Things to Do in Malaga

Though the majority of the Thyssen- Bornemisza family collection resides in their namesake museum in Madrid, Carmen Cervera (formally Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza), an avid art collector, decided to open her own galleries in Malaga. Situated in its galleries is perhaps the finest visual representation of Andalucian art, featuring noted artists ranging from Sorolla to Zuburán and Ezquerra, and spanning the 13th to 20th centuries.

The Carmen Thyssen Museum (Museo Carmen Thyssen), which opened in 2011, is partially located in a 16th-century baroque palace—el Palacio de Villalón—a site worth seeing in its own right. In fact, the palace and its art aren’t even the most historic items here: when undergoing construction for the museum, Roman ruins were discovered below.

It is in the building’s old chapel where you’ll find the “Old Masters” collection, a display of works by the collection’s most prized artists. The palace portion of the museum is also home to a picturesque colonnaded courtyard, a quintessential architectural element found in southern Spain.

Other collections – including Romantic landscape and Costumbrismo, Précieux and Naturalist, and Fin-de-siécle – reside in the adjoining building, which was constructed specifically for the museum. Meanwhile, various rotating exhibitions go on display too.

Picasso’s life in Spain spanned nearly all of the country’s corners, from the northwestern region of Galicia to big-city Barcelona, and, of course, Andalucia, where he was born in 1881. Indeed, it is in Malaga at the now-titled Pablo Picasso Birthplace Museum (Museo Casa Natal de Picasso) — Picasso’s former family home, located in the heart of Malaga’s old town — where he spent his first, and perhaps most formative years.

Today, you can visit the artist’s childhood house, which is now the headquarters for the Fundación Picasso, a foundation that studies and promotes the artist’s work. The museum features more than 4,000 pieces by some 200 artists, including Picasso, as well as other contemporary artists. It also houses a variety of objects related to Picasso’s childhood, family, and his connection to Spain and the south.

Spanish architect Joaquín Rucoba built Málaga’s neo-Mudéjar bullring in 1874. Entrepreneur and former president of Málaga Football Club, Fernando Puche Dona, owns it today. The arcaded stadium has capacity for 14,000 spectators, with stables and training grounds for the horses, corrals for the bulls, and a mini-hospital.

Atarazanas Market (also known as Mercado Central de Ataranzanas) is a Málaga landmark that served as a shipyard, warehouse, and barracks before becoming the city’s leading food market. The Moorish-influenced building has been refurbished, and it’s once more a warren of stalls set amid delicate wrought ironwork below a domed stained-glass window.

If you’ve heard of the Centre Pompidou before, it’s likely because it’s one of the most famous art museums in Paris. The first one to exist outside of France opened in the heart of Malaga, Spain — a modern building that sits strikingly as a cube with multicolored and clear glass windows. The contemporary space contains both a large permanent collection and smaller temporary exhibits.

The museum houses nearly 100 unique works from the 20th and 21st century, all of which are grouped in one of five themes: Metamorphosis, Cubism, Politics, Self Portraits, and The Man Without A Face. Famous artists featured include Picasso (who was born in Malaga,) Frida Kahlo, Francis Bacon, and René Magritte, among others.

Dedicated solely to modern artists of this time period, it operates as a smaller scale design of its sister museum in Paris. Though it is newer than other sights, it has received high acclaim and is already part of most of the city tours of Malaga.

Located just outside Málaga’s historic quarter, the Basílica de Santa Mara de la Victoria has a relatively plain exterior. Don’t be fooled by its modest façade — it conceals an interior that’s considered to be one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Andalusia. Inside, the church is filled with plaster decoration painted with gold accents, and laid out in the shape of a Latin cross. Two chapels come off the central aisle and a cupola tops it all off.

The exhibition hall houses the treasure of the Virgen de la Victoria in a space adjoining one of the chapels. Here, the patroness of Málaga's trousseau is displayed. Among the paintings and sculptures is a noteworthy Virgin of the Sorrows, the ‘Dolorosa’, by Pedro de Mena. At the basement of the church’s tower, a small museum houses the Pantheon of the Counts of Buenavista. This pantheon is considered one of the most unique in Spain because of its macabre decoration, intended to provoke thoughts of mortality (one of the frequent themes of the Counter Reformation).

Malaga’s largest and most iconic public square, the Plaza de la Constitution holds significance in both the city’s past and present. Serving as a public space since the 15th century, it remains an important center of Malaga daily life today. Palm trees sit beside historic Spanish architecture surrounding the fountain Fuente de Génova. Lined with alleyways full of small shops and cafes, it is a largely pedestrian area that’s great for exploring the city’s history.

The square was home to Malaga’s city hall until the 19th century, having since been renamed from Plaza de Cuatro Calles (four streets) and the Plaza Mayor. Once the home of festivals, celebrations, and even bullfights, it is now a central meeting spot for residents of the city. Cultural, political, and religious events still take place here throughout the year, including the impressiveSemana Santa processions and festivities.

It is considered to be the heart of Malaga’s historical quarter and a must-see while in the city.

Discover the Costa del Sol’s largest seahorse collection, stroke a starfish or a sea anemone, catch a glimpse of Yellow, the giant green turtle, and more at SEA LIFE Benalmádena. Explore the underwater world first-hand—whatever the weather—in the aquariums several exhibits, and get up close and personal with marine animals.

With its peculiar stacked rocks and knobbly karst towers, the otherworldly landscape of El Torcal de Antequera is one of Spain’s most unique natural landscapes, formed over 150 million years ago, by the movement of tectonic plates beneath the ocean. Now a protected nature reserve, El Torcal’s unusual terrain is celebrated both for its remarkable geology and its diverse wildlife, and the rocky landscape is home to around 700 different plant species and a colorful array of nesting and migratory birds.

The starting point for most visitors is the El Torcal visitor center, but three color-coded walking trails also take in the park’s highlights – the 1.5km green route; the 2.5km yellow route, which climbs to the ‘Las Ventanillas’ (The Windows) lookout point at 1,200 meters; and the 4.5km red route, which reaches a height of over 1,300 meters.

The 18th-century Baroque Palacio del Conde Navas is found at the heart of the Málaga’s historic center. Once home to Spanish aristocrats and later a school, the palace fell into disuse in the late 20th century, but after decades of neglect it was restored between 2010 and 2013 and became the home of the city’s museum of music. MIMMA belongs to a new generation of ‘smart’ museums; it’s totally interactive and many of its instruments are available for visitors to play. With over 400 musical instruments on display from one of Europe’s biggest private collections, the museum examines the role of music in world culture down the centuries.

Children will love the chance to try out violins, guitars, drums or wacky instruments like didgeridoos from Australia and ancient Celtic bagpipes, and in the themed rooms, screens offer up information about the history of each instrument. Prototype instruments of the future can be discovered in MIMMA’s Living Lab and family-friendly workshops are held at weekends with the aim of introducing children to music at a young age. Be sure to catch the stirring flamenco performances each weekday at 1:30pm, and 2pm on Saturday (additional cost).

Covering more than three hectares and centered around three main pathways bordering both sides of the Paseo de Parque, Málaga Park was created at the end of the 19th century on land reclaimed from the Mediterranean Sea. Stretching along Málaga’s seafront from Plaza del General Torrijos to the Plaza de la Marina, the gardens are planted with perfumed roses, orange and cypress trees as well as exotic tropical shrubs and palm trees.

On the north side of the Paseo de Parque are several follies and fountains, including the Fuente de los Niños (Fountain of the Baby Boys) by revered ceramicist Juan Ruiz de Luna (1967). A succession of marble Neo-classical statues celebrate famous figures associated with Málaga, such as poet Salvador Rueda and artist Bernado Ferrándiz, and a cute little bronze of a donkey by Jaime Fernández Pimentel stands near the children’s play area. Pimentel was also responsible for the flying seagulls on the beguiling, open-air Eduardo Ocón Auditorium, which dates from 1962; there are weekly concerts held there on Sunday at noon as well as movie nights and music festivals in summer. Today the park is a popular stop on guided cycling tours of the city and horse-and-carriage rides also pass by the gardens.

Málaga’s Museo del Vidrio y Cristal (Museum of Glass and Crystal) showcases 700 pieces of glass and crystal that date from the 6th century BC to the 20th century. Located in an 18th-century Casa Palacio (“palace house”) in the center of town, the decorative arts museum is one of the few dwellings from this era to be preserved in Málaga. With spacious patios and gardens, the museum is furnished like a home and has an intimate atmosphere. Antique sofas, rugs, mirrors, and paintings take their places alongside the glass pieces displayed in cabinets.

The collection is divided across two floors into various historical eras, with period furniture from each era to complement the glass. On the ground floor, visitors will see English pre-Raphaelite stained glass windows. The first floor has several sections, starting with the Ancient Civilizations: Egyptian, Phoenician, Greco-Roman, Islamic, and Byzantine. Keep an eye out for the pretty, brightly-colored Phoenician pieces that date from the 6th century BC. The 16th- and 17th-century exhibits feature Catalan, Dutch, Bohemian, and Venetian lead glass; the 18th-century exhibit has glass made in La Granja; the19th-century exhibit shows English cameo glass by Thomas Webb; and the 20th century showcases Lalique and Whitefriars pieces.

The Málaga Ferris Wheel – also known as the Noria Mirador Princess – is a 230 foot (70m) high observation wheel located in Málaga port, near the city center. The ferris wheel offers unparalleled views over the port area, the buildings in the Plaza de la Marina, and all the way to the Málaga Cathedral and the castle of Gibralfaro. In fact, when visibility conditions are good, riders can enjoy panoramic views of almost 20 miles (30km) on all sides.

A ride on the ferris wheel is 15 minutes long, during which time the cabins rotate three times. The wheel has 42 air-conditioned cabins, each of which holds eight passengers — meaning more than 1300 passengers can ride the wheel each hour. In practice, families, groups, friends, and couples will often have a cabin to themselves. In the evening, the sun shines on the cabins at the top of the wheel, while those at ground level are in the shadow of the city-center buildings. At night the wheel is lit up with 20,000 LED light bulbs.

Opened in 2008, the Malaga Museum of Wine (Museo del Vino) celebrates one of Spain’s most important wine regions, famous for its muscatel. Housed in the eighteenth century Palacio de Biedmas, the museum traces the history of wine-making in the province through a collection of wine labels, posters and artifacts.

Visitors to the museum will learn about the province’s five districts and three wine-growing regions (Denominacion de Origin), as well as the types of grapes grown in each. A tasting room allows museum goers to sample wines produced in Malaga.