Know Before You Visit Malaga, Spain | VIDEO GUIDE

I’m Kim, The Abundant Traveler, and welcome to the channel! This video is all about everything that you need to know before you go to Malaga, Spain in Andalusia. I’m going to be sharing with you tips and tricks about where to go, where to eat, where to stay, a few things to do, as well as how to get around the city. 

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Malaga, Spain, is located on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, on the coast of the Mediterranean. It’s a city of about 570,000 people, and it is the capital of the province of Malaga. What’s interesting is, this city has been a scruffy port town for most of its life, and it is one of the oldest cities in the world.

You can find Roman ruins here, you can find Moorish forts and a castle here, as well. You can also find very contemporary modern-style buildings, as well. Malaga is not only located on the Costa del Sol along the Mediterranean, it is part of Andalusia, which is the southernmost part of Spain.

Here in Malaga, they speak Andalucian, which is Castilian Spanish, but it’s a lot faster and they tend to shorten their words a little bit. So, if you’re used to, like in the states where we have lots of Mexican and Central American Spanish, this Spanish is very, very different.

Since 2000, Malaga has seen quite a renaissance, especially after the election of the mayor Francisco de la Torre. He has made a huge difference in the city of Malaga. He has created pedestrian zones, he has set new rules that’s going to make sure that the city stays clean and well-maintained, very open to tourists. He’s cleaned up the port; you can see this beautiful architecture now.

Also, after the Picasso Museum came to the city of Malaga, there are 30 to 35 new museums that are now in town, as well. So, there is so much to see and do! It is super friendly and super safe, and everyone I came across while I was in Malaga came to me with open arms. I absolutely love the city!

Malaga is wonderful because it is on the Costa del Sol and it has over 300 days of sun. In the middle of summer, when it is packed with tourists from all over Europe, it is going to be 100 degrees plus in July and August. The good news is, in the evening, a cool breeze comes off the Mediterranean, so it’s not as bad as you think. I’m here in September and the average temperature is sort of like 87 during the day and then drops down to about 65 in the evening. It’s really, really nice. You don’t necessarily need a jacket, but having a wrap with you is absolutely perfect.

Are you headed to Malaga and the Costa del Sol? Well, make sure to go to the description below and download my free packing guide! It has everything that a girl is going to need for her trip to Malaga.

So, let’s talk about what to pack and how long to stay in Malaga. First of all, it is quite warm, so you should bring open-toed shoes. Also, bring flowy dresses. Everyone is in light colors, all the women, of course, light colors, flowy dresses. Even though it’s a beach city, it is still a city and has some sophistication, so you’re not going to see people in tank tops and cut-offs and flip-flops unless they’re actually going to the beach. 

In the city, everybody is in short dresses. In the evening, they’re in flowy pants or dresses. People are carrying nice little handbags during the day, they have nice sandals, and in the evening, everybody is wearing sort of wedges or espadrilles to go out to dinner. It was not as fancy as being in Madrid or Barcelona when you go out, but it was – everybody was dressed up and well-heeled when they went out to dinner.

So, if you would like to know exactly what you need to pack and bring with you when you’re coming to Malaga, make sure to check out my video on packing for Malaga in the Costa del Sol!

So, how many days should you stay in Malaga? I stayed actually five nights and it was perfect. The first night I was jet lagged because I came in from the United States. Staying five nights was perfect – I got everything done that I wanted to do. I did miss one thing, but i’ll go back another day, and I met some amazing people. So, my recommendation is to go for five nights, so on your last day of Malaga, as I did, you can go pick up a car and start driving down the coast and going to Marbella or you can go to the interior and perhaps go to Ronda.

Also, in this city and in Spain in general, they are on the euro. My recommendation is when you arrive, go ahead and find your nearest ATM to get cash. You don’t need to be getting cash in your home country because the exchange rate is terrible. As long as you open up your credit cards and your ATM cards, go ahead and just get cash at the airport on your way into town.

Speaking of the airport, it is a large international airport, and it is the best way to get to Malaga. Typically, flying from the United States, you’re gonna fly into Barcelona or Madrid first, and then you’re gonna have to take an additional flight into Malaga. It’s really hard to find a direct flight into Malaga from the United States. The airport is big and generous, and it’s very easy to get around, very easy to get through customs. I got through in about 30 minutes and got my luggage, as well.

As far as going from the airport into the city, it’s about a 15-minute ride. In Malaga, you don’t need a car, so my recommendation is you can take the bus for three euros if you don’t have many pieces of luggage. Or you can take a taxi, an uber, or they have this thing called cabify, which is c-a-b-i-f-y, which is very similar to uber. Just something to note, taking a taxi into the city, you’re going to be charged a surcharge for your luggage – each piece. You’re also going to be charged a surcharge for leaving the airport or coming to the airport. So, if you’re taking a taxi, it’s going to be about 22 to 25 euros. If you’re taking cabify or you’re taking an uber, I would say it would be about 17 euros. Those options, as well as the bus, are the best ways to get into the town, which only takes about 15 minutes.

So, if you’re not flying into Malaga, it’s about four hours on the train from Madrid. It’s about seven hours on the train from Barcelona, and it is about two hours on the train from Seville. 

Back to walking around. The city is so walkable, and I walked everywhere I wanted to go! They have a beautiful pedestrian zone along the beach, as well as throughout the city. If you don’t want to walk, then you can take buses, and the buses are only about two euros going anywhere that you need to go. But honestly, you don’t even need to take the bus.

It’s also a great town to take a bicycle or a scooter, so if you want to rent a bike, it would be really fun to go to some of the neighboring towns, maybe two or three miles down the beach, and go hang out at the beach.

Speaking of beaches, Malaga is located directly on the coast and just across from the historical center. Just a little bit up the coast, maybe about a five-minute walk, you have the most famous beach in the city called Malagueta. There were tons of people out there, and it had sort of a cold, colored, um sort of big, big sand, rough sand, really easy to get into the water. The waves were very low; the only problem is that this particular beach is right next to the port, so you have large ships coming into the port. So, I’m not sure if it is the cleanest. The beaches are city beaches; they’re not tiny coves that you see in other parts of Spain or other parts of the Mediterranean. They are big, wide open, long stretches of beautiful beach.

When you are in Malaga, there’s no point in staying anywhere but in the very historic center of town. My recommendation, if you’re a Marriott person like I am, they have the Malaga Palacio, which is an Ac hotel right next to the cathedral, and the hotel is absolutely perfect. The service was amazing, they were so kind to me and super, super helpful. And what’s really interesting, is they have a wonderful, quite famous rooftop bar at the top where you get an entire view of the port! So, while you’re staying in Malaga, if you’re willing to stay in a four-star hotel and spend about 175 dollars-ish, then I definitely recommend that you stay at the Ac Malaga Palacio.

If you are looking to stay at hotels that are a little less expensive, there are three-star hotels that are anywhere from eighty dollars, eighty nine, up to a hundred and forty dollars a night. And then I say, on average, four-star hotels are a hundred dollars to almost two hundred dollars a night. And there are a few hostels in town and a few two-star hotels, but when I’m in Spain and when I’m traveling at this point, I like to stay in hotels that are just a little bit nicer.

So, in addition to cost of hotels, in general, it’s relatively inexpensive to stay in Malaga. If you want to stay a month long or if you want to stay an entire year, you can rent an apartment for five or six hundred euros a month. If you’re going to be going out to eat, which is one of my favorite things, you’re going to be spending anywhere from three to four euros for a glass of wine, two to three euros or two to four euros for a glass of vermouth, or maybe two euros for a beer.

And your meals, you can go to the market during the day and eat there, and it’s really inexpensive. You might spend four or five euros for a couple of dishes and tapas style or small plates, or if you wan,t you can get a bigger plate at lunch, which is about 2:30 in the afternoon. Lunch usually costs, I would say, around 15 euros, and that is going to a really nice restaurant. You can go eat for three to four euros, no problem, if that’s what you’re in for.

As far as dinner is concerned, most evenings, with all the wine I wanted to drink and all the tapas and all of the main dishes I wanted, I was spending about 20 to 25 euros. And one night, I had a delicious dinner, and I did end up spending about 40 euros for dinner.

Other than that, your only expenses are going to be your tours, and tours tend to run anywhere from 30 to 80 dollars. Or you are going to be doing a little bit of shopping, and the shopping is fantastic in Malaga! They have the small stores, they also have the big chain stores, as well. So, girls, bring your credit card because you’re gonna do some shopping!

In addition to the shopping, your only other expense that I can think of is going to be going to the museums. Museums are anywhere from five to seven euros. They’re not expensive at all, and there are around 30-35 museums in town. What is interesting, though, is that there are certain hours every week when they’re open that it is free to enter. If you’re pinching pennies, then you can go to Google and ask when the hours are free to enter the different museums.

So, let’s talk about the best things to do, places to eat, and what to see while you’re in town. This is going to be a short list, but I do have an entire video that explains everything that you need to know about all the stuff you need to see while you’re in town. I also have a video about all the best foods to eat in Malaga, so make sure to check both of those out!

So, here are the couple of highlights about what to do while you’re in town. Number one, I took a private flamenco class. My class was with Sonya, the owner of Flamenco-son; what an incredible dancer and fantastic teacher she is! We took the class, actually in a very famous tableau called Cal Y Canto, and she taught me how to actually do flamenco. She will do private classes, and I’ve left a link in the description below on how to contact her directly. You can either do online or you can do in person when you’re in Malaga.

The second thing that you must do while you’re in town is do a food tour. The food is so amazing in Malaga! And it’s best to do a food tour your first day in town, so you get the lay of the land, as well as you get to try all of the specialties that are famous in this city.

And who should you do this with? Well, the best – one of the best food tours I’ve ever been on – was with Spain Food Sherpas! My guide was Javier, and he showed me all of the delicious foods, from anchovies and sardines to shrimp and monkfish. He showed us many restaurants, and also, Spain Food Sherpas has a list at the end of your tour that tells you where you should go and where you should eat for the best meals while you’re staying in town. I’ve also left a link in the description below for Spain Food Sherpas. Gotta go see them!

As far as food is concerned, your first stop is Spain Food Sherpas, but after that, a couple of restaurants I recommend are Casa Lola. Go get a coffee at Cafe Central and go for a delicious fine dining meal at Mellizos. Make sure to get their paella; it’s one of the best I’ve ever had!

In addition to the two tours I just mentioned, you want to take a trip to the cathedral and you want to head up to the Alcazaba or the Moorish citadel. And, as I mentioned, these are just a couple of highlights in this Know Before You Go to Malaga, but check out both the video of everything you need to see and do while you’re in town, as well as the food that is famous in Malaga. I’ve left both those links in the description below.

So, that sums up everything that you need to know before you go to Malaga! If you have a comment or suggestion or recommendation, please leave it in the comments below. Your comments are extremely valuable to me and everybody watching the video!

So, thank you so much for watching! I am Kim, The Abundant Traveler, and I look forward to seeing you on the Costa del Sol in Malaga, perhaps on the beach! Maybe we can have a paella together. Take care, and thanks so much for watching, bye!