After arriving back on the Spanish mainland from our long trip to the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura & Tenerife), our journey continues leisurely north along the Mediterranean coast. As next big stop we arrive in Málaga.

In Málaga we travel a little bit different than within the previous cities. Friends from Switzerland come to visit us and we spend a week together in this city. Accordingly, we have booked a place at an airport parking for Ben because we can stay in an apartment for a week.

If the camper should be parked well protected for a longer time, airports are a good starting point for camper traveler. With the monitored airport parking, we didn’t have to worry about a break-in or parking damage during this week. We paid a little under 10 euros per day, which was definitely worth it for the worry-free week. Plus, there is a free shuttle from the parking to the airport and back.

Historical center of Málaga

Our apartment for a week in Málaga is located right in the historic center. Really pleasant, out the front door and we are right in the pedestrian zone. This really has its charm for a contrast to our regular life in the van. The historic center of Málaga offers all facets of a city trip. Shopping, sightseeing and leisurely stops at restaurants as well as culture: Everything is within walking distance. All this is framed with beautifully preserved older buildings. This makes the stay even more enjoyable.
We enjoy the time together – we eat out in restaurants more often than usual, have plenty of time to talk, and can really savor the company. The city is particularly good for this, as the whole old town is dotted with many restaurants and tapas bars.

Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación

Of course, one or two sights must not be missed during our visit. In one week, we have enough time for it. The cathedral is a must for Mimi as usual. We stroll through the dimmed rooms of the cathedral.
The church was built in a very beautiful Renaissance style, but because of lack of money it was never completely finished. Even today, the lack of money is still an issue, for example, the roof urgently needs to be renovated, but although a large part is financed by taxpayers’ money, the finances are apparently not quite enough. With that one could ask for what are the entrance fees actually used.

Entrance fee: 8€/adult, 5€/child up to 17 years old
For visit of the roof additionally 3€
all year Mo-Sa 10.00-18.00 clock, Sun 14.00-18.00 clock

Alcazaba of Málaga

The fortress, or Alcazaba, is located directly adjacent to the historic center on a hill. The air is still pleasantly cool before noon, so we don’t arrive at the top completely drenched in sweat. The old rooms and restored ruins of the city fortress are impressive. But the view is also very exciting. We take the opportunity not only to look at the old fortress, but to look again and again at the Mediterranean Sea lying directly in front of us. The harbor is clearly visible from up here. This is a bit of a pity, because Málaga has a large industrial port, which clouds the scenery a bit since it is located directly on the coast in front of the historic center.

Attractions around Malaga

Málaga is ideally located as a starting point for exploring the surrounding area. There are many buses to the surrounding attractions and there are also many car rental agencies.
We opted for a car as it gave us more flexibility and allowed us to see more.

Nerja, Playa de Burriana

On the way to another village worth seeing close to the coast we pass by Nerja. This village is especially known because of the supposedly most beautiful beach on the whole Mediterranean coast of Spain: Playa de Burriana. We take a short look, for a bath it is still too early in the year. The beach promenade is filled with tourist restaurants and only a few are open at the beginning of March. The preparations for the tourist season are underway, but Nerja does not look very inviting to us.
Even the small, historic core of Nerja may not change anything. Faster than expected we are on the way to our actual destination: Frigiliana.

Frigiliana

This mountain village is probably the most well-kept, typical mountain village in all of Andalusia. It is located a few kilometers inland from the Mediterranean coast. The village itself is closed to tourist vehicles. We park directly below and climb up through the lovingly decorated alleys to the highest vantage point of the village.
The path leads us over old cobblestones past the white houses. Each house has shutters and doors painted in an individual, colorful shade. This is beautiful. But that’s not all: The inhabitants additionally pretty up the appearance of their village with many potted plants and lovingly prepared courtyards. This visit has many beautiful impressions in store for us. We almost can’t get enough of Frigiliana.
The view from the high vantage point over all the tiled roofs on the white houses with dense forest and the Mediterranean Sea in the background is breathtaking. We can only imagine the beauty of living in such a mountain village. You just have to cope with the huge streams of tourists in the summer. So that we can internalize the view for a moment longer, we treat ourselves to an aperitif on one of the terraces in the village. With that we let the stay in Frigiliana come to an end.

Ronda

Four of us in the rental car can take another experience from the surroundings of Málaga in Ronda. The Puente Nueveo is an impressive old bridge that connects the two parts of the city of Ronda. The gorge is extremely deep and therefore the view from the bridge down is really impressive. The city of Ronda can also convince with old buildings in its historic center and a pleasant Spanish flair. This place invites us to stay, but we want to go further on the same day. Therefore, we drive to the next destination.

Castillo de Castellar de la Frontera

The drive between Ronda and the Castillo de Castellar alone is worth a trip inland. Between Ronda and Catillo de Castellar lies the nature reserve Sierra de Grazalema. Correctly, the route does not go through the nature reserve, but exactly along the border of the nature reserve. This does not detract from the outstanding panorama on the approach. The hilly, partly barren landscape is interrupted again and again by typical white houses in small villages. The road is quite curvy because of the hills and besides the view is also interesting to drive on.
We reach the Castillo de Castellar at an advanced hour towards the end of the afternoon. In the flat, orange light the castle Castillo de Castellar de la Frontera towers down from the hill. The castle courtyard is freely accessible and we walk through the narrow streets between the buildings within the castle walls. However, the castle is still in tourist hibernation. The restaurants are not open during our visit, so we take in the many alleys and then continue on our way.
Especially worth mentioning is the view from the castle hill over the nearby lake Embalse del Guadarranque. The densely wooded hills around the lake with the beautiful play of shadows from the low sun create a unique panorama. For the castle and no less for the view, the detour to the Castillo de Castellar was well worth it.

Other attractions around Málaga

Caminito del Rey

We would have liked to experience this hike through an impressive river valley and over an old bridge together as a group of four. Unfortunately, we didn’t anticipate that this hike is fully booked on the one hand and that there is an entrance fee at all on the other hand. So unfortunately, we miss this experience. Important: Either a car or a guided bus trip is needed to get there, as the starting point of the hike is roughly 60km outside the city. And book at least 3 months in advance! During high season in summer possibly even earlier.

Alhambra – Granada

Another tourist magnet in the Málaga region is the Alhambra in Granada. It is an impressive Moorish style city castle in the next big city Granada. Planning is important here as well. This attraction is also fully booked during our visit to Málaga as we had not booked tickets in advance. Very unfortunate – so two impressive attractions fall away due to administrative hurdles.

Important when visiting Málaga: Book your tickets for the Caminito del Rey and the Alhambra in Granada in advance. Even in low season!

Málaga is an excellent city to stay in for a visit not only to the historic center but also to the surrounding attractions. Of course, there is much more to see and experience in Málaga itself than we describe here. However, we also enjoyed the day trips into the Andalusian countryside during our week in Málaga. We can definitely recommend a city trip to Málaga!