Málaga travel guide

Background

Málaga has a long history dating back to the Phoenicians, who founded a settlement called Malaka, a word derived from malac, meaning to salt fish. Málaga became a busy trading port during Roman times, exporting minerals and agricultural produce from the interior. From the eighth century, Málaga was occupied by the Moors, when it was the main port for the province of Granada. It was the Moors, under Yusef I, who built the Gibralfaro fortress in the 14th century. The city fell to the Catholics in 1487 after a long and violent siege. The nominally converted morisco population was subject to a fair amount of persecution, leading to an unsuccessful revolt in 1568 when they were expelled.

Deprived of its most able citizens, the fortunes of Málaga declined. It was not until the 19th century, when an agricultural-based revival began, that the situation improved. Gradually, the Costa capital began to become a favoured wintering place for wealthy madrileños. During the Civil War, Málaga supported the Republicans and the city suffered from the vicious fighting which included an Italian bombardment that destroyed part of its ancient centre.

Over the last 35 years, mass tourism has transformed the area to the west, the Costa del Sol, but has thankfully had little effect on the city itself, which remains intrinsically Spanish. Today Málaga is a thriving regional centre with evocative architecture plus historical and cultural appeal. When the shops shut, the streets shift into night-time mode with a big-city choice of restaurants, bars and clubs, while the August feria is one of the most vibrant in Spain.

Best time to visit

Málaga is located at the mouth of the dry Guadalmedina river at the head of a broad bay, with its suburbs stretching away to the foot of the surrounding mountains. Climatically, it is located in one of the most favoured parts of Spain, with the mountains to the north cutting out cold winter winds, so that average January temperatures are around 15°C, while in the summer sea breezes usually make the heat bearable. Rainfall figures for Málaga city are low and, despite the rain in the sierras inland, along with many reservoirs, drought is increasingly a problem.

Getting around

Most of Málaga’s monuments and museums are within a compact area and can be conveniently visited on foot. Taxis, however, are cheap and plentiful.

Ins and outs

Getting there

The bus station is conveniently close to the main train station on Paseo de los Tilos. There are bus links with all the major Andalucían cities and beyond. It’s a 20-minute walk to the city centre from the train and bus stations or take a local bus. The train station has a high-speed AVE rail link to and from Madrid via Córdoba.

Málaga

Air

Málaga has a busy airport from which Iberia and its subsidiaries run internal flights to Madrid, Valencia, Almería, Sevilla, Melilla, Tanger and Palma de Mallorca. There are several other carriers on national routes, including budget operators Air Europa and Vueling. Many airlines from the UK and the rest of Europe fly to Málaga .

Bus

A complete timetable is available from the tourist office. The main bus station is on Paseo Tilos, T952-350061. Bus companies using this station include Portillo, www.ctsa- portillo.com, covering the area to the west of Málaga, and Alsa, http://www.alsa.es, operating to the east. There are hourly buses to Granada (€9.67, 2 hrs). Buses to Sevilla leave a few times daily (€15.64, 2 hrs 45 mins). Buses to Córdoba leave 4 times daily (€12.60, 3 hrs), and there are 8-10 daily buses to Algeciras (1hr 45 min-3 hrs, €11.68)

Car hire

All the main international firms have offices at the airport. Local Spanish firms are also represented and often offer better deals. The larger firms have offices below the arrivals lounge and you can collect a car from the airport car park. Smaller firms have their offices on the airport approach road, to which they will transport customers by minibus (allow 30 mins for this when departing). Offices in the city include: Avis, C Cortina del Muelle, T952-216627; and Hertz, Alameda de Colón 17, T952-225597.

Ferries

There are regular daily sailings (except Sun mid-Sep to mid-Jun) to Melilla, the Spanish enclave in North Africa. The crossing takes around 10 hrs. For further information contact Trasmediterránea, C Juan Díaz 4, T902-454645, http://www.trasmediterranea.es.

Taxi

There are taxi ranks at the bus and train stations and on Alameda Principal.

Radio Taxi, Plaza de Toros Vieja, T952-327950.

Trains

The RENFE station is on C Cuarteles, but there is an office in the city on C Strachen, T952-312500. There are 11 daily AVE trains to Madrid (2 hrs 40 mins, €73.60-81.80), which travel via Córdoba (1 hr, €20-38). Except on Sun, there’s a daily train to Ronda (2hrs, €9.30), leaving at 1843 and stopping at Alora and El Chorro. There are 6 daily slow trains and 6 daily fast trains to Sevilla (2hrs 30 min, €18.15; 1 hr 55 mins, €34.65) as well as services to other Andalucían cities.

The Fuengirola–Málaga cercanía line will eventually extend to Marbella, and has another branch running north to Alora. Purchase tickets from the machines on the platform to avoid a fine onboard.

Banks

All the main Spanish banks and savings banks have branches in Málaga, mostly concentrated at the west end of the Alameda Principal. There are a few change shops in the central area, but the commission can be high.

Internet

Internet Meeting Point, Plaza de la Merced 20, daily 1000-2300.

Medical services

Pharmacy: Farmacia Caffarena, Alameda Principal 2, cnr C Larios, T952-212858. Open 24 hrs.

Post office

Av de Andalucía, T952-359008, almost opposite El Corte Inglés.