10+ WONDERFUL THINGS TO DO IN MALAGA + COMPLETE GUIDE

10+ WONDERFUL THINGS TO DO IN MALAGA

Hola from the vibrant coastal city of Malaga! Malaga captured my heart with its perfect blend of rich history, stunning beaches, and lively culture. Nestled on the Costa del Sol, this Mediterranean gem invites you to soak up the sun, indulge in delicious tapas, and immerse yourself in its captivating past. Join me as I share my Malaga Bucket List, uncovering the best activities, places to stay, places to eat and tips for navigating this Spanish haven.

WONDERFUL THINGS TO DO IN MALAGA

Roam the Historic Alcazaba

Begin your Malaga adventure at the Alcazaba, a centuries-old Moorish fortress offering breathtaking views of the city and the Mediterranean. Wander through its enchanting gardens and ancient walls, transporting yourself back in time. Book tickets here.

Admire Picasso’s Birthplace

Discover the birthplace of the legendary artist Pablo Picasso. The Picasso Museum, situated in a historic palace, showcases an impressive collection of his works, providing insight into the life of this creative genius. Make sure you book your ticket in advance here.

10+ WONDERFUL THINGS TO DO IN MALAGA

Stroll Through Old Town (Casco Antiguo)

Lose yourself in the charming streets of the Old Town, where vibrant markets, cozy cafes, and hidden squares await. Don’t miss the bustling Atarazanas Market, a sensory delight with stalls brimming with fresh produce, seafood, and local delicacies. A walking tour is always something I’ll recommend! You could book this one.

Try the sweet wine in one of its taverns

And after a magnificent sunset, what can you do? Have a little wine and something to snack before dinner, of course. A great (and legendary) place to do it is El Pimpi. We recommend their Málaga Virgen sweet wine (€2.06 a glass), a portion of dogfish to share (€11) or a light piripi, a mini-sandwich of pork loin, natural tomato, bacon, cheese and aioli. At the end of the post you will find a section with a few gastronomic recommendations, so you can eat all of Málaga.

Relax at La Malagueta Beach

Unwind at La Malagueta Beach, where golden sands meet the azure Mediterranean. Whether you’re a sunbather, water sports enthusiast, or beachcomber, this coastal haven offers the perfect escape.

Visit some of the best museums in Malaga

Did you know that Malaga is one of the cities with the most museums in Spain? And if you love art, you’re going to have a busy few hours here: unmissable stops are the Pompidou Center, the Carmen Thyssen Museum and the Contemporary Center of Malaga.

Hike Mount Gibralfaro for Panoramic Views

Lace up your hiking boots and ascend Mount Gibralfaro for panoramic views of Malaga. The journey is rewarded with stunning vistas of the city, the sea, and the Alcazaba below. Visit on your own, or take a segway tour.

Indulge in Tapas Culture

Dive into Malaga’s vibrant food scene by hopping from one tapas bar to another. Savor local specialties like boquerones (anchovies) and salmorejo (cold tomato soup) while embracing the lively atmosphere. You’ll love this tapas tour!

10+ WONDERFUL THINGS TO DO IN MALAGA

Visit the Cathedral of Malaga

Marvel at the grandeur of the Malaga Cathedral, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. Climb to the top for a unique perspective of the city and the surrounding landscapes. The walking tour I recommended before includes the cathedral.

Visite the AC Málaga Palacio’s Terrace

To have a nice panoramic view of the cathedral, go up to the terrace of the AC Málaga Palacio (I used to stay here on work trips) and it’s really cool, it even has a pool with views! Admission with a drink costs €10 but the views are priceless.

Atarazanas Central Market

Stroll through the stalls of the Atarazanas Central Market, a Malaga classic. Work of Joaquín de Rucoba who built the market on the remains of an old naval workshop from the Nasrid era. Don’t miss the stained glass window, which is truly marvelous.

La Concepción Botanical Garden, something to see in Malaga with children

If you like quiet places and want to surround yourself with greenery, the La Concepción Botanical Garden is an oasis of peace. It was inaugurated in 1855 and expanded later, and you will find many tropical species. Admission costs €5.20.

Take a swim on one of the beaches in Malaga

Another essential thing to do in Malaga is take a swim on the beach, there are many of course! Apart from Malagueta, if you have several days and want a change, you can go to the beaches of La Caleta and Pedregalejo.

And why not rent a boat and go out to explore the beaches of the Malaga coast and its most inaccessible corners at our own pace? There are options with and without skipper from less than €100 per boat/day. Book it here.

Explore the province of Malaga

Do you have more time and have you already done everything there was to see and do in Malaga? Consider renting a car and taking a route through the province, passing through some of its most beautiful towns such as Nerja, Frigiliana, Ronda, Antequera or Setenil. Here’s a tour you can take if you won’t be driving.

Hike El Caminito del Rey

Another option is to hike the famous Caminito del Rey, a walkway route of about 3 km hanging over the Gaitanes Gorge. Just know you’re going to be scared: the walkways are nailed to the canyon walls and you will literally have an abyss under your feet. There are areas where you will be 105 meters high! More info and tours here.

Explore the Automobile and Fashion Museum

For a unique experience, delve into the Automobile and Fashion Museum, a fascinating blend of vintage cars and haute couture. It’s a journey through time showcasing the evolution of both industries. Book it here.


WHERE TO EAT & DRINK IN MALAGA

Embark on a culinary journey in Malaga, where the vibrant flavors of Andalusian cuisine await. Start with espetos de sardinas, grilled sardines on the beach skewered to perfection. Dive into the refreshing depths of salmorejo, a cold soup adorned with eggs and jamón. For a crispy seafood affair, relish pescaíto frito, an array of lightly battered and deep-fried fish. Cool off with porra antequerana, a heartier cold soup, and savor the almond-infused freshness of ajoblanco. Ignite your palate with gambas al pil pil, prawns sizzling in olive oil and chili peppers. Conclude your feast with sweet wines or indulge in the classic joy of churros dipped in velvety chocolate. Malaga’s culinary tapestry promises a symphony of tastes that celebrate the region’s rich culinary heritage. Here are some of the best restaurants to eat in Malaga ¡Buen provecho! (Enjoy your meal!)


WHERE TO STAY IN MALAGA

For a stay that combines comfort and proximity to Malaga’s main attractions, consider the vibrant Old Town or the trendy Soho district. The Malagueta area offers beachfront accommodations, providing a perfect blend of relaxation and city life. Alternatively, immerse yourself in luxury at the Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro, boasting stunning views and a touch of historical charm.

I stayed in this serviced apartment which was bang in the city centre, and everything was absolutely perfect!


HOW TO GET TO AND AROUND MALAGA

Getting to Malaga is a breeze, thanks to Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport, which connects to major European cities. From the airport, grab a taxi or hop on the efficient public transportation system (you can pay with contactless on trains & bsues). The city is walkable, and buses offer convenient options for venturing further. Consider renting a bike to explore the scenic waterfront or taking a train to nearby destinations. Uber, Bolt & FreeNow are also available.


MALAGA FAQs

Is Malaga safe for tourists?

Malaga is generally very safe for tourists. Exercise normal precautions, stay aware of your surroundings, and be cautious of pickpocketing in crowded areas.

What is the best time to visit Malaga?

The spring and fall months offer pleasant weather and fewer crowds, making them ideal for a visit. Summers can be hot, while winters are mild.

What currency is used in Malaga?

The currency used in Malaga is the Euro (EUR). ATMs are widely available for cash withdrawal.

Are English speakers common in Malaga?

English is commonly spoken in tourist areas, but learning a few basic Spanish phrases can enhance your experience.

Are there any cultural etiquette tips for visitors?

When dining, it’s customary to greet with a “Hola” and say “Gracias” after a meal. Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory.

What day trips are recommended from Malaga?

Consider day trips to Ronda, Nerja, or the charming village of Mijas for a taste of Andalusian beauty and culture.

Remember to check travel advisories and local guidelines before planning your trip. ¡Disfruta tu tiempo en Malaga! (Enjoy your time in Malaga!).

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VISITING SPAIN’S COSTA BRAVA WITHOUT A CAR + SAMPLE ITINERARY

COSTA BRAVA WITHOUT A CAR

Can you visit Costa Brava without a car? The answer is YES! Despite literally 100% of the people I asked saying the opposite, I went for it and I’m happy to report I’ve proved them all wrong. Yes you can absolutely do Costa Brava without a car, yes it’s not the same thing as having a car but you are still able to see most stuff and definitely better than not visiting at all. In the post below I’ll explain how you can make this happen and I’ll include a sample itinerary you can follow.

COSTA BRAVA WITHOUT A CAR
Cadaques

COSTA BRAVA WITHOUT A CAR: WHICH TRANSPORT IS AVAILABLE?

Sadly, trains don’t connect all of the Costa Brava but buses do! The main bus company which runs in Costa Brava is called SARFA. You can view its timetable and buy tickets online here. I found frequency to be good enough to allow flexible travel without planning much in advance either buying tickets online or simply directly from the bus station (where I had no issues with availability).

To make this trip happen, what I did was combine going to a major city by train from Barcelona and from that city take day trips using the buses. The reason I did this is that many of the cities you’ll end up visiting don’t really have direct buses connecting them so you need to go back to a major city to continue your journey to other cities. It will all become clearer once you see the itinerary below.

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10+ WONDERFUL THINGS TO DO IN LLORET DE MAR

things to do in lloret de mar

I know what you are thinking… should I visit Lloret De Mar? Lloret de Mar is a small Mediterranean beach town in Costa Brava, Spain. It is located only 75 kilometers away from Barcelona and 40km from Girona. It’s a perfect getaway from Barcelona, and a great place to stop on if you are touring the Costa Brava. I chose to stay in Lloret de Mar because, compared to other towns in the Costa Brava, Lloret de Mar is slightly bigger. As such, there’s a lot of hotel availability and hence cheaper prices. In simple words, you get better bang for your buck if you are staying here versus other perhaps more quaint but smaller towns like Tossa de Mar.

In this post I’ll walk you through my personal recommendations on what to see, do and where to stay in Lloret de Mar. Let’s start with things to do!

THINGS TO DO IN LLORET DE MAR
Hike from Lloret Beach to Punta Roja

THINGS TO DO IN LLORET DE MAR

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TENERIFE BUCKET LIST

tenerife

tenerife
View while driving towards the North of the island

I was expecting Tenerife to be just another beautiful beach destination, packed with British tourists longing for warmth and sun. Well, it’s so much more than that. Mixture of beach with mountains, and a forest-meets-jungle kind of vibe, it has something to offer for everyone. Or better, everything to offer for everyone! In case you still don’t know, because of various geographic factors, Tenerife’s weather is pleasant all year round. This makes it a popular destination for those trying to escape Europe’s winter. The island, together with the rest of the Canaries, is part of Spain but it is actually closer to Africa than to Spain itself (it’s right beside it).

Where to stay in Tenerife

Before I dive into what to see and do, some word of advice. Tenerife has, because of a mountain range which divides the island, two climates in a very very short distance. The north is very humid and more likely to be cloudy and rainy. Think tropical: banana trees, palm trees, lots of green, views and landscapes to die for. Contrarily, the south of Tenerife is hot and dry, think arid climate and desert landscape, almost no rain.

In my opinion, you should rent a car, stay in the North and use your car to visit the South. The North is a lot more visually beautiful, hence this would force you to drive between enchanted forests, mountain ridges and literally through the clouds to get to the south. It is also quieter, as package tourists go to the south of the island where the Canarian culture is replaced by the British & German ones. This area is tailored to make them feel at home, so English pubs and English breakfast are common currency. This, among other things that are definitely out of place, are for me a bit of a downer. However, some of the best beaches are in the south, plus, it’s the most developed area so it also has some great restaurants. For example, this organic vegan friendly cafe blew my mind.

Now without further ado, see below some ideas of what to see and do. These should keep you busy for quite some time.

What to see and do in Tenerife

Teide
Parque Nacional El Teide

1. Parque Nacional El Teide

This famous National Park is named after the Teide, a 3,718-metre volcano which is the highest peak in the island and of Spain. Teide can be viewed almost from all over the island when driving. Although it’s definitely the park’s protagonist, this National Park has a lot more to offer! You could spend your entire holiday in Tenerife just on the park. It has numerous trails and multiple different landscapes which, because of the volcanic geography, makes you feel like you’ve taken a trip to Mars.

Getting to the top of the Teide is one of the most popular pursuits, as the views from such altitude in a clear day can definitely be rewarding! There are multiple options to get to the top, the easiest and quickest being a cable car which takes you almost to the top (3555 metres). From there, you can hike the Telesforo Bravo path for 30 mins and get to the actual peak. Do bear in mind you need a permit for this, as the number of people that can hike this last stretch is limited which you can get here for free but you must get it in advance as it books up fairly quickly.

For the more adventurous, you can avoid the cable car and walk instead taking the Montaña Blanca path. The trail is around 8.3 km and would take you 4-6 hrs up and 9-10 hrs in total (up and down). You can do this hike either early in the morning or late in the afternoon and stay in a refuge (refugio de Altavista) to then wake up to hike the last stretch just in time for dawn. There are other possible combinations, such as walking up and take the cable car down or vice versa which would take you 4-5 hrs instead. Another nice and shorter hike (2hrs) is the Roques Garcia walk, you can find the details here.

Teide
Mars like views at Teide National Park

2. Barranco de Masca Hike & Los Gigantes

Although I greatly enjoyed the whole trip, I have to say this was my favorite experience in Tenerife. Masca is a tiny tiny city located in the Macizo de Teno mountains, at an altitude of 650m. The city and the drive to the city are charming but the interest is mostly in the hike which starts here.

The most popular version of the hike consists on hiking down to Masca Beach (around 3hrs hike) chilling there for a while and then taking a boat to Los Gigantes, a major Tenerife landmark consisting in huge cliffs which make a great view.

To achieve this, you can either drive to Masca, leave your car there and then after taking the boat, take a taxi (~23 EUR) from Los Gigantes to Masca. You could also take buses but buses are not at all frequent. There is no direct bus from Los Gigantes to Masca or vice versa, so you would have to take one from Los Gigantes to Santiago del Teide (city in the middle) and then one from there to Masca. Some people park their car in Santiago del Teide, then take a bus to Masca and then a bus from Los Gigantes to Santiago del Teide.

In my case I decided to hike the whole thing. It took us ~ 5/6 hrs in total with 2.5hrs down and 2.5/3hrs up with 0.5hrs in the beach. The hike is magical. This is due to a combination of amazing flora – palm trees, cactus with yellow flowers, bamboo and more – with the dramatic scenery of the massive gorge surrounding you at all times with different shapes and colors. Some extras include mini streams, ponds and geckos.

The hike is not physically straining specially if you only go down. What is not easy is that it’s quite rocky and sometimes requires going up or down large rocks which may be cumbersome for the unfit or elder hikers. The path is marked but it’s not super obvious. We derailed from it at some point and ended up walking up the edge of the gorge on what seemed to be a tunnel for a big pipe. This added a few minutes but was quite fun as it made us go through the mountain on a pitch black mini tunnel. We eventually got to the beach, which was lovely but nothing too crazy. Made of rock, it meant getting to the water was slightly uncomfortable. To me, the hike is really the thing, the beach is just the carrot to the horse!

Masca
Rock formations at the Masca hike

Masca
Views in the Masca hike

Masca Beach
Masca Beach

3. Kayaking With Dolphins

A great vegan friendly excursion my boyfriend found on TripAdvisor, the reviews tempted us so we went for it! The excursion lasts about 3hrs 45 min. Dominique, a lovely frenchman, runs it and he takes you together with other kayaks to find dolphins!

We met Dominique and he took us to the shore where we got geared up and hopped on a two person kayak. We kayaked on the open sea to an area where dolphins usually come, and waited, kayaking around to find them. In our case, we saw them multiple times just swimming and jumping around. I loved it because it is absolutely natural, we didn’t bother the dolphins in any way. Of course, as the dolphins are free wild animals, seeing them is not guaranteed. There is also a nice cliff with a cove to explore close by. Then we kayaked back, got dressed, and went to a small bar for complimentary beers and snacks. You can book here, no payment needed in advance.

los cristianos
Los Cristianos city (South)

4. Beaches

Ok now that you’ve heard about Teide & Masca, time to introduce the islands beaches! These spread out across the island. I’ll include some of the best here and a brief summary so you know which ones to chose.

Playa Las Teresitas: golden Saharan sand, lots of space, beach kiosks, turquoise waters, palm trees… This plus Anaga mountain and a charming village in the backdrop make this beach many’s favorite.

Playa El Bollullo: an all natural beach with black sand and primitive facilities surrounded by banana plantations. It takes effort to get to it which make it not as popular which is a plus point. Two other pretty beaches sandwich it, so you might want to check them out as well.

Playa El Jardin: this beach has been landscaped with beautiful gardens, hence its name, “Garden beach”. You’ll find black sand and a resort but as locals also frequent this beach, it offers a nice mixed vibe. Plus it has Mount Teide kind of above it which makes a helluva view.

Playa del Duque: located in ‘upmarket’ Costa Adeje an area surrounded by luxury hotels, the beach is separated from them by a rocky hedge with a mock castle which adds to the luxury look & feel. Facilities are good and water is of a beautiful turquoise.

Playa El Médano: the cool kids beach of the island, frequented by surfers, windsurfers and kite-boarders – you guessed it – it’s windy. You’ll find golden sand and a relaxed local vibe, same as in the surrounding bars.

Playa La Tejita: another natural beach with beautiful golden sand, lots of space and a red mountain make it great to relax and work on your tan. The cove underneath the mountain is nudism friendly in case it’s your thing.

Playa Abades: this beach has a remote feel to it and if you are lucky, can be incredibly quiet which makes it very attractive for some. It also has an abandoned town nearby which adds interest specially and can make great photo material.

Garachico
Garachico city

5. Garachico City 

Garachico is a tranquil little town, located in a deep valley between slopes covered in tropical green flora. It is considered the prettiest and unluckiest city in Tenerife. It was once the most important harbour of the island but in 1706 the Montaña Negra volcano erupted in full force. Rivers of lava waved the harbour goodbye forever. But that wasn’t the only bad thing. Garachico went through other disasters over the years: disease, plagues of locusts, fire and flooding.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, they say. The people of Garachico didn’t give up. They took care of the city and made it probably the best preserved city in the island today. What does this mean for you? Well, it means you can enjoy a nice stroll on the city’s squares, narrow cobblestone streets, admire the Canarian architecture, visit the San Miguel Castle and enjoy the sea view. While you are there, also have an ice cream in Fragola, it’s awesome! Also, Garachico is most famous because of the Garachico pools. These are natural pools of sea water formed by the lava of the 1706 eruption. These are just on the shore, you won’t miss them. They make a nice activity for a hot sunny day.

Garachico
Views at the coast in Garachico (close to the Garachico pools)

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