things to do in malaga

Malaga.

About two and a half hours on the fast train from Madrid is the Andalucian city of Malaga. I enjoy visiting Malaga because not only does it have history, architecture and an eating scene like other popular Spanish cities, but it is also on Costa del Sol (Sun Coast). That means, it tends to be warmer in Malaga than other cities, and it has beaches.

These are my recommendations when visiting this fair city:

The sights

• Picasso - Pablo Picasso, the artist, was born in Malaga. So, there is a museum where he was born and a museum of his works. It does cost money to get in to both museums. If you're a fan, you should definitely check it out. 

Plaza de la Merced where Picasso;s statue sits.
The building on the right is the museum where he was born.

• Alcazaba - This is a Moorish fortress on a hill, and is actually older than the Alhambra. It was also built on Roman ruins. There is a fee to visit.
• Roman Theater - Next to the Alcazaba are well-preserved ruins of a Roman Theater. Parts of of it need an admission fee, while others parts are free to roam through including most of the actual theater.

Roman Theater and Alcazaba (above).

• Cathedral - You can roam the grounds for free but you have to pay to go in.

The Cathedral.

Inside the Cathedral.

• Port/Waterfront - The port/waterfront area has a lot of restaurants (including a Michelin starred one, Restaurante Jose Carlos Garcia) and is great for people watching. There is also a small chapel (8 x 8 meters) along the waterfront that was built from pink sandstones. The waterfront also has a lighthouse, which is connected to the Paseo de la Farola (loosely translated as, Lighthouse Walk), a concrete walkway that acts as a harbor. 

The waterfront/port area.

• Beach - One can enjoy days in Malaga's miles of sandy beaches. 

Malaga's beaches.

• Calle Marques de Larios - This street is the main shopping street in Malaga. But, even if you're not into shopping, it's still fun to stroll through the main street and the alleys near it for hidden art installations. You can find restaurants on this street but food will be better if you go in the alleys off the street.

Calle Marques de Larios.

Food

• Atarazanas Market - This actual market is a great way to see locals go about their shopping as well as an ideal way to check out the amazing vegetables, fruits, seafood and meat on offer. You can see live razor clams, fresh fruits, etc. In addition, the architecture is beautiful too. 
• Because Malaga is on the coast, the best things to eat here are all manners of seafood. Try razor clams (navajas), squid (calamar), shrimp (gambas), cuttlefish (sepia), anchovies (boquerones), baby squid or cuttlefish (chipirones), etc. Try them fried (frito) or grilled (a la parilla) or in an olive oil sauce (al pil pil). Trust me, you can't go wrong eating seafood in Malaga.

Tortelitas de Camarones (shrimp fritters).

Calamares.

Razor clams (Navajas).

Chipirones.

Drink

• Bodegas Quita Penas - This small restaurant/bar is located in one of the small streets off Calle Marques de Larios. It's a fun place to taste wines from Malaga.
• Otherwise, as with anywhere in Spain, just order a cana (small glass of beer) to go along with your food. 

Bodegas Quita Penas.

Have you been to Malaga? What did you enjoy there? 

If you go to Malaga and do the things above, please do let us know how it went.