1-Look up a bit of Andalusian history before you arrive
Spain was under Islamic rule (by Arab and Moorish conquerors-primarily composed of Berber armies) for many centuries, but nowhere so completely as Andalusia (the Arabs dubbed the region ‘Al-Andalus’ and this is where the name Andalusia came from). The influences of this past can be seen in language, music, food and in the impressive structures left behind.
In Malaga, you can see and touch some of this history by touring through the city’s 11th century fortress (the Alcazaba) and 10th century (later enlarged in the 14th century) castle.
Regressing even further back than during the centuries of Islamic rule, here are some other impressive bits of history to put into perspective just how long Malaga has been around and inhabited:
- The Phoenicians founded the colony ‘Malaka’ in 770 BC.
- Archeological remains found in sites such as the La Araña caves and beach have shown the area to have been inhabited since before pre-historic times and have uncovered tools and other artifacts from Lower Paleolithic times. Yeah-this goes way over my head too! But, if you are into archeology you may want to check out the museum and caves. Active digs and surveys are still (slowly) happening and the archaeologist in-residence and his assistants get very passionate about sharing their findings with you. These sites are a big deal in the archaeology world.
There’s so much more… this is just a few bits and pieces… but I think you get the point. Malaga is a region with a lot of history. Knowing a little bit about it as you wander through castles or on ramparts that you know have been traversed by Phoenicians, Romans and later in history, Arabic sultans, is pretty cool.
2-Spend more than one day
Tiny streets, building of pale polished stone that gleam in the almost ever present sun. A gorgeous 16th century one-armed cathedral. A castle with stairs to sweeping city views, an expansive fortress and Roman amphitheater…
This is Malaga. And though it is charming and full of beautiful buildings, historic sites and (more recently) a good selection of great museums, it is often overlooked as one of the ‘must see’ sites in Andalucia. For most visitors to Andalucia, it’s a day or overnight stop. The place their flight arrives and/or leave from or their cruise ship docks.
There is a substantial expat community in the region of Malaga due to low property prices (particularly for Europeans from much more expensive countries) and it has continued to grow rapidly over the past couple of decades, but visitors to the region still tend to get in and get out of this city pretty quickly- not giving Malaga the time or attention they devote to other ‘more important’ places like Seville, Granada or Cordoba.
I recommend-not doing this. Malaga will draw you in-and have you loving it more the longer you stay… ! Leave the map at home and simply step out and wander the streets of this small easily navigable city.
3- Make it a point to eat and drink a lot-a little at a time-over a long period of time
Everyone has heard of the Spanish love for tapas but have you had meriendas or gone for ‘a vermut’?
Let me explain.
Tapas
Tapas are small plates of food you eat in the evening in the period before dinner or as a replacement for dinner (Spaniards typically eat a larger lunch meal than dinner meal). For Spaniards the typical time for tapas is from 8pm onwards.
Cena
Dinner (or cena) is normally never earlier than 9pm but most Spaniards eat later than this on weekend nights when they go out. 10pm or later is totally normal. If you want to eat earlier don’t expect most restaurants to open for dinner earlier than 8.
Meriendas
Meriendas are basically snacks. So if you ‘meriendar’ with a friend you have a snack or small meal with a friend, in the afternoon. Earlier than tapas. I never heard anyone use this term in Madrid unless it was to refer to their children’s snack time but since arriving in Andalucia I’ve been asked by friends to go for meriendas. My Madrid friends find this strange. My Andalucian friends find it normal.
Vermut
Spaniards ‘go for a vermut’ when they want to have a casual drink early in the day, typically a vermut but some people still don’t drink vermut (even though it’s enjoyed a resurgence in popularity with a much wider age group in recent years like many other traditional alcoholic beverages that used to be out of fashion) and opt for a small beer.
You don’t drink vermut with tapas in the evening or at night. It’s a day time thing. And since vermut in Spain is typically sweet (some more than others-and levels of spice vary as well) as well as bitter and mixed with things like tonic or soda it doesn’t pack as much of an alcoholic punch as a regular cocktail.
Spaniards like to drink low alcohol or small sized alcoholic beverages more slowly over a long period of time versus throwing back large pints or cocktails rapidly. Easier on the wallet, but also helps you last for more hours so you can enjoy as much socializing as possible.
4- Take advantage of the free entrance to cultural sites on Sundays!
The Alcazaba, the Castillo de Gibralfaro, the Thyssen and even the Picasso museum are all possible to tour for free during certain hours on Sundays. There are more museums to add to this list as well but I’ve limited it to the top most interesting or popular ones here. You can find the full list on this site.
Alcazaba & Castillo de Gibralfaro: Can tour for free between 2-8pm on Sundays. The last entrance allowed is at 7:30.
Carmen Thyssen Museum: Free entry on Sundays from 5 pm to 8 pm
Museo Picasso: Free entry the last Sunday of every month from 6 pm to 8 pm
Free tours of fortresses, castles and Picasso? What more could you ask for?!
5-Take a ‘siesta’ mid-day so you can spend more hours out at night like Spaniards
I won’t perpetuate the myth here that every Spaniard still takes siestas, but Andalusia is one of the regions in Spain where the siesta tradition is still very much alive.
Particularly on weekends between lunch and dinner, but for many older people and those who own shops (fruterias, carnicerias, etc) or who don’t work in an office there everything shuts down between 2:30 to 5 or 5:30 for a long lunch and a break during the week as well.
As the saying ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ goes, it is actually quite helpful to do as the Andalusians do and take a siesta after your long lunch and before your late dinner if you want to make it out during the same times Spaniards are out and about. That is when things are most exciting (and open!). This is particularly true in the summer-when the weather is so hot that you will be grateful to have an excuse to go back to your air-conditioned hotel or apartment and take a quick nap and then shower and refresh before heading back at night when the temperature has cooled down a bit and the sun’s harsh rays have disappeared for the day.
Taking a siesta will prolong the amount of hours you get to spend out and about enjoying a city.
Have you been to Malaga? What was your favorite part?
I haven’t been to Malaga but it does sound like my kind of place. And, I know what you mean about getting a bit of an understanding of the history before you travel – it really helps to bring a place to life doesn’t it.
Sounds like I need to add Malaga to my Spanish itinerary. Love all the food suggestions. So much to taste and savor! Definitely planning to spend days there.
We enjoyed a few days in Malaga. The Spanish “small snack” tradition works just perfect for us. We can never make it to the late dinner hour that the Spanish like. Unfortunately I never mastered the art of siestas! I had never heard of the term “meriendas” before. I thought everything was tapas! Thanks for the clarification.
I had a trip to this area planned with my mom several years ago, it fell through and I never rescheduled it. Great tip about the free cultural sites on Sundays!
This is a great reminder to not overlook Malaga when travelling to Spain. I agree it deserves more than one day to explore everything it has to offer. It’s a great idea to read up on the history a little before exploring the city. I would love to see the castle and the fortress already knowing something about what happened there through the ages.
Sherianne-are you guys going to be back in Spain anytime soon? Yes I do love the fact that every Sunday I can go see a Picasso painting, take a friend to tour the castle or Alcazaba or one other of the handful of museums in the city without paying over and over again for the same thing! 🙂
agreed! You can use the links I put in my post-to ready up full on the fortress and castle. Really interesting history. Just thinking about the different civilizations that came and went and conquered and were driven out gives me plenty to consider while perusing here..
Linda- I feel ya on the siestas! I generally don’t do them, but during summer there really isn’t any other option if you want to make it through to night and dinner! The heat kills me-and that is one season where shutting myself up with the blinds closed and a fan on me for a few hours until the weather drops a few degrees sounds just great. I may be a bit grumpy when I wake up from a 2 hour nap-but a cold beverage and conversation usually helps correct that 🙂 I also found this to be the same in Italy-during summers people disappear in the middle of the day and re-emerge at 9…….hahah
feel free to give me a call! I should still be here 🙂
Yes, I have been to Malaga and totally liked it ! With loads of history it has a quaint charm. I quite liked the Bandit’s museum and car museum which has car from yore and the latest one. I have written about these museums in details.
Also one can’t miss Vermut and Tapas and strolling along the beach.
I’ve not been to Malaga, but it’s on my radar…because well I love Spain in general. These are great tips for traveling all over Spain! We learned about tapas and eating in general in Barcelona. And I love your tip about learning some history before you go. I made this mistake a lot as a younger traveler…I now do a bit more reading before we go and have found I get a lot more out of my trips this way!
Loved learning about the ancient history of Malaga. I’d go just to check out those ruins. The pace of life in Andalusia is certainly agreeable, eating little but often and enjoying siestas is my kind of living! I have to get back to Spain soon.
I had no idea that S pain was under Islamic rule for many centuries – I totally agree though that reading up on the history of a destination before you go gives you a more immersive experience and better understanding of what you’re experiencing when you’re there. It’s cool to visit a place and have an insight into the actual stories behind it. I had no idea that Malaga had such a deep rooted history or had been passed from one Empire’s rule to the next. Sounds like a fascinating region!
Meg-indeed! I continue to learn more and more about the regions of Spain the longer I’m here-and it certainly is mind-boggling how far the history goes back. I mean-back in the days of Islamic rule Spain wasn’t even Spain it was the Iberian peninsula, so Spain has been Arabic kingdoms longer than it has been a united Spain! Interesting to consider-
Claudia-feel free to give me a call if you are in Southern Spain, I’ll be happy to come grab some tapas and a vermut with you 🙂
Julie
couldn’t agree more! I got in the habit of looking up the history about a place before visiting, with an ex of mine who loved researching EVERYthing. It was a habit that I found very nice-when we were traveling, but a bit annoying otherwise ahhah. He used to look up a town before we’d arrive and tell me all about when it was built, any remarkable points, major industry, etc etc. And this was in the U.S so the history was much shorter but nonetheless interesting! So much is forgotten over decades and centuries. Things most of us never knew.
what is your favorite region in Spain?
Nisha-
wow, very cool! I need to go check out your Malaga posts! Til now, I have mostly focused on writing about Northern Spain (still closest to my heart-as I like the food and wine best up North) but I am loving Southern Spain’s weather, architecture and the fact that everyone seems to be looking for every possible excuse not to work for as many days as possible and to just hang out and eat and drink :). My boss is in France-and they have a lot of holidays-but Andalucians have more! Every time I tell him it’s a Saint’s holiday or a parade week or some other thing they close down shops for for the day and everyone takes off he’s like ‘dang these Spaniards take even more holidays than the French`’ ahahahah
Ash-Wow this is an interesting thing to note. I had never thought about Spanish terms or traditions being prevalent in the Philippines. I mean I know the Spanish ruled over many regions-but hadn’t thought about the lasting traditions that might still be there! This makes sense though-just like you still see so much of the French influence in Vietnam due to the past.
I learn something every day.
Though I have to say, in regards to Spain being hot, that Southern Spain is much hotter than Northern. The entire country of Spain is not tropical. Up North it’s rainy and green and chillier. In the middle it’s dry-freezing in winter and hot in summer but not humid. The South is beaches and sun. Interestingly the Arab/Islamic conquerors didn’t make it as far up North in Spain-they stuck mostly to the South. Due being defeated in a battle up North but also due to the weather and difficulties up there (not as rich a region either).
Hi Brooke,
I do enjoy the idea of a siesta and need to honor it all over the world, really. I sleep OK at night but afternoon naps are a big difference maker for me. Those in Malaga honoring this – travelers included – have uncovered a secret of happiness, success and some pretty dang energized folks. What a fascinating region.
Ryan
Malaga is still on my bucket list but I hope to visit it soon. Your tips and your shots are great!
I am working now in Barcelona and traveling around. Was wondering if it’s woth visiting Malaga as i have heard different reviews. Now i feel more up for it 🙂 would definitely try tapas there to see if it’s similar to the one in bcn
You would love it! If nothing else-hit the Alcazaba and Castle and the indoor mercados (though I know Barcelona also has them). It’s a much smaller city vibe in Malaga than Barcelona-so you don’t get overwhelmed and of course it’s a different region all together so the accent is different, culture etc
The Arab and Moorish conquerors left indeed their mark in this part of Spain, but their architectural influences are quite beautiful. Malaga seems to be quite charming and full of impressive buildings. I’m sure the food tasted great as well.
I haven’t had a chance to visit Malaga but did visit Barcelona and Sitges. I love your tip on eating and drinking a lot! The food is delicious.
I’ve never been to Malaga but it sounds wonderful. I’d love to ‘go for a vermut!’ I think it’s particularly funny about the cultural differences within a country when you talk about your Madrid friends versus Andalucian friends. It’s only living in a country that you get to know this nitty gritty!
I agree with the spending more than one day and the taking advantage of the free one on sundays. We also did a day trip to Ronda which is around 45-1 hour away from Malaga and its really really pretty. We did a month of Spain last summer and itw as really pretty. I’m glad we decided to do more than a day in Malaga.
So much to experience and taste! I’d love to visit Malaga, to siesta and enjoy the local rhythms.
I am one of those tourists who skipped Malaga and spent time in Seville, Cordoba and Granada. I like reading up history more than how much I was during my school days. 🙂 The Islamic impressions in Sapin is interesting. Hope I can revisit some day.
I hope you can! Definitely worth a visit! 🙂 I think Southern Spain warrants at least a month. Or 2-3 trips minimum
a month is a great trip! So much you can do in this amount of time-and with a more relaxed pace. It would be nice if everyone had this much time!
I have not been to that part of Spain yet. I would love to go there just to eat and drink! Great tips on taking advantage of the free entrance on Sundays!
Lovely article about Malaga! In Spain, the only place I’ve visited is Madrid. I did notice the tradition of eating evening meals quite late and not being able to find a restaurant open before 8:00 pm. I also loved that during the summer, it didn’t even get dark outside until about 10 pm, so I can totally understand why a siesta is such a popular thing. It lets you bypass the hottest, most unproductive time of the day and store up energy for those late night activities when it is much cooler! And oh, I love exploring old places, so Malaga would be right up my alley!
Aww man, Malaga looks great! I was supposed to spend a weekend there when I lived in France but couldn’t make it work with my schedule. It’s still on my list though! That’s a great tip about the free museums on Sundays – I’d definitely take advantage of that!
Francesca, where do you live now? Hope you make it to Spain soon!