Things to do in Málaga
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El Gato Lounge
If it's a louder ambience you're looking for, you'll find the pink party at the mega clubs and gay bars in Torremolinos. That's right, the 'in crowd' goes to Torremolinos for fun!! What had turned into a decayed symbol of a better past is now making a comeback. New bars, restaurants and clubs are opening and the area is becoming one of the major gay holiday destinations in Spain.
La Nogalera (close to Torremolinos train station) is the centre of BLGT - bi, lesbian, gay and transgendered - tourism in the province. Here, the variety of bars, pubs, clubs and discos guarantees a good time. Check out the new and trendy El Gato Lounge, where cool cats chill over a beer and a bi…
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Clandestino
A trendy warehouse-style restaurant with an exciting menu that fuses northern European and Latin cuisines. A good selection of vegetarian dishes is headed by silky felafel patties on a salad dressed with alfalfa sprouts and a dill yoghurt vinaigrette.
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La Tetería
Emulating many of Granada’s teterías, this inviting establishment near the Picasso museum complements a full menu of exotic teas with some heavenly homemade cakes and one of the best bowls of breakfast granola you’re ever likely to taste.
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Gorki
A popular upmarket tapas bar with pavement tables and a modern interior full of wine-barrel tables and stools. Creative tapas have a more sevillano twist and the clientele is young and trendy.
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La Casa del Ángel
An extraordinary restaurant filled with the owners' considerable art collection. The cuisine is equally sumptuous: a combination of Andalucian, Arab and international tastes.
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Restaurante Tintero
A longstanding, fun, seafront eatery where plates of seafood are brought out by the waiters and you shout out for what you want. Shout loud if you want it sizzling hot.
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Lechuga
In this calm retreat, vegetables reign supreme and the chef does wonderful things with them, such as hummus, Indian-style bhajis and various inventive salads.
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Tetería El Harén
A large teahouse that rambles over several floors with lots of private nooks. Live music Thursday to Saturday evenings.
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Onda Pasadena
With jazz on Tuesday and flamenco on Thursday, has regular live music, mostly rock, but not always.
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Catedral
Preserved rather magnificently, like an unfinished Beethoven symphony, Málaga’s cathedral was begun in the 16th century on the former site of the main mosque and never properly completed. Consequently the building exhibits a mishmash of architectural styles absorbed during more than two centuries of construction. For example, the northern door, Portada de la Iglesia del Sagrario, is Gothic; the interior, with a soaring 40m dome, is Gothic/Renaissance; while the facade is 18th-century baroque. The cathedral is known as La Manquita (the One-Armed), since its southern tower was never completed. Inside, note the 17th-century wooden choir stalls, as dark and smooth as chocolat…
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Museo Picasso Málaga
The hottest attraction on Málaga’s tourist scene is tucked away on a pedestrian street in what was medieval Málaga’s judería. The Museo Picasso Málaga has 204 Picasso works, donated and lent by his daughter-in-law Christine Ruiz-Picasso and grandson Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, and also stages high-quality temporary exhibitions on Picasso themes. The Picasso paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures and ceramics on show (many never previously on public display) span almost every phase and influence of the artist’s colourful career – blue period, cubism, surrealism and more, with a fascinating emphasis on early, formative works. Gaze at Niña con su muñeca (Girl wi…
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Alcazaba
At the lower, western end of the Gibralfaro hill, the wheelchair-accessible Alcazaba was the palace-fortress of Málaga’s Muslim governors, dating from 1057. The brick path winds uphill, interspersed with arches and stone walls and is refreshingly cool in summer. Roman artefacts and fleeting views of the harbour and city enliven the walk, while honeysuckle, roses and jasmine perfume the air. Go before noon during the hot months, to avoid the crowds as well as the worst of the heat, and watch out for low, unprotected parapets, especially if you are taking kids. A lift (elevator) from Calle Guillén Sotelo brings you out in the heart of the Alcazaba.
Below the Alcazaba is…
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Castillo de Gibralfaro
Above the Alcazaba rises the older Castillo de Gibralfaro, built by Abd ar-Rahman I, the 8th-century Cordoban emir, and rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. Nothing much remains of the interior of the castle, but the walkway around the ramparts affords exhilarating views and there’s a tiny museum with a military focus.
To walk up to the Castillo, take the road immediately right of the Alcazaba entrance, and where it bends left into a tunnel, take the steps on the right; or take bus 35 from Avenida de Cervantes (roughly every 45 minutes). The walk is long and steeply uphill. There is a small cafe with outdoor seating and toilets at the Castillo.
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Cathedral
Málaga's Cathedral was begun in the 16th century on the former site of the main mosque. Building continued for two centuries, so while the northern door, Portada de la Iglesia del Sagrario, is Gothic, and the interior, with a soaring 40m dome, is Gothic and Renaissance, the facade is 18th-century baroque. The cathedral is known as La Manquita (the One-Armed), since its southern tower was never completed. Inside, note the 17th-century wooden choir stalls, as dark and smooth as chocolate, finely carved by the popular Andalucian sculptor Pedro de Mena.
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Jardín Botánico La Concepción
The largely tropical Jardín Botánico, 4km north of the city centre, features towering trees (including hundreds of palms), 5000 tropical plants, waterfalls, lakes and spectacular seasonal blooms – especially the purple wisteria in spring. You can visit solo or by 1½-hour guided tour in English, costing an extra €2.50.
By car, take the N331 Antequera road north from the Málaga ring road (A7) to Km166 and follow the signs. Alternatively, the Málaga Tour bus runs from the bus station to the gardens.
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Casa Natal de Picasso
Casa Natal de Picasso, Picasso’s birthplace, is a centre for exhibitions and academic research on contemporary art, with a few compelling items of personal memorabilia and a well-stocked shop. A couple of doors away at Plaza de la Merced 13 you can view temporary art exhibitions (a large collection of Dalí magazine covers was showing at the time of research). Entrance is free with the Picasso museum combined ticket.
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Mercado Atarazanas
North of the Alameda, in what's now the commercial district, you will find the neo-Islamic Mercado Atarazanas, entered through its huge horseshoe-shaped arch. The daily market in here is pleasantly noisy and animated and there is a whole host of food on sale. You can choose from swaying legs of ham and rolls of sausages or cheese, fruit, fish and sweets. Nearby are plenty of cafés on pedestrian Calle Herredería del Rey.
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Cafe de Flores
Formerly La Casa del Ángel, the once eccentric interior has been replaced with sleek plexiglass furniture, abstract art and a highly rated DJ to become a haunt of smart young malagueños in up-and-coming Plaza Madre de Dios, right opposite the blue-and-gold Teatro Cervantes. By day it's a coffee bar and lunch place, by night good food is complemented by great sounds.
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Centro de Arte Contemporáneo
The Centro de Arte Contemporáneo is a coolly minimal museum of international 20th- and 21st-century art housed in a skilfully converted 1930s market. To get here head west on the Alameda Principal from the city centre and turn left when you get to the Río Guadalmedina. The large and diverse museum shop and suitably stark cafe are good stops to complete your visit.
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Baños Árabes
A most welcome activity in Málaga is the Baños Árabes, a perfect place to sit back and sweat it out amid the steamy semidarkness to the sound of soothing music. Unlike some Arabic baths in Andalucía, there are no pools to bathe in here. Book your visit in advance. Specialist massages, including Ayurvedic and aromatherapy treatments, are by appointment only.
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Jardín Botánico
The largely tropical Jardín Botánico Apr-Sep, closed Mon), 4km north of the city centre, feature towering trees (including hundreds of palms), 5000 tropical plants, waterfalls, lakes and spectacular seasonal blooms - especially the purple wisteria in spring. You can visit solo or by 1½-hour guided tour in English, costing an extra €2.50.
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El Jardín
A beautiful Viennese-style cafe next to palm-filled gardens behind the cathedral, full of ancient malagueños plus the odd inebriated Picasso lookalike. Art-nouveau flourishes and old photographs evoke a pleasant ambience, but not great food. Instead, come for wine or coffee and listen to some young-at-heart septuagenarian pound away on the upright piano.
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Café de París
There are reasons why La Malagueta neighbourhood is considered ‘posh’, and here’s one of them. Just as it name implies, Café de París is politely refined, upmarket, and very, well, Parisian. But, none of it’s an act. With a Michelin-starred Spanish chef, this is where you come with your rich friends to enjoy fried lobster and hope they pick up the bill.
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Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares
Located in a 17th-century inn, the speciality of Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares is everyday rural and urban life of the past; note the painted clay figures (barros) of characters from Málaga folklore. To get here head west on the Alameda Principal from the city centre and turn right when you get to the Río Guadalmedina.
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Kelipe
Málaga’s substantial flamenco heritage has its nexus to the northwest of Plaza de la Merced. Kelipe, a flamenco centre which puts on muy puro performances Thursday to Saturday at 9.30pm; entry of €15 includes one drink and tapa – reserve ahead. Kelipe also runs intensive weekend courses in guitar and dance.
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