Flying into Malaga for 5 nights… where to go?

[Chocbuttonsandredwine]

Should I just stay in Malaga as a base and explore/do trips or stay somewhere else?

it’s me and ds(16), we are looking for a bit of wandering round, maybe a boat trip, beach/pool, good food etc.

aby suggestions would be appreciated

Malaga itself is beautiful. It's like a mini palma if you've ever visited. Has the best of everything, beach, shops tapas bars, culture.... I think there's a cable car too up to a village but I may be getting that mixed up with somewhere.

We did five nights in Malaga a few months ago, we loved it so much and would definitely go back again (in a few years after visiting other places first though). We stayed in a hotel in the centre, it was a really good location. We were travelling with a toddler so we would have had I imagine a much slower pace than you would with a 16 year old. We found there was enough to do in Malaga for us, we tended to split our days into morning activity, lunch, afternoon activity, dinner and then bed lol. We also went to Cordoba on a day trip which was truly beautiful.

Mijas and Nerja are both lovely day trips but Malaga itself has plenty to keep you busy.

You could go to Granada or Seville which are both incredible. If you want to visit the Alhambra then book online as soon as you can.

Malaga is great though, I recommend the Picasso museum, Pompidou centre and Antonio Banderas's tapas restaurant El Pimpi.

Thanks, think I’ll just stick with Malaga then, as it sounds like there’s plenty to do to keep us occupied. I’ve been to Seville and Nerja before and loved both!

Might do a day trip to Cordoba or even Marbella to marvel at the super yachts and cars if we get chance

Malaga is fab and deffo enough to keep you busy but Marbella old town is gorgeous and the beach there is great.

The marina at Benalmadena is much nicer than Marbella, don't have the super large boats, but the marina is gorgeous, nice little shops and some lovely restaurants and its only about 20 mins in a taxi or you could get the bus.

although Marbella is obviously nicer area in general than benalmadena

Second the marina at Benalmedena - we had a lovely lunch there in April and the shops are cute. You can also get your boat trip from there.

Love Malaga- we did a split Malaga and old town Marbella last time we went

We took our DC to Malaga last year for a week. We initially planned to do a day trip to one of the other cities in Andalucía but had enough to do in Malaga itself.

We had just one day at the beach, we went to Playa de el Palo which was very quiet and chilled when we went in Oct half term. Parque de Malaga was lovely as well (park not beach), we loved the parakeets.

Malaga has a lot of good art galleries and museums, we went to the Picasso Museum and the Pompidou. We also loved the Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro. They are free to enter on Sundays.

Food wise we ate out in different places every day. El Pimpi was good, also Araboka and El Cabra.

I bloody love Malaga - could find plenty to do for 5 nights (and have done, many times!)

I second Alcazaba.

There’s a reliable train to Benalmadena and further along the coast. It’s also the best way to get from the airport.

That’s super helpful thanks.

was just going to jump in a cab at the airport but will take the train

My favourite restaurant in Malaga is madeinterranea.es/restaurante/

sorry to jump on your thread @Chocbuttonsandredwine - we having a week in Malaga in September (we being DH, I and Dd (20) We are really looking forward to it so if you don't mind, could I ask for any other recommendations - we've got the cathedral, amphitheatre, alcazaba and galleries on list.

are the Baths worth doing - mixed reviews on trip advisor and also any restaurant recommendations would be fab! We're staying in Calle Tiro near to the Tribunals de los pobres...

I went with DD a couple of year ago and we did galleries/museums in the morning and pool in the afternoons.

We visited all these...

Centre Pompidou Málaga
Castillo de Gibralfaro
CAC Málaga (La Coracha) & CAC Málaga (Calle Alemania)
Museo Interactivo de la Música
Museum Jorge Rando

We also took the rooftop tour of the Cathedral and walked up to Castillo de Gibralfaro. The latter was a steep hot walk but we were rewarded with great views over Malaga.

Needed a holiday to recover after all that!

More than enough in Malaga itself, so I wouldn't trek as far as Seville or even Granada during a shortish break, but if you want an alternative to the city attractions and the beach/swimming, I'd suggest a visit to a white village eg Mijas or if you want a bit of adventure, see if you can get on a trip to El Caminito del Rey. It says you can get there on the train, or there might be day trips by coach?

That looks perfect thank you

This place is awesome too.

www.elmesondecervantes.com/

The Caminito del Rey is a stunning hike, but not for the faint hearted! The train goes from Malaga Maria Zambrano (main station) to El Chorro stop. If you go, check the train times as they are not that frequent, although I read recently that the service is improved, especially for Summer season.

The town of Antequera is a shortish hop from Malaga, and it is where you will see the real Spain, away from the tourists, mostly... Great for a day out, as is Ronda, which is very popular.

My favourite town on the coast is San Pedro de Alcantara. A working Spanish town full of little independent shops, markets, churches, pedestrianised streets etc. Lovely atmosphere and not dollied up for the tourists. On the other side of the main road from San Pedro is the beach area where there is a stunning promenade all the way to Marbella. It is great walking on a beautifully maintained walkway with the sea at your side all the way.

Oh god I so want to go!!! I love Sabinillas and Puerto de la Duquesa! Mijas is lovely too and Estepona!

@keyboardkat thanks for the tip- sounds right up my street.

I've stayed in Malaga itself many times pre-covid. At that time, it was only 3 euro each to get the bus from the airport to the city- very easy and several stops you can alight from.

Along with other recommendations, there is a fabulous fruit/veg market to visit

The beach has a very long promenade, so we often walked early morning along to Playas del Palo for a coffee/breakfast

A day trip to Ronda via the train was fabulous. You wouldn't think a bridge could be so amazing! The train was clean and easy to buy tickets, plus no changes. Seeing the views en-route was great, and then wandering around Ronda itself was lovely.