Malaga Travel Guide

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City Introduction

Malaga is a city which has attracted tourists for many years due to its location on sunny Costa del Sol in some of Europe’s mildest climate. However, the city has much else to offer than the sun; such as beautiful architecture, nice and elegant streets and fine museums.

The world-famous artist Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, and it is of course possible to follow in his footsteps. You can visit the artist’s home in the city, and there is a good museum with some of Picasso’s works as well. Another museum is Carmen Thyssen, and this too should be a must for art lovers, who will also be attracted to the Center Pompidou by Malaga’s prestigious seafront promenade.

Malaga is a city with a long history, and the ancient castle of Gibralfaro is located at the top of the city. There is a magnificent view of the city from the castle to to city and to the Moorish residence of Alcazaba, located next to the old Roman theater in the city center.

The entire Costa del Sol is great for recreation. You will find plenty of beaches, golf courses and other tings starting just outside Malaga’s city limits. You can also visit the city of Granada, where Moorish Alhambra stands as one of the region’s absolute greatest sights.

Top Attractions

Palmeral de las Sorpresas, Malaga

  • Port of Malaga/Puerto de Málaga: The port of Malaga has been crucial to the city’s development over the years, and it is one of the oldest in the Mediterranean. The modern promenade, Palmeral de las Sorpresas, is the best place for a nice walk in the area.
  • City Hall/Ayuntamiento: This is the city hall in Malaga and thus the seat of the city council. It is a beautiful sight and one of the city’s most impressive buildings from recent years, the architectural style is neo-baroque. The City Hall building was built in the years 1911-1919.

Alcazaba, Malaga

  • Alcazaba: Alcazaba is Malaga’s Moorish castle, originally built in the 8th century. In the Alcazaba area you can see and explore many things that range from the preserved parts of the castle with fine courtyards to the Archaeological Museum of Malaga
  • Gibralfaro Castle/Castillo de Gibralfaro: The name Gibralfaro derives from Moorish and means the lighthouse on the mountain, but it was a much larger complex you can see today. The castle was built in the 14th century and you can see some ruins of it today

Manquita Cathedral, Malaga

  • Manquita Cathedral/Catedral la Manquita: Malaga’s magnificent cathedral is named Manquita, referring to the little one-armed lady. It was built over a long period of time, which is why different styles are used; it is primarily designed in the Renaissance with a beautiful interior.
  • Picasso Museum: Malaga’s Picasso Museum opened after the city received a major donation of paintings by Picasso’s daughter-in-law. The world famous artist, Pablo Picassos, family lived in Malaga from 1881 to 1895.

Calle Marques de Larios, Malaga

  • Calle Marqués de Larios: This street is one of Spain’s finest pedestrian streets. Its history started with Malaga’s modern urban development in the latter half of the 19th century, and today there is a vibrant atmosphere between beautiful buildings here.

Other Attractions

Malaga Pompidou Center

  • Malaga Pompidou Center/Centre Pompidou Málaga: Center Pompidou Málaga is a branch of the famous exhibition venue with the same name in Paris. In 2015, the center opened in the southern Spanish metropolis with works by i.a. Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Rene Magritte and Marc Chagall.
  • Carmen Thyssen Museum Malaga/Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga: Museo Carmen Thyssen is an art museum founded in 2011 with a primary artistic focus on Andalusian and Spanish art from the 19th century.

Paseo del Parque, Malaga

  • Paseo del Parque: Paseo del Parque is a beautiful promenade along the harbor and the old town of Malaga. It is a top spot for the Mediterranean feeling with palm trees and exotic birds in the trees.
  • Church of the Holy Martyrs/Iglesia de los Santos Mártire: This church was built by the Spanish monarchs following the Christian Spanish conquest of the region and the city from the Muslim Moors.

Malagueta Beach, Malaga

  • Malagueta Beach/Playa de la Malagueta: East of the Port of Malaga, Playa de la Malagueta stretches as one of the most popular and lovely recreational areas in the city. The sandy beach is just a few steps from the heart of Malaga.
  • Constitution Square/Plaza de la Constitución: Since the Christian Spanish conquest of the region and Malaga in 1487, this square has been the center of the city. You can see the 16th-century fountain, Fuente de Génova, on the square.

Roman Theater, Malaga

  • The Roman Theater/Teatro Romano: Malaga’s ancient Roman theater dates back to the 10th century, and it is located at the foot of the Alcazaba. It is believed to have been used until the 300s and today it is a well preserved ruin.
  • Atarazanas Market/Mercado de Atarazanas: This is one of Málaga’s most interesting markets due to the beautiful 19th century cast iron building. The cozy and vibrant market is divided into different product departments.

Plaza Merced, Malaga

  • Merced Square/Plaza de la Merced: This square is one of Malaga’s most important and finest sqaures. In 1842 the current neoclassical obelisk was built in memory of General Torrijos.
  • Salamanca Market/Mercado de Salamanca: This market building dates from the years 1922-1925, and it is an active market with a number of stalls and a nice atmospheric.

Day Trips

Fuengirola, Spain

  • Fuengirola: Fuengirola is one of the major resort towns along the Costa del Sol, stretching west of Malaga. The most famous historic building is the Sohail Castle, built in 956 to strengthen the city’s defenses towards enemies attacking from the sea.
  • Marbella: Marbella is a seaside resort west of Malaga. Just like Fuengirola, it is a good choice if you want to spend a day in one of the cozy towns along the coast. The city has a large selection of restaurants, cinemas, nightclubs and a number of shopping malls.

Gibraltar

  • Gibraltar: About 100 kilometers/60 miles southwest of Malaga you can cross the border to a small part of England, namely the small colony of Gibraltar. You can see the cozy town and explore great museums and not least the majestic Rock of Gibraltar. From the rock, you can easlity see the mountains of Africa, and this is also the place for an encounter with the famous Gibraltar monkeys.
  • Ceuta: Ceuta is a Spanish town on the North African coast. In clear weather you can see Ceuta from Gibraltar and thereby from the European continent. Ceuta is a boat trip away, and it is an interesting destination. There are many sights in Ceuta such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Asunción and a number of forts such as the Fuerte de Aranguren.
  • Melilla: Like Ceuta further west, Melilla is an autonomous Spanish city on the North African coast with Spanish as the official language. In the city you can explore the old town, Medina Sidonia, and see the newer Plaza de España with buildings in Spanish modernism.

Alhambra, Granada

  • Granada: Granada is one of the ancient cities of the Moors. In addition to its own charm in the city streets, it holds several of the world’s famous monuments with the Alhambra at the forefront. On a tour of the city you should also see the Catedral de Granada, and the chapel Capilla Real de Granada, where the so-called Catholic monarchs are buried.
  • Alhambra: The Alhambra of the Moors is located on the hill Sabica above the city of Granada. The building complex is surrounded by walls and towers. It was originally built as a fortification but was quickly developed into a palace when in the 13th century it became the residence of King Alhamar of Nasrid. The Alhambra is a lovely experience and you can see the Court of the Lions/Patio de los Leones, the courtyard Patio de los Arrayanes and much more.

Shopping

  • El Corte Ingles, Avenida de Andalucía 4-6
  • El Ingenio, Avenida Juan Carlos I
  • Rincón Larios Centro, Avenida Aurora 25
  • Shopping streets: Calle Marques de Larios

With Kids

  • Aquarium: Acuario Aula del Mar, Avenida Manuel Agustín Heredia 35
  • Water park: Aquapark Torremolinos, Calle Cuba 10, Torremolinos
  • Aviation : Museo Nacional de Aeropuertos y Transporte Aéreo, Aeropuerto de Málaga, www.aena.es
  • Water park: Parque Acuático Mijas Fuengirola, www.aquamijas.com
  • Amusement park: Tivoli World, Avenida de Tivoli, Arroyo de la Miel, www.tivolicostadelsol.com

Practical Links

City History

Foundation
The city of Malaga was founded by the Phoenicians about 800 BC. They called the city of Malaka, which means to salt, and the area was used commercially to, among other things, salt fish from the Mediterranean.

The Greeks won for a short period the rule of Malaga. However, the Phoenicians from Carthage returned and stayed here until the defeat of Rome in 202 BC. at the end of the Punic wars. With the takeover of Rome, the city was named Flavia Malacita.

Romans and Moors
It was with the Roman colonization of the Iberian Peninsula that the development in Malaga accelerated. The city gained significant strategic importance for trade, and the Romans, among others, built several theaters in Malaga; in addition to reinforcing the city’s civic facilities.

Malaga remained part of the Roman Empire until its demise. The Roman period of about 600 years was over, and after the Roman era Malaga was under Byzantine and Gothic rule.

In the 7th century, the Arab Moors invaded Spain from the south, and the area around Malaga was conquered in the year 743. Malaga was strongly influenced by Arab culture, and the city today has many visible signs of it, such as the castle Alcazaba, which was begun in 1065 .

Malaga was still a busy commercial city and the Moors built city walls around the central city. In the suburbs, Genovese and Jews settled, and from the north Christian Spain spread.

Christian reconquest
Malaga was among the last cities occupied by Catholic rulers Ferdinand and Isabella with the Castile army. The city fell in 1487, when the Moors were conquered and Malaga entered the capital Madrid.

The first years were marked by decline. The city changed radically. Religion and governance changed and land redistribution took place. At the same time, it was a time of epidemics and floods that made the harvest poor.

New development and stagnation
The positive development began again in the 16th century, when Malaga was reinvented with urban planning. Central plazas were established and the suburbs were integrated into the city. At the same time, larger buildings such as the cathedral were commissioned during this period.

The city’s trade continued to flourish, and in the 1600s a new and large port was established. The port quickly became one of the leaders in Spain and it was constantly being expanded.

Industrialization in Spain in the 19th century also reached Malaga. Urban planning now provided for a division into industrial and residential areas.

After a beginning of prosperous times in the mid-1800s, Malaga underwent some stagnation and decline at the end of the century and in the first decades of the 20th century. During this time, however, it was also turned into new facilities, such as the fine pedestrian street Calle Larios.

The 20th Century to Today
The period up to, through and after the Spanish Civil War meant no special development of Malaga, and so did the Second World War, affecting the economy and political climate in Europe; however, Spain stayed out of the war, sparing the country, Andalusia and Malaga for the battles that took place across the continent.

In the mid-1950s, tourism began to develop in Spain. The possibility of fast and relatively cheap air transport enabled Northern Europeans to visit the country’s many regions with sun and pleasant climate. With a mild and warm climate, Malaga and the Costa del Sol quickly became one of the tourists’ favorite destinations.

In the 1960s, tourism exploded. Holiday areas were expanded along the entire Mediterranean coast and the area of ​​Malaga was the most important and popular holiday area on the Spanish mainland.

Hotels and holiday complexes were built for the many tourists, and at the same time some Northern Europeans began to move to the area, including many from the Scandinavian countries. Cities grew with the new residents and the entire area’s economy grew strong thanks to the high revenue from tourism and service industries.

Malaga continued to grow stronger in Spain during this period. It became economically significant and the country’s fifth largest urban area in terms of population. In recent years, Malaga’s Old Town has been completely renovated, and many new facilities have been established, such as the beautiful walks along the waterfront, which have become part of the main urban space of the Andalusian metropolis.

Geolocation

In short

Overview of Malaga

Malaga is a city which has attracted tourists for many years due to its location on sunny Costa del Sol in some of Europe’s mildest climate. However, the city has much else to offer than the sun; such as beautiful architecture, nice and elegant streets and fine museums.

 

The world-famous artist Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, and it is of course possible to follow in his footsteps. You can visit the artist’s home in the city, and there is a good museum with some of Picasso’s works as well. Another museum is Carmen Thyssen, and this too should be a must for art lovers, who will also be attracted to the Center Pompidou by Malaga’s prestigious seafront promenade.

 

About the upcoming Malaga travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Malaga travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Spanish city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Malaga is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Malaga and Spain

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Malaga you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Calle Larios • Gibralfaro • The Harbor • Salamanca Market • Malagueta

Overview of Malaga

Malaga is a city which has attracted tourists for many years due to its location on sunny Costa del Sol in some of Europe’s mildest climate. However, the city has much else to offer than the sun; such as beautiful architecture, nice and elegant streets and fine museums.

 

The world-famous artist Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, and it is of course possible to follow in his footsteps. You can visit the artist’s home in the city, and there is a good museum with some of Picasso’s works as well. Another museum is Carmen Thyssen, and this too should be a must for art lovers, who will also be attracted to the Center Pompidou by Malaga’s prestigious seafront promenade.

 

About the upcoming Malaga travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Malaga travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Spanish city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Malaga is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Malaga and Spain

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Malaga you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Other Attractions

Malaga Pompidou Center

  • Malaga Pompidou Center/Centre Pompidou Málaga: Center Pompidou Málaga is a branch of the famous exhibition venue with the same name in Paris. In 2015, the center opened in the southern Spanish metropolis with works by i.a. Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Rene Magritte and Marc Chagall.
  • Carmen Thyssen Museum Malaga/Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga: Museo Carmen Thyssen is an art museum founded in 2011 with a primary artistic focus on Andalusian and Spanish art from the 19th century.

Paseo del Parque, Malaga

  • Paseo del Parque: Paseo del Parque is a beautiful promenade along the harbor and the old town of Malaga. It is a top spot for the Mediterranean feeling with palm trees and exotic birds in the trees.
  • Church of the Holy Martyrs/Iglesia de los Santos Mártire: This church was built by the Spanish monarchs following the Christian Spanish conquest of the region and the city from the Muslim Moors.

Malagueta Beach, Malaga

  • Malagueta Beach/Playa de la Malagueta: East of the Port of Malaga, Playa de la Malagueta stretches as one of the most popular and lovely recreational areas in the city. The sandy beach is just a few steps from the heart of Malaga.
  • Constitution Square/Plaza de la Constitución: Since the Christian Spanish conquest of the region and Malaga in 1487, this square has been the center of the city. You can see the 16th-century fountain, Fuente de Génova, on the square.

Roman Theater, Malaga

  • The Roman Theater/Teatro Romano: Malaga’s ancient Roman theater dates back to the 10th century, and it is located at the foot of the Alcazaba. It is believed to have been used until the 300s and today it is a well preserved ruin.
  • Atarazanas Market/Mercado de Atarazanas: This is one of Málaga’s most interesting markets due to the beautiful 19th century cast iron building. The cozy and vibrant market is divided into different product departments.

Plaza Merced, Malaga

  • Merced Square/Plaza de la Merced: This square is one of Malaga’s most important and finest sqaures. In 1842 the current neoclassical obelisk was built in memory of General Torrijos.
  • Salamanca Market/Mercado de Salamanca: This market building dates from the years 1922-1925, and it is an active market with a number of stalls and a nice atmospheric.

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