City Break in Malaga, Spain

 

Written by: Carolyn Shedden

I absolutely love Spain - sunny weather, amazing tapas, great wine, friendly people, and plenty of culture.  Malaga was no different! While many people will head directly from the Malaga airport to the beautiful beaches of Costa del Sol, I am so glad we chose to spend our time in the City of Malaga and Ronda.

There are many things to do in Malaga and the following were the highlights of our weekend:

• Take a free walking tour. It is a great chance to get to learn some history of the city and the tour guides always seem to be young energetic individuals who love their city. Our tour guide was amazing and we cannot recommend his company enough– Javier Herrera from Explore Malaga.
• Check out the cathedral, nicknamed “La Manquita” or “one armed woman”. The cathedral gets it nickname from the fact that only one of the two towers was ever actually built due to a lack of funds.
• Take a stroll along the harbour, which is a beautiful, newly modernised attraction.
• Wander through the old town, stop in for tapa’s or drinks at one of the many restaurants. Try to avoid the tourist area restaurants and wander a few blocks off the main tourist path in the old town where there were dozens of restaurants packed with locals.
• Hike up the fortress mountain to soak in a great view of Malaga and the Costa del Sol.

You may notice as you walk around the Old Town of Malaga, that the buildings are not built square and that the building edges are rounded. Fun fact – this was done on purpose! The rounded edges of the buildings encourage a breeze at street level and the winding buildings help to ensure that direct sunlight rarely hits street level.  A natural air conditioner!

As you wander around Malaga, keep your eyes open for interesting street art, like this one.

While you are in Malaga, be sure to stop by El Pimpi for a glass of the local sweet wine. Maybe you will be lucky enough to have your waitress pour your glass in this very unusual fashion! 

Another great thing about Malaga is there is an abundance of day trips: Ronda, Gibraltar and even Tangier, Morocco as possible options! We settled on Ronda, which is known for the breath-taking Puento Nuevo Bridge, which links the town over a massive gorge.

While in Ronda, don’t miss the hike down into the canyon. The hike is short and manageable for any able body and once down in the canyon there are incredible photo opportunities.

The city centre of Malaga is a short train ride from the airport, at a cost of under €3.  Many low-cost airlines fly into Malaga from Europe with multiple direct flights from London each day.  

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