fruit they grow up there, where you can collect water fresh from the mountains and some of the sunny views of Istan.
Things to do and see in Istan
In Istan there are lots of walks and cycle routes to do and you can read more at the bottom of the page. We often go there for some great fresh air, a change of scenery and to fill up our water bottles. As you enter the town you may follow some parking signs where you go up a steep hill.
Parking is to the left where normally there is a man who will give you a ticket, for €1. If you turn right and follow the road round to the left eventually you will come to a place where you can park your car and see the water coming out of the mountain (middle picture on the left above)
We also go to the children's playground right at the end of the village overlooking all the mountains. It is now covered which is great so your little ones don't get too much sun. To get there walk through the village and round to the left past the allotments and all the fantastic fruit. Throughout the village are little narrow streets and signs to all the different views of the mountains,.
On Saturday mornings there is a little street market in Istan.
Places to Eat in Istan
This is our favourite place to go for a coffee and cake, or if you are really hungry they also do good steaks. We have been going to this restaurant for about 6 years and then some people we know took it over.
As you walk into the town its the first restaurant on the left hand side. They serve a whole range of food from great cheese and ham melts to steak and ribs. The cakes are delicious too.
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On the great things about this restaurant is the terrace at the back. Its so lovely sitting there chilling overlooking all the mountains. The photo below is from the terrace.
As you walk through the town there are quite a few other restaurants and tapas bars to go into too. Some people feel a little awkward being in such a small Spanish Village and in one of the local bars. If you do feel like that then the restaurant here is run by English People.
How to Get to Istan
From the bottom of the mountain to Istan will take about 20 minutes to drive depending on how comfortable you are. If you don't like heights or driving up mountains, then you have been warned.
It's not as bad as Ronda though!!! My mother-in-law is petrified of heights and driving, but we knew that she would love Istan once up there. So we sat her in the middle of the car in the back and kept her occupied and she was fine. She loved Istan and can't wait to go back.
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Walking Routes in Istan
We can't wait for our daughter to get a bit older so we can go walking along all the routes. There are lots of different walks and cycle routes to take. The are many maps around too to have a look at. As you drive up to Istan you will see many cyclists going up and down too.
Here are the walking routes of Istan. If you click on the link it will give you full details (in English) of the route.
ISTÁN-CAMINO DE LA CUESTA-ISTÁN
ISTÁN-ERRIZAS DE LA GALLEGA-ISTÁN
Bike & Cycle Routes in Istan
Here are the 6 Cycle Routes in Istan. Each link will take you through to the main page in the Istan Website. It is in Spanish but pretty easy to understand the basics.
Route 1 Istán-Ermita San Miguel
Route 3 Istán-Puerto de la Trocha
Route 6 Istán-Puerto Barrancones
If you have cycled around Istan or done any of the walks and wish to give more information or if you have a website please email me, .
Other Places to Visit along the Costa Del Sol
There is so much to explore around the Costa Del Sol other than the usual haunts. Here we are going to provide detailed information on our Day Trips and weekends away, Places of Interest like Castellar, Alora, Antequera, Gibraltar, Grazalema Cordoba, Istan, Ronda, Monda and more. All places you can drive to within a couple of hours of Malaga Airport.