Things to do in Benalmadena, with prices

The cable car, $19 per person. The listing calls it the only cable car on the Costa del Sol. Modern cabins with an audio guide climb to the top of Mount Calamorro, where six hiking routes start and the views run along the coast. You choose a 1-way or return ticket; a bird presentation at the top costs extra. Rated 4.5 from 2,422 reviews, and non-refundable. Check cable car dates, or read our Benalmádena cable car guide.

Colomares Castle, $10 per person. The lowest price among the things to do in Benalmadena on this page, rated 4.6 from 847 reviews. A guide meets you at the entrance and tells the story of Christopher Columbus and the symbolism built into the walls, in English or Spanish. The visit takes 40 minutes, then you explore alone. Expect stairs. Book the castle visit or see our Colomares Castle guide.

Parasailing, $62 per person. Rated 4.9 from 443 reviews. After a safety briefing you fly behind the boat up to 650 feet, alone or with others: up to six at once, depending on weight and conditions. It takes 40 minutes to an hour. Children aged 3 to 11 fly with an adult; for teenagers, check the listing. Book a flight or read our parasailing guide.

Three cruises. The dolphin watching cruise at $22 per person spends about 100 minutes on a catamaran while the crew scans for dolphins; the listing quotes an 88% sighting rate, never a certainty. Its 8,032 reviews at 4.4 are the most on this page. The sunset catamaran, $28 per person, sails for 1.5 hours with a welcome cocktail. The shared catamaran, $34 per person, cruises for 1 to 2 hours with a swim if the sea allows. Compare them in our catamaran guide.

Gibraltar, $44 per person. A bus takes you to the southern tip of Spain for a 10-hour day, with the time there your own: the shopping street, the marina, the cafés. Going up the Rock, home of the Barbary macaques, is optional, for example by local tourist taxi. Rated 4.3 from 830 reviews. See Gibraltar dates.

Setenil and Ronda, $44 per person. Also 10 hours: Setenil de las Bodegas, with houses under huge rock overhangs, then Ronda and the Puente Nuevo over the El Tajo gorge. The guided Ronda walk and the flamenco show come only with the options that include them. Rated 4.5 from 543 reviews. See Setenil and Ronda dates. Both are compared in our day trips guide.

Start with the cable car and the castle. Of all the things to do in Benalmadena, they give the most for the least: $19 and $10 per person, the coast from above and a guided story in 40 minutes. With children, add Selwo Marina or the aquarium. For one big thrill, book parasailing, rated 4.9. With a spare day, pick Gibraltar or Ronda.

Mix a morning on land with an afternoon on the water: see all six boat trips. Our top pick is the private boat with drinks, $191 for the whole boat with up to 10 people, rated 4.8. Boat trips on this site start at $95 per person, on the adults-only party boat.