When people go on a citybreak in Spain, most of the time they are visiting the usual suspects: " Barcelona" , "Madrid", " Valencia",... . But Malaga, which is located at the Costa Del Sol, has one of the busiest airports in spain, but mainly with people who want to spend their holiday sunbathing along the Costa Del Sol in the main tourism resorts: "Nerja", "Torremolinos","Estepona",... But Malaga City is a forgotten gem. Malaga is a world apart from the tourism resorts of Costa Del Sol. The historic city is steeped in history. Walking through the small streets ligned with shops, you can't miss the beautiful historic buildings in the city. Starting at the Paseo del Muelle Dos, the new waterfront promenade which is popular for evening strolls with the Malaguenos, walk towards the historic city centre. In between the modern shops and bars, you find the Chapel of the port of Malaga. The chapel, which houses the chapel on the ground floor and the Chaplain's quarters on the first floor, was carved in pink sandstone from the local quarries. In the seventies, it was moved to it's current location due to building works. Within the historic city of Malaga, you could easily wander around the small streets, eat some tapa's and just enjoy the architecture. Nearby the foot of the famous Alcazaba, you find the remains of the Teatro Romano (Roman theatre), build in the first century BC under Emperor Augustus. On the other side of the theatre, you find the quaint street Calle Zegri. One of Malaga's most famous Bodegas "El Pimpi" is situated here . El Pimpi was opened in 1971 inside an old 18th century mansion house. The place is frequented by celebrities, Malenguenos and tourists. The Bodega is divided in many different rooms, one is called the barrel hall where many of the wine barrels have been signed by celebrities. Another fun room is the patio de los Geranios, a sun filled room full of plants. Another great location is Patatas Paco jose which is located nearby the Atarazanas market. On the outside, you could be forgiven to think you have reached Willy Wonka's shop. Only difference is that this small but busy shop specializes in Patatas Fritas (Crisps). In the window, you can admire the largest box full of homemade crisps. Walking through Malaga, we find ourselves looking up alot admiring the lovely architecture. There are so many little streets with great restaurants, shops and museums. One of these must visit museums is Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga, an art museum housing the most comprehensive collection of 19th century Spanish paintings. The museum is located in the Palacio de Villalon. During renovations of the building, Roman remains were discovered in the soil . Walking through the narrow streets, you stummble sometimes upon some great shops. For example, Viva La Feria is a shop which specializes in Flamenco fashion. Flamenco is huge in Malaga, and you will find many Flamenco shops selling the latest fashion for the aspiring Flamenco dancer. We loved Malaga a lot and would recommend this great city to anybody.
0 Comments
No visit to Malaga is complete with a visit to Malaga's Atarazanas market, locally known as "Mercado central". It is a pleasure to walk around the buzzling market in the morning, watching the fresh fish being cleaned by the stallholders, checking the locally sourced honey or the huge displays of fresh vegetables and olives. The market is an amazing piece of architecture, the forged iron works and the stained glass windows open up to a world of fresh food and small tapa bars. The market is a blaze of colours, smells and the sound of the many sellers and buyers is inviting. The foodstall in the picture below is the Belman brothers fish stall. It is a pleasure to watch Manuel Belman clean the freshly caught fish. All the fish has been caught on the day and there is a huge variety like bream (Doradas) , seabass (Lubinas) and monkfish (Rapes) For fresh vegetables, head to Frutas Y Verduras Ernesto. Specialized in mushrooms, they supply many of the local restaurants . But they also have a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.
In need of cheese, olives or bread, all can be bought from the many stalls. The best way to visit the Castillo de Gibralfaro is on foot via the scenic paseo Don juan de Temboury. This path winds it's way from the Alcazaba through lush gardens up towards the castle. Half way up the path, there is a forest track to the right. It is just after the viewpoint and in our opinion, it's is worth taking this short detour towards the castle. The path is part of Monte de Gibralfaro, and while following this path, you would be forgiven to believe that you are in the countryside rather than Malaga city. It is only the views towards the city which bring you back to reality. There are views towards the Sierra de Mijas and towards El Palo, and you can even look into Plaza de Toros de la Malagueta. The Castillo de Gibralfaro is reached after a short hike.The entrance into the Castillo is €2.20 for an adult and is worth it even just for the views. The Castillo was built in the 10th Century by Abd-al-rahman III. In the 14th Century, it went through an expansion which resulted in the addition of a double wall down to the Alcazaba. Within the walls of the castillo, you find close to the entrance a small military museum. You will also find nicely restored ramparts and courtyards. Walking along the ramparts and around the beautiful gardens, we admired the scenic views across Malaga.
El Chorro, located in Malaga, is the mecca for rockclimbing in Spain and further afield. El chorro can easily be reached by Train from Malaga or Ronda. The small village has 1 shop, a hotel and 2 bars. Although the area is a mecca for rock climbers, it is also the home of 1 of Spains most spectacular walks, the Caminito Del Rey. Where this walk used to be one of the most dangerous ones around, it has now gone through a massive renovation which resulted in many tourists visiting El chorro to complete this spectacular walk. After we arrived, we decided to head towards the Caminito Del rey, a spectacular narrow cliffside path which is 100m above the river Guadalhorce. In order to complete the walk, you will need to book your tickets well in advance (At least 2 weeks) due to the fact that the walk is very popular. The Caminito del Rey (King’s Little Path) is built onto the side of the limestone rock face, and passes through the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes (Gaitanes Gorge) also known as Garganta del Chorro (litteraly throat of Chorro). The remains of the old path can still be seen. It was originally built around 1905, but fell into disrepair over the past decades. The path was known as "the most dangerous path in the world", hence attracting a lot of mountaineers. The path was officially closed after some deaths and extensive renovation works took place. The renovated boardwalk is now 2.9km long. Another amazing view is the 100's of Griffon Vultures which circle high above the rock formations. Another one is the huge rock surfaces which make this region in a rock climbers paradise. The mild weather and the amazing views make this area in an area frequented by some of the best rock climbers. After our walk, we decided to enjoy a great meal in the Complejo turistico rural la Garganta. We enjoyed the rabbit served with lovely garlic potatoes rinsed down with a glass of wine. The hotel even comes with a small swimming pool and the views of the lake are just stunning.
Waiting for the train back to Malaga, we admired the many rock climbers and the spectacular views. |
About the AuthorWe are Peter & Dolores De Bie. We love the great outdoors, discovering new parts of the world and writing about our adventures along the Wild Atlantic Way and further afield Categories
All
|