Malaga: The City of Mediterranean Coast and the Historic Charm

On a bright and sunny day, we landed in Malaga to begin our ten-day trip of Southern Spain. That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship between us and clear skies. The sun and the moon stayed with us and smiled down at us throughout the trip. After the cold days and dark winter skies we welcomed both with joy. 

Malaga, situated on the Mediterranean Sea, is a great entry point to the southern part of Spain. It’s connected by flight to many European cities and is on Spain’s famous Costa Del Sol (coast of the sun). Malaga’s claim to fame is as the birthplace of Picasso. 

We collected our rental car and set out to explore the city. As soon as we came out of airport parking, we were amazed at the avenues and streets bordered by orange trees laden with fruits. The streets were very narrow, so we were glad we listened to the advice of locals and rented a smaller car. We made our way to Playa de la Malagueta beach and the famous Malaga sign. We wanted to check out Malaga’s famous yellow beaches and the coast first. After the fresh sea air, we were more than ready for lunch and headed to a rooftop restaurant near the harbor. With the sea shimmering on one side and the Centre Pompidou Malaga and Castillo de Gibralfaro on the other, we enjoyed the sunlight and blue skies. 

Our lodging was in the center of the old town, a five-minute walk from the Catedral De Malaga. We left our car at an underground car park near the coast given that the old city of Malaga is like any other centuries old city with very narrow streets. There was no way to take our car into the old city. The parking in this part of Spain is usually underground and very tightly packed, so we had to be very careful navigating our car into a parking spot. We parked and made our way to the city center pulling our suitcases and juggling our handbags on a cobblestone street. A difficult task for sure! We repeated that in every city that we visited in the next few days. 

We made our way to the Cathedral as soon as we settled. The streets were busy with locals and tourists. On every street, the Christmas lights were in the process of being installed. The siesta hours were over, and the cafes and restaurants were opening up for that evening’s business. The streets were noisy with furniture being set up outside of restaurant doors and the air was filled with the smell of roasting chestnuts and freshly caramelized almonds. We promised ourselves a paper bag of freshly roasted chestnuts after sightseeing. 

The Cathedral was built on top of a Moorish Mosque between the 16th and 18th centuries in the Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture. Its south facade and one tower are not finished. Visitors can climb 200 steps to visit the top of the tower, but we decided to forego a tower visit. The ticket to visit the Cathedral is €10. The approach to the Cathedral door is flanked by the ever-present orange trees. The courtyard garden is lovely and the interior of the Cathedral is absolutely beautiful. The choir stalls are carved out of cedar and are lovely. 

After the Cathedral, we made our way to Alcazaba, a Moorish Citadel or a fortress in the middle of town. It was built on Roman ruins in AD 756. There is a massive Roman Theatre at the bottom. The fortress is situated on the top of a hill.  We quickly visited it from the outside as we were planning to see Alcazaba-like buildings in other cities. By the time we came out the moon was rising, and the evening shadows were getting longer. We settled in Plaza de La Merced with our paper cone of hot chestnuts to watch the city lights turn on. 

Dinner that night was paella and a plate of roasted peppers. We were disappointed in both. I guess the restaurant we ate at was not the best but we were too tired to go looking for a restaurant. All we wanted to do was sit somewhere and give our tired legs rest. The next morning was an early start to go to the city of Ronda for a day trip. More about it in my next blog. 

On our last day in Malaga, we visited the Picasso Museum. He spent his early childhood in the city. His family moved away from Malaga when Picasso was only 10 years old, though he visited the city many times in his life. His childhood home was in Plaza de la Merced and as a child Picasso spent a lot of time in the plaza, as commemorated by the bronze statue of Picasso sitting on a bench in the plaza. His childhood house is now home to the Picasso Foundation and a small museum. The larger, more prominent, Picasso Museum is located in the sixteenth century Buenavista Palace in the heart of Malaga. The palace’s architecture is beautiful. It surrounds a central courtyard. If you go in high season, purchase tickets in advance as lines tend to be long. It’s home to about 285 of the artist’s works. 

We had a wonderful lunch at a small cafe in the historic center. Our table was almost on the street, so the hustle and bustle of Malaga continued around us as we enjoyed a delicious Spanish omelet. We were sorry to leave the historic old town of Malaga behind but now it was time to move onto the next destination: sunny but cooler Granada.