Spain and Portugal for Visitors

Málaga

To the British and other North Europeans, the city of Málaga is traditionally the gateway to the Costa del Sol, and not much else. Indeed, for much of the twentieth century, Málaga was a pretty dismal, decrepit place, in spite of its great history, an attractive city centre (attractive when in reasonable condition, at least), and a handful of some of the best sights in Andalusia. In short, Málaga deserves attention in its own right, not just for its airport. It is most interesting for its two great castles and being the birthplace of Picasso (the city's new tourism motif), but is a rewarding place to explore, though you would not want to dedicate more than a day or two to it.

Sights: Málaga's main attractions are its Moorish castles and its associations with Pablo Picasso.
Alcazaba: A splendid Moorish fortified palace, inevitably reminiscent of Granada's Alhambra, and beautifully and, I believe, faithfully restored. Whether I am right or not, it is a gorgeous, evocative place to potter around, its Arab crenellations and military structures side by side with its restored palace quarters and courtyards.
Gibralfaro Castle: High on a hill to the east of the city, overlooking it and the Alcazaba it was built to protect, it would be worth climbing up to the Gibralfaro just for the fabulous views. But castle lovers will not be disappointed either, for the Gibralfaro has also been well restored, and it is easy to imagine yourself as a member of the castle guard, patrolling its ramparts and repelling invaders (the gardens it contains are not in the least authentic, but are very attractive and can be forgiven).
Málaga Cathedral: This Renaissance cathedral is not, frankly, one of my favourites (except for its magnificent organs, no jokes please), but I know others think differently so shall allow you to form your own opinion. It is popularly known as La Manquita, the one-armed lady, because one of its two main towers was never completed.
Picasso Museum: This contains 155 works donated by the great artist's descendents. Admittedly, not all of them are first-rate but as a whole the collection is unmissable for anyone with the slightest interest in "modern" art (I put the inverted commas in because, dammit, the man died over a quarter of a century ago and did most of his most important work before the Second World War. Oh well, at least "modern" is not as laughable as "contemporary"). An added attraction is the gorgeous 16th-century palace which houses the collection, the Palacio de Buenavista, and an even bigger draw is the archaeological site in the basement of the house, where you can see Roman and even Phoenician remains.
La Alameda: Technically La Alameda Principal, the town's most emblematic boulevard, shaded by enormous, old (centenary, at a guess) trees and lined with flower stalls.
Plaza de la Constitución: A splendid square, the historic centre of the city, with a gorgeous Baroque fountain.
Roman Amphitheatre: Mostly excavated and restored, though some kind of dig is usually in progress. What can I say? One of the characteristics of Roman amphitheatres is that they are all alike. It's next to the Alcazaba, so you will probably see it on your way in or out.
Palacio de Zea-Salvatierra: Lovely stately house, next to the Picasso Museum.
Casa Natal de Picasso: The house in which Picasso was born and spent his (very) early years, in the Plaza de la Merced. It is now a half-hearted museum with a very small collection of his works. Let me put it like this: I visited with no great expectations, the entrance price (2007) was only 1 euro (less than a cup of coffee), and I still felt slightly cheated.
Monument to General Torrijos: In the same square as Picasso's house, and frankly more interesting, even if you don't know the story (General Torrijos was a "liberal" (in the Spanish sense, read "radical," or "antimonarchist") who was executed on the beach at Málaga together with fifty-odd co-conspirators, on the orders of the despotic Fernando VII, recently restored to the throne after the Napoleonic conflicts). It stands above the General's tomb, and the fenced-off square around it belongs to France because of a crafty political move by a later monarch intended to forestall the tomb becoming a rallying point for revolutionaries. 

When to Go / Fiestas: Weather: Málaga's climate is Mediterranean, with significantly greater humidity than other parts of Spain, which means the summer heat can be stifling. Winters are ridiculously mild (though it is rash to arrive prepared for only subtropical weather: cold does happen occasionally, so in winter, think English spring). Events: The big event is the Feria de Málaga, a Seville-type affair held in the second week of August (if, like me, you think Seville's snobbishness insufferable, you are likely to find the Málaga Fair much more enjoyable). And Málaga's Semana Santa is every bit as fervent as Seville's but, again, much more likeable, at least to my (admittedly atheist) tastes.

Málaga for Shopping: The backbone of the top-end shopping area in the centre of Málaga is the Calle Larios. The most "traditional" gift item or souvenir has long been Vino de Málaga,  Málaga wine, especially the typical Moscatel-based dessert wine, though more conventional wines are now produced under the same denominación de origen (there is a splendid-looking shop dedicated to this and called, simply, "Vinos de Málaga," just opposite the Roman amphitheatre, though I have not really had the opportunity to investigate it and would appreciate feedback). Other items to look out for include pottery and other ceramics, designer clothes and accessories and handicrafts.

Eating and Drinking: Málaga has undergone a culinary explosion in recent years, and the number of restaurants has shot up. It would be nice to say that this has been matched by improvement in quality, but I don't think it would be true, and I notice a tendency to "borrow" from other Spanish cuisines, particularly those of Andalusia, naturally. Nevertheless, you can lunch and dine perfectly well in Málaga. The best of Málaga's eating establishments are its fish and seafood restaurants, and there is even a new wave of tapas houses, most of which are perfectly acceptable (even though tapas are not really traditional in this part of the world). And there are one or two really outstanding places, for example, El Chinitas, for its backstreet, bohemian atmosphere and still-dripping-from-the-sea fresh produce (including sea urchins), or the (expensive) Café de Paris, for its creative cuisine and elegant ambience.

Moving Around Málaga: You will find all the relevant links on the Spain and Portugal for Visitors Málaga Links page. Unless their hotel was some way out, I can't imagine anyone needing to use public transport in the centre of Málaga, indeed there are so many streets closed to traffic altogether and those that are not are often so narrow that buses are simply not a practical option (one important exception is the stiffish climb up to the Gibralfaro, for which the less-than-vigorous or the simply lazy would be advised to take the Number 35, leaving from the Alameda Principal). Anyway, if walking is not your preferred means of transport, taxis are a more practical choice than the bus for moving around in the centre of Málaga (though you may want to see the city from the Bus Turístico, in which case you might want to acquire a Málaga Card at the start of your visit (it's pricey, though, so do your sums first). A metro is under construction which will make travel between the centre and, for example, the university much more comfortable. The suburban railway system, Cercanías, is a fast and convenient way to move between the centre and Málaga Airport.

Getting There: You will find all the links to the companies referred to below on the Spain and Portugal for Visitors Moving Around or Getting There pages.
By Air: Málaga Airport is one of the busiest in the country, and well served by flights from all over Europe and Spain itself, for example, there are flights between Málaga and no fewer than twenty-four UK airports. And practically all the low-cost airlines fly there, from BMI Baby to easyJet, Ryanair and Vueling.
By Rail: Trains from Madrid or Barcelona are so expensive you will probably find flying preferable.
By Road: The Autovía de Andalusia, Andalusia Highway, meets the Autovía del Mediterraneo, Mediterranean Highway, at Málaga. Allow 5 1/2 hours from Madrid, and bear in mind that if you are coming from Barcelona, it can be faster to drive to Madrid and down than to follow the coast: allow at least 11 1/2 or 12 hours.
By bus: Daebus runs seven buses a day to Málaga from Madrid, the journey taking around six hours (a good deal more at peak times like Easter) - the ticket price is very reasonable compared with the train. Alsa, Spain's largest bus company, runs seven buses a day from Barcelona , not as good value for money as the Daebus connection but still better than the train, though seventeen hours on a bus is an awfully long time. And, if you can stand thirty-four hours of bus journey, Eurolines also runs international buses to Málaga from, e.g., London Victoria, changing at Paris and Bilbao.



Pro's:
Easy to get to
Doable in 1-2 days
Reasonably priced accommodation
Interesting, atmospheric, historic centre
Two of the finest castles in Spain, the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro
Picasso Museum
Costa del Sol with all its attractions and facilities, e.g., for kids, at hand

Con's:
Street crime
Traffic
Parking

You'll like it if you like:
Barcelona; Moorish architecture; Picasso; all things Andalusian; pescaito frito...

More Málaga:
Andalucia
  Costa del Sol
    Málaga (Article)
    Málaga Hotels
    Málaga Links
    Málaga Photos
    Málaga Province
    Málaga Streetmap
    Málaga Weather
    Last-Minute