Shopping at first light: The best time to go to Malaga’s Atarazanas Market is first thing in the morning to hear the shouts of vendors advertising their trays of juicy oranges, strings of sausages and legs of cured ham, piles of slippery squid, razor clams and mussels, or aromatic…
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Malaga Attractions
Although the train and bus stations are west of the usually dry tidal Río Guadalmedina, most of what you will want to see in Málaga is located to the east. The skyline makes it easy to navigate: The single belltower of the cathedral rises in the center of the old city, while restored Moorish walls stitch their way up the Gibralfaro hillside from the old Alcazaba, or fortress, a short distance from the waterfront. In the main part of town, elegant Calle Larios—paved with marble and lined with boutiques—links the main Plaza de la Constitución to the waterfront parks. Tree-lined Alameda Principal leads west from the port.
The Parque de Málaga, full of subtropical plants, separates the urban city from the waterfront. The dock areas south of the park have shopping, nightlife, and dining along Muelle Uno and the delightful walkways of El Palmeral de las Sorpresas on Muelle Dos. The compact triangle between El Palmeral de las Sorpresas and the riverbed has sprung to life as Soho, aka Barrio de los Artes (Neighborhood of the Arts). It’s full of bars, restaurants, world-class graffiti paintings, and a trendy, youthful vibe.
For an old city, Málaga has convenient and well-marked bicycle paths. For a two-wheel overview of the city, connect with Bike Tours Málaga, Plaza Poeta Alfonso Canales, 4 (tel. 650-677-063). Of the company’s tours, the general City Bike Tour takes 3 hours and costs 29.50€ adults, 21.50€ kids 15 and under. Bike rentals from 10€ per 4 hours, 15€ per day.
It takes about an hour to stroll along Playa de la Malagueta from the port to Playa Pedregalejo. You can also bike the route in less than half the time. You’ll pass surfcasters, sunbathers, and on a Saturday afternoon, barefoot brides having their pictures taken on the beach. Good-value fish restaurants line the beach at Pedregalejo, one of the oldest and most traditional fishermen’s quarters in the city. The most elegant is Los Espigones, Paseo Maritimo El Pedregal, 50 (tel 95-229-91-48), open Tuesday‒Saturday 1:30‒4pm and 8:30‒11pm, Sunday 1:30‒4pm. Main dishes cost 12€‒26€. Specialties include grilled sardines and a fritura Malagueña of mixed fried fish. Linger as long as you want and then walk 2 blocks up from the beach to Avenida Juan Sebastian Elcano to catch the 3, 8, 11, 33, or 34 bus back to Alameda Principal.
Free Entry Sundays at Attractions in Malaga
If you’re in Málaga on a Sunday, you can see many sights for free. Be prepared, however, to wait in a long line. In theory, you could see all of the following in one day, but you might be rushing so fast that it becomes a blur. Moreover, the Picasso and Carmen Thyssen museums are so popular, you’ll need to get in line way before the free hours to even get in—and be prepared for galleries so crowded you can scarcely see the art.
Alcazaba and Castillo de Gibralfaro: 2pm-closing
Centro Pompidou Málaga: 4pm-closing
Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga: 4pm-closing
Museo Casa Natal Picasso: 4pm-closing
Museo Picasso Málaga: 2 hours before closing
11 Results
- Historic Site
Alcazaba
This combination palace and fortress sits just above the excavated ruins of the Roman theater dating from the 1st through 3rd centuries C.E. It does not occupy the highest ground but does command an irregular rocky spur that towers over most of the city. Begun shortly after the Arab… - Historic Site
Castillo de Gibralfaro
The ruins of this Moorish castle-fortress crown a hill overlooking Málaga and the Mediterranean. The walls are crumbling and the keep is overgrown with weeds, but views are spectacular. Walking to the castle from town is fairly strenuous and not recommended at night for safety… - Art museum
Centro Pompidou Málaga
Nicknamed “El Cubo,” this multi-colored glass cube is a highlight of the renovated dock area, with the actual museum galleries underground. The museum mounts thought-provoking changing exhibitions that draw from the Paris museum’s deep holdings of modern and contemporary art. It is…Around Town
- Market
Mercado Central
Also known as the Mercado Atarazanas because it sits on the site of an old Moorish shipyard, this 14th-century building has a front door with a perfectly preserved horseshoe arch from the Nasrid period. The building was substantially changed in the 19th century when it became the… - Landmark
Muelle Uno
In the early 21st century, the stretch of waterfront from Plaza de General Torrijos to the 1817 Malagueta lighthouse was redeveloped into a shopping, dining, and nightlife district where you’ll find everything from American fast food to a set-menu restaurant by one of Spain’s top… - Museum
Museo Alborania
If you follow the seashells, starfish, and other marine life forms embedded in the sidewalks around El Palmeral de las Sopresas, you’ll end up at this waterfront museum that calls itself a “classroom of the sea.” Geared to small children more than to adults, this collection of… - Museum
Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga
Located just off the Plaza de la Constitución in the Renaissance-era Palacio de Villalón, this museum displays Spanish paintings from the years 1825 to 1925, collected by Carmen Thyssen of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. By concentrating on this narrow slice of European art,… - Museum
Museo Casa Natal Picasso
Picasso was born in Málaga in 1881 in a rented apartment at Plaza de la Merced, 15, and moved two doors down in 1883. He lived there until the family moved to A Coruña in 1891. Arguably the greatest painter of the 20th century, Picasso never really worked in Málaga, but the city was… - Museum
Museo Picasso Málaga
Picasso last visited Málaga at age 19, but toward the end of his life expressed the wish that his work be displayed in the city of his birth. That wish became a reality in 2003. Continued gifts and loans by Picasso’s family and their art foundations have swelled the collection. Most… - Museum
Museo del Automóvil y la Moda
Stashed in the old tobacco factory southwest of central Málaga, the Málaga Automobile and Fashion Museum is for people who like shiny, beautiful things. The exhibits are time capsules of style, displaying haute couture fashion along with beautifully restored classic cars of the… - Cathedral
Málaga Cathedral
Nicknamed La Manquita, or the “one-armed lady” because of its unfinished second bell tower, this church collapses a lot of history into one hulking mass. It sits at the foot of the Alcazaba where the Moorish mosque used to be, a symbolic obliteration that was not lost on the Spanish…
Malaga Shopping
Calle Larios has most of the city’s top Spanish and international boutiques. Calle Nueva, which runs parallel, is lined with good, less expensive shops. The base of Muelle Uno also has a thicket of stalls full of inexpensive clothing and costume jewelry. If you are serious about contemporary ceramics, check out Alfajar, Calle Cister, 1 (tel. 95-221-12-72), near the cathedral. A street market of artisans sets up on Calle Tomás Heredia in Soho on the fourth Sunday of the month.
Malaga Nightlife
As in most big Spanish cities, Spaniards gather here at bars and restaurants to drink, snack, and talk. You’ll find tapas scenes on the side streets from Calle Larios, along Calle Granada, along Muelle Uno, and the hatchwork of hip streets in Soho. For live music and cold beer, try the immensely popular La Fábrica, Calle Trinidad Grund, 29 (tel. 95-212-39-04), the factory bar where Cruz Campos spotlights its limited-edition craft beers. Live bands perform several days a week, usually in early evening, although the bar stays open late.
Tablao Flamenco Alegría, Calle Velez-Málaga, 6 (tel. 95-147-44-93) is a well-established flamenco tablao—a nightclub performance by a resident troupe. Shows offered daily; reserve ahead as hours vary. Show tickets start at 25€. Dinner is offered 90 minutes before show (39€) but as with most flamenco spots, it’s better to eat elsewhere.
Two beautifully restored theaters—Teatro Echegaray, Calle Echegaray, 6 (tel. 95-222-41-09), and Teatro Cervantes de Málaga, Ramos Marin, s/n (tel. 95-222-41-09)—present musical concerts, flamenco, dance, and theater.
More To Do in Malaga
Side Trips from Malaga
In about an hour, you can drive north from Málaga to the desert hills of El Torcal de Antequera, designated in 1929 as Andalucía’s first natural park. A paved road swishes back and forth through the bone-dry landscape of wind-sculpted limestone hoodoos. Three well-marked trails…
