Since arriving in Madrid, I’ve heard people gush nonstop about Malaga. People here to teach English want to live and teach there; people from there can’t wait to move back. Two of my roommates are from a nearby town and talk about it all the time. So, on a random night of searching Skyscanner, I decided to look into it. Two days later, I’d booked the train and hostel for a quick weekend trip to Malaga!
I ended up going the first weekend of Festival Malaga, a yearly film festival where I was bound to see some of my favorite Spanish actors and potentially screen a few movie previews. *Spoiler: I saw two red carpets and a few actors I love, but I didn’t get to screen any movies!*
Here’s a look at my weekend trip to Malaga. I’d recommend pretty much everything I did, but I have a more concise post here.
Day 1.
The first day was really just Thursday evening. I hopped on a train after work and arrived in Malaga at about 9 pm. After checking in to the hostel, I popped over to a bar they recommended called Casa Lola. Since I was alone, I went directly to the bar. Thank goodness I did! Within half an hour there was a line and the place was packed! I ordered the salmorejo, a slider and their ensalada rusa (potato salad with tuna).
Between my workday, the train ride and two beers, I ended up calling it a night after that.
Day 2.
Friday morning began with a search for good coffee and churros. That’s the first thing I love trying in a new Spanish city, the local churro situation! People and the interweb recommended several places, so I had more than one stop to make during my stay. I ate churros, chocolate and an Americano at Cafe Central, probably the most popular spot. It was a great choice but the one coffee wasn’t enough, so after walking up and down the streets a bit I popped into Dulces Dreams for another Americano.
Churros, chocolate and coffee at Cafe Central 
My delicious Americano at Dulces Dreams 
The view from Dulces Dreams! 
Breathtaking street art 
After finally feeling the effects of the coffee, I decided to head to my first big stop of the trip: the Gibralfaro. The Gibralfaro is actually a castle atop a hill with the same name, built in 929 AD. I definitely underestimated the hike and how hot it was going to get that day, so doing the hike midday (in jeans!) wasn’t exactly my smartest move. Then, once I got to the top I realized you can only pay in cash…which I didn’t have! So there I was, hot, sweaty and truly annoyed.
View of the city center behind me on the way up to Gibralfaro 
View of the ocean from the hike up! 
Stunning gardens at the foot of the Gibralfaro 
My next move was to go to the other thing people love about Malaga: the beach. I walked back down from the Gibralfaro over to Muelle Uno and the Malaga Port. Honestly, it’s right out of a postcard. There are shops, cafes and restaurants all lining the port and a really wide boardwalk filled with locals, students and tourists alike. I walked down the port, towards the lighthouse and around to La Malagueta, Malaga city’s beach.
Muelle Uno, by Malaga Port 
Walking the boardwalk
The beaches of Spain are known for their beach restaurants, called chiringuitos, where they typically serve local seafood and traditional foods. Since I’d made it to the beach, I decided to go for lunch at a chiringuito. I ordered the langostinos pil pil (garlic shrimp) and boquerones fritos (fried anchovies) with a beer. Now I’m not the biggest seafood aficionado, but it was delicious! Plus, eating right on the beach to live flamenco guitar was a really nice touch. Realistically I don’t know that one chiringuito is better than another, but I enjoyed this one!
shrimp and fried anchovies at Chiringuito Miami Beach
After walking the length of the beach, it was time to walk back up to my hostel, to shower and get ready for that evening’s red carpet at Teatro Cervantes! The red carpet was a really interesting experience, seeing famous actors, directors and the occasional Spanish Youtuber up close and personal. After experiencing the red carpet, I wandered around the city streets before deciding on Bar El Pimpi for dinner.
Teatro Cervantes set up for the Festival Malaga red carpet 
ensalada Malaguena and salmorejo 
fried eggplant, yum!
So here’s the thing about El Pimpi. The original restaurant is traditional and definitely an awesome experience, but it is always busy. Every single person I spoke to about Malaga recommended it to me so it was a no-brainer. I just had to go! Fortunately they’ve expanded into several large covered patio areas, so I was seated rather quickly outside. As usual, I chatted with the server about his favorites and recommendations, and a few other servers also stopped by to give me theirs! I settled on a local beer, berenjena frita (fried eggplant), ensalada malagueña (malaga-style potato salad), and salmorejo (a cold soup kind of similar to gazpacho). Y’all. THE SALMOREJO. This was only my second time ever trying this dish and let’s just say it became a summer staple in Madrid! So good! Everything was delicious, the service was great and the vibe was lovely. 10/10 recommend.
Day 3.
After all the walking Friday, Saturday morning meant a later start. Also, realizing I need more fuel than just churros, I stopped by Dulces Dreams again to have a slightly heartier breakfast of salmon and avocado on toast, plus their delicious Americano. After that, it was back to the Gibralfaro! This time I was much more appropriately dressed and ready with cash in hand! I hiked up a different way, getting views of the city rather than the water.
Once I reached the Gibralfaro, I marveled. Seriously. This was someone’s home once. I imagined myself as a kid playing in the garden, walking around the fortress walls, lazing about reading a book. (Their lifestyle may not have been that glamorous, but still, a girl can dream!) I meandered for about 2 hours, took lots of photos, chatted with some fellow Americans and made my way back down the hill to the Alcazaba.
Entrance along the front wall 
Gardens within the walls 
Watchtowers 
View of the city protected by Gibralfaro 
Panorama of the walls and gardens within
The Alcazaba is connected to the Gibralfaro; one of the walls leads to a staircase down from the Gibralfaro to the Alcazaba. Sadly that’s closed now, probably in order to preserve the stairs, or maybe because they don’t have a railing and a silly mistake could lead to a deathly fall! Either way, getting from the Gibralfaro to the Alzacaba meant walking back down to ground level and walking slightly uphill to the Alcazaba’s main entrance.
The entrance is also next to the Roman ruins, so you get a nice view of those as well! I’m going to be completely honest: the Alcazaba wasn’t super impressive. The architectural style is similar to that of the Alhambra in Granada, but on a much smaller, less grandiose scale. I expected that before arriving, but I overheard several people make the comparison, and I feel like it’s an unfair one to make. If you consider the Alcazaba alone, it’s actually beautiful and kind of reminded me of the secret garden. Jasmine was flowering everywhere, so it smelled amazing! There were also several other species of flowers, trees and bushes, and it did feel like you were far away from the city! The Alcazaba also had small towers, which mostly served as nice viewpoints to the city center and ocean. I spent about an hour here, wishing I could’ve brought a picnic to eat in the garden.
Just inside the entrance of the Alcazaba 
Alcazaba walls and gardens 
Alcazaba, looking like the secret garden 
Attempt at capturing the interesting arches 
Atop one of the towers, with the Alcazaba in the background 
Stunning Alcazaba
Visiting the Alcazaba made me realize how much of the city center I really hadn’t seen, so I started walking through the winding streets. I was really warm and hungry, so I decided to do dessert and lunch. Yes, in that order! Dessert was the Ferrero Rocher ice cream with Ferrero Rocher melted topping at Martonela. Y’all. I’ve been craving and dreaming that ice cream ever since. Seriously. I ended up getting lunch at Batik, the restaurant above my hostel. I craved a burger and fries, so I opted for their burger (don’t remember which one) and patatas bravas. Let’s just say I slipped into a happy food coma before showering and getting ready for that evening’s red carpet!
The red carpet that evening was the one I was most excited for, as they were premiering “A Pesar de Todo” (called “Despite Everything” in English). It features four of the most popular Spanish actresses of the moment, and my skin/style icon, Blanca Suarez. Let’s just say I got selfies, smiled a ton and walked away a happy fangirl. I was actually a little overwhelmed and it was late, so I was lucky when I randomly found Taqueo, a Mexican restaurant primarily focusing on tacos! The manager was super friendly and impressed with all my knowledge of Mexican food, so he recommended some tacos and brought over the special sauces only true spicy-food-lovers can handle. I ordered the agua fresca de tamarindo (like a tamarind water/juice) and four tacos: the tinga de pollo, pastor, nopal, and cochinita pibil.
I walked home happy and full!
Day 4.
Sunday morning was my last opportunity to try churros, so I stopped by Casa Aranda, a local cafe someone had recommended. Did you know that the definition of churro varies depending on the city? Me either! I ordered churros and got what we’d call in Madrid porras. When I asked, they said what I wanted was a ‘churro Madrileño,’ or Madrid churro. Now I know!
After breakfast, I walked around the Malaga Cathedral, but didn’t go inside as I didn’t have time to attend a full service. I stopped for more coffee, ended up sort of running into my favorite Spanish actor, Mario Casas, and headed back to the hostel. I had a few hours to kill before my train that evening and work to catch up on, so it ended up being a fun, yet productive Sunday!
Overall I loved Malaga. The weather was wonderful, the people were nice and the food was good. I’m definitely going to try and take a second weekend trip to Malaga to enjoy more of the museums, nightlife and beaches!
Tips for Travelers:
- Malaga is actually the capital city of the province of Malaga, in the region of Andalucia. Something to be aware of when travel planning, as some things are in other cities within Malaga region but not Malaga city!
- I dedicated a large chunk of my trip to experiencing Festival Malaga, so both Friday and Saturday nights I spent at the red carpet events. I’m planning on another weekend trip to Malaga to explore the museums and nightlife!
- Pay attention to the weather. Malaga has gorgeous weather, but it does have have pretty chilly mornings and evenings. The temperature would climb at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit for the large part of the day. Definitely something to keep in mind when packing. Bring layers!
- Malaga city center is a fairly small area, and it’s very touristy, which can make it hard to know which restaurants are worth it and which ones aren’t. I’d recommend doing some research beforehand!
- When it comes to accommodation, it depends on what you want to do while you’re there. For me, staying close to the Alcazaba was well worth it, even though it was about a 15 minute walk to the beach. If I were planning a trip strictly to go to the beach, I would’ve stayed closer to that area. Again, do some research!
- Restaurants in Spain generally don’t seat you, unless they’re full or it’s a fancier establishment. When I went to Casa Lola, for example, I saw they were full but there was a spot at the bar. A couple walked in after me and waited around the front of the restaurant to be seated and the couple after them saw a table and grabbed it. It can be kind of a free-for-all, so be aware!
- The Gibralfaro is cash only, so be aware! You can also buy a ticket that includes the Alcazaba, but you have to visit both on the same day. Realistically that’s the ideal way to see them both, and you save a little time in line if you buy the pack!
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