Phoenicians, Moorish fortresses, a one-towered cathedral and a lighthouse with a woman's name.
Málaga has been looking out to sea for three thousand years: it was Malaka to the Phoenicians, Malaca to Rome and Mālaqa to al-Andalus before it became a city of merchants, of the Larios family and of Picasso. Three free walking tours take you from the tiers of the Roman Theatre to the quays of the port, without ever mixing up history and legend.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
Phoenicians, Romans, Andalusis, Enlightenment merchants and the iron-and-sugar bourgeoisie: six stops to read the city like a cross-section of rock.
A general betrayed by fake letters, night burials on the beach, a prisoner freed every Holy Week and a cathedral missing half its façade.
The Picasso Museum, the cathedral, the Alcazaba, the Paseo del Parque, the Pompidou cube and La Farola on a walk that runs down from the old town to the sea.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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Itineraries
We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.
All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.
See the itinerary 2A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.
See the itinerary 3The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.
See the itineraryWhat to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Anchovies, squid, red mullet and horse mackerel, dusted in flour and fried in very hot olive oil. Málaga's small, silvery anchovies (boquerones) are sometimes fried opened out like a fan, joined at the tail. At the Atarazanas Market you'll find them fresh from the fish auction.
Where to try it
A cold soup of almonds, garlic, bread, olive oil and vinegar that predates tomato gazpacho. It is served ice-cold with Moscatel grapes. At El Pimpi, a bodega whose barrels are signed by famous visitors, it is one of the classics on the menu.
Where to try it
Sardines skewered on a length of cane and roasted beside glowing embers in old beached boats filled with sand. The espetero angles them into the wind and can tell from the shine of the skin when to turn them. Locals say the best ones come in the months without an R. Try them at El Cachalote on La Malagueta beach, or at El Cabra, a Pedregalejo classic.
Where to try it
Dark, aromatic wines made from Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez grapes that were once famous all over Europe. At Antigua Casa de Guardia, open since 1840, they are poured straight from the barrel and your tab is chalked up on the bar.
Where to try it
In Málaga you ask for "tejeringos": a spiral of fried dough cut into pieces and dipped in thick hot chocolate. Casa Aranda has been serving them since 1932 in an alley next to the Atarazanas Market.
Where to try it
