17 Essentials: what and do in Malaga capital in 2 or 3 days

Surely if you think about travel to Malaga, riding a Andalusia, comes to mind Costa del Sol, the beaches, the glamorous, Marbella, Torremolinos, etc…

That happened to me until I had the opportunity to visit Malaga capital and know your historical Center. And I admit that it has been a pleasant surprise.

The truth is that I had never before considered visiting the Malaga city since my passage through it had always been on the way to the very touristy Costa del Sol.

But after visiting Malaga on a couple of recent trips, I have discovered a city with great historical roots and with an offer of important artistic attractions that has been developed in recent years.

What to see and do on the Malaga tourism visit

As a first approximation to your possible tourist trip to this Andalusian city, below we detail the best to see and do in Malaga, so that you can schedule visits if you are one day, two days o three days.

In advance, and for your stay in Malaga, here you can search and book hotel.

Walk through the historic center of Malaga

A great advantage when visit Malaga is that all tourist interest points They are concentrated in the area known as historical Center, where practically all its streets are pedestrianized.

This fosters a very comfortable and pleasant visit, where the atmosphere of the terraces of bars and restaurants It becomes the great protagonist of your walk.

Therefore, what you should do is walk through the streets of the historic center, which is delimited by the hill of Castle of Gibralfaro and Alcazaba to the east, the parks and the boardwalk, to the south, and the river to the west.

You can do your walk from the Larios street until the Alcazabilla street, where the Roman Theatre y the Alcazaba.

Among the buildings that you will see in the historic center I want to highlight the Archbishop's Palace and St. Augustine's Church, and don't lose sight of the Mudejar tower for the Church of Santiago.

Stroll along Larios Street in Malaga

The main axis of said walk will be the aforementioned and famous Larios street, which is the axis of the city center, which takes you from the Marina Square on the seafront to the Constitution Plaza, true Malaga main square from the Middle Ages.

La Larios street it's where in eastern the processions take place, and it is the more commercial way de la ciudad.

Chinitas Passage 

Your visit to the center will be incomplete if from Constitution Plaza you do not access Chinitas passage, one of the most charming corners of the city.

Through this passage you arrive some narrow alleys very popular for their bars with terraces, and in that corner until 1937 was the Chinitas Coffee that made famous García Lorca in one of his poems.

Go up to Gibralfaro Castle in Malaga

But beyond walking through the city center, a good way to start your visit to Malaga would be go up to Gibralfaro Castle.

Its origins go back to the Phoenician times, and this castle which forms a fortified complex together with the Alcazaba As both monuments are united by the walls that come down the side of the hill.

During your visit you will see a museum area where you will learn about the history of the fortification, where you will be able to see an interesting model of the city in the Middle Ages, and you will tour the walls and towers.

From the top of Castle of Gibralfaro you have excellent ones panoramic views of the city of Malaga, which will allow you to locate and size your visit.

• How to climb Gibralfaro Castle

Roman Theater of Malaga

It is hard to believe that only a few years ago the Roman Theater of Malaga, which can now be seen from the Alcazabilla street, and which forms a monumental complex with the Alcazaba.

From the 1951st century AD, this Roman theater was used until the XNUMXrd century, and in the current era its remains were discovered during works carried out in XNUMX.

In 2005, after the Palace of Archives and Library that was on those remains, was when the urban reorganization of the square was carried out, already showing the aforementioned theater in front of the wall of the Alcazaba.

• Visit to the Roman Theater of Malaga

Alcazaba of Málaga

You must also visit the Alcazaba, monument which is said to be the Alhambra in Malaga.

It is a strength of the arabic period Built in the 11th century, you will be surprised by the network of internal defensive fortifications.

To visit it you can go up in an elevator enabled in front of Town hall, which will take you to the highest area of ​​the fortification, so that you can then go down through its interior to the exit through the Roman theater.

In addition to walking through the network of walls, you will see a mansion with Arabic decoration, as well as garden areas.

From its walls you also have a good panoramic views of the historic city center.

• Visit the Alcazaba of Malaga

Visit the Cathedral of Malaga

La Malaga Cathedral It is another of the monuments that you can visit in the historic center of Malaga.

Although its official name is Cathedral of the Incarnation, popularly known as the little arm.

In a majestic building0 that shows a very peculiar exterior aesthetic, a consequence of the period of architectural transition in which it was built during the XNUMXth century.

Inside you will find numerous artistic corners of different styles, from Gothic to Renacimiento.

• This is the Visit to the Cathedral of Malaga

What museums to visit in Malaga

The large cultural development who has had the city In recent years it is largely due to the opening of new museums, which has changed the image of this Andalusian city.

Of the various museums that you find in Malaga, from my point of view these are the three most advisable to visit, in personal order of preference, the Picasso museum, automobile museum and Carmen Thyssen Museum.

Of course, taking into account that I still don't know the Pompidou Center in Malaga, opened in 2013, being the first that the French institution locates outside of Paris, nor the Collection of the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.

If you like the contemporary art, on your trip to the Andalusian city you may also be interested in knowing the CAC, Center of Contemporary Art of Malaga.

Picasso Museum in Malaga

At Picasso Museum in Malaga, you can walk through twelve rooms where you can see a very interesting and even curious selection of the work of the Malaga artist.

Located Buenavista palace, Renaissance building from the 16th century, the museum is based on the private collection of Christine  y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, daughter-in-law and grandson of Picasso, and shows little-known works from his different artistic periods.

Automobile Museum 

If you are a car enthusiast and you like classic carsI tell you that you have an appointment with him. Automobile Museum of Malaga,

Here you can see a sample of 91 classic cars from the Portuguese collection Joao de Magalhaes, as well as curious accessories from the automotive world.

• Automobile Museum of Malaga

Carmen Thyssen Museum 

Opened in spring 2011 in the Villalon Palace of the 16th century, in Carmen Thyssen Museum you will see the personal collection of Carmen Cervera, with paintings that reflect his tastes.

Above all, you will be able to see Spanish painting, and specifically, works by Andalusian artists from the 19th century with a striking romantic and traditional style.

• How to visit the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga

Atarazanas Market in Malaga

Inter alia tourist sites to see in the historic center, it is worth knowing the Atarazanas Market, whose main door nasrid style was rescued from the ancient arab shipyards where ships were built and repaired in the 14th century.

The building is an example of metal architecture, so common at the end of the 1973th century, and inside the large and colorful stained glass windows made in XNUMX will catch your attention.

Historical Botanical Garden of Malaga

A different visit that you can do during your getaway to the city of Malaga is the Historic Botanical Garden, a very peculiar corner due to its historical character, with archaeological remains.

But, above all, because it is a tropical garden that you can visit on the European continent, thanks to a microclimate.

During your visit you will tour the historic garden, where there is a House-Palace, and, of course, the aforementioned tropical garden, with more than 3.000 species.

• What to see in the Botanical Garden of Malaga

Sign up for a guided tour 

I believe that the best way to start the tourist visit of a city is sign up for a guided tour, which will allow you to have a first overview of it.

So, for example, you can sign up for Complete tour of Malaga, in which for three hours, in addition to walking through the historic center accompanied by a guide in Spanish, you will visit the cathedral, the Roman Theater and the Alcazaba.

You also have the night tour, in which in a two-hour walk seeing the lighting of the main monuments and corners of the city, you will learn about its history.

On this trip you can also combine them with interesting activities, such as doing the guided tour on Segway an hour and a half long experience, or in electric bicycle during two hours.

Tapas in El Pimpi 

When mealtime approaches, the offer of bars where tapas are huge, with very busy terraces, and where you can also eat.

If you want to go to one of the most classic, you should go to The Pimpi, whose terrace you can see in front of the Roman Theatre.

Eat at Pedregalejo in Malaga

And if it stops eating If you are looking for a popular area where you will hardly find tourists, you can go to one of the chiringuitos of the old fishmongers neighborhood of Pedregalejo, next to the beach.

There you can try the typical sardine skewers or taste fried fish.

Excursions around Malaga

Based in the city of Malaga, you can also sign up for excursions arounds, so that, for example, you can tour the famous King's Path, go to the pretty towns of Ronda, Setenil o Frigiliana, or visit the Nerja caves.

As well from Malaga can you do excursions with guide in Spanish to see the Alhambra of Granada, to visit Cordova o Sevilla, or even to do shopping to Gibraltar.