Malaga City Guide for Tourists

By Damian Corrigan, About.com Guide

Malaga's bullring, busy during the Feria de Agosto

Image © artsandprints.net

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Overview:

A popular arrival point for many people traveling from within Europe due to the high number of budget airlines that fly to Malaga airport. Malaga is Picasso's birthplace and has a beach, acting as a honeytrap for pasty northern Europeans too eager to catch some sun than to venture somewhere more interesting.

More Malaga travel resources here:

Best Time to Visit Malaga:

The best time to visit Malaga is during the Feria de Agosto (August Festial, sometimes known as the 'Feria de Verano', 'summer festival' or 'Feria de Malaga'), which takes place in the third week of August and is the biggest festival in Andalusia. It is the best place to see bullfighting in August, which is usually a quiet month for the art.

See more on Bullfighting in Malaga

Number of Days (excluding day trips):

If a beach is a beach to you then the one in Malaga could keep you 'occupied' (in the loosest sense of the word) for a week. If that isn't what you are in Spain for, you could do everything in a day.

Hotels in Malaga:

For hotel reservations in Malaga, an easy-to-use site is Venere. They have hotels to suit all budgets and have a clutter-free Web site that allow for hassle-free accommodation booking.
Book Direct

If you're after a budget-priced bed in a dorm, try Hostelworld.

Things to Do in Malaga:

Picasso was born in Málaga, though he left as a child and rarely returned. So, if you want a city that once inspired a world famous painter, Málaga is not the place. However, to find out more about the great painter, there is the Museo Picasso Málaga.
The thousand-year-old Alcazaba, which once belonged to the old Muslim rulers.
Enjoy the nightlife - one of the better places in Andalusia to enjoy a night on the tiles.
Eat tapas and drink the local wine, either by yourself or as part of a Tapas Tour and Wine Tasting in Malaga.

See also: Gastronomy Tours from Malaga

Day Trips from Malaga:

The breathtaking town of Ronda is just two hours from Malaga. Nerja (an hour from Malaga) has a nicer beach than the one in Malaga, as does Motril, though the two-hour journey might put you off.

Where to Next?:

North-east to Granada with the famous Alhambra fortress is your best option. Alternatively, the Costa del Sol awaits those of you that like that kind of thing (overpriced drinks, tacky bars and medallioned men driving fast cars). Note that Marbella doesn't have a train station and the furthest you will get by train is Fuengirola.

Malaga is also a good jump-off point for getting to the rest of Spain, as well as for traveling to Morocco. Read more:

Guided Tours of Spain Departing from Malaga
Morocco to Malaga - the options available to you.

Distance to Malaga:

From Madrid 537km - 5h26 by car, 6h by bus, 3h45 by train* 1h flight.
Read more on Madrid

From Barcelona 1,016km - 10h by car, 17h by bus, 13h30 by train, 1h30 flight.
Read more on Barcelona

From Seville 216km - 2h24 by car, 2h45 by bus, 2h30 by train. No flight.
Read more on Seville

*Train service is the AVE, one of Spain's luxury train services. Read more about AVE Trains in Spain.
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Renting a Car in Malaga:

Compare their prices on the big car rental companies on Kayak.

First Impressions:

Malaga is quite a busy city - its center is always teeming with traffic, so driving through it can be scary, especially with so many one-way streets.

From the train station, turn right (along Explanada de la Estacion) and left down c/Cuarteles. When you hit the River Guadalmedina, walk along it until you reach a bridge that will take you to Alameda Principal. This will take you into the most southerly part of the old town. You can either walk through the park (along Paseo del Parque) or turn left and walk up into the main old town area. Then you can turn right (along c/Cortina del Muelle) and arive in the Plaza de la Aduana or keep walking and head north towards the Cathedral.

From Plaza de la Aduana it is a short walk to the Alcazaba.