The 3 Best Things To Do In Malaga, Spain
Malaga, Spain is where laid-back seaside vibes meet centuries of history and incredible food. This coastal city has everything from beaches to winding streets filled with tapas bars, art, and sunshine. Whether you’re here to soak up some sun, dive into culture, or just eat your way through the city, Malaga’s got something for everyone. It’s a difficult place to visit for just one day, but we racked up 20 miles on foot so I feel good about our effort!
What You Need To Know Before Visiting Malaga
In a nutshell: We visited as part of a stop on our transatlantic cruise, so we had to make the most of our 8 hours in port. You can spend all that time just lounging on the beach, or explore the city on foot and feel like you’ve only scratched the surface.
Nights here: 1 day during transatlantic cruise.
Where we stayed: N/A
Highlights of what to do in Málaga: Eat! Then walk it off a bit, see some history, and then eat some more.
How to get around: We walked, but if you plan on visiting some of the farther sites (like the botanical garden), I’d definitely recommend Uber.
Would we recommend? If you like tapas, art, history, or beaches – yes.
Wish we knew: It was a bit warmer than I had anticipated, even in late April!
- If you plan to hike the Caminito Del Rey: Make sure you reserve your tickets way ahead of time! This was probably the #1 thing I wanted to do here, and I missed out on it because I didn’t get this memo.
Our Top 3 Malaga Highlights
Get A View
Want a bird’s eye view of the city? Climb to the top of the Castillo de Gibralfaro. Summer visitors – go early!
History + Culture
Did you even visit a European city if you didn’t check out their main cathedral? Also home to world-famous organ.
Eat
I’m not a foodie, but I’ll always try desserts. After walking 44,000 steps, I ate every one of these churros!
More Malaga Travel Tips
Did you know...? Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso.
- Museum: It makes sense that you should pay homage by vising the Museo Picasso Malaga.
- Castle: If you plan to visit the Castillo de Gibralfaro, try to get there as soon as it opens. The walk up is pretty strenuous, and in direct sun. It also gets busy quickly.
- Cathedral: The Santa Iglesia Catedral Basilica de la Encarnacion is home to one of the largest organs in the world, and the architecture really is stunning. But we were disappointed after paying the 10€ entrance fee that as of the date of May 2024, they no longer allowed roof access.
- Ruins: Definitely check out the Teatro Romano. You can see it for free just walking by the area.
- Flamenco: See a flamenco show (we weren’t there late enough to do this!)
- Botanical Gardens: We walked all the way to the botanical gardens, but unless that’s a main draw for you, I’d skip it.
- Beach: If you’re looking for the sign pictured here, you can just type in “Malagueta sign” and it shows up in Google maps 🙂
