Málaga in 2 days
The castle by bus at nine, the Alcazaba downhill on the same ticket, the cathedral before 5.45 — and a Tuesday or a Monday that picks between the Pompidou and the Thyssen.
- How long
- 2–3 for the city
- Getting around
- The centre on foot
- Tickets
- Alcazaba and Gibralfaro together €10
A two-day plan for Málaga starts at the top of the hill: bus 35 runs to Gibralfaro castle, which opens at 9, and you walk down to the Alcazaba on the combined ticket, €10. The rest of the order is set by closing times — the cathedral lets in its last visitors at 5.45, the Pompidou is shut on Tuesdays and the Thyssen on Mondays — and on a Sunday after 2pm almost everything turns free.
The hill from the top, then Picasso and the cathedral
Bus 35 from the Paseo del Parque to the last stop, by Gibralfaro castle, which opens at 9. A ticket for both monuments is €10, for one alone €7.
Downhill on foot to the Alcazaba, on the same ticket. That way you skip the climb in the sun.
The Roman theatre at the foot of the Alcazaba — free, closed on Mondays.
The Picasso Museum, €13; tickets are sold online. It opens 10 to 7, until 8 in July and August and until 6 from November to February, with last entry half an hour before closing.
The cathedral, €10 with an audio guide. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing: 5.45 on weekdays, 5.15 on Saturdays; on Sundays it opens only from 2 to 6.
The birthplace on Plaza de la Merced, €3, open every day until 8, so it goes last.
Soho, one museum by weekday, the port and espeto
Soho, the mural quarter between the port and the Alameda — outdoors and free.
The Centre Pompidou (€9, 9.30 to 8) or the Carmen Thyssen Museum (€12, 10 to 8). The weekday decides: on Mondays the Thyssen is shut, so it is the Pompidou; on Tuesdays the other way round.
Muelle Uno and the waterside walk out to the lighthouse.
La Malagueta, the city beach just past the port.
Espeto at a chiringuito on the beach.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When are the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro free?
On Sundays from 2pm until closing — 8pm from April to October, 6pm in winter. On other days one monument is €7, both €10.
How do you get to Gibralfaro castle?
On bus 35 from the Paseo del Parque to the last stop, right by the castle. Coming back you walk downhill, straight into the Alcazaba.
The Pompidou or the Thyssen?
The Pompidou is modern art and shuts on Tuesdays; the Thyssen is nineteenth-century Spanish painting and shuts on Mondays. Both are free on Sundays from 4pm.
Ready for Málaga?
Where to next
What to eat in Málaga
→Sardines on a cane, fish fried to be eaten with your fingers, and sweet wine from the barrel — food that is…
Granada · 89 km
→The Alhambra above the city, and a tapa that comes with your drink
How well does Málaga suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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