Malaga Spain Help

[denisey]

I did a search on Malaga, and the overwhelming opinion is that one should see the Alhambra in Granada at this stop. This is a place I have always wanted to see, so I like the idea. I want to check with anyone who has done this trip, to see if it is feasible.

 

We are in port for 7 hours (arrive at 7 AM, ship leaves at 4 PM, an hour at each end to get on/off the ship) I have heard it takes 90 minutes to get to Granada. That leaves us with 4 hours. Is this a reasonable amount of time to see the Alhambra?

 

Any body have any suggestions on the best way to get there? I'm guessing it would be to hire a driver for the day.

 

Any other Malaga hints?

 

Thanks!

[willy paul]

It s very doable in that time slot an a sight not to be missed.

[scottjeanne]

We are looking to do the same thing. But we are ploanning on renting a car and driving ourselves. If you hire a driver, make sure he can get into the city center, apparently it is restricted to those with a permit. Also, the Alhambra has timed tickets that you must obtain ahead of time. When do you arrive?

[zaandam_2]

i went to alhambra last fall. i'm not normally a fan of ship's tours but this is one where i would NOT attempt to do on my own. traffic is horrendous and alhambra is a LONG way from the port. figure 2 hours without much traffic.

 

we did hit a traffic jam coming back to port. we were told by our guide that accidents are frequent.

 

the sceanary is beautiful along the way. one of you will miss out if driving. gas is (or was) $7 a gallon, too. another thing to consider is group tours have assigned entry times into alhambra.

[rkacruiser]

I agree with zaandam2; doing a ship tour to Alhambra would be a wiser plan than trying to go on your own. I was there in April while aboard the Amsterdam and enjoyed the tour very much. Included was a delightful lunch with good Spanish wine.

[kate52]

We too took the ship's tour from Malaga, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We had a short stop on the way there and back, in very scenic surroundings. The guide was excellent- we never felt rushed or "herded" and went straight in without queuing while it was still pretty quiet. After the inside we walked through the beautiful grounds to the summer palace, with ample time to stop and admire the views. It was August and extremely hot, so after a good lunch it was a relief to get into an air conditioned coach for the journey back.

[ollienbertsmum]

We are looking to do the same thing. But we are ploanning on renting a car and driving ourselves. If you hire a driver, make sure he can get into the city center, apparently it is restricted to those with a permit. Also, the Alhambra has timed tickets that you must obtain ahead of time. When do you arrive?

 

I agree that it is not wise to try and do it on your own. You might find that you miss the ship. It is one of the most wonderful places in the world.

[zaandam_2]

if you make a comfort stop, look for the ham-flavored potato chips. they're delicious.

 

[martyap]

I have driven from Malaga to Granada and it is not 90 minutes. We were not on a cruise so time was not an issue. It is at least a two hour drive if you know exactly where you are going. Highways in Spain are fantastic with light traffic. Traffic and parking within Granada or any other city is an entirely different story.....DIFFICULT!!!! In addition, part of the Alhambra tour (ticket) is time specific.....Take the ship's tour.

 

Marty

[eaglewar]

One more vote for the Ship's tour. We were in Malaga three years ago and hired a cab with another couple. We had not time problems except all the tickets to the Alhambra were sold to the cruiselines for the morning hours.

We had to miss it as the tickets we could have purchased were too late in the day to insure we got back in time to catch the ship....one frugal quest

that backfired !

To make it worse, it rained all the way and you couldn't appreciate the countryside.

[bonnieg]

I too think you should take the ships tour and I normally like to site see on my own. A few years ago I drove to Granada from Marbella in the Costa del Sol. Granada was a very difficult city to navigate. There was a lot of construction and it took an hour just to find our hotel once we entered the city. Another option for the Malaga port would be to rent a car and go to Nerja. Nerja is a beautiful town with a gorgeous beach.

[martyap]

We have driven all over Spain. For seven hours it is not in your interest to rent a car. You probably would not p/u until 10 am! And parking in many places is quite difficult. There are plenty of things to see close to Malaga including Malaga itself. Nerja is beautiful. The white villages like Ronda (Hemmingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls) are spectacular. The paseo and Old Towne in Marbella are fun.....Those are all within an hour. Mijas is very commercialized so I do not suggest that even though it is very close. Remember, the Costa del Sol is more British than Spanish so to get the true flavor of Spain you need to venture 2+ hours to Granada, Sevilla or Cordoba. Save those for a time when you can spend a few days or even overnight. Unfortunately your time is limited. Try http://www.virtualtourist.com and hop on the Malaga forum....lots of info from locals.

 

Marty

[globalnomads]

Yes, Malaga and Marbella are wonderful towns to explore. We were there (a land trip) 10 years ago and although I'm sure it's grown since then, the "bones" must be the same and the shopping

 

I'll second the vote for seeing Ronda.... it is absolutely gorgeous, with deep canyon and a bull-fighting ring to tour. Lunch is wonderful and the Spanish wines are terrific!

[denisey]

It was just what I needed. We are going to be in Malaga on May 7, 2008. Carnival doesn't have their official excursions for our trip listed, but they do not have one to Granada on their general list. I was going on the theory that there would not be an excursion.

 

We have already decided not to rent a car anywhere in Europe, it's just not our thing.

 

I'm guessing I'll keep an eye on ship's tours and have a back up plan closer to Malaga.

 

Thanks!

[mbmccarty]

We just came back from the 7/14/07 Navigator of the Seas and had a great walking tour of the city with Ben Luke. He is a young british guy who works as a columnist for british newspapers writing on art and history. He has a degree in history and knows the architectural history of malaga inside and out. He kept the stories quite interesting, so even my three teenage children had a great time. He picked out an authentic spanish restaurant to eat in for lunch as well. If you like some exercise and enjoy walking around the medieval sites in malaga, I'd recommend him highly. He's working on a website, but his e-mail address is benluke@yahoo.co.uk

[franu]

There is a very special place in my heart for the Alhambra. It was 1975 and the first place on my first stop on the mainland of Europe. I am so very happy that I went although I was very tired. It was a ship's tour and our guide pointed out to us that the North American view of art is mainly at eye level but that is not true there.

 

We were taught to not only look at the picture on the wall but the ceiling and the floor which could be patterned as an oriental rug. Then we were shown to look at the way the light shines through the openwork and onto the opposite wall. I no longer look straight ahead but enjoy all of the ways that the artists and architects meant us to.

 

Whenever I am traveling I remember his words as they have opened my eyes and my mind.

 

Even in 1975 the number of accidents on that road were awful. Now the traffic must be a lot worse. Go and enjoy

Fran

[MAKEM]

I did a search on Malaga, and the overwhelming opinion is that one should see the Alhambra in Granada at this stop. This is a place I have always wanted to see, so I like the idea. I want to check with anyone who has done this trip, to see if it is feasible.

 

We are in port for 7 hours (arrive at 7 AM, ship leaves at 4 PM, an hour at each end to get on/off the ship) I have heard it takes 90 minutes to get to Granada. That leaves us with 4 hours. Is this a reasonable amount of time to see the Alhambra?

 

Any body have any suggestions on the best way to get there? I'm guessing it would be to hire a driver for the day.

 

Any other Malaga hints?

 

Thanks!

Done alhumbra on my own,BUT not from the ship.

Time is against doing it on your own, from ship to port -to rental, none open before 9am plus 2 hr drive each way,

If you still want to go, ship,s excursion, will give you the feel of the place

 

Malaga city is an interesting place,Picasso,s home near the Cathredal

[Pacific Sandy]

Hi - We have decided to spend a week driving around Southern Spain before our cruise. The whole area looks just too beautiful to see on day excursions. I found a very cheap flight to Malaga from Barcelona. We will rent a car and drive to Granada, Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Jerez, etc. I can't wait to see the White Hill towns of Andalusia. We will see the Alhambra at our leisure and I also can't wait to see the Stables where they train the Andalusian horses to dance.

 

We are so excited about this part of our trip.