Things to do in Malaga…

We have been visiting Málaga for many years now and I have to say we never get bored of it and always find amazing new things to do. Málaga is a port city on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol. It’s such a buzzing place with fabulous history, culture and great food. With over 300 sunny days a year and the warmest winters in Europe it’s a fab place to take a break all year round.

Alcazaba

We definitely have our favourite things to do and one of them is to visit the Alacazaba. When you come to buy your tickets, you have the option to buy them to the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro or choose one of them. At the minute with the kids we just do the Alcazaba. Whilst the Alcazaba isn’t on the same scale as the Alhambra, it’s a beautiful example of Moorish architecture with the most stunning views over the city and the sea. The fortress is rather large and spread out so set aside at least an hour to explore the palace’s numerous buildings and outside spaces.

Mercado de Atarazanas

Formerly a shipyard, the market is now packed with stalls which sell fish, cured meats, fruits, olives, cheese, and more. Our very favourite tapas is in this market. The Café-Bar del Mercado is just to the left of the main entrance on Calle Atarazanas and it really is the best. It’s not fancy but the food – mainly fish – is really fresh and perfectly fried or grilled. It’s always busy but don’t panic as the barmen always see you and steer you to a space at the counters. It’s a bit of a squeeze but well worth any discomfort. Order a beer, a glass of wine or the homemade sangría. Then order a pincho de gamba – six juicy prawns on a wooden skewer, sprinkled with paprika and grilled. So simple and so good, as are the padron peppers again perfectly grilled and salted. Open Monday to Saturday till 3pm.

Muelle Uno in Malaga

Malaga has a busy port, and this area known as Quay 1 has been completely transformed into a cool shopping and dining area. Along with around 30 stores there are restaurants, cocktail bars and gelatarias. Oh and then there’s Zoco – a monthly market selling everything from handmade crafts and jewellery to delicious organic foods.

Parque De Málaga

Parque de Malaga is in the centre of Malaga and was built during the late nineteenth century, it has been renovated over the years and as well as having a fabulous little park for the kids, it has beautiful flowers, trees, fountains, sculptures and parakeets flying overhead. It’s always a hit with Daisy and Bobby.

Malaga Cathedral  

Malaga Cathedral is the city’s most famous monument, which you can see from almost every point of the capital. It’s the tallest cathedral in Andulucia. The Cathedral is located in Molina Lario street, facing the famous Plaza del Obispo, one of the most visited squares in Malaga.

La Concepcion botanical gardens

The lovely setting and great selection of tropical plants makes the botanical gardens one of the best gardens in Malaga and they are well worth a visit. The gardens offer one of the most comprehensive and complete palm collections in the world. There are lots of different routes you can take in at the gardens with the most popular being  the”Jewels of La Concepcion” route. The one and half hour tour takes in the most emblematic landmarks and is the best I think as as a starting place for discovering the gardens.

Our favourite places to eat in Malaga:

Casa Aranda :

This is our favourite place in Malaga to have Churros. It gets busy very quickly—it’s the favourite spot among locals. Don’t let that scare you off, though. Just grab yourself a seat and order.

The best way to eat churros is to dip them in thick, steaming hot chocolate.

 La Recova:

This is an art gallery/store/great little cafe that serves a simple but amazing breakfast every morning, followed by delicious tapas later on in the day. For breakfast, you sit down and simply order your coffee, then the food starts coming! You’ll get two slices of toast, on top of which you can spread a range of different toppings. Expect specialties such as sobrassada (cured sausage pate), zurrapa ( a meat spread), and homemade jams. After midday it serves a variety of local tapas. If you dare they sell the most amazing snails.

El Pimpi:

This bar, restaurant and wine cellar opened its doors in 1972. Since then it has become an icon and institution of Malaga. El Pimpi has two entrances, a small one in Calle Granada and the main entrance next to the terrace in Jardines Alcazabilla, just opposite the ruins of the Roman theatre. El Pimpi is divided into the Bodega-Bar El Pimpi and Pimpi Marinero. The Bodega-Bar is the one you cannot miss. It includes six different rooms. My favourite room is the Barrel Hall (the first one you will see when entering from the terrace). It is decorated with lots of wine barrels autographed by all the famous people who have visited El Pimpi, and has lots of traditional bullfighting posters on the walls alongside plenty of old (and new) photos of the most famous visitors like Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith.

Mason Mariano:

At Mesón Mariano, you can sit down and enjoy a more sophisticated meal in the restaurant, or, as we do sit at the bar and order up a few rounds of tapas. This place is family-run, very traditional and serves up tasty homemade dishes made with the absolute finest and freshest market products. Don’t leave without trying the artichokes—they’re the specialty of the house, I loved them, the kids were not so sure!

Antiava Casa de Guardia:

Antigua Casa de Guardia, Malaga’s oldest wine bar, it serves the region’s typical sweet wine straight from the barrel (there are 24 barrels that line the wall behind the bar). To go with your wine, they serve a small but fab selection of seafood tapas that are always gorgeous. We loved it because they chalked your order up on the bar (old school style). It’s also straight opposite the entrance to the market, where Cafe-Bar del Mercado is so you could continue on your tapas run.

If you are going and have any questions please ask and if you have been and think I have missed something off I’d love to hear as we will most definitely be going again.

Shelley x