Málaga
A museum city on the Mediterranean, with a neoclassical customs house full of paintings, starred kitchens in the old Jewish quarter, Bardal's two stars inland at Ronda, and Andalusia's busiest international airport fifteen minutes away.
- Arrival
- Málaga-Costa del Sol · AGP
- To the city
- About 15 to 20 minutes to the centre by car
- Private jets
- General aviation terminal, open 24 hours
- Best time
- May to October
The city
Museums by the harbour, coals in the lanes.
Málaga has become a city to walk between galleries. The Picasso Museum stands in the lanes of the old Jewish quarter; the Palacio de la Aduana, an eighteenth-century customs house on its square, now holds the Museo de Málaga; the Centre Pompidou has a branch here too, close to the beach at La Malagueta. Between them, the Atarazanas market feeds the kitchens of the centre.
Four kitchens in the centre hold a MICHELIN star, from Dani Carnero's slow coal cooking at Kaleja to Blossom on the top of the Aduana, and inland at Ronda, Bardal holds two. Six warm months run from May to October, with afternoons of 22 to 30 °C and barely a shower in high summer.
Arriving
Two runways and a terminal that never closes.
Málaga-Costa del Sol lies eight kilometres south-west of the city, between the centre and Torremolinos. It is the busiest international airport in Andalusia, open around the clock, with two runways of 3,198 and 2,749 metres.
- Madrid 55 min
- Barcelona 1 h 20
- Dublin 2 h 45
- Abu Dhabi 7 h 45 long-range jet
- São Paulo 10 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
May to October.
Sun for half the year and a soft winter. From May to October expect highs of 22 to 30 °C, under 20 millimetres of rain a month from June to September, and the sea at 22 or 23 °C in high summer. Even in January the afternoons reach 14 °C, but November to February bring most of the year's rain.
- 14° J 79 15°
- 16° F 74 15°
- 17° M 60 15°
- 19° A 47 16°
- 23° M 30 17°
- 27° J 17 20°
- 30° J 4 22°
- 30° A 6 23°
- 27° S 18 22°
- 22° O 58 19°
- 18° N 97 17°
- 15° D 89 16°
What to see and do
Days in and around Málaga.
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Landmark
Museo Picasso Málaga
The painter's museum, in the old Jewish quarter a few steps from Kaleja.
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Landmark
Palacio de la Aduana
A neoclassical customs house of the eighteenth century, now the Museo de Málaga, with a starred restaurant on its fourth floor.
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Landmark
Mercado de Atarazanas
The old market of the centre, a few steps from Palodú, which the MICHELIN inspectors call legendary.
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Culture
Alcazaba and Castillo de Gibralfaro
Built in the 11th century for King Badis of Granada, the Alcazaba climbs the hill above the Roman theatre, with the 14th century Gibralfaro castle guarding it from above.
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Culture
Centre Pompidou Málaga
Opened in 2015 beneath a glass cube on the port, this outpost of the Paris museum shows 20th and 21st century art and two or three exhibitions a year.
Official site -
Culture
Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga
In the 16th century Palacio de Villalón, more than 200 works trace Spanish and Andalusian painting of the 19th century, from Fortuny to Sorolla.
Official site -
Opera & music
Teatro Cervantes
Since 1870 the city's principal stage, where the Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga gives its subscription concerts alongside dance and theatre.
Official site -
Nature
Jardín Botánico Histórico La Concepción
Laid out around 1855 by Jorge Loring and Amalia Heredia, the garden holds about 2,000 species across 25 historic hectares at the northern edge of the city.
Official site -
Nature
Caminito del Rey
A 7.7 km route whose footbridges hang almost 100 metres above the Guadalhorce river in the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes gorge.
Official site -
Golf
Parador Málaga del Golf
Málaga's oldest course, built in 1925 to a Tom Simpson design, now has 27 holes, nine of them links holes beside the beach.
Where to stay
Palaces in the centre, estates in the hills.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- La Zambra Resort The former Byblos, reborn around cloistered patios with arches, fountains and palms, with one MICHELIN Key.
- Finca Cortesin A country estate at Casares, on the 2026 list of MICHELIN Keys.
- Gran Hotel Miramar A seafront palace of about a century, with 200 rooms in Moorish, Classic and Modernist styles and a Sisley spa.
- Finca La Donaira A country estate near Montecorto, new to the MICHELIN Keys with one Key in 2026.
- Palacio Solecio An eighteenth-century palace joined to its neighbour, with 116 rooms, a year-round pool and a tower suite with its own terrace.
- Cristine Bedfor Málaga Twenty-seven rooms in a rebuilt nineteenth-century mansion on one of the oldest streets in the city.
Where to dine
Four stars in the centre, two at Ronda.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Bardal Two Michelin stars Creative €€€€ José Aparicio, Ronda
- Kaleja One Michelin star Contemporary €€€ Marquesa de Moya, Jewish quarter
- Blossom One Michelin star Contemporary €€€€ Palacio de la Aduana
- José Carlos García One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Vélez Málaga, near La Malagueta
- Palodú One Michelin star Contemporary €€€€ Sebastián Souvirón, near Atarazanas
- Sollo One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Reserva del Higuerón, Fuengirola
Elsewhere in Spain
More reasons to come.
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Madrid
The Prado, late dinners, and the capital's long nights.
- Barcelona Gaudí, the old town and the city beaches.
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Marbella
The old town, the Golden Mile and Puerto Banús, under La Concha.
- Ibiza Coves and the old town by day, the island's clubs by night.
- Palma de Mallorca A cathedral city on its bay, with the coves of Mallorca all around.
- Seville Moorish palaces, orange trees and flamenco in the capital of Andalusia.
- Valencia The City of Arts and Sciences, the old silk exchange, and paella at its source.
- San Sebastián La Concha bay, and one of the great food cities of Europe.
- Bilbao The Guggenheim on the river, and the Basque coast beyond.
Flying to Málaga?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.