some Malaga questions

[poss]

Our ship has the following excursions from Malaga:

Atequera and El Torcal or Pedregalejo

 

I'm trying to decide whether to choose one of those (can't find much info about either of them) or just stay in Malaga and tour the city (we've been there for several days about 20 years ago).

 

Thanks

      

[campolady]

Personally I would suggest you stay in Malaga and explore the city that has so much to see

 

Of the 2 excursion options I would most definitely go for Antequera/El Torcal - the Torcal has interesting rock structures/scenery and the centre of Antequera old town is lovely but not good for anyone with mobility issues as the walk up to the Church is VERY long and steep.  

http://www.andalucia.com/antequera/home.htm

http://www.andalucia.com/antequera/torcal/home.htm

Pedregalejo is just an uninteresting suburb of Malaga city - quite run down in parts although there are some good fish restaurants on the sea front.  

 

Hope this info on Malaga city may be of interest:-

MALAGA CRUISE TERMINAL TO CITY CENTRE

It is a 1.5 km walk from the cruise terminal to the port gates so a shuttle bus is provided at a cost of 5 Euros. If you feel energetic and want to walk through the port you will pass the recently built 'Muelle Uno' ('Pier One') bar. restaurant and shops development that is a good place to break your journey. When you get to the port gates go straight across 2 roads (the second is Malagas main artery the Avenida Alameda Principal) and you will be in the heart of the old city. 

SHOPPING
Malaga is a great place for a bit of retail therapy - the main shopping street is the pedestrianized Calle Larios. As well as all the well known international stores, and the big Spanish department store El Corte Ingles, the city is home to many artisan shops many of which specialise in local food produce, hand crafted Silverware and Flamenco clothing.

ARAB BATHS
Missed by most visitors to Malaga the Arab baths are a great place to unwind and be massaged by experts using centuries old techniques. 

MARKET
The Ataranzas indoor market, situated one road back from the Avenida Alameda Principal, is a fascinating mix of stalls selling local food produce - the display of fish, meat and fruit/vegetables is amazing. Recently refurbished, decoration of the markets rear wall revealed a spectacular stained glass window that is now a very attractive feature. The market also has several Tapas Bars where you can sample local Sea Food/Fish, Cheeses, Cooked Meats and Wines. The market is a great place to buy Herbs to take home and the delicious local Malaga Almonds should definitely be sampled. http://www.andalucia.com/cities/mala...zas-market.htm

GIBRALFARO CASTLE, ALCAZABA + ROMAN THEATRE
Gibralfaro - Bus 35 from the Parque de Malaga (park opposite the port) will take you right up the hill to the Gibralfaro Castle entrance. Soaring over the city, the 14th century castle was built to defend the citadel and provides spectacular views over Malaga bay and over the Bullring. After visiting the Castle walk back down the hill for less than 5 minutes and you will come to the entrance of the Parador Hotel - a really lovely place to stop for a Coffee break; you can get the bus back into the city centre from outside the Parador gates.

Alcazaba - Situated below the Gibralfaro Castle is the Alcazaba, a fascinating Moorish Citadel with many features similar to those found at the Alhambra in Granada (but without the crowds!). You can buy a reduced price joint entrance ticket for both Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba. 

Roman Theatre Ruins and Dig - Situated at the base of the Alcazaba, visitors are now allowed to walk through the ongoing archaeological Dig to get a closer look at the ruins; closed Mondays.

CATHEDRAL
A truly spectacular building known as the One Armed Lady as only one tower was built - probably due to lack of funds but legend has it that money for the second tower was sent to rebel US forces to help them in their battle against the Brits in the War of Independence. Next to the Cathedral is the Bishops Palace Square which is a great place to sit and people watch. 

MUSEUMS
Malaga is home to far too many museums to list them all but these are my particular favourites:-

Picasso Museum - a great selection of paintings by Malagas most famous son plus family photos and personal items. The museum also has a second gallery with changing exhibitions such as the Dennis Hopper collection 

Carmen Thyssen Museum - art gallery 

Glass and Crystal Museum - a personal collection of exquisite crystalware 

Motor Museum/Fashion Museum - one of the best motor museums that will fascinate car lovers of all ages and ladies will enjoy the neighbouring Fashion Museum 

TAPAS BARS
Malaga is a Foodies paradise. You are spoiled for choice of high class restaurants but, for us, Tapas is the only way to go. Definitely try the local speciality 'Fritura Malaguena' which is a delicious mix of deep fried small fish. Just follow locals into a bar and you won't go far wrong; to get a good feel of the citys bar culture and atmosphere people visiting for the first time may enjoy:-

 

Bodeguita El Gallo - Immediately opposite the entrance to the Picasso Museum on Calle Agustin.  Full of character with good tapas and local wines.

El Pimpi - Accessed down a ginnel off Calle Granada or from immediately opposite the Roman Amphitheatre ruins, El Pimpi is one of the best known bars in Malaga where you can sample local Wines, Hams, Cheeses etc. www.elpimpi.com/en

Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia - this bar can be accessed either off the main street Avenida Alameda Principal or from opposite the Indoor Market. A Malaga institution (gets packed at lunchtime so visit around noon) it is rumoured to be the oldest bar in the city and was once the prison house. Numerous casks house all varieties of the famous Malaga Wines (fortified wines similar to Sherry) plus wines from other parts of Spain. As you select each glass your running total is chalked up in front of you on the old wooden bar. Good seafood Tapas served too. 

Cafeteria Axarquia - A basic café just up from the Casa Antigua de Guardia on the Avenida Alameda Principal. Don't be put off by appearances, the Tapas and Seafood here are excellent (quality and price).

Bar El Jardin - Situated at the rear of the Cathedral (on the left hand side if you face the Cathedral), this is an Art Deco bar/restaurant that serves great Tapas (best Tortilla anywhere IMO). Although slightly dearer than other Tapas Bars, the decor and food make it a place that we never miss when visiting Malaga. 

Port Bar - If you don't want to walk into the city centre there is a bar in the main port/ferry building (opposite the entrance to the port) that is a popular watering hold for local workers - not the most elegant of bars but they offer a good choice of Tapas. This place is a lot cheaper than the bars you will find in the Muelle Uno development within the port grounds.

CHURROS
Churros are deep fried Donut-like fingers served with very thick Hot Chocolate or Coffee (dunking is compulsory lol!) can be found in many of Malagas traditional bars but Casa Aranda is a Churros institution visited by people from all over the world. 

BEACHES
If walking around a city isn't your thing, Malaga has several beaches close to the city centre. The best known is La Malagueta Beach about 5 minutes walk from the port entrance - the beach is especially popular with locals and is fringed with some good Chiringuitos (beach bar/restaurants)..

HOHO BUS
The sightseeing tour bus stops immediately outside the port gates and takes you all around the city including a trip up to Gibralfaro Castle. 

 

MALAGA PARK/PARQUE DE MALAGA

Situated just across the road outside the port gates (and by the drop off point for the shittle bus)  this is an oasis in the city. Paraqueets, Tropical Trees, small childrens play area and peace + quiet make this a lovely place to relax.

 

 

Hope this helps.  If I can answer any more questions for you please feel free to contact me over the weekend - we leave home early on Monday to go on our next cruise.  There are also 2 long threads on CC that may be of interest - 'Can I help with any Malaga information' and 'What to do in Malaga'.

Edited December 1, 2018 by campolady

[roothy123]

I don't know anything about the 3 places you mentioned.  However, when I was in Malaga, I stayed in Malaga - and had a great time. I just took two buses around and in the city, went to the beach after dinner (we had a long day there) and explored some of places mentioned in the great info above.  

[VMax1700]

I agree with Campolady.  Just stay in Malaga. It's a fine friendly city with good places to visit and good food and wines to enjoy.

[poss]

Great, thanks.   Btw, if a person hadn't been to the caves in Nerja (and if they like that sort of thing), I'd certainly suggest going there.    It was one of the highlights of our trip to Malaga area some decades ago.   But this time we'll stay put.    Our cruise ship has many included excursions in the city itself, so we'll probably do one of those and then do a bit of exploring on our own.   (We can't walk more than hour or so at a time and we can't do big hills — but the little tour bus can!)

[TallShips7]

See My Post on the Malaga Tours available. Howard at FCC1 dot biz

[CCWineLover]

On 12/9/2018 at 2:33 PM, poss said:

Great, thanks.   Btw, if a person hadn't been to the caves in Nerja (and if they like that sort of thing), I'd certainly suggest going there.    It was one of the highlights of our trip to Malaga area some decades ago.   But this time we'll stay put.    Our cruise ship has many included excursions in the city itself, so we'll probably do one of those and then do a bit of exploring on our own.   (We can't walk more than hour or so at a time and we can't do big hills — but the little tour bus can!)

 

Thank you for the input, Poss.   Our cruise ship is in Malaga for a day, and offers an excursion to Nerja and the caves - sounded interesting.  That would leave us the whole afternoon to walk around Malaga itself too!~

[Maggie r]

Thanks for this info - looking for places to visit and eat in Malaga !

[Montanagirlalways]

On 11/30/2018 at 11:43 PM, campolady said:

Personally I would suggest you stay in Malaga and explore the city that has so much to see

 

Of the 2 excursion options I would most definitely go for Antequera/El Torcal - the Torcal has interesting rock structures/scenery and the centre of Antequera old town is lovely but not good for anyone with mobility issues as the walk up to the Church is VERY long and steep.  

http://www.andalucia.com/antequera/home.htm

http://www.andalucia.com/antequera/torcal/home.htm

Pedregalejo is just an uninteresting suburb of Malaga city - quite run down in parts although there are some good fish restaurants on the sea front.  

 

Hope this info on Malaga city may be of interest:-

MALAGA CRUISE TERMINAL TO CITY CENTRE

It is a 1.5 km walk from the cruise terminal to the port gates so a shuttle bus is provided at a cost of 5 Euros. If you feel energetic and want to walk through the port you will pass the recently built 'Muelle Uno' ('Pier One') bar. restaurant and shops development that is a good place to break your journey. When you get to the port gates go straight across 2 roads (the second is Malagas main artery the Avenida Alameda Principal) and you will be in the heart of the old city. 

SHOPPING
Malaga is a great place for a bit of retail therapy - the main shopping street is the pedestrianized Calle Larios. As well as all the well known international stores, and the big Spanish department store El Corte Ingles, the city is home to many artisan shops many of which specialise in local food produce, hand crafted Silverware and Flamenco clothing.

ARAB BATHS
Missed by most visitors to Malaga the Arab baths are a great place to unwind and be massaged by experts using centuries old techniques. 

MARKET
The Ataranzas indoor market, situated one road back from the Avenida Alameda Principal, is a fascinating mix of stalls selling local food produce - the display of fish, meat and fruit/vegetables is amazing. Recently refurbished, decoration of the markets rear wall revealed a spectacular stained glass window that is now a very attractive feature. The market also has several Tapas Bars where you can sample local Sea Food/Fish, Cheeses, Cooked Meats and Wines. The market is a great place to buy Herbs to take home and the delicious local Malaga Almonds should definitely be sampled. http://www.andalucia.com/cities/mala...zas-market.htm

GIBRALFARO CASTLE, ALCAZABA + ROMAN THEATRE
Gibralfaro - Bus 35 from the Parque de Malaga (park opposite the port) will take you right up the hill to the Gibralfaro Castle entrance. Soaring over the city, the 14th century castle was built to defend the citadel and provides spectacular views over Malaga bay and over the Bullring. After visiting the Castle walk back down the hill for less than 5 minutes and you will come to the entrance of the Parador Hotel - a really lovely place to stop for a Coffee break; you can get the bus back into the city centre from outside the Parador gates.

Alcazaba - Situated below the Gibralfaro Castle is the Alcazaba, a fascinating Moorish Citadel with many features similar to those found at the Alhambra in Granada (but without the crowds!). You can buy a reduced price joint entrance ticket for both Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba. 

Roman Theatre Ruins and Dig - Situated at the base of the Alcazaba, visitors are now allowed to walk through the ongoing archaeological Dig to get a closer look at the ruins; closed Mondays.

CATHEDRAL
A truly spectacular building known as the One Armed Lady as only one tower was built - probably due to lack of funds but legend has it that money for the second tower was sent to rebel US forces to help them in their battle against the Brits in the War of Independence. Next to the Cathedral is the Bishops Palace Square which is a great place to sit and people watch. 

MUSEUMS
Malaga is home to far too many museums to list them all but these are my particular favourites:-

Picasso Museum - a great selection of paintings by Malagas most famous son plus family photos and personal items. The museum also has a second gallery with changing exhibitions such as the Dennis Hopper collection 

Carmen Thyssen Museum - art gallery 

Glass and Crystal Museum - a personal collection of exquisite crystalware 

Motor Museum/Fashion Museum - one of the best motor museums that will fascinate car lovers of all ages and ladies will enjoy the neighbouring Fashion Museum 

TAPAS BARS
Malaga is a Foodies paradise. You are spoiled for choice of high class restaurants but, for us, Tapas is the only way to go. Definitely try the local speciality 'Fritura Malaguena' which is a delicious mix of deep fried small fish. Just follow locals into a bar and you won't go far wrong; to get a good feel of the citys bar culture and atmosphere people visiting for the first time may enjoy:-

 

Bodeguita El Gallo - Immediately opposite the entrance to the Picasso Museum on Calle Agustin.  Full of character with good tapas and local wines.

El Pimpi - Accessed down a ginnel off Calle Granada or from immediately opposite the Roman Amphitheatre ruins, El Pimpi is one of the best known bars in Malaga where you can sample local Wines, Hams, Cheeses etc. www.elpimpi.com/en

Bodega Antigua Casa de Guardia - this bar can be accessed either off the main street Avenida Alameda Principal or from opposite the Indoor Market. A Malaga institution (gets packed at lunchtime so visit around noon) it is rumoured to be the oldest bar in the city and was once the prison house. Numerous casks house all varieties of the famous Malaga Wines (fortified wines similar to Sherry) plus wines from other parts of Spain. As you select each glass your running total is chalked up in front of you on the old wooden bar. Good seafood Tapas served too. 

Cafeteria Axarquia - A basic café just up from the Casa Antigua de Guardia on the Avenida Alameda Principal. Don't be put off by appearances, the Tapas and Seafood here are excellent (quality and price).

Bar El Jardin - Situated at the rear of the Cathedral (on the left hand side if you face the Cathedral), this is an Art Deco bar/restaurant that serves great Tapas (best Tortilla anywhere IMO). Although slightly dearer than other Tapas Bars, the decor and food make it a place that we never miss when visiting Malaga. 

Port Bar - If you don't want to walk into the city centre there is a bar in the main port/ferry building (opposite the entrance to the port) that is a popular watering hold for local workers - not the most elegant of bars but they offer a good choice of Tapas. This place is a lot cheaper than the bars you will find in the Muelle Uno development within the port grounds.

CHURROS
Churros are deep fried Donut-like fingers served with very thick Hot Chocolate or Coffee (dunking is compulsory lol!) can be found in many of Malagas traditional bars but Casa Aranda is a Churros institution visited by people from all over the world. 

BEACHES
If walking around a city isn't your thing, Malaga has several beaches close to the city centre. The best known is La Malagueta Beach about 5 minutes walk from the port entrance - the beach is especially popular with locals and is fringed with some good Chiringuitos (beach bar/restaurants)..

HOHO BUS
The sightseeing tour bus stops immediately outside the port gates and takes you all around the city including a trip up to Gibralfaro Castle. 

 

MALAGA PARK/PARQUE DE MALAGA

Situated just across the road outside the port gates (and by the drop off point for the shittle bus)  this is an oasis in the city. Paraqueets, Tropical Trees, small childrens play area and peace + quiet make this a lovely place to relax.

 

 

Hope this helps.  If I can answer any more questions for you please feel free to contact me over the weekend - we leave home early on Monday to go on our next cruise.  There are also 2 long threads on CC that may be of interest - 'Can I help with any Malaga information' and 'What to do in Malaga'.

that summary is fantastic!!!!!! Thank you

[mamaclark]

Thanks so much! More info than I have found anywhere else.


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