The Fortaleza de Vélez-Málaga sits at the top of the old town on a rocky promontory, and the climb to it is worth every step. The fortress dates mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries when Vélez-Málaga was an important Nasrid stronghold — the last Muslim city of any significance taken by the Catholic Monarchs in 1487, the year before they captured Málaga itself. Ferdinand II led the siege personally, and the fall of Vélez-Málaga effectively opened the road to the coast for the final phase of the Reconquista.
The fortifications include the remains of several towers and curtain walls, and enough survives to give a clear sense of the original layout. But the real reason to come is the view: from the ramparts you look south over the coastal plain and the silver line of the Mediterranean, east and west along the Axarquía hills, and down into the tightly packed streets of the old town directly below. On a clear day the hills of Morocco are visible across the strait. Entry is free and the site is rarely crowded even in summer.