48 Hours Exploring The City Of Malaga, Spain
I had been dying to go to Malaga, Spain for about a year or so before I was actually able to go. When I finally got there I wasn’t disappointed. Hard not to be excited with 300 days of sunshine and beauty all around. My friends and I tried to do the most that we could in 48 hours even splitting up to achieve that as a couple of them had visited Malaga before.
As soon as we arrived we took a taxi into the city center. The ride was about 20 minutes. The streets are so small and narrow in Malaga’s city center that cars can’t go down certain streets. So the taxi dropped us in the middle and told us we had to walk to our apartments. We definitely weren’t the only ones. Every time we walked around the city center we saw people rolling and lugging their luggage to and from their accommodations.
It took awhile, but we finally found the apartment before my friend’s phone died. The apartment was in the heart of it all. Once we found it, it was hard not to find again. Even just wandering around we always ended up on or around the block. I found our apartment on Airbnb. It was a nice 2 bedrooms place. My room had plenty of natural light. Only downside to it was all the noise at night when trying to sleep.
After settling in a bit we got a little bread and ham from a restaurant and then took a walk to the Malagueta, the beach. It was a good walk so comfortable shoes are definitely a must. While walking, we went down the street Larios (main picture above), which is like the 5th Avenue of New York City, but in Malaga. It was lively and pretty. I soon spotted a ferris wheel.
Malaga is home to Pablo Picasso. There is art everywhere around Malaga so walking along Puerto De Malaga we saw plenty. After awhile we finally got to the beach. It was really pretty out. The water was freezing, but plenty of people were in the water. I must have forgotten where I was because someone had to point out to me that many women were topless. I hadn’t even noticed and then realized I had never been to a European beach before.
Being hungry we walked over to Mami Beach and ordered some delicious seafood and sat on the beach and ate. We ordered shrimp, octopus, fish, and more. A true feast for the four of us on the beach. Even though we were already ready for a good nap we had made appointments at the spa.
I wish I was able to take pictures inside, but we weren’t allowed to. Hammam Arab Baths is amazing! They only let a certain amount of people in at a time. There are several baths that range from ice-cold to very hot. A steam room and hot slabs to lay on. There are also places to sit and relax, drink very delicious tea, and play chess. You can also opt in for massages and body scrubs. Which of course we did.
The place is gorgeous and I loved it. The prices were great. An hour and a half in the baths with a massage was around 43 Euros. You must wear a bathing suit inside, they do provide lockers, towels, showers, hair dryers etc. It is so amazing and refreshing. Especially after walking around Malaga all day.
Of course after all that a nap was in order. Later that night my friend and I walked around the city center taking it in the night sights and sounds while grabbing some food. The others stayed in as they had been to Malaga before they planned a trip to Tangiers. Malaga is close to Morocco. So a bus ride and ferry would get them there for the day. They were gone the next day from 5am till 9pm the next day.
While they made a day trip to Morocco we took a free tour. Our guide was cool and we did a ton of walking! She pointed out Pablo Picasso’s old house and school, took us to the infamous El Pimpi where many go to enjoy the local food and wine. We got the opportunity to taste some wine, which I thought was a bit to sweet.
Teatro Romano ©2017 HollyDayz 
Me & Pablo Picasso ©2017 HollyDayz
As we kept walking with saw so much, Alcazaba, which is a military fortification and Teatro Romano. The Pablo Picasso statue, Antonio Banderas’ home (he is also from Malaga), and several beautiful churches including La Manchita (because it looks like it has one arm since one of the towers was never completed.) We saw so much that we worked up an appetite and found a tapas place to eat before siesta came and some places started to close.
Antonio Banderas’ Home ©2017 HollyDayz 
Street Art ©2017 HollyDayz
After walking around some more we headed over to the NoHo area to find some street art. I was very excited about this and after walking around a bit I began to find street art all over the place. There was plenty and each new discovery excited me. The pigeons all around made me nervous as I kept thinking any minute one would poop on me. I happily made it out of there poop free.
After a nice nap we met up with the rest and headed out for the night. We are a delicious dinner down the block from our Airbnb. Shrimp, fish, octopus, and more at Puro Pescaito. My friend knew of a Cuban spot so we headed over there. The atmosphere was fun. People were line dancing when we came in. One thing I found interesting was that they have you make your own drinks. When ordering a Malibu and Pineapple they handed over a huge glass with the alcohol in it and then pineapple juice on the side. So it was like we were our own bartenders.
After we left there we headed over to a night club, Sala Gold. I thought it was cool that people weren’t just dressed up for the club. Many had on t-shirts, hats, sneakers, and flip-flops. It was very chill and laid back. It was high energy inside. A guy was even beating a drum on stage. We stayed for a while enjoying before heading back to try to get some rest.
We got a little breakfast and did a little shopping before leaving and heading to the airport. I loved Malaga and would happily go back. Not only to see Malaga again but to explore the other towns surrounding it. That is really high on my list to do as well as heading back to that amazing spa!
Have you ever been to Malaga?
Jimmy
Amazing photos. Spain is definitely on my list of places to go. The sites in your photos look relaxing. Makes me look forward to going even more.
Holly Dayz
Thank you. It is a beautiful place I wold definitely go back to.
Joanna
Malaga looks beautiful and super amazing. Great pics, it’s definitely being added to my list
Holly Dayz
Thanks, it should be on your list. Great place to visit.
Sreekar Harinatha
Was in Spain last year and regretted missing out on Malaga. Your photos sure remind me of that:) Mr Picasso seems happy in the pic too:)
Holly Dayz
Ha yea it was a good time. Hopefully you can get back soon and head to Malaga.
Tanvi
I hope i can go to Malaga soon.. it’s a city i’d definitely like to explore.. This guide is so helpful i’ll save it for later!
Holly Dayz
I hope you can too. It is such a great place.
TheSterlingTraveler
I love places where you have to walk to your apartment. Your pictures make Malaga seem very inviting and fun, but 43 Euros for a bath and massage? Wow, sign me up!
Holly Dayz
Yes, if I get back there that would be one of the first places I would head to. So beautiful and relaxing.
Jenn and Ed Coleman
We are actually fans of sweet wines. We keep trying to be grown up, but they just taste so good. No need to harass us, all our friend (and the waiters) do it every time we order wine out. It would be really cool to wander the streets of Malaga and see what inspired Picasso. I never understood Munch until I went to Oslo. I bet the same revelations are waiting for me in Spain.
Holly Dayz
It didn’t taste horrible, just too sweet for me lol. That is a good though, you should check out Malaga then!
Jayce
So many places in such a short time! Great guide! What season did you visit? It looks like there are no hordes of tourists.
Holly Dayz
I went in May. There was a decent amount of people, but nope no hoards. It was pretty chill.
Bharat & Supriya
What fun! This area of Spain is something we want to travel real soon, more so because of the great flight deals from Boston. Hamman baths is definitely we would like to experience!
Holly Dayz
It is a great experience. I would go back just for that alone.
Alouise
Malaga looks amazing, all that sunshine must have been great. I’d definitely take a trip to the Hamman if I was in Malaga; it sounds very relaxing.
Holly Dayz
It is beautiful. I want to go back! It was so relaxing and beautiful.
Efthimis Kragaris
Malaga seems so nice! I would combine it with a trip to Morocco since it is so close to be honest. But as a city of Southern Spain itself, it definitely deserves some time for wandering around and absorbing the sun!
Holly Dayz
Its was really nice. That is what my friend did and they were gone all day long. We enjoyed walking around and learning about the city though.
SkyeClass
Ugh, this wasn’t fair. I literally want to jump on a plane right now to go explore Malaga. Especially since I’m sitting on the Isle of Skye, which is my favorite place in the world but currently only getting rain for weeks. All that food, beaches and street art is certainly my kind of place. I’ll have to make sure I get there next year for sure. Thanks for your suggestions!
Holly Dayz
It is beautiful. I would like to go back and see more around the area. You would enjoy it.
Prasad Np
Malaga sure looks beautiful in your images. I actually have a blogger friend who lives in Malaga and now I think I should be planning a trip to Malaga to soak into all the awesomeness around.
Holly Dayz
It is very beautiful. You should go visit your friend and enjoy all the sunshine they get.
lucywilliamsglobal
You did a lot in 48 hours! I haven’t been to Malaga, but would love to go and I live in Europe, so I must make time for a quick trip there. The Hammam Arab Baths sounds like a lovely treat!
Holly Dayz
I tried to. Hopefully you make it over there. It is pretty. The Baths were so nice I loved it. One of my favorite parts of being there.
@clairesturz
Malaga looks fabulous! There is nothing like eating fresh seafood on the beachfront – it just adds to the flavour when you have the salty sea air blowing in your hair! I had forgotten Picasso was from Malaga, I love his art – that street art homage to him is pretty cool too!
Holly Dayz
You are right. It was a nice treat to eat fresh seafood on the beach with the view.
Indrani
For a 48 hour itinerary this is great! Spent 10 days in Spain but sadly missed out this gorgeous place.
Quite a lot of interesting to do things… and I too am glad you made out of the place poop free. 😀
Holly Dayz
I hope you get back to Spain. I will definitely head back and do some more exploring.
knycx
What a fun day and I always enjoy seeing the photos of the beautiful Mediterranean sunshine!
Besides, it’s nice to know about the night club which carries the fun from day to night, thanks a lot for your sharing!
Holly Dayz
The night life was pretty cool and that isn’t even my scene. I had a lot of fun though.
Jenna Kvidt
The Hammam Arab Baths sounds absolutely amazing! I would love to get a massage there and soak in the baths for a while. The price sounds pretty great, too! I didn’t realize Pablo Picasso was from Malaga. So neat that you got to see his old house and school—I love checking out spots like that. Malaga sounds like a wonderful town and I would love to visit sometime!
Holly Dayz
They were amazing. Whenever I get back there, I will be right back at the Baths. It was really nice and beautiful inside. Yea, he was so walking around his neighborhood was pretty cool.
Lisa Offrs
Amazing Location. This guide is so helpful i’ll save it for later! Thanks