Getting here

Nerja is just forty five minutes drive from Malaga (Pablo Picasso)  international airport and there are a couple of ways to get here from the airport if you haven’t arranged a hire car.
The cheapest and by far is by public transport. A shuttle bus runs from just outside the arrivals hall to the main bus station in Malaga every thirty minutes from 0700 and the last one varies between 2300 and 2400 but this would make you miss the connection to Nerja at Malaga bus station.
The time to make the journey to Nerja from Malaga by bus  varies as there are direct and less direct buses so it can take between an hour and an hour & fifteen minutes.
Make sure you allow time for any queues at the bus station. The cost is around a euro.
You can also take the train from the airport into Malaga (where the bus station is right next door to the train station) but it means dragging your luggage to the train platform which is quite some distance from arrivals. Follow the signs for trains.

At the Malaga bus station you need to find the Alsina Graels (currently being rebranded and renamed Alsa ) ticket office to buy your tickets. Tickets from Malaga to Nerja are Single 3,96 Return: 7.17
The first bus leaves the station at 0700 and the last one at 2300
You can check timetables and prices at the www.alsa.es which is in english as well as other languages and also for other destinations or click here

From there the bus takes between an hour and an hour and fifteen minutes and you arrive in Nerja at the top of the town at the bus staion.

You could just jump in a taxi at the airport but the transfer is 90 euros. If you pre-book a taxi from one of the taxi firms in Nerja this will drop to 69 euros and the driver will meet you in the airport.
There is no train to Nerja from Malaga.
Car Hire
Malaga is a very busy airport as serves much of the popular region of Andalucía. Due to the high volume of passengers passing through its doors, car hire is very popular and as such all of the leading suppliers are present at the airport to meet demand. With such high volumes, particularly in the summer months, competition is strong and prices competitive. We recommend that you book early however as prices rise the later you leave it. Peak times in Malaga are from June through until September where average prices for an economy car can reach up to £23 per day. The cheapest months to hire a car are January and February where economy cars can be secured for as little as £9 per day, making car rental very appealing. We recommend using Rhinocarhire.com for your Malaga airport car hire who provide very competetive rates.

Directions if you are driving from the airport:
Leaving the airport follow the signs for Malaga and you will pick up the A7 (E15) motorway.
Follow the sign for Motril & Antequera (again A7/ (E15) but the first sign for this route is actually over a lane that takes you to an industrial estate, make sure that you are careful to miss that turn off.

From then on you are straight all the way with no turn offs. About 45 mins drive.

Parking in Nerja can be a bit of a nightmare during the summer months and especially during festivals and most  certainly during the October Feria.
The are two pay underground car parks, one immediately behind the townhall and one in Verano Azul. There is a third area between Carabeo and Los Huertos (closed from late September for the Feria in the second week of October)
Now the largest free parking is in the area where the new health centre is to be built, a couple of minutes from Supersol roundabout at the old bridge.

Be carefull when parking in streets in Nerja town if there are yellow or blue lines on the curb it is a no parking area and even though people regularly park in these places you do stand the risk of being towed away and fined for the privilege. If your car is towed you will see a red triangle on the curb where your car was towed. Make your way to the local police station on Avda Pescia and pay the fine (around 200 euros but with 50% discount if you pay within 7 days)  and get your car back.