Things to do in Malaga

If you're visiting Malaga for the first time, we're sure you won't have time to discover everything it has to offer but you will see enough to fall in love with the city so much you'll want to return.
 


Start the day with a delicious breakfast. We recommend two cafés: Restaurante Noviembre and Casa Aranda where you can order traditional Malaga churros accompanied by a mug of hot chocolate or a wonderful coffee. After you charge your batteries, you can start your visit on Calle Marqués de Larios where you can enjoy lovely views of Malaga city centre's most famous street. Head up to Plaza de la Constitución and from there you can discover Malaga in a variety of ways. If your visit is cultural, you can start by visiting the cathedral, which is also known as "La Manquita" (the One-Armed Lady) and its museum. This monument lights up the night sky and provides stunning views. You can continue on to the Roman theatre, Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle where you can enrich your knowledge of Malaga's history. If you intend to discover everything there is to know about Malaga culture and you enjoy visiting museums, you can't leave without paying a visit to the Picasso Museum, the Picasso Birth House Museum, the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the Glass Museum, the Mimma (opposite the hotel), and the Revello de Toro Museum, among many others. There are 30 museums dotted around the capital, making Malaga the Spanish city with the most museums.

When hunger comes calling again, you will find a wide variety of restaurants available, which are proof of Malaga locals' passion for good gastronomy. A new generation of restaurateurs offer a new facet of cuisine in Malaga, which has developed from traditional cooking. You simply have to try a sardine "espeto" cooked by the beach.
 
Let's continue.... Malaga offers activities year round:
 
  • In winter, you can enjoy the Christmas atmosphere that presides over the city, with a highlight being the Christmas lights, which are recognised as some of the most important in Spain. Furthermore, you can visit the Bethlehem scene at the city hall. After Christmas is the big winter festival, Los Carnavales, which fills the corners of Malaga with small shows and contests, providing a satirical vision of the social problems that have occurred throughout the year.
  • If you plan on visiting during spring, you can enjoy the Malaga Film Festival. Over the course of a week, this event attracts a considerable number of famous Spanish actors who come to present their short films and feature films in the city. The other major event that takes place during this season is Easter, which lasts for a week. On each day, from Sunday to Sunday, many processions pass through Malaga's central streets.
 
  • In summer, we have Malaga's Fair, which is the largest celebration in southern Europe. This event takes place in August and involves 10 days of fun and tradition. It can be enjoyed at the fair ground or in the centre of Malaga from the early hours of the day to the early hours of the morning. In the city centre you can sample sweet wines, such as Cartojal, and quality tapas accompanied by music until sundown. At night, the fair ground is filled with live shows inside its many huts. There are also attractions for kids and more daring visitors. The party ends every morning at sunrise.
 
  • In autumn Malaga takes on a special colour. We recommend a walk around the new Palmeral de las Sorpresas area and the port. You simply must take in a sunset with the lighthouse in the background. Autumn is also the perfect time to take a relaxing walk along Paseo del Parque, or in the Concepción Botanic Garden, which is just a few minutes from the centre.

When night falls, Malaga comes alive with different shows at Teatro Cervantes and Teatro Alameda. Furthermore, you can enjoy wonderful terraces in the excellent climate the city enjoys almost year round. Later, Malaga offers dozens of bars and nightclubs where you can have fun until the early hours of the morning.