This web page uses its own cookies and the third-party cookies to collect the information which help us make the service as good as possible. By no means is our intention to use it for gathering personal data.

Cookies policy

Diputación > Lugar > Málaga

Diputación de Málaga
Málaga capital

Malaga is the capital of the Costa del Sol and one of the major cities in Spain, with an impressive history and an even more interesting present. Its old town, with its bustling harbour, has been declared a Historic Artistic Site and Site of Cultural Interest.

Malaga"s tourist offer is extensive. Its sixteen beaches and numerous leisure opportunities, sports or golf courses, combine with an attractive monumental heritage and network of world-class museums. Picasso's city is now a cultural centre of reference in Europe.

 

IN MALAGA DO NOT MISS

MONUMENTS

The Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle are the main legacy of Malaga's Arab past. These fortresses, built between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, represent one of the examples of the era's best preserved defensive architecture in Spain. You can get fabulous views of the city and the Mediterranean Sea from the castle, which dominates the top of the mountain of the same name.

At the foot of both fortifications the Roman Theatre is located. Built in the times of Emperor Augustus, it hosts shows in a unique environment. It also has an innovative interpretation centre to learn about the life and customs of Roman Hispania.

Nearby is the Catedral de Málaga or de la Encarnación. Designed by Diego de Siloé, other great masters of the Andalusian Renaissance such as Andrés de Vandelvira, Hernán Ruiz II and Diego de Vergara also participated in its construction. Among the jewels of art held in the temple are the tallas del coro [carvings of the choir], the work by Pedro de Mena.

Other examples of religious architecture are the iglesia de los Santos Mártires and the iglesia del Cristo de la Salud, the Palacio Episcopal and the flamboyant Gothic facade of the iglesia del Sagrario. The Basílica de la Virgen de la Victoria, patron of Malaga, with its rococo dome, is also worth a visit.

The capital of the Costa del Sol has a wide range of charming nineteenth-century buildings, such as the Teatro Cervantes, the Palacio de la Aduana or the Plaza de Toros de La Malagueta. Other nineteenth century buildings are the noble houses of the Alameda Principal, the Parque de Málaga and Calle Larios.

The city's most iconic street culminates in the plaza de la Constitución, presided over by the Renaissance style Fuente de Génova. From here you can admire the picturesque Pasaje de Chinitas, the Casa del Consulado and the Ateneo de Malaga, the old school where Picasso began to draw.

The most important cultural area of the capital is dedicated to the Malaga genius. Nestled in the Palacio de los Condes de Buenavista, built in 1520, the Museo Picasso Málaga is the answer to the artist's desire to exhibit some of his work in his hometown. The permanent collection is made up of more than two hundred paintings, sculptures and ceramics.

Next to the museum is the Casa Natal de Picasso (the artist's birthplace), on the corner of the Plaza de la Merced, and the iglesia de Santiago, where little Pablo was baptised in 1881. The temple was built on an ancient mosque and has a Moorish tower initially conceived as a minaret.

The city also has the privilege of having one of the most valuable painting collections in Spain: the Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga. Located in the Palacio de Villalon, there are more than two hundred works in the country's most representative collection of nineteenth century Andalusian art sample.

Another must for art lovers is the Centre Pompidou de Málaga, the first one built outside of France. This space is dedicated to avant-garde creations, in the same way as the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, housed in an old market near the river Guadalmedina.

With more than thirty museum spaces, the capital of the Costa del Sol has become a real benchmark. The Museo de Malaga located in the old building of the customs,The Museo del Vino, the Museo del Flamenco, the Museo Revello de Toro or the Museo del Automovilismo are just a few examples of this immense cultural network. Special mention must go to the Colección del Museo Ruso, San Petersburgo/Málaga, composed of one hundred works from the fifteenth and twentieth centuries which can be admired in the former Tabacalera.

A different visit may be to the Cementerio Inglés [English Cemetery]. This space was first conceived as a botanical garden and a promenade in the nineteenth century. Later it would be converted into a churchyard. The Irishman Robert Boyd was one of the first famous people to be buried in this cemetery. Also resting here are Gamel Woolsey the American writer and the Spanish scholar and British writer Gerald Brenan, among others. The Cementerio Inglés has been declared of Site of Cultural and Historical Heritage of Spain.

Geographic Data
Surface 394 km2
Altitude 8 m
Latitude 36º 43'
Length -4º 25'
Distance to Málaga City 0 km
Demographics
City 586384
Men 281265
Women 305119
Nationality Malagueños
Town Hall
Escudo de MálagaAvda. Cervantes, 4, 29016 
Links of interest
  • Image

    The Peña Juan Breva society, whose motto is "keep learning, protect purity, promote education", was founded in 1958 by Malaga’s municipal registrar, Francisco Bejarano Robles, as a place...

    Image

    This sculpture, which is dedicated to the famous painter and sculptor from Malaga, Pablo Ruiz Picasso, was made in bronze by Francisco Lopez Hernandez, representing the artist sat on a marble bench...

    Image

    PERIOD 20th century DESCRIPTION Formerly Hotel Miramar, and before that Hotel Príncipe de Asturias, this building was the work of the architect Guerrero Strachan, and was constructed from 1921...

  • Image

    El Palo Beach, in Malaga, lies between Pedregalejo Beach and El Chanquete Beach. This beach has been awarded the Blue Flag 2021. This is one of the many beaches that has been regenerated along...

    Image

    An excellent example of a private garden in one of Malaga’s classical residential districts, it also offers the opportunity to appreciate the various different styles employed in its execution.

  • Image

    Situated in a “basin” and surrounded by mountains, Malaga’s history has been difficult due to the communication problems it has with the inland areas as its only connection with other peoples was...

  • Image

    Designed by the Finnish architect Kosti Kuronnen, Guadalhorce, a par 72, is considered a long course with its 6.194 metres and 18 holes. The first nine holes are laid out over gentle slopes and...

Videos

Video

Long distance Mozarabic Way of St James. GR 245. Stage 01. Málaga - Almogía