It is the sunny city that has been home to Pablo Picasso and Antonio Banderas and comes with nearly 3,000 years of history. But for a long time Malaga was seen as little more than a transit point for travellers fanning out to Andalusia’s glittering resort towns.
Now this much overlooked city is becoming a destination in its own right. It has spruced up its cobbled old town, revamped its port area and opened an abundance of museums and art attractions. Today Malaga is mentioned as a cultural hub in the same breath as Barcelona, garlanded with Michelin stars and liberally sprinkled with boutique hotels in charming historic buildings.
It’s a city where old and new rub shoulders without ceremony. The colourful glass cube of the Pompidou Centre — the first outside France and featuring works by Kahlo, Bacon and Ernst — stands proud on the port’s sleek promenade, where athletic locals jog past tourists browsing waterfront restaurants and shops (£7.50, centrepompidou-malaga.eu).
From modern to ancient: on the edge of the old town you’ll find a Roman amphitheatre right next to the remains of the Moorish Alcazaba palace-fortress, all elegant arched doorways, honeyed stone and lush gardens with bubbling water features (£4.50, alcazabamalaga.com).
The once-edgy neighbourhood of Soho, between port and river, has become known as the district of the arts. There are the free contemporary art shows at CAC Malaga (cacmalaga.eu), and Soho’s walls are daubed with colourful murals and stylish graffiti, part of a project to turn the city into a creative space with artists from around the world invited to contribute. It’s a joy to explore — pick up a map from the tourist office to help you find the latest pieces — but take it slowly, stopping off now and then at a hole-in-the-wall tapas joints for snacks and a cerveza
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It feels as though Picasso would have approved of all the efforts to turn Malaga into a city of art. Next year marks 50 years since his death and 20 years since Malaga dedicated a museum to one of its most beloved sons. The Picasso Museum is a grand 16th-century house set around an open courtyard in the traditional Andalusian style, and features works spanning 80 years of his artistic exploration, from cubist pieces to classic modernism, sculptures to paintings (£7.50, museopicassomalaga.org).
A short stroll away you can immerse yourself in one of the country’s most important collections of Spanish and Andalusian paintings at the Carmen Thyssen Museum, a sister gallery to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid (£8.50, carmenthyssenmalaga.org).
You won’t go far wrong if you aim to enjoy the city as the Malagueños do. That means breakfasting on just-cooked churros dipped in thick chocolate (try Casa Aranda on Calle Herreria del Rey); lunching on sardines cooked on sticks over open fires at the beach; and sipping sweet wine into the small hours at bustling patio bars and cafés.
Food is integral to understanding this city. You might join in with the locals browsing the fresh produce and stopping for tapas at the Mercado Central de Atarazanas, behind the grand 14th-century gate that was an entrance to the Moorish city. Or you might go for a more refined dining experience at the Michelin-starred waterfront José Carlos García (tasting menu from £105, restaurantejcg.com). It’s all part of how the city sees itself, and how it has reinvented itself.
Even Banderas has got in on the foodie action, having invested in El Pimpi (tapas from £4, elpimpi.com). The restaurant, his favourite in the city, is spread across a warren of rooms in an 18th-century house. It’s known for its traditional tapas of Iberian hams, fried aubergine with honey, gazpacho-style salmorejo soup and excellent wines — and the wine barrels, signed by famous visitors.
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The actor returns to Malaga every year to take part in the walk of the penitents, part of the traditional Holy Week processions that are some of the country’s most impressive. Robed groups bearing huge ornate statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus weave their way through the streets; it’s the busiest week of the year for hotels but make it along and you’ll be electrified.
Its famous sons aside, Malaga has plenty of its own star appeal, thanks to a clutch of new hotels. By the revamped port, there’s the art deco-style Only You, with its rooftop infinity pool overlooking city and sea (B&B doubles from £180, onlyyouhotels.com). In a modernista building in Soho, there’s the airy boutique hotel Icon Malabar (B&B doubles from £130, iconmalabar.com).
And tucked among fragrant pines above the bay, Castillo de Santa Catalina was built in the 1930s and feels like a Moorish palace with its terracotta walls, arched windows and tiled patios. It reopened recently as a five-star hotel after a multimillion-pound renovation with marble interiors, colourful textiles and dreamy sea views (B&B doubles from £172, hotelcastillosantacatalina.com).
Malaga’s climate and mountain-view setting lend themselves well to rooftop bars and you’ve loads to choose from — poolside at the AC Malaga Palacio hotel (marriott.com) or on the terrace at the hilltop Parador Gibralfaro (mains from £13, parador.es). Top off a cultural morning with a sun-drenched drink at the Museum of Malaga in a handsome palace building; the top-floor La Terraza de la Aduana has great views of the Alcazaba (museosdeandalucia.es).
And we’ve not even mentioned the beach! With 300 sunny days a year, it’s hard to ignore. Even if it’s not swimming weather, you can enjoy an alfresco lunch in the sunshine. Hire a bike and pedal along Malagueta Beach for a few kilometres until you reach the old fishing village of Pedregalejo, where you’ll find revamped fishermen’s houses and fantastic seafood restaurants; El Cabra is a book-ahead favourite (mains from £12, restauranteelcabra.es).
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Tuck into the catch of the day, paddle in the warm waters and ask yourself why you spent all those years dashing off along the Costa del Sol, when its best bits were right here all along.
Six more unsung Spanish spots
1. Lloret de Mar
Lloret de Mar gets a bad rap. And deservedly so. The Costa Brava beachfront is a heady jumble of high-rise hotels, souvenir shops, karaoke bars and puking teenagers. Standing here, you would never know you were within walking distance of some of the priciest property in Spain. Just a couple of kilometres away, the breathtaking Santa Clotilde sculpture gardens overlook the natural beaches at Fenals and Boadella, while Santa Cristina beach is home to one of the region’s loveliest hotels. With its idyllic sea-facing rooms, Hotel Santa Marta is the perfect place to be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves below.
Details Room-only doubles from £142 (hotelsantamarta.es). Fly to Barcelona
2. Alicante
For most of us, Alicante is little more than a jumping-off point en route to Torrevieja, Benidorm or Javea on the Costa Blanca. However, in recent years this ugly duckling of the Spanish Med has evolved into a travel destination in its own right. Apart from a burgeoning art scene and a swanky port, Alicante and its surrounds are turning into quite the gastronomic destination, with ten Michelin-starred restaurants along the coastline leading up to Denia. Stay at the new, adults-only Casa Alberola boutique hotel, in a beautifully restored historic building with unobstructed sea views.
Details Room-only doubles from £87 (hilton.com). Fly to Alicante
3. Barcelona
What do you think when you hear the word “Barcelona”? If your answer is raucous nightclubs and Las Ramblas, it’s time to think again. The city is eschewing its clubbing-till-dawn reputation and establishing itself as a start-up hub that attracts a mix of tech entrepreneurs and travellers who come in search of culture, architecture and food. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the post-industrial Poblenou district, where converted factories house digital agencies, avant-garde galleries and fashionable brunch spots. In April Barcelona’s most hotly anticipated new hotel, the Hoxton, Poblenou, opens in the neighbourhood.
Details Room-only doubles from £190 (thehoxton.com). Fly to Barcelona
4. Jerez de la Frontera
In Spain, sherry is called Jerez after Jerez de la Frontera, one of three key towns where it’s made. If you still think sherry is that sickly sweet tipple your granny used to sip, you might imagine Jerez to be a dowdy destination that’s the preserve of senior citizens. Neither could be further from the truth. Sherry, which ranges from very dry, to strong and almost brandy-like, to sweet and syrupy, is enjoying a renaissance, while Jerez is brimming with cool restaurants and hip, young wine connoisseurs. For the full sherry experience, stay at the gorgeous Hotel Bodega Tio Pepe in a 19th-century winery.
Details B&B doubles from £122 (tiopepe.com). Fly to Seville
5. Torremolinos
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Remembered by many for its inclusion in Monty Python’s Travel Agent sketch, Torremolinos remains popular with British retired people and sun-seeking holidaymakers. However, this cheap and cheerful spot on the Costa del Sol also has a growing claim to fame as an LGBTQ+ playground. The small town is home to more than 30 gay bars and clubs, while its eight-day Pride celebrations from the end of May draw some 50,000 people. Meanwhile, the annual Torremolinos Drag Queen Gala forms part of the town’s Carnival festivities. With its 540 rooms with private terraces and the fabulous rooftop pool, Melia Costa del Sol is affordable but stylish.
Details B&B doubles from £80 (melia.com). Fly to Malaga
6. Palma de Mallorca
Don’t confuse Palma de Mallorca with Playa de Palma. While the latter competes with Magaluf for the questionable accolade of being the number one beach and binge-drinking destination in the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca is Mallorca’s cosmopolitan capital. Packed with history, culture, trendy art galleries and a superb food scene, it is considered one of Spain’s most exciting — and sophisticated — cities. Soak up all the chicness at the exquisite Can Bordoy Grand House & Garden, a suites-only hotel in a 16th-century mansion with a lovely, leafy garden, hidden down one of the old town’s tiniest alleyways.
Details Room-only doubles from £252 (canbordoy.com). Fly to Palma de Mallorca
Isabelle Kliger
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