HOW TO GET TO Malaga, Spain

Plane

Malaga’s airport (AGP) is officially called Malaga – Costa del Sol Airport and is located 10 km south of the city center. As its name indicates, it is the main airport serving the famous Costa del Sol.

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Malaga’s airport is Spain’s 4th busiest airport. It offers daily flights to 20 Spanish cities and over 100 international destinations. Although most of them are within Europe, there are also flights to North Africa, the middle East and North America.

NEXT CLOSEST AIRPORTS TO MALAGA

  • The airport of Granada is 115 km (71 miles) away = 1 h 15 min by car
  • The airport of Gibraltar is 135 km (84 miles) away = 1 h 45 min by car
  • The airport of Seville is 205 km (127 miles) away = 2 h 15 min by car

Car

Malaga is located on the stretch of coast in the south of Spain called the Costa del Sol. It is very well connected by a network of highways along the coast and into the interior of Andalusia.

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To give you an idea, here is some general information on distances and travel times:

  • Granada is 125 km (78 miles) away = 1 h 30 min by car
  • Cordoba is 160 km (99 miles) away = 1 h 45 min by car
  • Seville is 200 km (124 miles) away = 2 h 15 min by car
  • Madrid is 530km (330 miles) away = 5h by car
  • Barcelona is 975 km (606 miles) away = 9 h 30 min by car

While we don’t recommend a rental car for inside Malaga, it can still be a great option for moving around Andalusia. Having a car gives you quite a bit of freedom while making the most of your time. There are many affordable options and the roads in the area are in good condition.

In Malaga, there are two main collection points for rental cars: the airport and the train station. To find the best deals on rental cars, we recommend Discover Cars, which searches through the web for the best prices.

Although it is very easy to travel by car in between cities in Andalusia, getting into Malaga’s city center can be 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. It is recommended to be prepared by having looked up more than one parking garage prior to your arrival. Or, even better, book a hotel with parking. Expect to pay around 20 - 25€ per day for parking.

Train

Malaga’s main train station is called Estación de María Zambrano and is located south-west of the city center. To give you an idea, it is a 20-min walk to the cathedral.

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Malaga has high-speed trains which connect to:

  • Cordoba in under 50 min. There are over 15 daily high speed trains. Price: 20 to 42€.
  • Seville in under 2 h. There are about 6 high speed trains per day (other slower options also available). Price: around 50€.
  • Granada in little over 1h 30 min. There are 2 daily high speed trains. Price: 27 to 38 €.
  • Madrid in 2 h 30 min. There is about 1 train per hour throughout the day (from 7:30 am to 8:30 pm). Price: 44 to 80€.
  • Barcelona in 6 h. There are 2 direct high speed trains per day as well as 6 other options changing trains in Madrid or Cordoba. Price: 48 to 124 €.

There are several city bus lines connecting the train station with the city center. For up-to-date information on the local city buses: www.emtmalaga.es. From Malaga’s train station, it is also possible to continue to the airport by train (commuter train C-1).

MALAGA'S TRAIN STATION – PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Bus

Malaga’s bus station is located right next to the train station. ALSA is the main bus company serving Malaga.

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There are daily buses from:

  • Granada: Alsa offers at least one bus per hour throughout the day (5:30am to 9pm). In Malaga, all of the buses stop in both the city and the airport. Trip duration: 1 h 30 min to 2 h 30 min, depending on the number of stops on the way and where you get in/out of the bus in Malaga. Price: 5.50 to 14€.
  • Cordoba: 4 buses per day from Alsa. In Malaga, some of the buses have an extra stop at the airport. Trip duration: 2 h 15 min to 4 h. Price: 5.50 to 15.50€.
  • Sevilla: Alsa offers 7 daily buses. Trip duration: 2 h 30 min to 4 h. Price: 19 to 24€.
  • Madrid: the company Interbus runs 9 daily buses. Trip duration: 6 h to 7 h 15 min. Price: 15 to 17 €. There are better options to get to Malaga from Madrid. Unless you are traveling on a really tight budget, both plane and train are much faster.
  • Barcelona: 4 daily buses from Alsa. Trip duration: 14 h 45 min to 17 h 30 min. Ticket prices vary largely. You can get a ticket for as low as 5 € when purchasing it online. However, they can cost as much as 112 €. As with Madrid, there are definitely better options to get from Barcelona from Malaga. Both plane and train are much faster and can even be cheaper.

MALAGA'S BUS STATION – PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Get Around

Once you have decided how to get to Malaga, make sure to also check out our page How to get around Malaga with information about the different public transport options in the city as well as parkings, taxis, etc.

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