What to see in Malaga in 2 days

What to see in Malaga? Beaches, sunny days, lots of history in its streets and an impressive gastronomic offer await us in Malaga! We will take you on a tour of the must-sees of this city.

We told you in other posts that we had flown from Barcelona to Malaga airport and there we had rented the car to begin the journey that would take us through several places in southern Spain.

Today we are going to enjoy this beautiful city that welcomed us in full sun.

What to see in two days in Malaga city, shall we start?

The itinerary that we will mark here is to do it in two days, but if you have only one you will have to adapt it and leave only the essentials.

We start with a walk along Calle Larios.

Indice:

Marqués de Larios Street

It is the most important street and shopping mall in the city. It is dressed up for Christmas in October. When we went, they were already preparing all the lighting for the occasion.

The number of tourists we see on it is impressive, the street begins at the Plaza de la Constitución, where we find the Fuente de Génova.

Here you will also find Café Central, one of the most emblematic establishments in the city.

As always, we never tire of repeating that when you arrive in a city you may be a little lost as to where to start or how to learn about its history, and we recommend, as so many other times, that you make that first encounter with that new city with a free tour.

We also always tell you that this is just the beginning of “what to see in Malaga”, and that it is not that with these you cover everything you have to see and do, but they are always a very good option.

For those who don’t know, these are walking tours where the guide will take you on a one to two hour tour of the city, and after finishing you will leave a tip according to what you thought of the tour. You can make the reservation online in advance and then you will join on the day and time chosen.

►Book your free tour of Malaga

You have different options, around the city, at night, through the Alcazaba, and more, if not look↓↓

Cathedral of the Incarnation of Malaga

On this tour of its streets, surrounded by many people enjoying its bars, its shopping, the good weather, we arrive at the other must-see in Malaga, its cathedral.

The Cathedral of the Incarnation is located opposite the Plaza del Obispo and is considered one of the most valuable Renaissance works in Andalusia. Its construction began in 1525 and ended in 1782, although incompletely, lacking, among other things, the construction of the second tower, which has given it the nickname “la manquita” (the one-armed woman).

Cultural visits are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is €6. ►More information malagacatedral.com

Plaza del Obispo

In the Plaza del Obispo we find the Episcopal Palace, you can visit its interior, in it there is an art collection, the cost of the entrance is €4. ►More information

Roman Theatre

When you arrive you will have a view of the Alcazaba with the Roman theatre at its feet. But before entering the theatre we will go to a little corner, between the cinema and the theatre, that as a tourist you will like to discover.

Here we find the classic city sign to take photos and take home a souvenir of our time in the city.

The Roman Theatre of Malaga is the main preserved vestige of the Roman presence in the city. It was built in the early years of the first century AD.

Admission is free, and the schedule is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and on Sundays until 4 p.m. ►More information

►You can book a free tour of the Roman Theatre and the Alcazaba

From here we will visit the two must-sees in Malaga, if you only have one day do not miss these visits. They are the Alcazaba and the Castle of Gibralfaro.

The Alcazaba

Let’s start by getting the tickets, which you can buy from the vending machines at the entrance to the Alcazaba.

You have two entry options, just the Alcazaba or a combined Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle, saving something on the latter option if you plan to visit both.

In our case it also saved us the queue at the ticket office that we found when we arrived at the castle.

The entrance fee is €3.50 for the Alcazaba alone or €5.50 for the combined ticket, as we mentioned, with the Gibralfaro Castle.

Entrance to the Alcazaba is free on Sundays from 2 pm onwards.

Opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 or 8 p.m. depending on the time of year.

The Alcazaba is from the Muslim period, it is located at the foot of Mount Gibralfaro where the Arab defensive castle is located, to which it was linked by a corridor protected by walls called La Coracha

It was built between 1057 and 1063, according to Muslim historians at the request of the King of Taifas, Berber of Granada, Badis

►What else to do in Malaga and its surroundings?

We spent quite a bit of time on this tour, the walk through the Alcazaba with the sound of the water accompanying you and the beautiful views towards the coast make you want to continue enjoying it.

If you like tours of this type of Arab constructions, check out the one we did through the Alcazaba of Almeria.

And after this beautiful walk in our case we started walking up to the castle of Gibralfaro.

►Have you thought about getting a tourist pass to visit the attractions of Malaga?►See here what they include

Gibralfaro Castle

The castle of Gibralfaro is the other must-see in the city of Malaga. You have two ways to get on it, you can do it on foot or by bus.

By bus: It is the most comfortable way since the climb demands a little physical effort. It is bus number 35 and has a frequency of approximately every 30 minutes, the cost is €1.50 ► more information. Then you can walk down if you prefer, as the descent will be easier.

►If you are with a car you can also go up with the same car, at the top there is parking.

And finally, on foot, this is how we did it. It is a bit tiring but you first get to a viewpoint with very nice views and then you access the Castle. It takes about 20/30 minutes walking, always uphill, remember to wear comfortable shoes and water.

The ticket price is €3.50, but as we already told you you can get the combined with the Alcazaba for €5.50. The schedule is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. depending on the season. ►More information: Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle

The Castle of Gibralfaro is located on the mountain of the same name. It is a Muslim fortress built in the fourteenth century A.D. to house the soldiers and to be able to control access to the capital both by land and by sea, and as support for the Alcazaba by which it was linked by the coracha.

As the hour progressed, there were many more tourists. When we reached the top, there was a considerable queue at the ticket office to enter the castle. Many people choose to visit it first by arriving by bus and then just walk down and visit the Alcazaba. There are different options for doing this tour.

And now changing the direction of the visits, we go to the bay of Malaga, the promenade and the Malagueta

Promenade

What are we going to see here? On a walk along the coast, we will see the famous Malagueta beach, the lighthouse, the Málaga street lamp, with all the restaurants along the way. It is a very relaxed walk both to enjoy typical seafood dishes such as sardine skewers in a beach bar, and to take a swim and sunbathe on its beaches.

There are no other recommendations for this route than to enjoy it and do it at the time when you like to take advantage of the sun. If it is midday, stopping for lunch can be a good option.

Remember that it is best to divide all of these options into at least two days, if you have more, even better, but at least two so you can do everything calmly.

And leaving this coastal walk behind, we turn our steps towards the city and go to its market, Mercado de Atarazanas.

Central Market of Atarazanas

You know that I love to visit markets, so now we go to one of the most iconic markets in Malaga, the Central Market of Atarazanas.

This site is a must-see in Malaga. The venue has several bars and restaurants where you can enjoy the flavours, textures and colours of Malaga’s gastronomy.

The schedule is from Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

What is known today as the most important food market in Malaga, was originally the main Nasrid shipyard in the area during the time of Mohammed V. Only the arch of the main façade remains of that shipyard, declared an important monument of great historical and artistic influence.

You will find stalls offering excellent meats, cheese, fresh fish and seafood from different fishing areas, seasonal fruits, and spices that are a wonderful gift for the senses. The market has several bars and restaurants where you can enjoy the flavors, textures, and colors of Malaga’s cuisine.

Speaking of gastronomy, we are going to a couple of places where to eat or have a drink in the city, since it is not only about what to see in Malaga but also what you can do. The first is the bar El Pimpi.

The Pimpi

Founded in 1971, its name refers to the figure of “Pimpi”, a popular Malaga character who helped the crews and passengers of the ships that arrived at the city’s port.
Today, the winery is a meeting point for celebrities, locals and visitors, a picturesque place to visit.

Old Guard House

And the other place we will go to is a wine bar, Antigua Casa de Guardia. Founded in 1840, it is a typical tavern located in the Alameda Principal, where you can try some wines and find that they write down the bill of what you consume in chalk on the counter, a very picturesque place.

Where to stay?

Before continuing the tour of the city and seeing some more places to visit, I will tell you about the chosen hotel.

It was the Carlos V Málaga, with a good central location, from where you walk to everything we have seen. It is very simple, it has parking almost in front of it if you go with the car.

Booking.com

Pablo Picasso

The painter Pablo Picasso was from Malaga, we find in the city, in the Plaza de la Merced, his house. It can be visited, the opening hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the cost of the entrance to the house is €3, and adding the exhibition hall €4. ►More information

►Ticket for Pablo Picasso’s Birthplace Museum

And we also find the outstanding Picasso Museum, the hours of the visit are from 10 a.m. to 6:19 p.m. or 8 p.m. depending on the season, and the cost of admission is €9. ►More information

►Guided tour of the Pablo Picasso Museum

Following in the footsteps of Picasso, you can visit the Church of Santiago, where he was baptized, and take the opportunity to see the interior of the church, which is the oldest in Malaga and is very beautiful.

On this tour of what to see in Malaga you can continue visiting bars and restaurants, of which there are many and very good ones.

Widget not in any sidebars

Are you coming to Spain from far away like us and having internet all the time is a problem? When we make this type of journey by car we always use maps on our mobile, or we want to be connected in case of any eventuality. In our case we have used the Holafly data SIM for travellers, a very good option. In the link you will find all the information as well as a discount for followers from Europe accompanied by the following code: EUROPAACOMPAÑADA5.↓