Destination Articles

Malaga - the perfect European winter destination

Heading to Europe in winter doesn’t have to be a cold affair. Several of the southerly parts of Europe still have very pleasant weather in December and January, including the south of Spain.

 

 

17 degrees average winter temperature

Malaga, on the coast, has an average winter temperature of 17 degrees. This means you can enjoy being outdoors and exploring everything the city and surrounds have to offer. And Malaga offers plenty.

 

Excellent transport options

If you are flying into or out of Malaga you will be impressed by the city’s well equipped, modern airport, which is located just a 15min train journey from the centre of town. As well as the train service, Malaga also offers a good bus service with connections to such highlights as Granada (worth at least a 3 day visit on its own).

 

Nightlife

A feature of the Spanish culture is its vibrant nightlife where young and old head out for the evening, promenading, eating tapas and shopping. As well as joining in this relaxed way of spending your mild evenings, by day there is also plenty to do.

 

Tourists well catered for

More than 500,000 people live in Malaga and in recent years there has been a big push to improve infrastructure and tourism information and services.

This includes introducing bike hire facilities, tourist information centre and booths throughout the city and the use of technology. For example, the information centres offer a series of eight walking tour maps themed for monuments, Picasso, religious attractions, traditional and 19th century features, parks and historical gardens, romantic highlights, stone and water and contemporary Malaga. At various sites, information can be downloaded to your ipod and the map provides the reference point for information along the way.

 

Alcazaba

The Alcazaba which dominates the landscape and is literally one of the main features of Malaga, is the former palace-fortress of the then Moslem rulers of the city, with sections dating back to the 11th century, but most of it dated to the 14th century.

It’s an impressive set of buildings by any standard as it is built on a spur and fits in with the landscape. It has extensive gardens and was largely restored in 1930. Of course, it provides stunning views of the city and this is your reward for a steep walk.

Those who are no longer as agile as they would like to be don’t need to miss out entirely - a lift runs from calle Guillén Sotelo, behind the Town Hall. (Shown on all maps.)

The Alcazaba showcases a range of building materials, techniques and decorative styles including marble columns, carved wooden ceilings, ceramics and pottery. You get to explore courtyards with pools and orange trees, palaces, towers and a dungeon. And all for about $3 entry fee per person. (€2.10)

 

Picasso Museum

The Picasso museum is just one of the city’s many museums – there are 34 in all, dedicated to such things as the Art of Flamenco and transport.

Pablo Picasso, most widely known for co-founding the cubist movement, was born in Malaga in 1881 and the museum features many of his early works.

 

Botanic Gardens

Malaga’s historical Botanic Gardens were founded in 1855. Among the features are a section which includes Australian native plants – Around the World in 80 Trees. In total there are over 2500 tropical and sub-tropical species in this garden.

For more details on all that is available to see and do in Malaga, visit www.malagaturismo.com. The tourist map series is available on line at this site.

Words and photos by Birgit Schonafinger
Intro photo from Wikipedia by Hedwig Storch