HOW TO GET AROUND Malaga, Spain

Malaga’s city center is very easy to navigate on foot. Walking is definitely the most practical way to move around. The only exception might be the Gibralfaro castle, which is on top of the hill –getting there can be a bit challenging.

To give you an idea, here are some walking distances between the city’s most important attractions:

• From the cathedral, it is a 3 - 4 min walk to both Calle Marqués de Larios and the Roman amphitheater.
• The entrance to the Alcazaba is right next to the Roman amphitheater.
• From the Alcazaba’s entrance, it is a 20 min walk uphill to the Gibralfaro castle or a 15 min walk to the port and the water front leisure complex Pier One.

Regarding safety, Malaga is a safe city to walk around both day and night. As anywhere else in the world however, common sense must be used. You should always be aware of your surroundings and never leave your belongings unattended. Also, as in any other popular city, be aware of pickpocketers in the most touristy/crowded areas.

The city of Malaga has an extensive bus system with over 50 lines. Depending on where you are staying and the landmarks you plan to visit, some of them might be useful to you. For example, the bus line 92 (called “Bus Turístico”), links the train station with the cathedral, Malagueta beach and Gibralfaro castle among others.

The bus line A Express Aeropuerto conveniently links the airport with downtown. For more information, check out our page How to get to Malaga from the airport.

Also, be aware that during peak traffic hours, buses are slower.

BUS TICKET PRICES

• One single trip costs 1.40€. You can buy the ticket directly at the bus from the driver. Note that the bus to the airport ("Línea Express Aeropuerto") costs 4€.
• 10-trip card: 8.40€
• Month card: 39.95€

For more information about these and other types of tickets: www.emtmalaga.es

One way to move around Malaga is using the hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses. These buses have a set route through Malaga’s main touristic attractions that will allow you to visit them at your own pace and get back in the bus whenever you are ready to continue.

At the bus, there are also audio commentaries that will give you some history and anecdotes about the city while you are on the go. You can choose between a 24 and 48-h pass with prices starting at 20€.

The ticket includes several perks: free guided walking tour, free boat tour, free entrance to several attractions (including the flamenco show at the Interactive Music Museum), etc.

  HOP-ON HOP-OFF BUS IN MALAGA

Taxis in Malaga are a convenient and affordable way to travel. To give you an idea, the ride from the airport to the city center takes 20 minutes and costs around 20€.

Once in Malaga, you will soon realize that the city center is easily visited by foot and there will probably not be more than a couple of occasions when you will need any means of transport. If that is the case, taking a taxi can be much easier than having to figure out the public transport options. It can also be a pretty good deal if you are traveling with more people (splitting the taxi cost instead of buying several bus tickets).

Taxis in Malaga can be easily identified because they are white with a diagonal blue line in the side.

• Radio Taxi: (+34) 952 040 804
• Unitaxi: (+34) 952 333 333

Uber is operating in Malaga. However, there are not that many drivers which can mean long waiting times. You will usually save a little bit compared to taking a taxi, but it might not be worth the wait.

Although it is very easy to travel by car in between cities in Andalusia, getting into Malaga’s city center can be quite stressful. The old town is made up by narrow one way streets and there seems to always be some type of construction going on in the area resulting in streets being closed to traffic. Although there are several parkings in the old town, during peak times (weekends, holidays, etc.) they can get full.

   Don't miss: Get the best deals on rental cars in Spain

If you are not planning to get out of the city, however, you will probably not need/want a car during your stay in Malaga. Using taxis and/or public transport will end up being a cheaper option, since you will save money on parking and gas. Our recommendation would be not to rent a car on arrival and only do it when you are leaving the city.

But if you end up having a car while in Malaga, we would recommend you to avoid getting in the old town by car. If your accommodation happens to be in it, then make sure to look up a parking garage prior to your arrival (or even better, make sure to book a hotel with parking) set it as destination in your GPS and go straight there.

PARKING IN MALAGA

Although parking prices vary, generally speaking you can expect to pay around 20 - 25€ per day for parking downtown. Here is a list of the largest parkings in Malaga’s downtown:

To find the best deals on rental cars, we recommend Discover Cars, which searches through the web for the best prices.

With over 320 sunny days per year and some of the best temperatures in Europe, Malaga is the perfect city to enjoy by bike. Although we recommend you to wander through the old town on foot, the bike is a great way of exploring the coastline.

While the city has over 9 km of bike lanes, there is also a network of paths linking Malaga to the coastal towns surrounding it: Pedegalejo, Benalmádena, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, etc.

The local government is responsible for the bike rental program called MálagaBici. This program is designed to promote bike usage as a complement to the public transport. E.g., it is made for quick bike use of under 2 h (you are penalized for keeping a bike any longer than that - see below).

Although it is a bit more complicated than renting a bike from a shop just for one day, if you are staying in Malaga for a while and you use it right, it can be a very affordable option.

To use this service, first you need to register either online or in person (MálagaBici office at Malaga’s bus station). To be able to register, you will need to have a credit card and a travel card from EMT (company responsible for public transport in Malaga).

The yearly fee is 10€ (waived the first year) plus 10€ for the insurance. You will then top up your card (5€ minimum) and spend that credit for using their bikes.

There are 24 stations for bike pick-up/drop-off spread throughout the city. Here you can see them on the map as well as up-to-date information on how many bikes there are at each station.

The MalagaBici prices work as follows:

• The first 30 min of bike rental are free.
• From minute 31 onwards, it costs 0.017 €/min.
• If you don’t return the bike in 2 h, you will banned from the system for a week.
• If you don’t return the bike in 4 h, you will banned for a month.

There are also several companies offering bicycle rentals in Malaga. You can expect to pay around 15 €/day for a bike. Usually, there are discounts when renting over several days.

Malaga’s metro is made up of two lines linking the train station with the west side of the city, both along the coast and the interior. However, it is not of much use to visitors (unless you are staying in that area).

For more information about Malaga’s metro: metromalaga.es

METRO TICKET PRICES

• One single ticket costs 1.35€.
• Using a travel card, one trip costs 0.82 €. The travel card can be charged with any amount between 5 and 25€.

Note that, in any case, you will have to pay 0.30€ for the card itself. For more information about tickets and fares, visit this page.