Malaga - City Card
Eating
Budget: El Tintero (El Palo, next to Club Nautico),
big, busy fish restaurant where you grab anything you like as all fish costs
the same price; La Cancela (d/Denis Belgrano 3), Malaga institution with a
cheap daily menu and outdoor tables; La Borrata (c/Alcazabilla) offers a three-course
meal for 5 Euros; Orellana (c/Moreno Monroy 5), one of the best tapas bars
in town.
Mid-Range: Al-Yamal (c/Blasco de Garay 3), delicious
north African cuisine; Clanedestino (c/Nino de Guevara 3), a relaxed atmosphere
and good Mediterranean cuisine.
Luxury: Antonio Martin (Paseo Maritimo), one
of Malaga’s most desirable fish restaurants, frequented by local matadors
after victorious bullfights; Parador Gilbralfaro (Monte Gilbralfaro), luxurious
hotel restaurant with panoramic views from terrace; Adolfo (Paseo Maritimo
Pablo Ruiz Picasso), a stylish restaurant with an innovative menu; Bodegas
El Pimpi (c/Granada), set in a 200-year-old convent.
Drinking
Budget: There are lots of atmospheric and cheap
bars (serving tapas) near the cathedral. The student (hence cheap) bars are
around Calle Granada, Plaza de la Merced and Plaza de Uncibay – look
out for ZZ Pub, (c/Tejón y Rodriguez), Warner Bar (Plaza de los Martinez)
and La Botellita (c/Alamos 38).
Mid-Range: Try the pina coladas at Cantina Cubano
(c/Granada); Puerto Oscura (Calle Molino Larios, 5), great place to end the
evening amid its chandeliers, palm trees and sofas; La Casa Guarda (c/ Pastora,
on the Alameda), the oldest bar in Malaga with 20 barrels of local wines on
offer; El Trillo (c/Esparteros 8), the place to sample local sherries, hams
and cheese.
Luxury: Parador Gibralfaro (Monte Gilbralfaro),
luxurious hotel bar with stunning views over the bay. For star-studded bars,
head to Puerto Banus further west along the coast, with bars such as The Navy
Club, Joy’s Bar or Sinatra’s, overlooking the luxury yachts. Just
west of Malaga is Benalmadena Port, which has upmarket clubs and bars such
as Fortuna Nightclub at the Hotel Torrequebrada.
Things To See And Do
-Take a stroll down the Alameda Principal, the tree-lined promenade in the
centre of Malaga. Or see the city in style by horse-drawn carriage.
- Laze on the nicest nearby beach, El Pedregalejo, and eat fish from one of
the beachside shacks.
- Look around the two Moorish fortresses, Alcazaba, and higher up the hill
with magnificent views, Gibralfaro.
- Sample a typically Spanish flamenco club – there are lots around,
but don’t turn up early as they get going around midnight.
- Eat seafood tapas in one of Malaga’s many tapas bars.
- Explore the city’s old quarter, including the cathedral and Picasso’s
childhood home.
- See a bullfight at Malaga’s Plaza de Toros – still a very active
bullring.
- Stroll around the tropical gardens of the Jardin Botanico La Concepcion,
just north of the city.
Shopping
Spain’s biggest department store – and the second biggest in Europe
– is El Corte Ingles, and you’ll find a branch right opposite
the train station in Malaga.
The main shopping area is around Calle Marques de Larios, near the cathedral.
Along the coast, there are various big commercial centres. On the way to Marbella,
you pass the Centro Canada, with stores such as Zara, Mango, Benetton and
Body Shop.
There is also a branch of Mango in Malaga (calle Larios 1).
Between Malaga and Torremolinos is the new leisure complex with 70 restaurants,
bars, cinemas, a gym and gift shops and soon to come is an even more enormous
shopping centre.
If markets are more your thing, they take place in all the main towns along
the coast, usually in the mornings until about 2pm, and sell ceramics, leatherware,
jewellery and baskets. Fuengirola has a flea market every Saturday morning,
selling everything from porcelain and fans to local wines, hams and cheeses.
Malaga’s Mercado Central, north of the Alameda, is set in a wonderful
19th century building.
Ronda is the town for antiques, especially furniture.
Beyond The City
- Visit Nerja, one of the most attractive towns on this entire coastline and
still with a very Spanish feel in its old backstreets of shops and whitewashed
houses.
- From Nerja, drive to Frigiliana, taking in stunning mountain panoramas on
the way.
- Antequera, on the direct train route north from Malaga, is another typically
Spanish town and it has more historic monuments per square metre than anywhere
else in Spain. On its doorstep are the magnificent dolmen caves at El Chorro
limestone gorge.
- If you’re after lively seaside town and lots of nightlife, west of
Malaga is the real Costa del Sol, with huge resorts such as Fuengirola, Torremolinos,
Marbella and the yacht-owning millionaires’ playground of Puerto Banus.
- Mijas, although spilling further down the mountainside with each passing
year, is still a charming white-washed hilltop town of narrow cobbled streets.
- - The Parque Acuatico Mijas, a waterpark with numerous pools and slides,
is open from April-September.
- Visit Andalucia’s spectacular historic cities of Seville, Granada,
Cordoba or – nearest to Malaga – Ronda, which is perched on a
hilltop town with striking views for miles across the valley.
- For a completely different kind of coastline, with deserted beaches and
big waves, continue west to the Costa de la Luz on the Atlantic Ocean.
Cost Of Living
33cl bottle of beer - €1
One-litre bottle of mineral water - €0.90
36-exposure colour film - €7.50
City-centre bus ticket - €1.10
Adult football ticket - €20
Three-course meal with wine/beer - €12
Key Phrases
Please, thank you – Por favor, gracias
How much? – ¿Cuanto es?
Good morning/afternoon/night – Buenos
dias/buenas tardes/buenas noches.
Excuse me – Perdon
How are you? – ¿Como esta?
I don’t understand – No entiendo
Do you speak English? – ¿Habla
usted ingles?
I don’t speak Spanish – No hablo
espanol.
I would like… - Quisiera…
Is there a bank/post office near here? –
¿Hay un banco/correos cerca de aqui?
Do you have…? – ¿Tiene…?
The time – la hora
A double room – una habitacion con
cama matrimonial.
Where is…? – ¿Donde esta…?
The train station – la estacion de
ferrocarril
The bus station – la estacion de autobuses
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