Travelling to southern Spain Málaga will most likely be your starting point, since many international airlines fly here regularly, especially in summer season. Málaga and its associated soroundings are popular among many travelers.

Málagalaga is located in southern Spain, the area of Andalusia and sits right on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is fairly warm all year long with a mean temperature of 18° Celcius. Summer months can be hot with temperatures above 30° Celsius and around 11 hours of sun per day. Though it is located right at the sea, the summer months are fairl dry.

In the summer period Málaga is visited by many tourists, making it the high season. While it is not as hot in both fall in spring season, it is certainly less crowded. making this an ideal period to travel, especially if you are not a big friend of the heat. I came here in early November and it was still fairly warm with up to 22° C during the day and lots of sun. I spent four days here, let me a little insight of which places you should visit during your stay.

Places to visit

Centro Historico

The Centro Historico consits of many small alleys in the older part of the city. Many alleys are pedestrian walkways with no cars. here you can fin many different restaurants and stores. From here you can easily can to sights like the Cathedral, Alcazaba, harbour area and more. Lots of nightlife is going on in this part of the city.

The best way to get here is either by public transport or walking if you have a place to stay nearby. My hotel was located in the northern part, from here it was about a 20 minute walk. Parking space is very limited and the streets are very narrow. Public parking can be very expensive, so leave your car outside the city if you can. 

Cathedral

The big cathedral was built in 1528 and finished in 1782. Since it took over 250 years to built it consist of many differtn styles, such as baroque, renaissance and gothic. It features only one tower, since the second one was never completed due to lack of money, therefore, only its base exists. 

The inside is full of different art and its size is breathtaking. It is open to public every day, admission is 8€ per person, children get a discount. For 12€ you can also visit the observation plattform on the top of the cathedral. The deck opens a few times a day and is a guided tour. From here you get a nice view over the city. However, there are better places to get a better view over the city, so my advise is to skip this visit.

   

Alcazaba

Right around the corner of the Cathedral you find the Alcazaba, an old fortress built in the 11th century on the grounds of of an old palace for the kings of Granada. It has grown bigger over time and was originally connectoed to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, which is on top of the hills.

Most part of the Alcazabar can be visited. Here you find many nice garden areas, as well as nice viewing points over the city and the harbour area. You mostly walk around the outer walls. The inside is only accesible for special exhibitions, so it is not open to public in general.

The entrance for the Alcazaba is 3€ or 5,50€ to get entrance to both the Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro. I recomment getting the combination ticket, since both sights should be visited. This place is visited by many tourists throughout the day, my advice would be to come here in the early morning or late afternoon, welse it will be quiet full of people, which is especially bothersome if you want to take pictures without people in them.

Outside there are leftovers of an old roman theatre. It can be visited on weekdays except for mondays and is free of charge. 

  

Castillo de Gibralfaro

The Castillo de Gibralfaro sits above the centro historico on a 135m high hill. It is more than one thousand years old. In earlier times it was connected to the Alcazaba.

Today it can be visited. From the outer walls you have a great view over the city and the harbour area. Compared to the view from top of the Cathedral it is much better in my opinion. And cheaper as well. As said before, both the Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba can be visited for 3€ each or 5,50€ in a combination ticket.

The best way to get up here i either by bus or walking since parking space is limited. To walk up here you have to keep right at the entrance of the Alcazaba. The street soon turns into a walkway up the hill. Here are also some nice spots to watch the sun set over the city. A good recommendation for this is the Vista lookout.

The Gibralfaro features some towers and old rooms you can go into. Mostly you walk around the outer walls, they can be narrow sometimes and people are moving both ways.

  

Museums 

Just south of the Alcazaba you find the Museo de Málaga, a beautiful museum built in 1791 looking like a palazzo. Inside there are different art collections spread over three floors. They range from paintings to sculptures and archeology founds from the area.

It is a worthwhile visit in case the weather is bad or you just want to visi a quiet place and enjoy some art. When I visited there were hardly any people inside. There is no admission fee for citizens of the european union and since there is no ticket control at the entrance I am sure anyone else can also enter for free. Bags have to be put in storage behind the information point.

Being the birthplace to the famous painter and artist Pablo Picasso Málaga also hosts a Picasso museum. It is located in the centro historico, just north of the cathedral. It is opened every day from 10am to 7pm, admission is 9,50€.

Mercado Central de Atarazanas

Looking for a nice shopping experience? In the eastern part of the centro historico there is a a small amrket located, called the Mercado central de Atarazanas. It is an old, arabic style building in which you find a nice market. Many different sellers offer a whole varuiety of fruits, vegetables, cheese, fish, meat and more. The building itself looks nice, plus you can buy super fresh food.

The market is visited frequently by many people to buy there fresh food. You can also get some nice tapaz.

The building dates back to the 14th century and was originally designed as a boatyard. Over the time it was used for many different purposes before it became a food market in the late 19th century.

  

Málaga Park

South of the centro historico you rech the harbour area. Just in between, south of the main road, is a little park. Here you can sit down in the shade and just relax for a while and enjoy the nature before continuing your journey through the city.

La Malagueta

Contiuing on you get to the harbour area, which is located in the city part called La Malagueta. On the promenade you can find different restaurants. I highly recommend going here in the evening, baecause that's when the night life starts. Many street shops open, many different artists start their performances and many people are on the loose.

Continuing on the waterline you eventually reach the Lighthouse of Malaga. However,it is not as spectacular, unlike the Lighthouse in Faro. Continuing further south isn't so specatular, so instead you can pay the beach of visit. The sand is rather grey and it is not one of the beautiful beaches spain has to offer. The beach is sprinkled with small green islands with palm trees and gras. They are occupied by many green birds which are cute to watch. Also these areas are used by groups to sit together or just hang out alone.

  

Accomendation and Restaurants

My hotel in Málagawas located just 15 minutes by foot north of the city centre. The room was a little small, but the overall stay was comfortable. Parking was to find down on the street, at late times with some driving back and forth. I recommend getting a small car if you have the choice. 

You can find the hotel right here
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Everybody needs to grab a bite once in a while, right? So I collected some restaurant tips for you.

Pez Lola
Delicios pinchos á la carte, located in the pedestrian area
Málagalaga

Pez Wanda
Grill restaurant with nice decorations, located in the pedestrian area
Málagalaga

Most places accept payments with credit cards, however AmericanExpress is taken rarely. It is also good to have some cash on hand some smaller places only accept cash.

Be advised that you have to pay fees for some of the motorways. They can be paid directly at the station with cash or card. 

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