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The best way to get to Torre del Mar by road is by taking the Autovía del Mediterráneo in the Motril direction and turning  off as signposted. But it is also possible to reach this huge municipality by sea and by air. La Caleta de Vélez has a large fishing port with a section for pleasure craft, while the Royal Malaga Aeroclub uses an airfield at El Trapiche.
Located in the eastern part of Coast, the town is the beach resort of Vélez-Málaga, capital of the Axarquia region. There are unsubstantiated claims that Torre del Mar once formed part of an ancient Greek settlement known as Manake which is believed to have been destroyed by the Carthaginians, prior to the arrival of the Romans. These days the town is better known for its four kilometres of sandy beaches lined with restaurants, bars and apartments; the latter primarily catering for summer visitors. At the seafront end of Paseo de Larios is a line of bars and discos known as El Copo, which kick on all night on Friday and Saturday and attracts crowds from far afield.
One of the resort's most pleasant features is the extended esplanade which follows the coast to  reach the Marina of Caleta de Vélez which has over 200 berths and offers sailing and a variety of other watersports. Its lively cafés and restaurants also provide a good place in which to idle the time away, as well as enjoy excellent seafood.
Torre del Mar’s climate is mild all year round, with an average of 23 ºC in winter and 26 ºC in the summer months. This has attracted people from many parts who have come to settle here. Since it covers such a huge surface area, 156.40 square kilometres, the municipality is dotted with towns and villages. The largest of these is the town of Vélez-Málaga itself, just a few kilometres inland, while the resort of Torre del Mar is on the coast, as is the port of La Caleta de Vélez. All three are well linked by road: the Autovía del Mediterráneo, the various older roads and the Avenida Rey Juan Carlos I, which links the town centre with Torre del Mar. There are various explanations as to why the main town, Vélez-Málaga, is not on the coast, as is usual with municipalities which reach down to the seashore. (Mijas is another exception.) One of these explanations refers to an earthquake in the year 365. The huge waves caused by seismic movement devastated the only settlement on the coast. Remains of this town are to be found at the Phoenician archaeological site of Los Toscanos and in the surrounding area. After this catastrophe it was decided to build a town on the hill where the fortress currently stands.
Another explanation, rather less scientific and more legendary, tells the story of a shepherd who found an image of the Virgin Mary in the countryside. He liked it so much that he decided to take it home for his daughter but lost it on the way. The next day it was back in the same place where he had found it and again he picked it up and tried to take it home. Again he failed. The story spread like wildfire and all the local people began to think that it was a miracle, erecting the present shrine at the spot where the image had been found. The countryside around Vélez-Málaga is scattered with small market gardens and orchards, with an increasing number of tropical fruit trees as they grow well in the micro-climate created by the Sierras of the Tejeda, Alhama and Almijara Nature Park.
There are remains of several settlements in the municipality, such as the Mozarab Eremitic Complex at Valle-Niza, the Phoenician remains at Los Toscanos and the Cerro Mar y Jardín burial grounds, some of which go back to pre-historic times. The architectural gems in the town earned it the title of historical-artistic complex in the 1970s. | 
