# Need recommendations for places to visit in Malaga



## mattech1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Hello,

I'm thinking of relocating to Southern Spain and will be visiting Malaga in March. I've never been to Malaga before (I've been to other parts of Spain) and was wondering if anyone has recommendations of what part to stay in. I want to be somewhere central close to transportation. Also, what parts of Malaga and the surrounding areas would you recommend to visit in order to "sample" the region and get an idea of what it has to offer?

Thanks for your help!


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## tidy (Aug 17, 2012)

We had to spend a couple of nights in Malaga due to holiday accommodation having others coming in so we stayed at Barceló Hotel Malaga The hotel is located in the very heart of Malaga above and with direct access to the Maria Zambrano train station and couldn't be easier to fid. Malaga airport train station going towards Malaga. Get off at MZ station which is last but one and follow signs for hotel which has entrance on station. Added bonus is the bus station next door. About 5 minutes walk to main area. Not cheap, about 75 Euros for double room per night but it is 4* and very good. Typical soulless city hotel but very helpful staff. We would stay again as it is so central and on top of all necessary services but really central.


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## David1979 (Feb 15, 2013)

I've been to Malaga a number of times, and eventually moved just outside the city.

My favourite hotel was the Petit Palace, which is right in the city centre next to the Cathedral.

Their website: Hotel Petit Palace Plaza Málaga, web oficial | Hotel centro Málaga

To get to the city centre you carry on past the Maria Zambrano station mentioned in the post above until you get to the end of the line, which is Malaga Centro.

The hotel is five minutes walk into the city centre, and is within easy walking distance of the Cathedral itself, and the Picasso museum.


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## mattech1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Thanks for your recommendations! I'll be in Malaga for my "scouting" trip in a few days and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the area has to offer.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mattech1 said:


> Thanks for your recommendations! I'll be in Malaga for my "scouting" trip in a few days and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the area has to offer.


Don't forget to sort ot the kind of visa that you'll be needing too. Will you be hoping to work, retiring...???? I mean when you make the move permanently


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

tidy said:


> We had to spend a couple of nights in Malaga due to holiday accommodation having others coming in so we stayed at Barceló Hotel Malaga The hotel is located in the very heart of Malaga above and with direct access to the Maria Zambrano train station and couldn't be easier to fid. Malaga airport train station going towards Malaga. Get off at MZ station which is last but one and follow signs for hotel which has entrance on station. Added bonus is the bus station next door. About 5 minutes walk to main area. Not cheap, about 75 Euros for double room per night but it is 4* and very good. Typical soulless city hotel but very helpful staff. We would stay again as it is so central and on top of all necessary services but really central.


I second this. We stayed at the Silken Puerta de Malaga which was just a block away. 

You're about a 15 min walk from the center. The only thing is that it did get a bit sketchy at night (and I'm used to Bilbao and Santander at night.) One night we ended up taking a cab back from the center to the hotel. 

As Tidy said, however, the location for the Silken Puerta de Malaga or the Barceló are excellent.


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## mattech1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Don't forget to sort ot the kind of visa that you'll be needing too. Will you be hoping to work, retiring...???? I mean when you make the move permanently


I'm not retiring but I don't need to work at the moment either. I'm in the process of applying for an Italian passport (I'm eligible for citizenship through my grandfather) so I don't think getting a visa will be an issue.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I know the area East of Malaga much better than I know the Western side. On this side, if you are considering possible places to live, there are a variety of attractive options.

Nerja is a coastal town (combination of a working town and holiday resort) which has managed to retain a lot of Spanish character, is in a beautiful setting with mountains behind it and has a rocky coastline with pretty coves which I personally find more attractive than a long stretch of flat coast. It has a good mix of nationalities and remains fairly busy even in the winter. Property is still quite expensive compared to many places in Spain post-crash, though, and everyone complains that parking in the town is very difficult to find.

Just inland from Nerja is the village of Frigiliana, very pretty, in the mountains with lovely views down to the coast. The village has won "prettiest village in Spain" awards. The foreign population is about 35%, again a good mix of nationalities. Properties are a mix of traditional village houses in the old part, many of them have been well restored, and more modern apartments and townhouses on the outskirts, with larger villas outside the village. 

If you are not concerned about having a large expat population to socialise with, and a large town with all the amenities you could want on hand, plus lots of historical character and low property prices (both to buy and to rent) might appeal, then you could take a look at Velez-Malaga, where I live. Just 5km inland from the coastal resort of Torre del Mar so easy to get to the beach when you want to be beside the sea, the main regional hospital and an indoor shopping centre halfway between the two places, and excellent public transport links (half hourly bus service to Malaga, directo services take 1 hour or the slower ones 1hr 15 mins). 40 minutes from Malaga airport by car.

Just a few ideas, enjoy your visit.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mattech1 said:


> I'm not retiring but I don't need to work at the moment either. I'm in the process of applying for an Italian passport (I'm eligible for citizenship through my grandfather) so I don't think getting a visa will be an issue.


Sounds good!


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## mattech1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Lynn R said:


> I know the area East of Malaga much better than I know the Western side. On this side, if you are considering possible places to live, there are a variety of attractive options.
> 
> Nerja is a coastal town (combination of a working town and holiday resort) which has managed to retain a lot of Spanish character, is in a beautiful setting with mountains behind it and has a rocky coastline with pretty coves which I personally find more attractive than a long stretch of flat coast. It has a good mix of nationalities and remains fairly busy even in the winter. Property is still quite expensive compared to many places in Spain post-crash, though, and everyone complains that parking in the town is very difficult to find.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the recommendation Lynn R! Would you say that you need to own a car if you live in either of those places? I'm hoping I can find a place where you don't need to have one and where you can step out your door and easily walk to a variety of restaurants, shops, etc.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mattech1 said:


> Thanks for the recommendation Lynn R! Would you say that you need to own a car if you live in either of those places? I'm hoping I can find a place where you don't need to have one and where you can step out your door and easily walk to a variety of restaurants, shops, etc.


You certainly don't if you live in Velez-Malaga (or Nerja) - we've lived in Velez for over 7 years without one! There is more diversity of restaurants and bars in Nerja (as regards food from different countries) - there are hundreds of them in Velez too but very few non Spanish ones (and as my OH is vegetarian that means we mostly have to go out of town when we want to eat out, but as the bus service is so good it isn't a problem). That's not to say there aren't some very nice Spanish restaurants here, but they don't really "get" vegetarianism - meat or fish eaters would be fine.

From Velez, in addition to the half hourly bus service to Malaga I mentioned earlier (last bus back from Malaga leaves at 11pm) there is a bus every 15 minutes to Torre del Mar which goes via the hospital, also services to Nerja, Torrox and a number of outlying villages. There is a bus every morning to Granada and one back from there in the afternoon, plus a daily bus to Cordoba and one to Sevilla (but for either of those it's better to get the bus to Malaga then the train from there as it's much faster). Nerja also has a bus service to Malaga (although not as often), Almunecar, Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla and also as far as Almeria to the East and Algeciras to the West (although it takes many hours to get to either of those). 

Frigiliana has plenty of bars and restaurants too, and smaller shops, but no large supermarkets. For those, there is a good bus service during the day to get to Nerja (but in summer especially the buses are absolutely packed with tourists as it's such a popular destination for a day trip for people staying in and around Nerja). The buses don't run in the evenings, though. It would be a rather less convenient location for someone without a car I think, as you would need to get to Nerja first before being able to get a bus to travel on to somewhere else. But it really is pretty (and once the day trippers have departed, quiet in the evenings!) and being a smaller community might be easier to get to know people. You pays your money and you takes your choice!


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Frigiliana has plenty of bars and restaurants too, and smaller shops, but no large supermarkets. For those, there is a good bus service during the day to get to Nerja (but in summer especially the buses are absolutely packed with tourists as it's such a popular destination for a day trip for people staying in and around Nerja). The buses don't run in the evenings, though. It would be a rather less convenient location for someone without a car I think, as you would need to get to Nerja first before being able to get a bus to travel on to somewhere else. But it really is pretty (and once the day trippers have departed, quiet in the evenings!) and being a smaller community might be easier to get to know people. You pays your money and you takes your choice!


We stayed in Frigiliana last year. It was really a neat place but I don't reccommend a car if you want to live in the "casco urbano" (center of the town?). We stayed up on the hillside and it was an adventure to roll four heavy suitcases for over a KM winding up the mountain. Sure, we could've taken the car in to drop things off but neither my OH nor I (both experienced drivers here) were willing to drive in. 

Also, in October it was a pain in the neck to find parking. I don't even want to imagine what it would be like in tourist high-season! 

Also, I wish I could remember the name of the new bakery that was at the bottom of the hill along the main road (with the parking and the polideportivo). They were right below a new development and to the left of a staircase. Does that place ring a bell for anyone? I just wanted to say something about them because they were absolutely AMAZING with us and with my parents while they were there alone. I wish I remembered their name.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

mattech1 said:


> Thanks for your recommendations! I'll be in Malaga for my "scouting" trip in a few days and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the area has to offer.


Top 10 free and natural places to visit near Malaga with children

not necessarily with kids....some of these places look pretty awesome..


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