Spain and the Costa del Sol head list of Forbes 2020 best places to retire

Spain is one of the very best places in the world to retire. In the prestigious Forbes list on the topic, Spain has no fewer than three destinations in the global top-ten, and we as people who have lived and worked here for a long time, think we have a good idea why.

To start with, the country is endowed with the warmest, sunniest weather in Europe – situated as it is at the southern tip of the continent within a Mediterranean climate belt that ensures warm summers and mild winters. It is a world of sandy beaches, pretty bays, mountain ranges and green valleys, where wild flowers colour the fields in bright spring colours and fruit grows thick on the trees.

In these parts, successive waves of settlers have carved out a culture that is unmistakably Spanish, rich in history, architecture, art, music and dance, not to mention a varied cuisine built upon the bounty of both land and sea. In fact, the easy-going way of life, social people, warm climate and healthy diet guarantee not only a rare quality of life, but also the third highest life expectancy in the world.

BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN FOR RETIREES

To this one can add excellent medical care, a stable democracy and the security of being within the European Union. There are many beautiful parts of the country, including the green northern coast and the mountain ranges of the Basque Country, but the three regions highlighted by the Forbes list are the Costa de Azahar, just north of Valencia, the renascent city of Bilbao and the evergreen Costa del Sol.

The latter has the city of Málaga as its vibrant cultural capital and Marbella as its luxurious destination of international allure, a place that discerning visitors and homebuyers from across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas have been drawn to since the 1950s. For a unique blend of exclusivity and quality of life, therefore, it is hard to better this sun-kissed part of Europe, and Forbes knows it.