Málaga
Getting there
You’ll probably fly into Costa del Sol Airport in Málaga, the gateway into Andalusia. The best way to get into the city is to catch a train from the airport railway station ( just outside the arrivals) to Málaga central Station.
Bus Line A to the city centre (€3, 20 minutes) leaves from outside the arrivals hall every 20 to 25 minutes between 7am and midnight. The bus to the airport leaves from the eastern end of Paseo del Parque, and from outside the bus and train stations, with roughly the same frequency starting at 6.25am daily. Suburban train C1 (€2.30) runs from airport terminal T3 to María Zambrano station (eight minutes) and Málaga-Centro station beside the Río Guadalmedina (11 minutes) every 20 minutes between 6.44am and 12.54am. Departures from the city to the airport are every 20 minutes from 5.20am to 11.30pm. A taxi to the city centre costs €22 to €25.
However, if you really want to be an intrepid, ecological & inspirational traveller you might consider coming by train. Spain has a great high speed rail network. If you are coming in from France or Northern Europe your gateway to Andalusia will probably be Barcelona, which is connected by TGV to Paris and other great cities. From Barcelona there is a fast train to Madrid and another fast train Madrid to Málaga.
Train is a great way to travel as you can see the landscapes that you are travelling through, the journey becomes an adventure and you can aclimatise slowly to the different cultures on the route, rather than beaming down to your destination like an alien visiting another planet!
Introduction & Orientation
I flew into Málaga back in the 1980’s and in those days the advice was get out of Málaga as quickly as possible, and I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t been back until this summer. I was bowled over, what a transformation!
Málaga Port and the Playa de la Malagueta
Málaga is buzzing with a cool self confident vibe, the city centre is largely pedestrianised, there are lush linear semi tropical parks lining the city centre to the newly developed Málaga Port area ( for port read marina!). The port area houses lots of large open air restaurants, although many are chain rather than Independents which obviously we prefer! There is also a small craft market and the Centre Pompideau Málaga which is situated under a large glass cube. The port also has a fine collection of luxury boats, and you can even catch a sightseeing boat for a trip around the harbour.
The Port backs onto the stunning Playa de la Malagueta . The Playa is where Málagites and tourists mix happily enjoying the sun and warm sea whilst the more sporty jog up and down the esplanade or enjoy a game of beach volleyball.
The Old City
The old city is situated around the fabulous and humongous Málaga Cathedral and the old fort, the Castillo de Gibralfaro. It is largely pedestrianised and is where you’ll find all the main tourist sites, the big shops and most importantly loads of restaurants and cafés where you can sit on the street and watch the world go by.
Castillo de Gibralfaro
Málaga has plenty of heritage too, in the middle, towering over the city stands the ancient Castillo de Gibralfaro a remnant of Málaga’s Islamic past. It was built by 8th-century Córdoban emir Abd ar-Rahman I, and later rebuilt in the 14th century when Málaga was the main port for the emirate of Granada, the castle originally acted as a lighthouse and military barracks. There is nothing much left of the original in the castle’s interior, but the protective walkway around the ramparts affords superb views over Málaga. http://alcazabaygibralfaro.malaga.eu; Camino de Gibralfaro; €3.50, incl Alcazaba €5.50; (9am-8pm Apr-Sep, to 6pm Oct-Mar)
Alcazaba
Our favourite place to visit was the neighbouring Alcazaba, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Al Hambra in Granada. This was originally the military garrison of Málaga whose job it was to protect the city. It has been thoroughly restored and although not much of it is original, it gives a good idea of how the Alcazaba was in it’s heyday. The interior courtyards have been transformed into lush gardens, full of bubbling fountains & flowering trees for which the Moors were justifiably famous. At the centre is a well preserved pavilion featuring some lovely preserved Moorish screens and arches.
http://alcazabaygibralfaro.malaga.eu; Calle Alcazabilla 2; €3.50, incl Castillo de Gibralfaro €5.50; (9am-8pm Apr-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Mar)
Teatro Romano
At the foot of the Alcazaba is the Roman Theatre. It dates back to the time of Augustus (1st century AD), it was rediscovered in 1951 by workers building the foundations for a new Casa de Cultura. It is possible to see most of it from the square, but there is a small interpretive centre which gives you more information. In the Summer there are open air productions here when the theatre really comes into it’s own.
Calle Alcazabilla 8; h10am-6pm Tue-Sat, to 4pm Sun)
Museo Picasso Málaga
Although Pablo Picasso spent most of his life in France, he was born in Málaga. The Museo Picasso has become one of the city’s must see sights and there is always a queue outside, our advice is to enjoy a relaxed lunch in one of the nearby cafés and use their free wifi to book a timed ticket online, the queue is generally much shorter!
The collection provides an interesting overview of the great artists career, from being a regular painter to his adoption of Cubism and Surrealism. The tour comes complete with an audioguide, although to be honest we did find it quite amusing, how people read so much into what Picasso himself said were child like paintings.
The 200-plus works in the collection were donated and loaned to the museum by Christine
Ruiz-Picasso (wife of Paul, Picasso’s eldest son) and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso (Picasso’s grandson) and catalogue the artist’s sparkling career with a few notable gaps (the‘blue’ and ‘pink’ periods are largely missing).
www.museopicassomalaga.org; Calle San Agustín 8; €9, incl temporary exhibition
€12, free last 2hr before closing Sun; (10am-8pm Jul & Aug, to 7pm Mar-Jun, Sep & Oct, to 6pm Nov – Feb)
Catedral de Málaga
The fabulously ornate Málaga Cathedral was built on the site of a former mosque when the Christians retook Málaga from the Moors in the 16th century.
The Roman Catholic Cathedral boasts a fabulous domed ceiling that soars 40m into the air, while the vast colonnaded nave houses an enormous cedar-wood choir. Aisles give access to 15 chapels dedicated to various saints, the chapels host a wide variety of religious art.
It’s worth taking the guided tour up to the roof to enjoy panoramic city views.
Building the cathedral was an epic project that took some 200 years. Such was the
project’s cost that by 1782 it was decided that work would stop. One of the two bell
towers was left incomplete, hence the cathedral’s nickname, La Manquita (The One-Armed Lady).
www.malagacatedral.com; Calle Molina Lario; cathedral & Ars Málaga €6, incl roof
€10; (10am-6pm Sat, 2-6pm Sun year-round,
10am-8pm Mon-Fri Apr-Jun & Oct, to 9pm Jul-Sep,
to 6.30pm Nov-Mar)
The Museums & Galleries
Museo de Málaga
The newly renovated Museo de Málaga, as it’s name suggests focuses on the art, archaeology and history of Málaga, from Neolithic times, via the Romans to the present day. It is housed in the neoclassical Palacio de Aduana,
www.museosdeandalucia.es/ museodemalaga; Plaza de la Aduana; EU member/ non-member free/€1.50 ; h9am-9pm Tue-Sat, to 3pm Sun)
Centre Pompidou Málaga
Cementing Málagas new status as a centre of the arts, the Centre Pompideau, Málaga is an off shoot of the famous Centre Pompideau in Paris. It is housed under a big colourful glass cube designed by artist Daniel Buren and houses a well curated collection of Modern Art. There are also some interesting temporary exhibitions and is well worth a visit.
www.centrepompidou.es; Pasaje Doctor Carrillo Casaux, Muelle Uno; €7, incl temporary exhibition €9; h9.30am-8pm Wed-Mon)
Centro de Arte Contemporáneo
In addition to the Centre Pomideau, Málaga hosts it’s own contemporary-art museum. It is housed in a converted 1930s market building on the river estuary. The museum is worth visiting for the cubist white painted triangular building alone. If you like Spanish Modern Art you won’t be disappointed!
www. cacmalaga.org; Calle Alemania; h9am-9.30pm Tue-Sun)
Soho & MAUS
The Soho area is home to Málaga’s vibrant artistic spirit where street artists have launched MAUS (Málaga Arte Urbano en el Soho; www.mausmalaga.com), an edgy urban-renewal project that fosters a free creative space for street and graffiti artists.
Tapas
One of the great pleasures in Málaga is sitting on the pavement eating and drinking. Tapas was traditionally small plates of food that you were offered free of charge when you were drinking. However, over the years it has become a ‘big thing’ for tourists and there are lots of restaurants offering Tapas in the old town.
One of our favourite occupations is wandering up and down Calle Granada enjoying the Tapas washed down with some of the great local Alhambra Beer! It’s a great way to discover Spanish foods that you maybe haven’t tried before.
Our suggestions for the best Spanish tapas served in a lively traditional setting would be Casa Lola. Unfortunately the secret is out and we recommend getting there early to get a table ( they don’t take bookings and there is often a queue of people awaiting a table)
We would recommend the Pinchos which are small but absolutely delicious and not expensive, so get a whole variety!
Calle Granada 46; tapas €2.10-3.50; (11am-4pm & 7pm-midnight) .
Moroccan Cusine
Málaga in common with most Andalusian cities has many good cheap Moroccan restaurants where you can enjoy a tagine, pitta bread, hummus, falafel, served by genuine Moroccan chefs for very reasonable prices.
New Inspirational Traveller Tours
Welcome to the Inspirational Traveller Tours. We want to take you to some of the World’s more Interesting, Unusual & Adventurous places.
Our tours are fully immersive, we want you to experience the culture and flavour of the country. Our first tours are tours for painters of any level who want the time and space to let their painting skills flourish!
To find out all about Inspirational Traveller Tours please click here.
To read about about our Painting trip to Beautiful Andalusia in the South of Spain click here
 |  |  |  |
|
|
|
|