Malaga - What are the "must see/do"

[Red Hat Cruise Cat]

I have one full day pre-cruise in Malaga for sightseeing and really want to hit the highlights. Not interested in the beach

 

What are the must see or do?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Others can give you a list, I can't remember. My memories of Malaga (several visits, long ago) is that it's not really a "highlights" city, but one that suggests wandering. There's the Alcazaba fortress, and Picasso-related sights, since this is his birthplace. Of course, the number one destination of this port is not the city at all, but the Alhambra in Grenada, which is several hours away and should be done, in my opinion, with a ship's tour so there's no risk of missing the boat if you're late. But for many, this is the "must-do", and I happen to agree.

 

There are also charming towns nearby, but they all mean a car, or a bus.

[ruthnewark]

Here are a few suggestions about Malaga:

 

The tourist info website is www.malagaturismo.com

 

Things that we think are good to do (in no particular order):

• Alcazaba - fortress and palace of Malaga's Muslim governors (11th - 14th century)
  
• Cathedral
  
• Picasso Museum - Museo Picasso - (as opposed to Picasso's birthplace) NB imo - not as good as the Picasso museums in Barcelona and Paris
  
• CAC (Centro de Arte Contemporaneo) - smallish free modern art gallery
  
• we like a small museum - Museo Unicaja de Artes Populares (on Pasillo de Santa Isabel) - lots of exhibits looking at Malaga and the surrounding area's traditions. Can't remember whether it has labels in English or only Spanish.
  
• Marques de Larios is a wide pedestrianised street with shops and cafes on either side
  
• lots of small pedestrianised and semipedestrianised streets in the area around the cathedral and between there and marques de larios - buildings shops and people to look at!
  
• Cafeteria Lepanto is the 'special' cafe in Malaga - in square at top of marques de larios. Seats inside and out - but look at the inside anyway! More expensive than other cafes - we just have a coffee sitting outside a cafe in a square or on a side street and watch the world go by!
  
• Beaches
  
• El Corte Ingles is a good Spanish department store
  
• In the mornings there are lots of flower stalls down the centre of Alameda Principal - a wide central street
  
• the central produce market - Mercado Central de Atarazanas - in mornings - is in a fantastic building and it's great to wander round and look at all the fresh food. It's on Atarazanas. It's been undergoing renovation which i think has finished now
  

All of these are central - and easy to browse if you wish to 'do' Malaga without an organised tour.

 

Enjoy!

Last edited by ruthnewark; July 2nd, 2009 at 10:06 AM.