Hey everyone! Towards the end of our time living in Spain, we were able to visit a good friend in Malaga. Liz was a coworker last year in Alcalá with us before she moved to Malaga to work at a school there. I had been to Malaga once before during study abroad, but it was the first time Mark was able to go, and it was great catching up with Liz! The city is about 3 hours away from Sevilla and you can take a bus or train!
Malaga is a great place to visit (especially in the warm weather) because of the beautiful beaches on the Mediterranean! We arrived to Malaga on Friday night, and Liz took us out to show us the town! We went to dinner at El Tapy before hitting a few good bars in the area. El Tapy is a great spot if you’re looking for some cheap tapas and drinks! Some other places we visited with Liz included: La Tranca and Taberna Flamenco Amargo (where you can dance to traditional Spanish music)!
The following day was our time to go to the beach! The more central beach in Malaga is called La Malagueta, but Liz took us to a beach where a lot of the locals go, near the school she teaches at. Pedregalejo beach is in the Palo Alto region of Malaga and is known for it’s chiringuitos. These are little bars and restaurants along the beach that serve fresh fried fish! To get to Padregalego beach, you have to take a bus #3 or #11 from the center. It’s pretty easy and it’s nice to get away from the crowds to where the locals go!
We were able to rent an umbrella and lounge chair for the day (relatively cheap) where we relaxed and enjoyed the view. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant called Periplo Playa where they serve little sandwiches for pretty cheap. We even were able to get mojitos to go, and brought them back to the beach with us!
For dinner we went to Merlo la Revuelo where we tired espeto (sardines cooked over an open fire), a popular food in Malaga. After a day filled with sun (and some drinks) we were too worn out to make it to the bars that night.
The following day, Mark and I set out early to explore the center of Malaga a bit more. One of my favorite things about this city is the Cathedral. It’s call La Manquita which means the one armed lady, because the cathedral only has one tower. The story behind it is interesting. During the American Revolution, the city of Malaga donated money to America to fight the British. The money they donated was supposed to go to finishing their cathedral. It’s remained unfinished today and has become a beautiful link between the US & Spain.
After exploring the center of town a bit, we visited La Alcazaba, an old Morrish fortress. It only costs 2.20 euros to go inside (discounts given to children and students as well) and it offers some nice views of the city. We had a lot of fun exploring La Alcazaba–it felt as though you traveled back in time!
After the Alcazaba, Liz met us to take us to a viewing point called Gibalforo Hill. It was quite the uphill walk, but definitely worth the view! After taking a few pictures, we climbed back down to enjoy lunch at a nearby spot.
After lunch we headed to the bus station to catch our ride back to Seville. It was great spending time catching up with our good friend and seeing the city she loves so much! Thanks for hosting us, Liz! We’ll definitely be back to visit again!
Malaga is a unique and vibrant city along the Costa del Sol in Spain! It’s a great place to enjoy fun nightlife, good seafood and beautiful beaches. Check out this video blog to get a little taste of Malaga & stay tuned for a post about our crazy weekend in Lagos, Portugal!
Adios! Amanda
