A wide, palm-lined promenade jutting out over the sea on the site of a former defensive battery, the Balcón is the social heart of Nerja and the spot every visitor sees first. The views east and west along the cliffs and out across the Mediterranean are the town's signature image; on a clear day the Rif Mountains in Morocco are sometimes visible.
The plaza behind the promenade is lined with cafes (a coffee here costs significantly more than the same coffee 100 metres away). The narrow lanes radiating off it lead to most of the town's restaurants, shops and the El Salón beach steps. Buskers and portrait artists work the promenade through the day.