Private, fixed-price transfers from Málaga Airport to the city and the resorts of the Costa del Sol — plus what to see and how to get into Málaga once you arrive.
Málaga–Costa del Sol Airport is the main international airport serving the Costa del Sol, and almost every holiday on this coast begins here. The airport lies 8 km south-west of Málaga and 5 km north of Torremolinos, and from there the coast runs in two directions. To the south-west, the resorts follow one another along the A-7: Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, then Marbella and Estepona. East of the city, the shore continues past Rincón de la Victoria and Torrox to Nerja. With the resorts spread so widely, the airport transfer is the one part of the trip worth settling before you fly.
Málaga itself deserves more than a glimpse from the motorway. Founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe. Above the port, the Moorish Alcazaba climbs Gibralfaro hill towards the castle on its summit, and the Renaissance cathedral and the Museo Picasso — Picasso was born in the city — are a short walk away. Further afield, the Caminito del Rey walkway clings to the walls of the gorge at El Chorro, and Ronda perches above El Tajo, the canyon that divides the town in two.
Gibralfaro hill, city centre
The Alcazaba is a palatial fortress from the time of Muslim-ruled Al-Andalus, begun in the 11th century and rebuilt several times up to the 14th, and one of the best-preserved alcazabas in Spain. Two walled enclosures, one inside the other, climb the hill above the port, with the palaces and their courtyards at the top. A walled corridor links it to the Castle of Gibralfaro, built by the Nasrid emir Yusuf I on the 130-metre hill above. Beside the entrance lie the remains of a Roman theatre from the 1st century AD.
Old town, city centre
Málaga Cathedral was built between 1528 and 1782 to plans by Diego de Siloe. The building and its interior follow the Renaissance tradition, while the façade is Baroque. Its north tower rises 84 metres, making it the second-highest cathedral in Andalusia after the Giralda of Seville. The south tower was never finished for lack of funds, which earned the cathedral its nickname, La Manquita — “the one-armed lady”. Inside, look for the Gothic altarpiece in the Chapel of Santa Barbara and the pair of 18th-century organs.
Calle San Agustín, old town
Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, and the museum dedicated to him opened in 2003 in the Buenavista Palace, built in the first half of the 16th century over the remains of a Nasrid palace. Its founding collection of 285 works was donated by members of his family and runs from early academic studies to cubism and his late reworkings of the Old Masters. Excavations during the conversion uncovered Phoenician walls and a Roman garum factory, now visible in the basement. The Plaza de la Merced, where Picasso was born, is 200 metres away.
El Chorro gorge, near Ardales
The Caminito del Rey is a walkway pinned to the steep walls of a narrow gorge at El Chorro. It was built between 1901 and 1905 so that workers at the hydroelectric plants could cross between the Chorro and Gaitanejo falls, and took its name after King Alfonso XIII walked it in 1921 to inaugurate the Conde del Guadalhorce dam. After years of decay and a long closure, it reopened in 2015 following restoration. Today it offers a 2.9 km walk along the side of the gorge, more than 100 metres above the river.
Inland, in Málaga province
Ronda sits in the mountains about 750 metres above sea level, divided in two by El Tajo, the canyon of the Guadalevín river. Three bridges cross it, and the tallest, the Puente Nuevo, stands 120 metres above the canyon floor. It was completed in 1793, after an earlier bridge on the same line collapsed in 1741. Its architect, José Martín de Aldehuela, also designed the town’s bullring, built in 1784 and one of the oldest in Spain, and Arab baths from the 13th and 14th centuries survive below the town.
Prices start from the lowest published fare for this airport and depend on the destination and vehicle class. Cancel up to 24 hours before pickup for a 90% refund.
Photo credits paolotrabattoni.it (CC BY 2.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Emilio Luque (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) · CEphoto, Uwe Aranas (CC BY-SA 3.0)
