Malaga City Guide

Your Quick, All In One Guide to Malaga City

If you have a late flight and early checkout of your hotel or apartment, you can leave your luggage at Malaga Airport and enjoy a day in Malaga City.  This page includes information on;

  • Malaga City
  • Plaza Mayor
  • Maria Zambrano
  • Malaga Bus Station
  • Vialia Shopping

We love Malaga City and always tell people if you have a spare day or two they must go because Malaga is totally underrated in our opinion.  Many people leave the airport and go straight to the Costa Del Sol, therefore we want to change all that, so here is our quick, all in one guide to Malaga City.  If you have any questions come and chat with us and thousands of others on our Facebook Page.

Free Walking Tour

Well, first of all we would highly recommend a Free Walking Tour to get you off to a good start.  Just search the Internet for “Free Walking Tours Malaga“, check reviews, then book your date and time.  There are a couple to choose from.  If it´s the summer months, we advise you to go as early or as late as possible as Malaga gets really hot. These tours are fantastic, full of information and fun facts.  There will be lots of walking so don’t forget your comfy shoes!  At the end of the tour, you give the guide a tip as to what you think it was worth it.

Málaga Tour Bus - credit: No-Mad / Shutterstock.comc
Málaga Tour Bus – credit: No-Mad / Shutterstock.com

Tour Bus, Rickshaws, Horse & Carts

The Malaga Sightseeing Red Bus that travels all around Malaga City and up to Gibralfaro is also a fabulous way of seeing the City. There are also Rickshaws and Horse & Carts that can take you on a tour too.  Prices should be clear on a sign at the pick-up point, however, if you feel you are being taken advantage off, find another driver or speak to a local policeman or hotel concierge to check prices.  Horse & Carts are normally around 30€ for a 45-minute tour.

Malaga Museums

There are so many museums in Malaga, in fact, there are 36.  Our personal favourites are MIMMA, the interactive music museum, the Automovile Museum full of fabulous old cars and fashions and also the Malaga Airport Museum which will take you back in time when air travel was a luxury.  Picasso Museum is, of course, a must-see and the ones listed below.

Málaga Pompidou Centre - credit: Andres Garcia Martin / Shutterstock.com
Málaga Pompidou Centre – credit: Andres Garcia Martin / Shutterstock.com

Other Malaga Attractions

Apart from all the tours and museums, there is still so much more to do in Malaga. We love Muelle Uno, a newish area with shops, restaurants, cafes, museums along Malaga Port. It’s good fun to take one of the ferry rides too.  The English Cemetery, I know it sounds a little weird but it´s worth a visit and also the Alcazaba & Cathedral!

Malaga Theatres

Teatro Echegaray has some fantastic shows on for kids at the weekend and normally very cheap at around 6€ per ticket.  We have seen many shows and concerts at Teatro Cervantes, it is well worth signing up for their newsletter to be kept up to date with the latest shows.

Malaga Tapas, Restaurants & Cafes

Typical tapas selection

Malaga is full of fabulous places to eat.  We love the new Mercado Merced,  which is a new food & drink place with so much to choose from, perfect if you all fancy something different to eat.  Our other favourites are Beher for ham, El Pimpi and The Good Burger for somewhere quick and cheap.  Another idea is to take a Food Tour!  That way a guide will take you around all the best little tapas bars in streets you didn’t even know existed and you won’t be paying the tourist prices!

Restaurants / Tapas bars

Cafes

Malaga Coffee types

Churrerias

Malaga Shopping

Malaga is great for shopping.  We love Calle Larios which is this main pedestrianised shopping street in Malaga.  This is where the incredible Christmas Lights are, but throughout the year you’ll find street entertainers.  The High Street shops run all the way along with lots of shops off the narrow streets of Malaga.  There are also numerous Shopping Centres too around Malaga, which in the Summer months you may prefer as Malaga City gets really hot.

Malaga Public Transport

Malaga Accommodation

There are so many places to stay in Malaga, from hostels to large hotels. We have listed some of them here. It may also be worth having a look at AirBnB if you are thinking of staying a while in Malaga. Here are a few suggestions, but we recommend you have a look for yourselves and read reviews. Find more on Booking.com.

Plaza Mayor Shopping Centre

As you drive towards Malaga Airport, you cannot miss Plaza Mayor which is a huge shopping centre, designer outlet and leisure park located between Torremolinos and Malaga City. Read more about Plaza Mayor here.

How to get to Plaza Mayor By Train

Plaza Mayor is on the Malaga Cercanias Renfe Line which runs from the airport.  The trains run every 20 minutes or so.  Check exact train times here.

How to get to Plaza Mayor by Bus

Linea 10 Málaga-Churriana
Linea M-136 Cártama-Alhaurín de la Torre
Linea M-123 Churriana-Torremolinos-Benalmádema

You can find out more on the timetables of buses and where else they stop here.

How to get to Plaza Mayor by car

As we have mentioned above, you cannot miss Plaza Mayor on the Main Road as you drive towards the Airport.  From Malaga, Antequera y Granada: A-7 direction Cádiz, exit Parador de Golf-Coín (Coin Direction),  or for MA-21 (old N-340) salida 2.  If you´re driving from Torremolinos to Malaga Direction, the turnoff is between the original exit and the new exit for the Airport.  It´s not well signposted unfortunately but you can see it on your left.

Málaga Zambrano station - credit: Adam Hoglund / Shutterstock.com
Málaga Zambrano station – credit: Adam Hoglund / Shutterstock.com

Maria Zambrano, Vialia Shopping Centre & Malaga Bus Station

Maria Zambrano Station, Vialia Shopping Centre & Malaga Bus Station are all basically in the same place. Maria Zambrano is a hub, where you can travel to many different places in Spain including Madrid, Cordoba, Barcelona and Bilbao.

The Station itself is situated inside the Vialia Shopping Centre.  Just outside of the Station / Shopping Centre there is Malaga Metro, Estación de El Perchel (Calle Explanada de la Estación), which is handy to know if you´re staying in Malaga using the Metro.

The Vialia Shopping Centre is a really nice, light, bright, semi-circular shape modern Shopping Centre.  It houses all the usual shops including, Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti, H&M and has a 13 Yelmo Cinema Complex and many Restaurants and Cafes.  It has been well thought out for families with young kids with play areas and a creche and also for people with reduced mobility.

Malaga Airport to Maria Zambrano by Bus to Malaga City

Its very easy to get to Maria Zambrano by Bus from Malaga Airport.  As you leave the Arrivals Hall, walk straight ahead where you will see 3 bus stops.  You want the Express A Bus to Malaga City.  Take this to Maria Zambrano Station and you can pay once on the bus.

Malaga Airport to Malaga Centro by Train

You can also take the train from Malaga Airport to Malaga Centro. The trains run every 20minutes.  As you leave the Arrivals Hall, walk straight ahead for a couple of minutes and you will see a sign for the Train Station, Renfe.  From this station, it´s about a 10-minute walk to the city centre.

Malaga Airport to Maria Zambrano By Taxi

You could jump into a taxi from the Airport, but there is a minimum charge of around 15€ so depending on how many of you, it’s better to take a bus or train.

Left Luggage at Maria Zambrano / Vialia

Maria Zambrano has a Luggage Storage shop located nearby on Calle Jovellanos 5, open from 7am to 11pm. They advertise luggage storage from 1.50€ per hour for a small cabin bag. But remember, your final quote may vary depending on the type, weight and dimensions of your luggage.

There are also a few other shops and businesses that offer luggage storage close to the station, from as low as 3€ per day:

Please note the above information was correct at the time of publishing, but the locations, opening times and prices are subject to change. So before you head to the station to leave your luggage, we recommend you double check shop opening times and fees online first.

MARIA ZAMBRANO PARKING

At Vialia there is Parking for 1,500 over 2 levels.  There are lots of different offers for parking from 2 hours to 48 hours free, should you either be going to the Cinema, Shopping or Travelling via train, you can find the offers on Parking here.

PEOPLE WITH REDUCED MOBILITY

As this Shopping Centre is still quite new, there are some great features for people with reduced mobility including, special Disabled Travellers Service, toilets, parking, wheelchair hire, adapted lifts and platforms.  If you require any type of assistance just go to the information desk on the ground floor.  We do recommend that you have some form of identification, NIE or Passport for Wheelchair hire.

BARCELO HOTEL

The four-star Barcelo Malaga Hotel and Convention Centre can be accessed via the station.  There’s a fantastic feature of a slide from the first to the ground floor. Staying here as a base is ideal for business travellers or for exploring Malaga City.

Find Us On Social Media

Visit our Malaga Airport Guide page on Facebook for more news and come chat with us in our Facebook group Costa Del Sol Travel Forum.

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