3 Days in Malaga, Spain | 15 Things to Do, Eat & Drink

Malaga, where the year-round sun shines on one of the oldest cities in Europe. With its warm climate and laid-back atmosphere, a mini-break in this coastal city combines sightseeing and exploring the vibrant streets with time spent relaxing on the beach or around the harbour. Not only does Malaga offer a tonne of fun activities, but it's also very compact, allowing you to fit plenty of experiences into a long weekend. While we based ourselves in Malaga for a whole week, in this video we share an example of how you could spend three days exploring the city itself, covering 15 activities that we enjoyed on our own holiday. We also found that Malaga is an excellent base for day trips, so at the end of the video I'll show you a couple of places that we visited from Malaga that might interest you, even if you don't plan to hire a car. Our first fall day in Malaga will be our busiest, so it only seems right to kick it off with a decent breakfast, Andalusia style. Our favourite local breakfast is toasted bread rubbed with garlic and ripe tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a pinch of salt. You can get other toppings too like ham, cheese or tuna if you like, but we do prefer just the classic tomato. For an indulgent breakfast, treat yourself to churros at the popular Cafe Aranda. Churros are a type of fried dough that you can dip into rich hot chocolate. This one will keep you going for a while. If you're looking for something lighter than churros, then we also enjoyed a cafe near our hotel called Baioco, which had a wide range of healthy breakfast options. You could also go to the food stalls at Atarazanas Market, although sadly we missed this because it was closed for a local holiday on the morning we visited. Our first attraction of the trip was the Alcazaba, a palace fortress that once served as a stronghold for Moorish rulers. Here you can wander through its lush gardens, intricately tiled courtyards and ornate archways. Walk along sections of the wall and look out over the sea or down on the busy streets of Malaga. The blend of Islamic and Spanish architecture is gorgeous, putting the Alcazaba firmly at the top of our list of favourite things we did in Malaga. There's a bit of a walk to the top, however there is a lift that you could take around the back of the fortress if you prefer. You'll find it right here, just behind the bank and city hall. I've added the location of the lift and all places of interest mentioned in this video to a map, which is included as part of a free travel guide linked in the description below. I've also included information like when to go, how to get there, places to stay and so on, so I hope you find it helpful. The most cost effective way to visit both the Alcazaba and the castle, which we'll come to shortly, is to buy the combined tickets. Tickets are available to buy at both attractions, so you can visit them in whichever order suits you best. At the foot of the Alcazaba sits the Roman Amphitheatre. It's well preserved, which is particularly impressive given that it's the oldest monument in Malaga and dates all the way back to the 1st century BC. It is closed on Mondays, but you can still easily view the amphitheatre from outside, so no worries if this is the only day you can visit. After a break at the amphitheatre, we were ready to take on the 30 minute slog up the hill to the Hebral Pharaoh Castle. The fortress we see today was built in the 14th century to protect the Alcazaba. Be warned that the walk to the castle can be a little slippery in places, and it is pretty tiring, but if you're reasonably fit then you'll be fine. If you don't want to walk though, you can catch the number 35 bus up to the top. Once you're there, just enjoy walking around the castle walls and taking in the fantastic views across the city. To be honest, there wasn't a great deal else to see up there, but we did think the views alone were well worth the trek up the hill. You do also get an audio guide included with your ticket at both the castle and the Alcazaba. We found that the activities we've shown you so far took us until about mid-afternoon and by then it was time for another break. Near the Alcazaba is the popular El Pimpi, a restaurant set in an 18th century house where you can grab a meal, a snack or even just a glass of local wine. Inside you'll walk through a maze of tiled covered rooms and corridors, they're filled with old photos of people who visited over the years and wooden barrels signed by celebrities. We did share a tapa here, although I don't know if it was this particular dish, but to be honest I can't say it was that good. But I would still recommend going at least for a glass of wine and a walk around the old house. For the rest of the day, I would suggest exploring Malaga's very pretty old town. Walk along the pristine streets admiring the colourful buildings adorned with shuttered windows and small balconies. You could go shopping, relax at a traditional hamam or sit back and people watch from one of the many bars and cafes. If you're visiting during the summer then you could try the Tinto de Burano, a drink that is very popular in Malaga during the warmer months. This drink consists of red wine mixed with soda, usually lemonade, and served chilled. I was pretty apprehensive before trying it because red wine that was chilled and then mixed with lemonade sounded a bit odd to me, but it was actually really nice. It was light and refreshing and probably a little bit too easy to drink. There are plenty of highly rated places to eat in or close to the centre of Malaga, but I'll show you just a couple of places that we enjoyed the most. There is a really great tapa spa and restaurant in the Soho area called Meson Iberico. We particularly enjoyed the prawns pilpil which is in a spicy garlic sauce, but honestly everything we had there was excellent. Our other favourite was Iliari Vino e Tapas. We popped in here on a whim and were really happy that we did. Anywhere that does a good tuna tartare will always win us over, and the friendly staff even gave us the last of the marinated anchovies for free as there wasn't enough left for us to order a full portion. The meal ended with a cheesecake that was definitely worth saving room for. I'll add these restaurants plus a few extra food suggestions into the written travel guide and the map that I mentioned earlier. If you've been to Malaga before and you're thinking what, no churringuitos, then hold up because that is coming later. The end of day one seems like a good time to mention accommodation. When it comes to choosing where to stay in Malaga, the city centre is pretty small. Walking from here to here would only take about 20 minutes even on a slow day. Because of this, we picked somewhere based on amenities and what the recent reviews said rather than stressing too much about the exact location as long as it was in or at least close to the city centre. If you are a light sleeper though then do double check reviews to make sure your accommodation is not right next to a bunch of loud bars. We stayed in an adults only hotel north east of the centre, walking distance from all the attractions. It was clean, modern and quiet and even had a small rooftop pool. We thought it was a good choice for our city break so I've linked it in the description below. On day two we visited Malaga's baroque and renaissance style cathedral. It's nickname is the one armed lady because it only has one complete tower with the other being left unfinished. Included in your entrance fee is an audio guide. Unlike some places where you do need to bring your own headphones and use your phone, here they do also offer the option of borrowing a physical handheld audio guide. If you do go inside the cathedral I would recommend buying the ticket option that means you can go up onto the cathedral roof. It's not a tour so much as a timed visit where you can stroll around the roof and look out over the city below. The views aren't quite as exciting as they are from the castle but it's still fun to take in the city from a different perspective. You do need to climb around 200 steps to the top via a narrow staircase so do bear that in mind when deciding whether or not you want to go to the roof. Malaga is home to a range of museums so there will probably be at least one that appeals to you. I'll share a couple that we personally enjoyed but I've also included a few extra well-reviewed museums in the written travel guide. As Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, it seems only fitting to visit one of the museums in the city dedicated to this famous artist. The Picasso Museum houses a diverse collection of his life's work covering all different styles. Entry also comes with a free audio guide that provides a look into how Picasso's art evolved over the years. If you want to visit the Picasso Museum, I would recommend booking online in advance as the queues for tickets can get pretty long. The next museum we visited turned out to be a real surprise, the Glass and Crystal Museum. The museum houses a personal collection of hundreds of glass pieces all displayed in a gorgeous 18th century home where the collector still lives. Here you can learn more about the glass pieces and the collector plus you get to go up at a really nice house. The guided tours were conducted in small groups providing ample time for any questions which was convenient because we had many. The final museum we visited was Malaga's Video Game Museum. This one was really fun. You're launched into the museum through a 360 degree experience. It was the sort of thing I could imagine being a pre-show for a big theme park ride or something. Once inside you have free reign across three floors of pure pixelated joy. Learn about the history of video games from the nostalgic 50s all the way to the latest technology. And of course it's not just learning about games, that would be mean. Your ticket allows you to play as much as you can squeeze into a three-hour slot. From retro to modern there's plenty to keep you entertained. We ended our visit with a drink at the museum's rooftop bar and restaurant, a well-earned reward after outrunning those ghosts. End your day by sinking your toes into the warm sands of Malaga City Beach. If you aren't really interested in museums or if the weather is just too nice to be inside then you could of course sack off our museum's suggestion and spend the whole afternoon on the beach. If you do this then there are sunbeds and umbrellas for hire but there's also plenty of space to just chuck down a towel. You might find some nicer beaches if you head a bit further afield but Malageta Beach is the most convenient and still a decent city beach. While we didn't do a proper beach day here we did enjoy spending an hour or so sitting on the beach watching the sunset after a busy day of sightseeing. If you're looking for that perfect spot to watch the sun go down then you might want to head up to the castle or Mount Victoria but if like us you feel you've already hit your step count for the day then the city beach is a convenient spot to watch the sky transform into a canvas of pretty colours and bid farewell to another fun day in Malaga. Venture southwest of the centre into Soho which nowadays is known for its eclectic street art. Wander around the area and look out for these really impressive colourful murals. In Soho you'll also find Malaga's Contemporary Art Centre where you can check out the latest art exhibitions for free. If you do enjoy finding street art we discovered that the Lagunillas district near our hotel has some really awesome pieces. It is on the opposite side of the centre from Soho so if you fancy it you might want to walk around this district while you're exploring the attractions, bars or restaurants on that side of the city. Antigua Casa de Guardia, a beloved bar founded all the way back in 1840 is known for serving sweet local wines poured straight from the barrel. This lively hole in the wall is standing only so we grabbed a spot at the bar and picked wines we'd never heard of at random. Sampling inexpensive wines from tiny glasses and watching the staff chuck the bill onto the bar top was a fun experience. Set just behind the harbour is Malaga Park. While it's not necessarily somewhere you would go out of your way to visit, it's much more pleasant to walk through here on your way to the harbour rather than along the busy road. This thankfully shady strip is pristine and tropical, lined with tall palm trees and flowering shrubs. Just behind the strip at the end closest to the Santa Pompidou is a small landscaped garden where roses and oranges are grown. This garden was named after a Spanish epidemiologist who was known for his malaria research. Spend some time along the modern portside promenade known as the palm grove of surprises. Walk under the long white pergola breathing in the fresh sea breeze. As you watch boats heading in and out of the harbour you'll probably see some pretty extravagant yachts lining the marina. You could easily while away a couple of very pleasant hours here browsing the shops and stalls or relaxing in one of the bars and restaurants around the ports. And most importantly if you're there on a warm day there is a great place to grab a gelato or a sorbet. The harbour is another lively option to hang around and watch the beautiful sunset. You could even join a sunset cruise from here if you fancied it although we didn't do that ourselves. Depending on how much time you have in Malaga you might be looking to explore further afield so here are a couple of easy trips we took without needing a car. Our first suggestion is one that you could easily do as just a half day trip if you preferred and that is to visit the charming fishing villages of Pedregalejo and El Palo. This would be a day or a half day of enjoying the beach, strolling the pastel promenade and indulging in waterfront seafood. You can reach these lovely villages with a pleasant flat walk or bike ride along the seafront. It does take about an hour or so to walk but as you can see there are regular buses running to and from Malaga centre if you prefer to save your feet. You could even walk one way and bus the other. We do love walking though so we walked both there and back. After moseying along the promenade and exploring the streets we'd recommend you stop for lunch at one of the many laid-back chiringuitos. These are small bars or restaurants right on the beach that specialise in freshly caught seafood which is cooked to order over boats filled with coal. After watching our lunch being grilled over the crackling flames we enjoyed our probably excessive amount of seafood while soaking in the view of the palm-lined mediterranean sea. I will mention at this point that you will also find chiringuitos along the city beach although these villages are particularly well known for it. After lunch you could either head straight back to the city centre or do what we did and spend a bit of time enjoying the beaches up here. We preferred these beaches to the one by the city centre as we found the sand was much softer. In terms of facilities there are chairs and umbrellas for hire and free public toilets were available just the same as the city beach. A popular day trip from Malaga is to Ronda, one of the treasured white villages of Andalusia. While Ronda was the focus of our excursion we also stopped at another very pretty white village along the way. Our scenic journey through the rolling countryside first took us to Setanal de las Bodegas where huge boulders overhang pretty white houses that are built right into the rock face. The names of the two main streets mean caves of the sun and caves of the shade with the latter never seeing the sun. Nestled dramatically at the top of a steep gorge I don't think this video can do justice to how breathtaking this place really is. We spent the few hours we had here crossing the old bridges, wandering the charming streets and taking far too many photos from the numerous incredible viewpoints. Our excursion offered a walking tour of Ronda as a paid extra but we opted for transport only. I'll include a link to the tour we took in the description where you'll see there are options for both a walking tour or transport only with multiple pickup points available. Alternatively you could take a bus or train to Ronda but we chose the tour because at least when we looked it was a similar price but the main reason was it allowed us to take a quick visit to Setonel de las Bodegas along the way. We thought the excursion was a good option if you want a whistle stop tour of the two places and don't want to drive. To be honest we found the time allocated to Setonel de las Bodegas was too short for us. Once you factored in walking down to the village from the car park we only really had about 30 minutes or so. However if all you want is a look at the famous streets under the cliff then perhaps that's enough. Even though we would have liked longer we are still glad that we took that tour. If you're looking for other destinations to visit near Malaga whether that be as a day trip or part of a multi-stop itinerary then do check out our Spain playlist which I'll link here. Thanks for watching.