You have just 1 day in Malaga, so what is the best way to use it? What should you do with your short time in this beautiful and surprisingly cultural and historical beach city in southern Spain?

Malaga is one of the most popular tourist cities in all of Spain yet many people don’t realise that it has so much more to offer than bars, parting and access to the Costa del Sol.

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Decision Time: 1 Day in Malaga

If you have 1 day in Malaga, most likely you’re coming in on one of the many cruise ships that dock in the port of Malaga or maybe you’re flying in/out of Malaga airport and want to spend a day in Malaga before driving away to explore the rest of Andalucía.

🛳 – handily, the very busy Malaga port is located within minutes of downtown Malaga so you can be off your cruise ship and into your busy day of sightseeing with relative ease

✈️ – Malaga’s international airport is an easy 25 minute drive from the city centre

🚕 – pre-book airport transfers to speed up your transfer into Malaga

🏨 – should you need accommodation in Malaga there are plenty of excellent options for all budgets

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We’re going to use these questions to figure out how YOU should spend YOUR 1 day in Malaga.

1 Day in Malaga: Relax on the beach

My personal opinion is that the beaches in Malaga, despite the fame of the Costa del Sol, really aren’t all that. Sure, they’re on the Mediterranean Sea but there are plenty of far better beaches in Spain, including those just nearby.

If you have 1 day in Malaga and want to spend on the beach, I’d recommend taking a tour of the Costa del Sol’s beaches

​The two most accessible beaches in Malaga are: 

Playa La Malagueta (Malagueta Beach)

Playa de la Caleta (Caleta Beach)

If you’re going to spend the day strolling around Malaga, I absolutely recommend heading down to the beach for a meal or a drink at a chiringuito (beachside restaurant) but if you are looking for a beach day, there are more gorgeous options.

➡️ The beaches in the Andaluz provinces of Huelva or Cádiz are some of the finest I have ever seen in Europe.

⭐️ Why not rent a bike and explore the Malaga coastline at your own pace.

1 Day in Malaga: History and Museums

The city of Malaga was founded around 770BCE by the Phoenicians. They called their city Malaka. 😲 From the 6th century, control was in the hands of Ancient Carthage and by around 215 BCE, it was under Roman rule. From Roman hands it passed to the Visigoths until, in the 8th century CE, it became part of the Islamic empire of Al-Andalus. In 1487, the Catholic Kings took Malaga for Castile. 

Most people don’t realise just how old Malaga is and how many fabulous museums and historic sites there are to see in the heart of the city. If you’re here to see museums and historic sites, then you are in for a treat.

Historic Sites in Malaga

Teatro Romano / Roman Theatre

Malaga’s Roman theatre was discovered in 1951, having been buried for centuries. It was built in the first century during the reign of Augustus. During the Moorish period its capitals and column shafts were taken for use in the building of Malaga’s Alcazaba to support doorway arches.

💲 You can see the amphitheatre as you walk around the city. It’s an open-air site at the base of the Alcazaba. Free to visit

Top Tip: The Malaga city sign is up a set of stairs at the side of the amphitheatre – head up here for a nice view down over the site.

Castillo de Gibralfaro / Gibralfaro Castle

This castle was built in the 14th century CE to protect the Alcazaba. It was considered to be the most impregnable fortress in all of Spain when it was built. Today it stands proudly atop the city of Malaga offering visitors spectacular views out to sea.

💲 €5.50 to visit with the Alcazaba or €3.50 to visit alone.

The walk up to the castle is more strenuous than you might expect so if you’re not up for a steep walk, best to take a cab or a tour.

Alcazaba Fortress

This was is the Muslim fortified palace of Malaga. It was built in the eleventh century and is considered to be one of the best preserved Alcazabas in all of Spain. It can be very busy when visiting on a weekend.

💲 €3.50 solo visit. €5.50 to visit Alcazaba and Gibralfaro. Free tour every Sunday at 2 pm.

​Malaga Cathedral

This enormous Renaissance cathedral took over 200 years to build (between 1528 and 1782). It’s possible to visit the cathedral or to climb on to the roof for incredible panoramic views over the city.

💲 €10 to enter the cathedral €10 to climb on the roof or €15 for a combined ticket.

⭐️ Or buy a skip the line tour of the cathedral to save queuing

City of Malaga Museums

There are over 30 museums in Malaga – that’s a heck of a lot for a regular city let alone a place everyone thinks of as a summer party town.

The City of Malaga museum is a wonderful place where you can learn a lot about the history of Malaga. Highly recommended.

The easiest way to get a feel for the history of Malaga is to take a city tour

1 Day in Malaga: Soaking up the ambiance

The heart of Malaga is a deliciously & fabulously confusing warren of plazas and narrow streets to explore and get yourself lost in. If you’re using your 1 day in Malaga to explore the heart of the city, do not miss:

Calle Larios

This is the 3rd most expensive street to live on in all of Spain but for most people it’s simply a pedestrian street lined with shops. If you’re in Malaga in December this is where you’ll join thousands of others to see the now incredibly famous Malaga Christmas lights. No one comes to Malaga and misses this street.

Paseo del Parque

Paseo del Parque runs, parallel to Muelle Uno, unsurprisingly through a park. It’s a lovely place to take a stroll. Before it becomes the Paseo, this road is called the Alameda where we always enjoy an evening walk with Malageños.

Top Tip: You’ll find a very helpful tourist office here just at the entrance to the park.

Muelle Uno

Muelle Uno runs around the port and is a beautifully modern area of Malaga (constructed in 2011). It’s a popular place to walk for locals and visitors alike an. There are shops and restaurants in this area and the Pompidou Centre is here too.

Plazas to Check out

Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza de la Merced Plaza de Obispo, Plaza del Siglo – all the plazas have their own personalities and most will be full of bars, restaurants and people enjoying themselves.

1 Day in Malaga: Picasso and the art scene

As you can imagine, the birthplace of Pablo Picasso is a city full of art galleries and references to the great man. There are two Picasso dedicated museums.

​Museo Picasso Málaga

If you have any interest Picasso then this museum will blow you away as you learn about his different styles over his lifetime. Don’t miss the Roman ruins in the basement.

⭐️ Buy your skip the line Picasso Museum ticket now

Museo Casa Natal Picasso

In the birth place of Picasso you will find a permanent collection of his works, mostly focused on engravings. There are also temporary exhibitions and the museum offers an interesting look at 19tth century bourgeois life in Malaga.

⭐️ Buy your skip the line ticket now

Centre Pompidou

While not a patch on the Parisian Pompidou, the Malaga Pompidou is still a great gallery for anyone with time and an interest in art. With just one day in Malaga it may be that you stop to admire the now iconic building rather than actually going in.

1 Day in Malaga: Eating

If you have one day in Malaga you’ll be eating no matter what your plans but if you’re here to eat-eat, then be sure that you will eat well.

There are a few good markets in Malaga to check out but it’s important to remember that markets need to visited in the morning. If you go later you’ll probably find almost everything is closed and you’ll be disappointed.

Atarazanas Market

In this covered market not only will you find meat, fish and fruit & veg stalls but also some tapas bars where you can join locals in eating a traditional Spanish breakfast (strong coffee with toast with olive oil, ham and cheese).

This market is housed in the port’s 14th-century gateway underneath a massive wrought-iron structure.

Mercado de la Merced

This market was established to salvage a traditional gastronomic market and you can buy fresh products here and then enjoy a drink or tapas on a terrace overlooking the plaza or the Cervantes Theatre.

Mercado de la Salamanca

Housed in a Neomudejar building with a gorgeous archway, this market is covered in tiles representing the products you’ll find here.

Restaurants in Malaga

Really, everywhere you turn in Malaga you’ll be faced with restaurants and tapas bars. You’ll see streets crowded with happy people drinking small glasses of beer (caña) and eating tapas. Join them, raise your glass to Spain and enjoy!

I’d highly recommend eating on the beach in a chiringuito for the freshest seafood but otherwise, when you’re hungry, scour Google Maps and find somewhere you like. There are simply too many restaurants in Malaga for anyone to claim to have real opinions unless they eat out several times a day for many months and I don’t want to mislead anyone.

El Pimpi – a note

El Pimpi gets a mention because it’s the most famous bodega and bar in Malaga. I haven’t eaten here but reviews are a mixed bag these days.

Malaga: The ideal one-day itinerary

​The ideal 1 day Malaga itinerary really depends on your pace and interests. I hope that the lists above help you make your own plan of how to spend your day in Malaga but here are a couple of ideal itineraries in case you’re still not sure.

1 day in Malaga: Taking it slow

If you want to take it slow, choose one activity for the morning and one for the afternoon, leaving time for a nice long Spanish style lunch.

➡️ Picasso Museum in the morning ➡️ Long lunch on the beach or at a tapas restaurant in the historic center ➡️ Alcazaba tour

1 day in Malaga: Cramming it in

If you really do have a full day and like to cram a lot in then you could follow the below itinerary, it really includes the highlights of Malaga.

➡️ Roman amphitheatre ➡️ Alcazaba / Gibrilfaro Castle ➡️ Pause for a delicious ice-cream ➡️ Walk along Muelle Uno to the beach ➡️ Lunch in a chiringuito ➡️ Museum / gallery of choice ➡️ little shopping in the old town

or

➡️ A guided tour of the old town ➡️ Lunch at a chiringuito on the beach ➡️ Walk up to Castillo de Gibralfaro.