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Travel Guide

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Historical monuments travel and know the culture

Gibralfaro Castle

Built in the 14th century to house the troops and protect the Alcazaba, it is today one of the most visited moments in Malaga where you can walk its walls with impressive views of Malaga or enter its Interpretation Center to learn its history. It receives its name by a lighthouse that was at its peak (Jabal-Faruk, lighthouse mount). Although it was used by Phoenicians and Romans, it would be the Nasrid king Yusuf I in 1340 who would make this settlement a fortress.

The Roman Theater of Malaga

It is one of the living symbols of Roman Hispania in the city. It has a modern interpretation center located next to it where, through new technologies, you can learn about the life and customs of the time. It has also recovered its original use by offering shows inside.

La Alcazaba

This fortress palace whose name in Arabic means citadel is one of the historical monuments of the city, a space visited for combining history and beauty in the same place.

From the Muslim era it is located at the foot of Mount Gibralfaro where is the Arab defensive castle to which it was linked by a corridor protected by walls called La Coracha; next to the Roman Theater and in front of the Aduana building, it is an opportunity to see in only a few meters the union of the Roman, Arab and Renaissance cultures, which makes this corner a very special place.

Gibralfaro Castle

This Castle, built in the fourteenth century to house troops and protect the Alcazaba, is today one of the most visited moments of Malaga in which you can walk its walls with breathtaking views of Malaga, or enter its Interpretation Center to know his story.

It receives its name by a lighthouse that was at its peak (Jabal-Faruk, lighthouse mount). Although it was used by Phoenicians and Romans, it would be the Nasrid king Yusuf I in 1340 who would make this settlement a fortress.

Cathedral

Its full name is Nuestra Señora de la Encarnacion, although for the people of Malaga it is simply "the Cathedral". In all cities, a cathedral is always important, but here in Malaga it is even more important, because it is not just a religious building, it is also a reference.

The lack of a tower has caused it to be popularly called La Manquita and in this respect, circulate even today, a legend that says that the money that was destined in the XIX to its completion was spent, sending it to pay the wars in America , although it is shown that this money was actually used to finance urgent public works in the province.

Museums and Galleries art in all its styles

Art lovers find a world to discover on the Costa del Sol. Museums like the one dedicated to the famous Pablo Ruiz Picasso, the Center Pompidou of Malaga or the Collection of the Carmen Thyssen Museum Malaga are some of the essential museums to learn about the cultural and artistic offer of the Costa del Sol.

With a total of 37, most of them concentrated in the Historic Center, make it one of the cities with the highest density of museums in its old town.

Centre Pompidou Malaga

The Centre Pompidou Malaga is the first that the Parisian art center located outside of France. Located in the cube, erected in 2013 in the singular port space a short distance from the many cultural and tourist attractions of the city.

The center proposes, to all types of public, to experience the Centre Pompidou through the richness of its collection, the excellence of its programming, the crossing of artistic disciplines and its innovative mediation programs. Malaga, the birthplace of Picasso and an international tourist reference, places culture and museums at the center of a new stage of its development.

Picasso Museum Malaga

The Palacio de Buenavista houses a Permanent Collection that shows eight decades of work by Pablo Picasso, born in Malaga in 1881. The Collection conveys the rigor and creative capacity of an essential artist to understand the history of Western art. In addition, the temporary exhibitions delve into the knowledge of the artistic context, while the program of activities proposes multiple ways to enjoy the arts.

Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga

The museum is housed in the palace of Villalon, taking advantage of several adjoining buildings such as exhibition spaces, rooms and offices, and was inaugurated on March 24, 2011. The facilities include, in addition to the exhibition halls dedicated to the Thyssen Collection, the headquarters of its foundation, a library, rooms for temporary exhibitions, a didactic classroom, assembly hall, the museum shop, the restoration section and an archaeological exhibition room, the latter waiting to be opened to the public. The Renaissance style building, dated in the sixteenth century, was intended after its restoration to house the collection that the widowed Baroness Carmen Cervera had agreed to cede to Malaga after a series of conversations with the City Council. This restoration took a period of four years from 2007 to 2011, which also dealt with the rehabilitation and inclusion of two other properties to the principal.. 

Spaces and Natural Parks nature and serenity

Botanical-Historic Garden La Concepcion

The Finca de la Concepción is one of the most beautiful and important tropical and subtropical gardens in Spain and one of the most appreciated in Europe. It forms a set of fountains and waterfalls, combined with a beautiful selection of subtropical plants from around the world, its romantic landscape style stands out with significant neoclassical features. It was declared a historic-artistic garden in 1943, it was acquired by the City Council of Malaga in 1990, it was renovated and opened to the public in 1994. Dogs are allowed in this garden. They will be welcome as long as they are on a leash and comply with the points of the regulations.

Gardens of Puerta Oscura

Located on the southern slope of Mount Gibralfaro, they owe their name to a door of Arabic origin that was in the area. These gardens were projected as a complement to the surroundings of the Alcazaba, keeping harmony with the decoration and the distribution of it. Fountains, walks and roundabouts alternate with abundant vegetation. These pleasant gardens were designed by Guerrero Strachan with undoubted success, transforming a rough slope in succession of terraces, walks and small roundabouts that surprise especially the visitors of the city.

Caminito del Rey and Desfiladero de los Gaitanes

The Gaitanes Desfiladero Natural Area is located in the center of the province, between the municipalities of Alora, Antequera and Ardales. It constitutes one of the most spectacular landscapes of the Malaga mountain range, with steep walls and of considerable height, between which the Guadalhorce River flows after passing through the reservoirs of El Chorro, Guadalhorce, Guadalteba and Gaitanejo.

The Desfiladero de los Gaitanes is a canyon excavated by the Guadalhorce river in the municipality of Alora, with access from the north by the Guadalhorce reservoirs and from the south by El Chorro, which in some points is only 10 meters wide and which reaches 700 meters deep.

Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park

The Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, declared by the Unesco Biosphere Reserve, is in the middle of the Serrania de Ronda natural region, in the province of Malaga. This mountainous territory is cut by deep ravines and spectacular pits like the one of the Caina, with more than 100 meters of fall.

The most important forest of Spanish firs, an exclusive species from the south of the peninsula and northern Morocco, occupies just over 3,000 ha in the Sierra de las Nieves. Here is also one of the most numerous populations of Andalusian ibex that, together with roe deer, are the only two wild species of large ungulate mammals that exist in the Park.

The Tajo de Ronda and Cueva de Nerja

This space has two parts, a gorge 500 meters long and 100 meters deep with a width of 50 meters, and a huge escarpment that opens into a circular hollow. It is located on postorogenic sediments and the gorge has been excavated by the Guadalevin River. In it you can spot various birds of prey and is an ideal place to walk along its trails, as well as perform various adventure activities.

La Cueva de Nerja is one of the most surprising enclaves of the Costa del Sol. A whim of nature whose landscape, dominated by impressive stalactites and stalagmites, fascinates those who enter the most famous cave of the Axarquia. An underground world that you can explore through an exclusive visit.

Tradition and Festivities Popular unique experiences

The Malaga Spanish Film Festival

It is generally celebrated in the month of April in the provincial capital. This aims to promote the dissemination and promotion of Spanish cinematography. It also seeks to contribute to the development of the city of Malaga.

The Night of San Juan

It has been celebrated since time immemorial in all corners of the world. Its origins are lost in time. But there is evidence that during this night, the celebration of the arrival of the summer solstice took place.

La Luna Mora de Guaro

The Festival of the Luna Mora de Guaro is one of the most anticipated events to enjoy the charm and magic that surrounds Guaro with its streets illuminated by candles, music and parades. It is celebrated in September and throughout the weekend there is the Villa de Guaro illuminated by 25,000 candles.

It is a must to visit the Moorish Souk, a meeting point for artisans from all over the world, the Delights Market where we can find agri-food products such as oils, pickles or chocolates in the area and the Avenida de los Mesones with a wide variety of dishes of Mediterranean gastronomy. The workshops we can attend are the candle-painting workshop, the Henna workshop, the oriental dance studio or the craft workshop, not forgetting the famous parades and important concerts in the Full Moon Auditorium.

The Malaga Fair

The Malaga Fair begins as every year the second week of August. For ten intense days, the city dresses up to celebrate the most important summer party. The kick-off takes place on Friday night at Malagueta Beach. Here, thousands of people from Malaga gather to enjoy the pyrotechnic show that kicks off the Malaga Fair. A whole week ahead to have the most fun and live an unforgettable experience. The Big Week of the capital of the Costa del Sol has the peculiarity of being developed in two spaces. The historic center is adorned with lanterns and floral decorations to receive the Day Fair, while the Real de Cortijo de Torres is open twenty-four hours. The Real is the neuralgic center of the Night Fair, although its activity also extends during the day.

The Holy Week

The Holy Week of Malaga is for the people of Malaga one of the most important dates of the annual calendar. The processions in Malaga surprise those who contemplate them for the first time because of their spectacularity. Tradition and fervor come together in this celebration. The Holy Week Transfers of Malaga begin unofficially about a week before Palm Sunday, with the first transfers, which are small processions in which there is usually a single throne of reduced dimensions in which the two owners go of the brotherhood, and almost always a band of music or similar. Their objective is to take the images of their temple to the Casa Hermandad, from where they make the real processional exit.

The Day of the Almond Tree

The Day of the Almond Tree of Guaro begins with some rural walks through the almond trees in bloom. It is celebrated in February and the routes are directed by specialized guides who will make an interpretation of the landscape and vegetation.

Once the routes are finished, visitors can enjoy the different bars and restaurants of the village, which will offer a varied culinary offer in which, of course, there will be plenty of dishes dedicated especially to almonds.

Throughout the day visitors can buy products from the Sierra de las Nieves region, visit an almond exhibition, walk through the old town and visit the various monuments and points of interest.

Flamenco, Folklore, Verdiales and Malagueñas

First, both are considered Malaga cantes, and have their origin in the Fandango of Malaga. But the Verdiales, are much older than the Malagueñas, being even recognized as the oldest conception of the Andalusian fandango. The Malagueñas, however, belong to a more recent period and its origin revolves around two eighteenth-century singers, Antonio Ortega Escalona, artistically named "Juan Breva" and Juan Manuel Reyes Osuna, "El Canario". Although these were the precursors of this modality, these are known as "transitional malagueñas". They were Enrique el Mellizo, Fosforito el Viejo and Chacón, who start with the "malagueñas nuevos", which represent an evolutionary leap in relation to the aforementioned.

Active tourism sports, adventures and hiking

Canyoning

You will enter the mountains, you will cross galleries and you will cross waterfalls in the light of the fronts. The Serrania de Ronda is the ideal place for the descent of ravines, since it is where the largest rock formations are concentrated. It is very close to the Natural Parks of Sierra de las Nieves, Alcornocales and Grazalema. In this area the water is abundant all year round, so it is ideal to start in the canyoning and enjoy a good dip in its pools and waterfalls.

Climbing

For lovers of freedom and mountain climbing is the ideal activity. From another perspective you can appreciate our natural values, accompanied throughout the tour by expert guides, belonging to approved companies, possessing accident insurance, civil liability and personal insurance.

Bike

The varied orography of the Costa del Sol is undoubtedly a perfect setting for bike lovers. Plain routes to the edge of the sea and other much steeper inland, its natural spaces and mountain landscapes ensure enjoyment whatever your level.

If we join the immense variety of landscapes, viewpoints and white villages in which to make a stop to rest or recover strength tasting some of the innumerable typical products of the interior of Malaga, touring the Costa del Sol by bicycle is, in addition to an activity Very healthy, a complete experience.

Bird watching

In the province you can see up to 380 different bird species, which makes this destination an ideal place to practice ornithological tourism. Located to the northeast of the region of Antequera, the Natural Reserve of the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra is the largest wetland and one of the most important in Europe. Declared a Special Protection Area for Birds and Natural Reserve, this natural paradise is the ideal place for the reproduction of dozens of birds, including flamenco. El Chorro is the ideal place to enjoy the flight of species as impressive as the vulture, Bonelli's eagle or the imposing golden eagle. Here is the largest colony of griffon vultures in the province of Malaga, as well as other threatened species such as the peregrine falcon.

Trekking

Imagine you're on vacation, you want to spend the morning on the beach, enjoying the sun, the sand, the sea and the bustle of the people. You dare to try Malaga's cuisine at a beach bar, and suddenly, you want to change the air. You do not want to be on the beach anymore, you want to go to the mountains, to spend a different and relaxed afternoon. You need to feel free, contact nature. It sounds like utopia, because in Malaga, it is possible. Going from the beach to the mountain in a matter of minutes is one of the pleasures of traveling to the Costa del Sol. And it is that 50% of the territory of Malaga is covered by Parks and Natural Sites, where there are plenty of Hiking Routes in Malaga. Incredible places that you never thought existed. The Caminito del Rey, the Montes de Malaga, the Torcal de Antequera. Do not stay without knowing everything that Malaga has to offer you.

The best beaches on the Costa del Sol

Benalmadena

The beaches of Benalmadena are well known for their quality and popularity during the summer months, although it is still possible to find natural beaches away from the urban area. Without a doubt, Benalmadena is a great place to stay during holidays, especially if you are looking for from a place near the sea to enjoy its beaches: Tajo de la Soga, Las Viborillas, Las Yuccas, Torrevigia, Bil-Bil Beach, Santa Ana Beach, Malapesquera Beach, Benalnatura nudist beach, Melilleros and Fuente de la Health.

Mijas

The proximity to Fuengirola and Marbella make Mijas a highly recommended place as a tourist destination throughout the year. In Mijas we will not only find incredible beaches but also a delicious culinary offer. The best beaches: Calahonda, Cabo Rocoso Beach, El Bombo Beach, La Cala Beach and El Faro Beach.

Marbella

Guadalmina. It is located in one of the most luxurious places of the Costa del Sol. This beach, surrounded by the golf course of Guadalmina. Blue Flag 2018.

El Faro. If you want to visit the Faro beach in Marbella we recommend that you park in the Plaza de la Constitucion and continue from there on foot. This 300 meter beach is very close to the center of Marbella. Blue Flag 2018.

Casablanca-Nagueles. The beach of Nagüeles has all kinds of high-class services, and with the best hotels and restaurants in the vicinity. In fact, not far away is a temple of haute cuisine, chef Dani Garcia's restaurant, Michelin Star. Blue Flag 2018.

Fuengirola

Playa Carvajal. Beach far from the center with youthful atmosphere. It extends from the breakwater of Torreblanca to the end of the municipality with an area of 1,200 meters.

Playa del Castillo. Great sandy area near the historical-artistic complex of the Sohail Castle that runs from the Fuengirola River to the municipality of Mijas, with an extension of 800 meters.

Playa Fuengirola. Located in the center of the city with easy access on foot. It extends from the Fuengirola River to the fishing and sports port, with a length of 1,650 meters.

Torremolinos

La Playa de los Alamos. It is one of the most frequented by young people looking for nightlife. Here you will find the beach clubs of fashion and fun throughout the day and much of the night.

Playa de La Carihuela. Cradle of sun and beach tourism, it is a reference in terms of beach bars. It is one of the most famous and busiest beaches in Spain, an old fishing district and an eminently tourist area.

Naturist beaches

Playa Guadalmar Malaga. It has seasonal beach bars, showers, telephones, beach cleaning and litter bins. The authorized Nudist strip is duly marked in its limits that warn that this part is Nudist.

Playa Cabopino Marbella. It has chiringuitos, restaurants, surveillance and signaling, Red Cross post, telephones, beach cleaning, litter bins, umbrellas and hammocks in the textile area, in the nudist area there is no service, said nudist area (unofficial) is known like Las Dunas.

Playa Belnatura Benalmadena. It has parking, chiringuito, showers, services, picnic area in wooded area with tables to eat, cleaning beaches and litter bins. This beach is also maintained and supervised by the Benalnatura Naturist Association.

Gastronomic Experiences direct to the palate

In January, Ardales celebrates its Fiesta de la Matanza where everything revolves around the pig. El Burgo pays homage to the typical soup of the seven branches at the end of February, a whole town preparing this soup based on bread and products from the garden. In April you can not miss Mondeña de Monda Soup Day. There you can taste this magnificent typical soup.

Pujerra and Yunquera celebrate in October and November their Festivities of the Chestnut where they begin their collection. Chestnuts and wine. In December Torrox dedicates one day to one of the most typical dishes of the Costa del Sol, the crumbs. For more than three and a half decades now, this town of La Axarquia has given its attendees a taste of its famous dish, made with wheat semolina flour.

Aloreña Olive Route

At the foot of the Sierra de las Nieves and the Guadalhorce Valley, in the white village of Alozaina, we will have the opportunity to get closer to the history of the Aloreña olive from Malaga with Protected Designation of Origin (D.O.P.). You can enjoy a tasty and healthy breakfast miller with organic products, visit a local museum of tools and customs.

Visit to ecological farm of centennial and millenary olive trees. We will visit an olive cooperative where we will discover the process of traditional preparation and seasoning. And we will finish with a tasting of Aloreña olive accompanied with Malaga wine and Malaga goat cheese.

Orange Festival in Coin

The city of Coin, title that receives since the beginning of the century, is one of the most emblematic municipalities of the Guadalhorce valley. Famous for its extensive orange and lemon farms, with its Fiesta de la Naranja, it commemorates the end of the harvest harvest that begins in October.

The festival is celebrated in the month of May with all kinds of activities that revolve around citrus and in which the orange becomes the essential ingredient in the preparation of traditional dishes that, that day, you can taste: natural juice freshly squeezed, salad of oranges with cod, desserts, and, of course, the soup "boiled", typical dish Coin.

Mondeña Soup Day

In Monda, a town that is part of the Natural Park of the Sierra de las Nieves, with the arrival of spring, celebrates its famous "Mondeña Soup Day".

This famous dish has its origins in the nineteenth century, and like many other typical dishes of the municipalities of Malaga, it was also usual food for those who worked in the fields or departed to the coal mines of Cordoba, for their great energy contribution. During the celebration it is cooked in a dornillo, traditional copper made of wood of chaparro and realized in a single piece.

The musical performances, the decoration of the streets and the market of handicraft and agri-food products typical of the area, contribute to the festive atmosphere of the day.

Pleasures, luxury and quality play golf, travel by yacht and shopping

Lobito de Mar in Marbella is an urban beach bar, a chiringuito without beach, a resalao bar. A restaurant like the usual, with a traditional menu where the product is the main protagonist. A place where the rice cook and the espetero do not lack in the equipment.

Beluga is a small gastronomic temple, a restaurant in the center of Malaga. With a scrupulous selection process, it pays tribute to the culinary traditions of the Mediterranean, using the most avant-garde culinary techniques resulting from the evolution of time and technology.

Boat Marinas

Puerto Banus Marbella. In Marbella, Puerto Banús is a nautical and tourist area especially recognized by all national and international visitors of the municipality of Marbella. Its large extension has led to it being almost a city within the town. Puerto Banús is synonymous with luxury, sport, glamor, commerce and an incessant activity in its shops and in the marina.

Puerto deportivo de Estepona. It is next to the beach of La Rada, the most frequented beach. When being next to the main streets of the municipality, it is a nucleus of activities in the summer season. It has a large commercial offer such as bars, restaurants and leisure areas. In 2018 he has been awarded the Blue Flag.

Golf Courses

Club de Campo La Zagaleta. In Benahavis located on the slopes of the mountains of Marbella. It has spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea that are the perfect gift for the eyes of the sports client and has numerous facilities exclusively for residents, partners and guests.

Atalaya Golf & Country Club - Old Course. In Estepona it was designed by Bernard von Limburgeren. Field with par 72 and 18 holes, exciting tour and spectacular views of the Sierra de la Concha, has a suitable route for both neophytes and golf professionals, since it has very flexible tees. It is one of the largest in Spain.

Luxury Shopping

The shops of Marbella are the luxury and comfort par excellence. Its magnificent services are a claim for thousands of tourists from all over the world, who visit the Mediterranean city every year to enjoy a climate without equal. Among the many facilities that are in the population of Malaga, without a doubt the shops of Marbella are one of its references.

Elite one of the most incredible stores in Marbella, where you can find all the international luxury brands in its two stores located in the heart of Puerto Banus. If you are looking for exclusive clothes and all the most important brands of the great designers this is your store, Elite with its two establishments in Puerto Banus represents the luxury and glamor of the great international fashion firms.

Traveling with children many family adventures

BioParc Zoo, Fuengirola

It is not only a zoo, but also a breeding center for animals in danger of extinction. Here you will not find elephants, but you can get close to a family of lemurs, see a centenary turtle, gorillas, tigers and crocodiles. Undoubtedly, one of the best family activities in Fuengirola.

Butterfly Park, Benalmadena

When you enter this Thai temple, you immediately feel like you are in an authentic jungle of Southeast Asia. Tropical plants, waterfalls, exotic animals and 1500 butterflies around you.

Sea Life Benalmadena

Sea Life Benalmadena is an aquarium located on the Costa del Sol. It is located in a building by Eduardo Oria at the entrance to the Puerto Deportivo de Benalmadena, in front of the watchtower of Torre Bermeja and next to the shopping mall Marina Shopping. It was inaugurated in 1995 as a conservation and protectionist center for sharks and more than 5,000 creatures from the Mediterranean, Atlantic and the tropical areas of the Indian Ocean, Pacific and Red Sea, and the most representative species of the Amazon. It consists of 25 aquariums divided into 9 rooms.

Learn about the amazing and complex biological cycle of jellyfish with samples of jellyfish Moon, blue, compass, gilthead, Cassiopeia and fire, and discover why its presence has multiplied in our coasts.

Selwo Aventura

Selwo Aventura is a theme park and zoo located in the municipality of Estepona. This park covers an area of 100 hectares and exhibits more than 2000 animals of different species from all continents. It offers leisure activities such as hanging bridges, camel rides, zip line and archery. It has educational and ludic classrooms for children. The park includes a hotel inside and accommodation in cabins.

All species of Selwo Aventura receive the highest standards of care to achieve their maximum welfare, always under the strict care of qualified personnel formed by veterinarians, biologists and caregivers. The varied orography and amplitude of the park allow animals to live in controlled environments that reproduce their original habitats.

Aqualand Torremolinos

Aqualand Torremolinos is fun and entertainment in the largest water park of the Costa del Sol and with a large number of water attractions among which we can find the latest addition, the 'Boomerang'. It has a restaurant, several shops, green areas, hammocks and even an 18-hole mini-golf course. Among the most popular attractions is a wave pool surrounded by grass and hammocks, a playground for children and a jacuzzi-type pool where you can relax as much as you want.

In the souvenir shop you can buy sunscreen cream in case you have forgotten your own (something essential), swimsuits, towels and other souvenirs so you do not forget to go through the park.

Crocodile Park

Located in Torremolinos, in Crocodile Park, you will find yourself before some prehistoric monsters. Some creatures that miraculously survive after 200 million years of evolution, carnivores that knew the dinosaurs and that use the same cold and relentless hunting techniques. Less than two meters away you can see giant crocodiles of different species of the world, passing by, silently, spying the secrets of one of the most fascinating creatures on earth.

Have you ever tried to catch a crocodile in your arms? In Crocodiles Park of Torremolinos it is possible! You will have the opportunity to see it from up close, take it in your arms and take the photo of this unforgettable experience.

Selwo Marina

Selwo Marina is a fauna and dolphinarium park located in the district of Benalmadena Costa, in the Malaga municipality of Benalmádena. It is a wildlife park with an extension of 1.67 hectares located on the Costa del Sol, next to the Parque de la Paloma and close to the promenade, the beach of Santa Ana, the Castle of El-Bil-Bil and the Hindu temple.

Among its facilities highlights its large pool for shows with the only Dolphinarium of Andalusia, where you can enjoy the numbers kept for all the smart and intelligent dolphins. In addition, in the park is Isla de Hielo, the only Ice Penguin in Andalusia. Numerous are the exhibited animals, in addition to dolphins and penguins, there are sea lions, exotic birds, dwarf crocodiles and snakes.