by Francesca Be / [CC BY-SA 2.0
A Beautiful Port City to Enjoy Laidback Mediterranean Vibe
Table of Contents
A. About Malaga
Nickname: The City of "Boquéron" (Anchovy)Málaga, the birthplace of Picasso, is an exciting port city on the Costa del Sol in Andalusia. It is the largest city on the Costa del Sol and the southernmost large city in Europe.
For a long time, Malaga was only perceived as an airport to the beaches of the Costa del Sol, but recently the city has been cleaning up exceptionally and has become a great destination on its own.
The city is first of all an excellent place to relax and just enjoy the laidback Mediterranean vibe.
➕ The Good
Málaga offers first of all a wonderful setting along the Costa del Sol and enjoys an outstanding climate year-round.
Furthermore, the city is very safe and clean, easy to get around with a well-made transport system, and charms visitors with friendly people.
Finally, in its picturesque center, Málaga possesses numerous pedestrian zones.
➖ Negative Aspects
Malaga has no real flaw, but the score for sights is (compared to all the other cities in the top one hundred) somewhat low.
B. Best Things to Do in Malaga in 2025 (Detailed List with Photos and Information)
In total, we count more than twenty sights in Malaga. The following sights and attractions contribute to a rather low score of 5.45/10 in this most important category:
# Alcazaba Castle 6
Built around the middle of the 11th century on a hill in the center of the city, overlooking the port, this Moorish fortress-palace towers over Malaga and offers a wonderful panorama of the city and the sea.
by Maksym Abramov / CC BY-SA 2.0
# Town Centre 5
This most picturesque neighborhood of Malaga is mainly pedestrianized and lively throughout the year.
by Juandev / CC BY-SA 3.0
# Port of Málaga (Puerto de Málaga) 5
The most interesting parts of the vast Port of Malaga are the modern and elegantly designed Muelle Uno (Pier 1) and Muelle Dos (Pier 2).
While Muelle 1 is a lively 14,000 m2 shopping and dining area at the seafront with a marina for luxurious yachts, Muelle 2 is a gorgeous waterfront promenade.
by DXR / CC BY-SA 4.0
# Gibralfaro Castle 5
Located even higher up on the Mount Gibralfaro hilltop than the Alcazaba, this Moorish-era Castle offers certainly the best view across the surrounding countryside and sea in Malaga.
by Horst Goertz / CC BY-SA 3.0
# Picasso Museum (Museo Picasso Malaga) 5
Located in an elegant Renaissance building only two hundred yards from the Plaza de la Merced, Picasso’s birthplace, this small museum holds around 150, mostly early works of Pablo Picasso.
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- Important Masterpieces: —
- Highlight: Child with a Shovel, Pablo Picasso (1971), 195 x 130 cm
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Interesting Artworks: 4/10 Famous Artworks: 4/10 Art Display: 6/10 Building: 6/10 Size: 3/10 🧮 Overall: 4.6/10
Modern Art Museum Gallery Space: ca. 2,000 m2 / 21,527 ft2 | Galleries: ca. 20 | Artworks on Display: ca. 204 | Established: 2003 | Visitors (2017): 635.891
by Berthold Werner / CC BY-SA 4.0
# Carmen-Thyssen Málaga Museum 4
Housed in an elegant sixteenth-century palace, the focus of this interesting museum is 19th-century Spanish painting, predominantly Andalusian.
The paintings on display are part of the personal collection of Carmen Cervera, the fifth wife of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.
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- Important Masterpieces: —
- Highlight: Julia, Ramon Casas i Carbó (1915), 85 x 67 cm
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Top 10 Artworks of the Carmen-Thyssen Málaga Museum:
1) Julia, Ramon Casas i Carbó (1915) by Wikimedia / Public Domain 2) La Buenaventura, Julio Romero de Torres (1922) by Wikimedia / Public Domain 3) Saint Marina, Francisco de Zurbarán (c. 1640-1650) by Wikimedia / Public Domain 4) The Concha, Night-time, Darío de Regoyos (1906) by Wikimedia / Public Domain 5) Rocas de Jávea y el bote blanco , Joaquín Sorolla (1905) by Wikimedia / Public Domain
Interesting Artworks: 5/10 Famous Artworks: 3/10 Art Display: 5/10 Building: 6/10 Size: 3/10 🧮 Overall: 4.6/10
Art Museum Gallery Space: ca. 2,000 m2 / 21,527 ft2 | Galleries: ca. 12 | Artworks on Display: ca. 230 | Established: 2011
(Click on images to open in lightbox, recommended)
# Cathedral 4
Malaga’s striking 16th-century cathedral bears the nickname “La Manquita” (one-armed) because the south tower was never finished.
by Berthold Werner / CC BY-SA 3.0
# Malagueta Beach 4
Located between the Port of Málaga and La Caleta beach, this famous urban beach features more than 1 km of fine yellow sand, a scenic promenade, showers, bathrooms, and vibrant beach bars.
Beach Water Temperature: Jun-Oct, 21-20.5° C
by Oxfordian Kissuth / CC BY-SA 3.0
# Roman Theatre 4
Sitting underneath the Alcazaba, the Roman Theatre was built during the reign of Emperor Augustus and rediscovered in 1951, after having remained buried underground for many centuries.
by andynash / CC BY-SA 2.0
#10 | Botanical Gardens of Finca de La Concepción 4
Created around 1855, Finca de La Concepción with more than 25,000 plants belonging to about 2,000 different species is one of the most beautiful and important tropical and subtropical gardens in Spain.
Botanical Garden Land Area: 23 hectares / 56 acres | Created: 1855
by Daniel Capilla / CC BY-SA 4.0
C. Other Notable Sights and Attractions in Malaga
#11 | Central Market 4
Central Market Malaga is a historic and bustling market in a restored 19th-century building, offering a wide range of fresh produce and local delicacies, attracting both locals and tourists.
by NACLE2 / CC BY-SA 3.0
#12 | Malaga Pompidou Centre 4
The Málaga Centre Pompidou is the first branch of the iconic Parisian museum outside France.
Opened in 2015, it features a distinctive glass cube entrance known as "El Cubo."
by Epizentrum / CC BY-SA 3.0
D. Best Day Trips and Excursions from Malaga
Ronda 6
Ronda, a picturesque Andalusian city, is renowned for its dramatic gorge, historic bridge, and one of Spain's oldest bullrings.
City Distance from Malaga: 101 km
by Bert from Netherlands / CC BY-SA 2.0
E. Top 10 List of the Best Things to Do in Malaga (including close-by excursions)
To sum things up, these are the ten best sights we recommend to you when visiting Malaga for at least two entire days.