Spanish travel glossary

Small savoury dishes served alongside drinks. In Málaga and Granada provinces, a free tapa often comes with each drink ordered; in Marbella and most of Andalucía's coast you pay per dish, typically €3-8. The original Andalusian rule: you graze through several bars rather than sit down for one big meal.

A beach restaurant, originally a fisherman's hut on stilts, now usually a permanent structure but always right on the sand. Specialises in espetos (sardines on sticks grilled over wood fire) and fresh fried fish. The Andalusian summer is impossible to imagine without a long lunch at one.

The seafront promenade running the length of most Costa del Sol towns. Marbella's is about 7 km, Fuengirola's 8 km, Estepona's 1.5 km. Locals walk it at sunset (the evening paseo) and on Sunday afternoons. The wide ones double as cycling lanes.

The afternoon rest period, traditionally 14:00-17:00, when small shops and some restaurants close. Outside tourist zones in summer this is still common — it's not lazy, it's a sensible response to 38°C heat. Marbella's centre and Puerto Banús mostly ignore it.

A fixed lunch menu — starter, main, dessert, drink, bread — historically created for workers, usually €12-18, served roughly 13:00-16:00 on weekdays. Look for the chalkboard outside the door. Real menús del día are not on the tourist strips; check side streets in Casco Antiguo.

A multi-day Andalusian festival mixing horses, flamenco, traditional dress, music, and serious drinking, usually centred around a saint's day. Málaga's feria in August is the biggest; smaller town ferias (Marbella, Estepona, Mijas) run between May and September. Entry to the casetas is usually free.

Literally 'white village' — the Andalusian villages of whitewashed houses set against the hills. The most famous are Mijas, Frigiliana, Casares, and Júzcar (which painted itself Smurf-blue in 2011 for a Sony film and never changed back). They photograph beautifully but stay small; a half-day visit is usually enough.

A viewpoint — usually a small terrace or balcony built where the view is best. Every pueblo blanco has one. The Mirador del Compás in Mijas, Balcón de Europa in Nerja, and the mirador above Frigiliana are the most photographed; the unmarked ones above Casares and Júzcar are emptier and just as good.

Andalusia's traditional music and dance, born in the gypsy quarters of Seville, Cádiz, and Granada. Real flamenco happens spontaneously in peñas (small clubs for members and serious fans), not in dinner-show theatres. Málaga's Peña Juan Breva is the most accessible authentic venue on the Costa del Sol.

Not Andalusian — paella is from Valencia, four hours north. But it's served everywhere on the Costa del Sol because tourists ask. Look for places that cook it to order (40 minutes minimum). Anywhere serving 'paella in 15 minutes' is reheating frozen stock. Real arroz negro and arroz a banda are local Andalusian rice dishes worth trying.

A pilgrimage from a town to a country shrine, usually held on the saint's day — locals walk or ride horses + decorated carts, end with a long picnic and music. The Romería del Rocío (Huelva, May/June) is the biggest in Spain; smaller romerías happen in Marbella, Estepona, and Antequera. Open to anyone — wear comfortable shoes.

A bullring. Whether bullfighting itself is your thing or not, the plazas are remarkable architecture worth visiting empty. Ronda's (built 1785) is Spain's oldest stone bullring and the most important historically; Málaga's Plaza de Toros La Malagueta hosts the Feria de Agosto's bullfights and is open for visits year-round.

Holy Week — the seven days before Easter Sunday. Andalusia's Semana Santa is the world's most elaborate, with daily processions of huge wooden floats (pasos) carried by hooded brotherhoods (cofradías) through the streets. Málaga's processions are vast and famous; Antequera's are more intimate. Book accommodation months ahead.

A street-side terrace, usually with awning or umbrellas, where Andalusians spend most of the year eating and drinking outside. The terraza is more than seating — it's where social life happens. Sitting inside on a sunny day is considered odd; restaurants will sometimes have to coax you outside.

The post-meal conversation that happens AFTER everyone has stopped eating but before anyone gets up — over coffee, a digestif, a glass of wine that becomes two. Sometimes lasts longer than the meal itself. Don't try to pay during sobremesa; the waiter knows you're not done.