Málaga was an unplanned stop while in Spain. We had known nothing about it before arriving and did not know what we were going to do for our less one day in Málaga. It turns out that the South-Eastern coastal city is a lovely small town home to Pablo Picasso’s birthplace.
We arrived in Spain from Morocco via a ferry and spent one night in Ronda. From Ronda we were meant to travel to Madrid. Unfortunately we were unable to book a train from Ronda to Madrid on the day of our departure. The train was completely booked. Something we had not known would happen during a low season in the country, especially compared to booking trains in Morocco.
We were stuck with not knowing how we would get to Madrid. We found a bus station in Ronda and asked the best route. The one that was suggested to us was to take a bus from Ronda to Málaga, spend the day there, and take a night bus from Málaga to Madrid.
But what would there be to do while in Málaga? Well, more than enough to fill our short amount of time while in the city. Unfortunately we were lugging our bags around with us the whole time which made for a difficult time to visit and get around to as many places as we could. We still had a great time in the city and accomplished a lot.
The bus dropped us off right by the Roman Theater, a great place to start our walking tour of the city and to see as much as we could. Right around here there is a tourist information booth that you can grab a map of the city and talk to the nice people at the booth about what you can accomplish during your stay in Málaga. This was especially helpful for us as we could ask them what we could do while walking with our luggage and in the short amount of time that we had.
In this guide of Málaga, we are only covering things to do within the city of Málaga and not things outside of the city or surrounding area. This is because this is a one day guide to Málaga and we focus on things you can add to your list to visit while in the city.
One Day in Málaga
Breakdown
- Arrived in Málaga in the early afternoon from Ronda via bus.
- Started our walking tour of the city at Teatro Romano.
- Visited the Fundación Picasso.
- Walked around the pedestrian areas of the city.
- Took a taxi tour of the city.
- Finished by having a meal at a tapas bar.
Everything we did while in the city is covered in this red shape:
At a closer look of where we were walking:
Things to Do in Málaga, Spain
What We Did
-
Alcazaba
-
Roman Theater
-
Fundación Picasso
-
Port of Málaga
-
Various Cathedrals, Palaces, and Buildings
Alcazaba is a Medieval Moorish palace on a hilltop with views of the sea. It is free to walk to the top and is placed right behind the Roman Theater and museum. We did see it, but avoided a walk up to the top because of our luggage that we had to carry. It would have been nice to see the views of the sea from the top…
This Roman Theater is free to enter and includes a lovely museum full of educational materials and artifacts from an age long ago. We really enjoyed walking around this area and seeing the theater occupied by tired people taking a rest.
We really enjoyed Picasso’s birthplace residence. It was a lovely walk through what the artist’s upbringing was like and included an audio tour of the various artifacts, drawings, and paintings that were left behind in this historic building. We had a choice between this and the Picasso Museum and we chose this place because it was recommended to us by the tourist center. I think it was the right one to go to.
The entrance fee and self-guided audio tour is four euros, but it is free after a specific time on Sundays and at various days throughout the year. You can find more information about planning your visit here.
If you are just looking for a place to walk around, the Port of Málaga is a lovely area to enjoy the sea and locals that are out on a stroll.
As with any city that we visit, we recommend that you do as much walking as possible to really enjoy and appreciate the environment, find hidden gems, and get a good feel of where you are. The architecture is incredible in this city and you will need to walk to see these places as the city is very pedestrian friendly. Places like Palacio Episcopal and the Cathedral of Malaga are places that are only found by walking through the city.
What We Missed
-
Picasso Museum Málaga
-
Castillo Gibralfaro
-
Carmen Thyssen Museum
-
Museo de Málaga
-
La Concepción Historical-Botanical Gardens
-
Playa de La Malagueta and La Malagueta
-
Plaza de toros de La Malagueta
We chose to tour Pablo Picasso’s birthplace residence and to skip the museum. I think we made the right choice, though the museum is home to hundreds of his works that were donated and would make a great place to check out should you be a big Picasso fan.
This castle is located on a hill and is an easy hike to the top with a small entrance fee. Unfortunately hills were off of our list of things to do while in Málaga because we were lugging around our luggage for the day, but this definitely would have made our list of things to do in the city.
If art is the main reason that you are visiting Spain, then this museum is the home of 19th century Spanish paintings and would be a great place to add to your tour of Málaga.
Málaga has a lot of museums to offer anyone visiting. If you enjoy spending your time seeing the various museums while you travel, then this museum combines two previous museums including the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artesand and Museo Arqueológico in two separate sections.
A little further outside of the city to the north is a lovely botanical garden that dates back to 1855 if you are interested in this type of attraction when you are traveling.
If you are a beach-goer, the this is the beach you want to visit when in the city. It is located close to the city center and also includes a nice shopping and beachfront area that you can relax at enjoying a meal or drink at a bar.
A bullring with memorabilia that you can visit while touring the city. It includes a museum, one of many in the city, that you can also visit to learn more about the
Where to Eat in Málaga
What We Did
-
Tapas Restaurants and Gelato Shops
What we did while in Málaga was just walk around and find places that we wanted to try. We visited a gelato shop while walking by and Taberna La Malagueña in Plaza del Obispo by Palacio Episcopal. Here we enjoyed the remaining moments at night before we had to board our bus to Madrid. We ordered some sangria and tapas while watching a soccer game with the locals. It was a great plaza to enjoy with lovely architecture and a peaceful surrounding. We could not have asked for a better place to visit.
We also visited Calle de Bruselas on the way to Fundación Picasso, located pretty much right next to it. There are a few different tapas restaurants to choose from in this plaza and each have their different specials that they offer.
There are so many tapas restaurants to choose from, especially in this area of the city that we covered in this guide. Menus are posted outside of the restaurant so you know exactly what you can order and for how much.
What We Missed
-
Mercado Central de Atarazanas
This is an old school market that is full of local shops and tapas bars. This would be an excellent place to wander at lunch to grab a bite to eat. Make sure you plan this earlier in your day as it closes a few hours after noon during the weekdays. We were disappointed that we found out about it at the time it was closed.
Where to Shop in Málaga
-
Walk the Streets
-
Mercado Central de Atarazanas
If you start at the Roman Theater and start walking around the surrounding area, you will find lots of tapas bars, gelato shops, and souvenir shops in the surrounding area. It is the perfect place to begin your tour of the city when on foot as a lot of the streets are blocked off for pedestrians only. Plaza de la Merced is a great place to aim for during your walking tour to see what is available for shopping.
We were disappointed that this old school market was closed by the time we knew about it. During the weekdays it closes shortly after noon, so make sure you plan to visit this place early to enjoy the local shopping and possibly tapas bars.
How to Get Around Málaga
Taxi
While in the city, we took advantage of driving around in a taxi to get from place to place in order to see as much of the city as possible. The taxis we used were great and reliable. They are fairly expensive compared to other countries.
Walking
Walking around the city really lets you appreciate the different areas, cobble stone streets, lovely architecture, and to be able to just soak in the city. We always recommend taking your time in a city to walk around and enjoy your time there. Unfortunately time and carrying our luggage around was not on our side with our one day in Málaga, so we did opt to use a taxi at times.
How to Get to Málaga
Train
There is a train station in Málaga, so getting a train is an option from some cities. However, we were coming from Ronda and we would have had to transfer. In this case, we chose to take a direct bus from Ronda to Málaga.
Bus
We booked a bus from Ronda to Málaga on the day of our departure. The bus took a little less than two hours and it brought us to a great place to begin our walk around the city. Buses are reliable and efficient throughout Spain and we were extremely pleased with the bus system.
Where to Stay in Málaga
Booking.com
We actually did not stay a night in the city. After arriving in the early afternoon, we spent our time wondering around the city until we caught our night bus to Madrid in the early morning. This saved us the cost and time spent checking in to a place, but we did have to carry around our luggage. Not ideal, but we were still happy to be able to see as much of Málaga as we could.
Conclusion
Málaga was a great host for us during our one day in the city. It is such a lovely place to walk around and to soak in the atmosphere. Though it is a city that a lot of tourists visit, you can still find places to avoid the crowds and to enjoy some sangria.
We luckily went during a low season and were able to stroll around with our luggage in tow and to see as much of the city as we could with our one day. It was an unplanned stop for us during our trip in Spain, but we are always interested in seeing more of a country even if it means we need to move fast.
Málaga is a great city to see fast, though we would have enjoyed a couple more days in the city and the surrounding area.
We would love to hear about your experience while in Málaga or to answer any questions you may have about your future trip. Leave a comment below!
Have a comment or something to add to this article? Leave a comment below or send us a response by contacting us.
Check out more from our experiences in Spain here.
Happy travels!
To the Nations Worldwide
Travel . Capture . Share
Subscribe to our newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
Free Online Resources to Start Your Digital Nomad Lives
Join Our Mailing List
Listen to the Travel Couple Podcast
I already visited Europe so many times, and this year will be dedicated to Spain Only, Have been learning Spanish for the last three months, already prepared a list of places/cities to visit when in Spain, your article about Malaga added a new City to my list, Thank you guys, great post and nice presentation.
Thank you so much for the great comment! Jealous that you are going to Spain, we loved it there so much! Touch base with how your trip went, we would love to hear about it. Enjoy your travels!
Comments are closed.