Last week we had a group of Belgian students coming to IPF to do an Erasmus+ K1 internship program and they wrote the following article about Malaga. We thought that it would be a good idea to share it in one of our posts so you could read it. Hope you enjoy it!:

Who says you can’t just do a city trip and a holiday under the sun all in one? If you go on holiday to Malaga, you can do it at the same time. The city is located in Andalusia, the South of Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea, which also makes its temperature a lot more pleasant. Especially if you compare it with, for example, Seville (another Andalusian city). So, here we have compilled what we think are the best 9 reasons to visit Malaga.

1. CLIMATE

With more than 320 days of sunshine a year and a nice refreshing sea breeze, the climate in Malaga is mild. The average temperature in Malaga is approximately 22 degrees. During the summer Malaga has the advantage of having the cooling breeze from the sea. But despite that, it can get quite warm in here, but nothing compared to the interior parts of Spain, where the heat can easily reach 40º.

2. BEACH

Malaga has a beautiful city beach, La Malagueta, which is about a 10-minute walk from the center. There are many more beaches in the area, such as in the fishing districts of Pedregalejo and El Palo. Here you will experience the real old Malaga. The old fishing boats on the beach and the rocks at the coast at El Palo complete your Instagram picture!

3. CITY

In the old town, the sights are within walking distance, and you can easily reach the main highlights within a day: the Cathedral, the Roman Theatre, the Arabian monument Alcazaba… In addition, the city has a very clear center, where you can shop well. There are nice restaurants everywhere where you can enjoy all kinds of tasty tapas. There are also many street musicians who bring atmosphere to the city and of course we cannot forget about the very active nightlife here! There are many terraces, bars and discos available in the city that you can enjoy from the time the sun sets.

As well as being a historic city, it is also the birthplace of the artist Pablo Picasso. You cannot leave Malaga without visiting the Picasso Museum! Soho is an artistic neighborhood with a collection of interesting shops, cafés and lots of street art. It used to be a deprived area, but around the year 2000 some creative locals had an idea and started to turn it into an art district. Well, it worked! You can admire a work of art on almost every street corner.

4. BIKES

As we said, you can easily walk from the city centre to the beach. But maybe after all the visiting and sightseeing you got tired of walking? No problem, there are many bikes to rent in the city. It’s a fun and a beautiful walk. Cycling along the coast of Malaga is one of the nicest and easiest trips outside the city center. When you are in Málaga for a few days, this is an activity to put on your ‘to do’ list.

5. SURROUNDINGS

In addition, there is a gigantic botanical garden outside the city. Malaga is the perfect city to explore and do active trips in the area. El Caminito del Rey is about an hour’s drive away. It is a deep gorge that used to be the most dangerous hiking trail in Europe. Now it is mainly a beautiful nature reserve, which might make your heart beat a little faster if you suffer from fear of heights. Can’t get enough of nature? At about the same distance you will find El Torcal de Antequera nature reserve, where you can take a beautiful short walk through special rock formations at the top of the mountains. Don’t be surprised if you suddenly find a pair of horns with a goatee from behind a stone!

6. PRICES

I was really surprised when I saw the low prices in Malaga. I didn’t know that you could still get a nice glass of wine in Europe for €1.20. We also spent an average of €15.00 per person for dinner. (Fun fact: I ate the best Paella ever in Malaga).

7. FOOD

You can come here to try some of the typical dishes from Malaga. I’m sure you won’t regret:

Espetos de sardinas: This dish is well known by both locals and tourists. The sardines are strung on a stick and grilled on the fire with a bit of salt.

Porra antequerana: Porra antequerana is part of the gazpacho family of soups from Andalusia, in Southern Spain. Porra antequerana consists of tomato and dried bread. Because it is much thicker than its culinary cousins, gazpacho and salmorejo, it is more often served as tapas.

Ajo Blanco: A very typical Malaga’s dish. This is a cold soup based on round almo nds and garlic. This soup is called “Ajo Blanco”, meaning white garlic in English, and it’s actually very tasty.

Ensalada malagueña: The Malaga salad (Ensalada Malagueña) is a summer salad, containing boiled potatoes, orange, green olives, chopped onion and roasted cod. This dish is eaten by many every week.

8. EVENTS

Malaga has a big number of annual events. The traditional, cultural and sporting events in Malaga together form a well-filled agenda. Throughout the year there are various events for the young and the senior citiziens. The most famous events in Malaga are the Semana Santa in Easter and the Feria de Malaga in August. Both are very traditional but totally different. Every year they get crowded, and they are a unique experience to live. During the year there are also several tapas routes, parties, concerts, and congresses to experience in Málaga.

9. LEARNING SPANISH

You can come here to learn Spanish or to get acquainted with the different accents of the Peninsula. In Malaga they speak Spanish with an Andalusian accent, which is a softer accent than the Spanish that is spoken in the other parts of Spain.

 

I have visited a lot of cities in Spain like Mallorca, Salamanca and Madrid but I have a little preference for Malaga. So, if you are still thinking whether Malaga is as good as people say, I would say come and try it out!