Where to stay in Málaga
Five places to sleep in Málaga, from the old centre to the fishing villages in the east, plus the streets by the station for anyone arriving by train.
- First visit
- The old centre: the museums
- For art
- Soho: murals
- For the sea
- La Malagueta on foot
Málaga has no bad district to avoid, only three ways for the days to run: you sleep among the sights in the old centre, you sleep by the sea at La Malagueta or further east, or you sleep by María Zambrano station, where the trains, the metro and the airport line meet. Each choice saves one kind of trip and costs another, so decide first whether your days climb to the Alcazaba and the museums or turn sideways to the beach.
The metro reached the centre in March 2023, when the Guadalmedina and Atarazanas stations opened, but it does not run east: Pedregalejo and El Palo are served by city buses, lines 3 and 11 from the Alameda Principal. La Malagueta lies in the same district as the old centre and is reached on foot.
Everything you came to see
The Picasso Museum, the cathedral and the small birthplace house on Plaza de la Merced all stand inside the old centre, and bus 35 to the hilltop Gibralfaro castle leaves from the Paseo del Parque on its edge. If you sleep here, the day starts on foot and needs no timetable, and the walk back after the last museum is short. The price is the beach, which is not at your door: La Malagueta is the nearest sand, and the fishing-village chiringuitos in the east need a bus.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
For days given to museums
Soho covers about twenty hectares in the part of the centre called Ensanche Heredia, beside the port, the Alameda Principal and the park. Its walls were painted by Obey, ROA and Faith 47 under the MAUS project. That is why it is also called the Barrio de las Artes. The CAC Málaga, a centre for contemporary art, the Teatro del Soho and the Museo de la Imaginación, opened in 2018, are all here. If you come for contemporary art and murals rather than for the Alcazaba, this is where you sleep.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
The city and the beach in one step
La Malagueta is a triangle of land pushing out into the sea between the east pier of the port and the city beach, with the La Farola lighthouse at its tip. The beach was widened with imported sand in 1990.
Most of the quarter went up in the 1960s, in tall blocks built without a prior plan. The streets are therefore narrow, the population dense and the public space scarce. If you want to walk from your room straight to the sea without a bus, this is the shortest way, and the Muelle Uno promenade and the lighthouse lie right beside it.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Pedregalejo and El Palo: the fishing villages in the east
These are the former fishing villages east of the centre, with small coves and chiringuitos that serve pescaíto frito. Pedregalejo is also known for one of the largest concentrations of Spanish-language schools in the country. There is no metro, so you ride bus 3 or 11 into the centre, both of which pass the Alameda Principal. The Alcazaba and the museums are a ride away, not a walk. Choose it if the sea is why you came and the old town is only a day out.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
By María Zambrano station: for people arriving and leaving
The station is about two kilometres from the port and about nine from the airport. The fast AVE, Iryo and Avlo trains to Madrid stop here, a journey of 2 hours 25 minutes, along with metro lines 1 and 2, the C1 line to the airport and, next door, the long-distance bus station.
That makes it a good base for day trips without a change in town. It is not a quarter to stroll in, since the centre is a metro ride away at Atarazanas. If you arrive late or leave early, this is the practical choice.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Where to next
What Málaga costs
→In Málaga the room sets the bill, and the gap between a neighbourhood bar and the tourist zone shows on every glass.
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.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Málaga
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Where should I stay in Málaga on a first visit?
In the old centre: the Picasso Museum, the cathedral and the birthplace are inside it, and bus 35 to Gibralfaro castle leaves from its edge. The beach is further off, La Malagueta being the nearest.
Does the metro go to the beach?
No. The metro runs to Atarazanas in the centre and does not reach La Malagueta, Pedregalejo or El Palo. For the eastern beaches take bus 3 or 11 from the Alameda Principal.
Where do I sleep if I arrive by train?
By María Zambrano station, where the AVE, the metro and the C1 line to the airport stop and the bus station is next door. For the centre, take the metro to Atarazanas.
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