From stunning beaches to stunning hikes and great nightlife, this gem in Costa Del Sol has something to offer for everyone. Malaga, in Spain, is a hot Summer destination. Check out this blog post on travel tips & tricks, & things to do in Malaga!
Hello everyone and welcome back again to my blog! In today’s post, I am going to give you a guide to Malaga, a stunning city in Costa Del Sol. I travelled to Malaga last year and spent a week basking in the Spanish sun and eating delicious food. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed that I am posting pictures from my trip! Naturally, I also wanted to write a blog post to talk about my trip in more detail.
Some things you should know:
Malaga has one of the busiest ports in Europe and has been in operation since at least 600BC. The city is rich in cultural, historical and architectural heritage. Just like any other European city, Malaga has an old town which is the centre of the city as well as a more modern side which is located by the port.
Malaga is also one of the oldest city as it was founded by the Phoenicians in 770BC. Back then, it was known as Malaka which means factory! Malaga is also the birthplace of the famous painter Pablo Picasso. His birthplace, Casa Natal, is open to the public.
As you can clearly see, Malaga is rich in history. More will be explained in detail throughout this post.
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Best time to visit Malaga:
Malaga is a seaside town, so naturally, summertime would be the best time to visit. Just like any other city, it gets really busy and really hot so make sure to pack sunscreen and stock up on lots of water! If you want to travel to Malaga only to hike around the stunning landscape, then I would recommend going later in the year – maybe around Springtime. April and May are the perfect months if you only want to sightsee. However, if you’re wanting a beach vacation, then July – September are the perfect months to visit.
Accommodation:
We stayed at Hotel Zeus. The rooms were clean and the AC worked which is needed after spending a whole day out in the sun. The location is also perfect as it is located only 20 minutes by foot away from the Port which is where the restaurants and Playa de la Malagueta is located.
Furthermore, only 10 minutes away, there is a bus stop that takes you to the city centre, or anywhere you want to go and the hotel is surrounded by a number of shops, take away spots and pharmacies. We did have some trouble with the booking but in the end, we managed to sort it out.
Booking.com is where we found our hotel! Browse for some good deals below 👇🏼
WHERE TO EAT:
Breakfast:
I am super excited to write this part! One day, we were walking to the beach and we accidentally stumbled upon the most amazing breakfast place I have ever visited: The Cereal Boom. We immediately figured out that it was a breakfast place and we were expecting the usual breakfast items. However, their menu is so unique and diverse!
Look at this kinder milkshake I got one day. Not only it is huge but it was delicious and very cheap. Another favourite of mine was the avocado bread and this kinder (yes, I am obsessed with kinder) cheesecake. I also loved the orange hot chocolate! Everything is homemade and you can actually see the staff preparing the food.
With the name of the cafe and the wall covered in cereal, you can also order a bowl of cereal from one you pick from the wall!
Mexican food:
On our first night, we went to the Port for dinner and stopped by Amigos Muelle Uno. Me & my friend ordered some nachos and a burrito. It was delicious and reasonably priced as well!
There are a lot of restaurants to choose from. We ended up going to almost all of them! I don’t have pictures of all the food we ate as I wanted to enjoy the moment and not be on my phone but I do highly recommend checking these restaurants out. You will not be disappointed!
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Another favourite of ours was Bar Ispaña Restaurante. *I couldn’t find a website or Facebook page! *
This restaurant is located in Old Town and has the option for outside seating. I ordered a quesadilla and we washed the food down with a glass of delicious Sangria!
Italian food:
On our last night, we decided to visit the Cathedral (more info below) and have dinner there. Our restaurant of choice was La Piazzetta. (Apparently, there is another restaurant with the same name in Torremolinos. We went to the one that is located exactly in front of the Cathedral!)
I had a pizza and it was beyond delicious!
Burger joint:
The Good Burger:
We accidentally stumbled upon this when walking down the Calle Larios. It is very cheap and really delicious!
WHAT TO DO & SEE IN MALAGA:
Visit La Alcazaba:
La Alcazaba is a Moorish forest from the Islamic era. This fortress is visible from various points of the city and was first built in the 8th century and was expanded as the years went on. It is a bit of a hike to get there so get ready for some walking but it is worth it! You get views of the city and walking around the fortress and its gardens make it all the more worth it.
You can also enjoy a pretty view from the fort!
Malaga Cathedral:
Just like any other European city, you can find a stunning Cathedral in the city centre. This cathedral took more than 150 years to build and the tower is around 84 metres tall, second to Andalusia to La Giralda in Seville. As mentioned before, the Cathedral is surrounded by restaurants.
I especially liked this sign located exactly in front of the Cathedral!
Ataranzas Market:
As with much of Spain, the food markets are a focal point in daily Spanish life. Just like La Boqueria in Barcelona, you can find stalls that sell all kind of food – from cooked to fresh. If you’re looking for a cheap alternative, definitely check the Spanish food markets!
Spend a day sunbathing at Playa de la Malagueta:
You can’t go to Malaga and not go to the beach! Luckily for us, the beach was only a short walk away. However, unfortunately, there were some jellyfish so we couldn’t swim as much as we liked! But we made up for it when we went to Torremolinos (more info below!)
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Shop till you drop in Calle Larios:
Calle Larios is not your average shopping street. What attracts people to it, apart from the shops of course, is the stunning architecture. Fun fact: this street is the most expensive street to live in Malaga!
You can find all kinds of shops and restaurants here. The burger shop I mentioned earlier is located here!
Walk around the Port:
Malaga is a port city and thus, the port is the hub of the city. You can find more shops here, ice-cream places, restaurants and cocktail bars to spend the night drinking and dancing! We walked here almost every day.
Additionally, before you get to the port, you’ll see this huge Ferris wheel that you can get on and right next to it there is a small bus terminus.
See Malaga’s Pompidou:
This is an avant-garde museum which is also known as “the cube”. This houses a lot of interesting work. It is definitely not hard to miss!
Other recommended things to do:
- Visit the Castillo de Gibralfaro – very similar to La Alcazaba!
- Go to the Museo del Vidrio
- Casa Natal, which is the birthplace of Picasso
- Try Espestos – a local fish dish
- Automobile & Fashion museum – Malaga is a landmark for fashion
- Malaga lighthouse
For all you adventure lovers out there:
Check out the below activities!
Day trips from Malaga:
As mentioned before, we spent a week in Malaga but we did go around to see other nearby places. Of course, we made use of public transport. It was a bit complicated to buy the tickets but I remember them being rather cheap! We were advised not to use taxis as they were kind of pricey. Just a heads up!
Torremolinos:
Torremolinos is a seaside resort town in Costa Del Sol. It is a 50-minute train ride from Malaga but it is worth paying a visit! We got off the train, walked around for 10 minutes and found ourselves at the beach and that’s how we spent the rest of our day.
Torremolinos is known for its gay-friendly environment and clubs! Whilst walking around, on the strip by the beach, there were clubs all over!
Marbella:
Marbella is by far my favourite out of the two. The walk from the train station to the centre was brutal. Therefore, I recommend getting a taxi or get on the bus, but we were feeling brave and decided to walk. Not a good idea!
We stopped by an Italian restaurant and had pizza and pasta there. Then, we walked around the old town which I loved! Everything was so cute!
Then, we walked around the promenade for a bit and walked that brutal walk again to the train station.
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I can’t believe how beautiful Malaga is! Spain has some amazing places! The food looks so good and I’d happily have a sangria right now haha!
Malaga looks so dreamy! Spain’s Costa del Sol is constantly calling my name. One of these days I should listen 🙂 Wonderful guide, I’m pinning it for future references.
Oh my gosh, I’ve just finished eating but those food pictures are making me hungry again, hahaha. That Kinder milkshake! Malaga looks beautiful, you’ve definitely persuaded me to pay it a visit!
Oh my god, I’ve just finished eating but those food pictures are making me hungry again, haha. That Kinder milkshake! Malaga looks beautiful as well, you’ve definitely persuaded me to add it to my list of places to visit!