MacsTravel Blog

We began our trip to Spain with an overnight in Malaga in early February. As many visitors to Andalusia do, we were using Malaga as a launch point to other places, in our case Sevilla. We went down to Malaga’s famous shopping and walking street, the Calle Marques de Larios that evening to take in the vibe and found it festooned in tinsel and lights.

Returning to Malaga at the end of the month we found ourselves in a cozy apartment steps from Calle Marques de Larios.

The main street was still busy, but the Christmas decor had been removed and replaced with baskets of flowers and images promoting Malaga’s upcoming film festival, including a long red carpet that was in place for the opening of the festival on March 1st.

We had a great five nights in Malaga, which included our day trip to the Caminito del Rey. The apartment worked out really well as it was so close to everything and we were able to walk everywhere.

Some highlights:

The Mercado de Atarazanas

This beautiful market, framed in wrought iron, features a spectacular stained glass window at one end that evokes the history and landmarks of Malaga.

Inside are the typical vendors: fish, meat, fruit and vegetables. There are also a large number of food stands cooking up seafood dishes and other treats. You can take a table adjacent and be served breakfast or lunch. We bought some produce to make dinner in the apartment, which was steps away.

We returned to the area around the market for lunch at the Recyclo Cafe, a bike repair shop and restaurant that had terrific salads and vegetarian food options. Our views from the Recyclo patio looked back on the market’s famous stained glass front.

The Alcazaba and Castle of Gibralfaro

The word Alcazaba simply refers to a fort or fortified castle, and is Moorish in origin. Malaga’s Alcazaba has been extensively and recently restored and lacks the authenticity and original Moorish features of the one found in Sevilla, and certainly doesn’t compare to the Alhambra in Granada. But it is still well worth a visit if only to experience the scale of the fortifications and the incredible views from the walls and towers over the city.

You can choose to visit the Castle of Gibralfaro, which is technically within the old walls of the Alcazaba but much higher up the hill. It offers even more impressive views of the city. Like the fort below, the castle has gone through many iterations over the years, occupied by Moorish and Spanish forces and, eventually, blown up by Napoleon’s French forces when they retreated.

There is a lovely spot to stop in the castle for a break and a drink. We ordered two cañas, the mini-beer of Andalusia.

At the very bottom of the cascading series of castle and Alcazaba walls you will find an ancient Roman amphitheatre, which is occasionally used for live performances to this day. It is a spectacular setting, particularly at night.

Malaga Cathedral

Malaga Cathedral is known affectionately as La Manquita, or “the one armed lady”, as it boasts only one complete bell tower. It is a commanding Renaissance and Baroque building with a beautiful choir, impressive organs and soaring ceilings and arches bathed in a golden glow.

In terms of art, it boasts a number of impressive paintings, in particular this one in the Chapel of the Virgin of the Rosary by Alonso Carlo.

As with the Roman amphitheater, some of the best views of the Cathedral are at night.

The Tapas and Patio scene

As is the case across Andalusia, patios spill out from the restaurants and bars onto the streets and filling in the alleyways.

We followed our blueprint from Granada, signed up for a “tapas tour” with Spain Food Sherpas and found it was similarly terrific. Our small group of Swedes from Sweden and Brits from Bristol were lead by the engaging Fernando, a former chef who did a great job of making connections between the food, drink and culture of Malaga.

We visited a series of places, from the Casa de Guardia, one of the oldest tapas spots in town, to trendy patios and restaurants experimenting with traditional tapas in new ways. We sampled sweet fortified wines, vermouth and robust Rioja and Tempranillo wines over four hours.

As always, the best parts were connecting with our guide and fellow travellers, sharing experiences, recommendations and stories.

Some handy tips if you are ever on a small group tour with Brits and Swedes:

• Don’t mention you’ve eaten it at IKEA when the Swedes talk about salmon and lingonberries as a national dish.
• Don’t talk about the challenges of planning what to do every day on a 6 week trip to the Brits from Bristol who are only here for a long weekend.
• Don’t bring up how crappy Brexit must be to anyone from Britain.

All tips courtesy of Robin*

Malaga Tapas Tour, 2024

(*Rich may have been partially responsible for the IKEA reference but he was anticipating Robin’s response)

Fernando also recommended a fantastic spot to stop for churros in the morning, which we did the next day. Casa Aranda is a hopping spot near the market which serves coffee and churros made on the spot to an endless flow of tourists and locals. They are fast, cheap and delicious, with a savoury salt and olive oil taste rather than the sugar-cinnamon combination of Mexican churros familiar to most North Americans.

The Malaga Waterfront: Malagueta and Pedregalejo

We saved the waterfront for our last full day in Malaga and Spain. Like much of the downtown area, the Malaga waterfront has undergone a renaissance over the last couple of decades. It opens the city right up to the Mediterranean and is characterized by kilometres of promenades, bike paths, and sandy beaches.

We put in about 15 kilometres of walking as we meandered out to the Pedregalejo area, where a beautiful beach is boarded by a long string of cafes and restaurants, many of which have wood fired barbecues cooking a range of fish. We stopped in two spots and had a delicious lunch at El Morata. Fantastic.

We finished up our time in Malaga with one last stroll around the historic centre. From all appearances the film festival was on and the streets were packed. We could have been surrounded by Spanish film stars, but we clearly had some innate challenges recognizing Spanish film stars.

So we headed to La Terreza de San Juan, a rooftop patio with a fabulous view overlooking the gorgeous Church of Saint Juan and the historic centre of Malaga. I confidently ordered a vino blanco for Robin and a vino tinto for myself. Nodding in what appeared to be full comprehension the waiter left and returned with Robin’s white wine and… a gin and tonic for me. This, I thought, is an effort at restitution for the Cadiz gin and 7-Up disaster of last week.

I didn’t want a gin and tonic and I certainly didn’t need a gin and tonic, but I sipped at it gratefully all the same. ¡Salud España! It was a marvellous four weeks.

We head to Portugal tomorrow for a few days in Lisbon and then the Algarve!