Malaga has long been a well-tourised city -- even the city's coat of arms bears the words "most hospitable." Visitors would come to Malaga's spring-like weather and wide beaches anyway, but the friendliness of the locals doesn't hurt.

Capital of the Costa del Sol, Malaga is set smack dab in the middle of one of the world's most important tourist destinations. A relaxed beach town air hangs over the place, and visitors are expected to adhere to the leisurely local customs. Don't expect to do business or see sights during siesta time, and plan to have dinner late, at 10 or even 11, and head out for cocktails afterwards at a bar or nightclub. Real Malaga-style partiers start their revels at midnight.



The partying atmosphere is especially noticeable in the famous annual Malaga fair, held for 10 frenetic days in August, as well as the Easter time Holy Week celebrations. Both events dictate all-night dancing and singing in the streets and enjoying the Malagueñan famous fried fish or "Pescaito Frito." The Malaga fair is noted for the non-stop flow of Spanish wine and alcohol while the Holy Week celebrants are apt to display a religious devotion, singing sad "Saeta" songs while watching the fabulous processions depicting the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary.


If you happen to visit during a more sedate time, you will still enjoy strolling the Calle Larios, the center of a maze of narrow streets that host old-fashioned shops adjacent to bars and charming squares. One of the more famous local sights is Malaga's cathedral, often called the little one-armed lady, or "la manquita," in reference to the fact that its second tower was never completed because the money allotted to finish the cathedral went to aid the victims of the Alabama earthquake. Construction of the cathedral lasted over two centuries, which explains the schizophrenic combination of architectural styles from Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque.

Two Muslim fortresses, the Alcazaba and the castle at the top of the hill of Gibralfaro, as well as the sixteenth-century Renaissance palace of the Count of Bellavista, are noted for their beauty and history. The palace has now been converted into the Picasso Museum to honor the famous painter who was born in Malaga

The local authorities have now installed red tourist information booths all over the main areas of central Malaga which has proved to be a great success as with there help it has become easy to move around and enjoy the city even more.

Photographs of Malaga

MÁLAGA is the second largest city in Andalucia (after Sevilla), with a population of half a million. Malaga has been transformed over the last 20 years, heavy investment in infrastructure, the airport , foreigners settling in the are or simply buying holiday homes and other major commercial investments have turned Malaga into one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Spain.

At first glance the city may seem uninviting and many people get no further than the train or bus stations, yet Malaga, specially the old part in the centre offer many attractions to visitors. The elegant central zone has a number of interesting churches and museums, not to mention the birthplace of Picasso and the new Picasso Museum , housing an important collection of works by Málaga's most famous son. Around the old fishing villages of El Palo and Pedregalejo , now absorbed into the suburbs, are a series of small beaches and a paseo lined with some of the best fish and seafood cafés in the province. And overlooking the town and port are the formidable Moorish citadels of the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro - excellent introductions to the architecture before pressing on to the main sites at Córdoba and Granada.

The City

The city's position well east of the airport, and inside the ring road that carries traffic around it, means that most visitors to the Costa del Sol rarely visit the heart of Málaga itself. All this may be about to change as the city has embarked on a costly face-lift, with plans to create hotel-lined promenades along the beaches to the east and west of the centre already well advanced. Away from the seafront glitz, however, Malagas vibrant character has survived.

Malaga really does offer a huge selection of places to stay which will suit all tastes and pockets from Villas, studios, hostels and luxury hotels to a fine selection of holiday apartments in Malaga many of which are located around its many golf courses and well known beaches along the Costa del Sol to the east and west of the city.

Málaga has no shortage of places to eat and drink and has a justified reputation for its seafood and tapas bars. Málaga's greatest claim to fame is undoubtedly its fried fish , acknowledged as the best in Spain. You'll find many fish restaurants grouped around the Alameda, although for some of the very best you need to head out to the suburbs of Pedregalejo and El Palo, served by bus #11 (from the Paseo del Parque). On the seafront paseo at Pedregalejo , almost any of the cafés and restaurants will serve you up terrific fish. Further on, after the paseo disappears, you find yourself amid fishing shacks and smaller, sometimes quite ramshackle, cafés. This is El Palo , an earthier sort of area for the most part, with a beach and fishing huts, and in summer or at weekends an even better place to eat.
For a great culinary experience try a tapa crawl in the old part of Malaga, basically follow other like minded people around the back streets and you will come across some of the best tapas bars in the whole region serving local delicacies such as black foot ham, sautéed wild mushrooms, pees and serrano ham, countless seafood dishes including local sweet prawns and clams fished around in the Malaga bay .

You'll find most of Málaga's nightlife northeast of the cathedral along and around calles Granada and Beatas and the streets circling Plaza de Uncibay , as well as in Malagueta , south of the bullring. At weekends and holidays dozens of youthful disco-bars fill the crowded streets in these areas with a cacophony of sound, and over the summer - it's dead out of season - the scene spreads out along the seafront to the suburb of Pedregalejo . Here, the streets just behind the beach host most of the action, and dozens of discos and smaller bars lie along and off the main street, Juan Sebastián Elcano. Málaga's daily paper, El Sur , is good for local entertainment listings - there's a weekly English edition

Photographs of Malaga