Top 10 Things to Do in Málaga, Spain

I’ve been planning to write this article for 3 months now, but it was just so much to say I couldn’t decide where to start. I spent a week in Malaga, and it was so far the best trip of my life. Really!

I’ve been just so excited about this Andalucian trip that, I had a countdown on my Instagram story for 2 months. The best song I can associate the feeling I had in Málaga is this one, from Pedro Capo and Farruko – Calma.

Now that I’ve shared this, I guess it’s no question left why I was calling this place my little paradise. Now let’s see those top 10 things to do in Málaga city.

Wandering in Malaga’s downtown

On my second day, I went in downtown to just walking around and explore a little bit. I’m usually picking a song that’s matching a destination I’m exploring and while I’m walking, I’m listening to this song. It’s placing the city tour in a completely different perspective. In Málaga (and Sevilla) I’ve been listening to Paco de Lucia – Entre dos Aguas (linked at the bottom of the page).

The Picasso house and Picasso Museum Malaga

The house where Picasso was born is located on Plaza de la Merced. This was also my breakfast destination nearly every day. Loads of places to choose from to have a great breakfast – some actually had even English breakfast.

The Picasso Museum is in Palacio de Buenavista, on Calle San Agustín, no 8.

Both places are pretty cheap to enter, the prices varying between € 5- € 10. For more information, visit the website of the Picasso Museum, Malaga.

Catedral de la Encarnacion de Malaga & Plaza del Obispo

The Málaga cathedral is one of the top attractions in this beautiful coastal city. The Roman Catholic church was built over 200 years between the 16th and 18th centuries. For my happiness, on the outside, and from the inside as well it’s mostly a Renaissance piece of architecture built after the plans of Diego de Sileo.

When I was first walking by the building, I noticed that one tower is missing on the front. The north tower is 84m high which makes this building the second tallest cathedral in Andalucia. The south tower was never finished, and this is the reason why the cathedral has been named “La Manquita” meaning “The One-Armed Lady”.

The Plaza del Obispo (Bishop’s Square), is facing the Málaga cathedral. It’s one of the most stunning squares, with marble walkways, colorful buildings and an incredible view on the cathedral. There are a couple of restaurants to choose from, each having outside tables to enjoy the view.

Gibralfaro Castle, the Alcazaba & Roman Theatre

The complex of these buildings makes the second top attraction of Málaga. The Gibralfaro Castel is offering an incredible view of the city and the mediterranean sea. This is a great spot for sunset views as well. The entrance is €5.50 but there are times when it’s free, like on Sunday afternoons after 2 pm.

Well, it’s the Costal del Sol, so: Best beaches in Malaga

Well first of all, if you want to see an insane colorful sunset definitely head out to the beach before sundown. It was just incredible!

The main and most popular beach in the city is La Malagueta. It’s very close to everything and it has plenty of things to offer.

I’ve been in Málaga in August, which is the hottest month of the year, and by hot I mean you’ll feel sometimes like you’re literally in a heated oven. We were out on La Malagueta every single day, but mostly hiding under a palm tree, drinking 4-5 liters of water and using 50-factor sunscreen – I still got burned.

Other beaches to visit:

Playa de la Caleta, Playa Pedregalejo, Playa de Guadalmar, Playa Pedregalejo and definitely consider some trips out from the city to Marbella beaches, Benalmadena and Fuengirola.

Paella and churros all day, every day

Before visiting Andalusia, I didn’t know too much about this area. After I moved to England, I’ve made some new friends from Málaga and Sevilla, and basically they introduced me to this side of Spain. There were two types of food I really, really wanted to try when I’ll visit, and obviously I tried them both.

Churros

My gosh, the churros you can find in the UK, frozen, small little things, those are not even close to how real churros are and taste. My local friend in Málaga took me to one of the oldest and best places to have some churros with hot chocolate, and I’m obsessed with this thing ever since!

Paella

My Spanish friends kept telling me for months how great the real paella is. A proper paella is made in this special dish, outside, on the firewood.

In a solo female traveler group, I’ve met this new friend, who’s been visiting the Costa del Sol the same time as me. We’ve been meeting every day at this restaurant called El Cachalote. The restaurant is near the beach, and as we both were pretty confused in Málaga for the first 2 days, it was the best option to meet up before heading to the beach. So one day for lunch we ordered paella with chicken and pork which was amazing (I don’t like seafood, and paella is mostly made of it)! It was definitely too much for two girls like us, but the taste, the way they served it, it was just perfect.

Roll along Malaga with an electric scooter

For some reason, these electric scooters were scaring me, but I’ve been convinced to try a Lime scooter, which I did, and from that moment, I’ve been rolling around with my scooter everywhere in the city. It is easy to use, fast, FUN and especially in that heat, the wind was really appreciated. It’s a fun thing to use for transport, just be careful, and even if you’re tempted, just don’t go too fast, as it can be really dangerous!

Nightlife in Malaga – IT’S A MUST!

There will be a full article about the nightlife in Málaga soon, as it’s just too much again to speak about. With my new friend, we’ve been exploring a little bit of how the nightlife is and here’s what we’ve learned.

People are heading out for dinner very late. Between 10-12 in the night, the bars, pubs, and restaurants are full. It’s a real challenge to find a free table. I found on Plaza Carbon a great place with outside tables, which was perfect for some drinks and tapas before the vibrant Spanish night. Plaza Carbon is also very close to our favorite club, Sala Gold. Two nights in a row we went to this club, and both nights were fantastic. Great Spanish reggae and some top hits of all times. You can find many tourists there, but also many locals. The entrance is €10 and we had a drink included in it.

Walking wonder: Parque de Malaga

On those very hot summer days, there was nothing I loved more than walking/rolling through this park on the way to/from the beach. Huge palm trees, beautiful plants, colorful birds and flowers on 800m walking distance. The park is located near the seaside and La Malagueta beach.

Shopping – Atarazanas market & Calle Marques de Larios

The Calle Marques de Larios was the place I’ve headed on my first day, as after 20 °C in the UK, I needed some time to accumulate to 40 °C. It was my perfect place to look around in the shops and cool down a bit. This is Málaga’s central shopping street, where you can find all the big brands you like.
The Atarazanas market is the place where you can shop like locals. Plenty of Mediterranean food, fruits, and veggies as well as meat and all kinds of goodies to find here. My memorable experience? I’ve tried here the fig for the first time in my life – and no, it didn’t become my new favorite food.