100 Things to Do in Malaga: The Ultimate Malaga Bucket List

This blog post was originally posted on August 12, 2015 and was updated on March 9, 2017.

Malaga is known for its beaches and fried fish, but there's so much more to explore.There's always something going on, and with 300 sunny days a year, Malaga has been chosen as one of the best cities to live in Europe. To get you started, here's a list of 100 things to do in Malaga. From chiringuitos to art museums, the top Malaga attractions are all here.

See Also: How to Live Like a Local in Malaga

100 Things to Do in Malaga

1. Explore the Alcazaba Moorish fortress
2. Walk around Gibralfaro Castle and enjoy the views
3. Visit the Roman Theater
4. Enjoy the Picasso Museum
5. Go shopping on Calle Larios
6. Witness the processions during Holy Week
7. See a procession at the beach for the Virgen del Carmen
8. Visit the CAC (Contemporary Art Center)
9. Take a walk along the Paseo Maritimo, one of the longest boardwalks in Europe
10. Have a drink at the famous Baños del Carmen
11. Have a lunch of fried fish at El Tintero II
12. Visit the Pompidou Museum
13. Enjoy craft beer at Arte & Sana
14. Eat an espeto at Miguelito el Cariñoso in Pedregalejo
15. Have ice cream at Heladeria Inma or Heladeria Lauri

16. Cool off with a drink on the rooftop of the AC Malaga Palacio or the Premium Hostal
17. Visit the bull ring (if not for the bullfight, for the tapas at La Plaza)
18. Visit the English Cemetery
19. Taste some Malaga sweet wine at La Odisea
20. Have an aperitif at Antigua Casa de Guardia
21. Eat tapas at a Holy Week themed bar: Las Merchanas
22. Go to an outdoor market like the Mercadillo Balneario or the Mercadillo Invisible
23. Hit the vintage stores
24. Have a coffee and a cupcake at Julia Bakery
25. Visit Atarazanas Market
26. Visit the cathedral and find out why locals call it the “One Armed Lady”
27. See where Picasso grew up at his childhood home in Plaza de la Merced
28. Eat fried fish at Bar La Comba
29. Visit the Sanctuary of La Victoria and the cloisters of the old convent
30. Try tejeringos (Malaga style churros) at Los Valle in El Perchel

31. Brush up on your car knowledge at the Automobile Museum
32. Enjoy street art in SoHo
33. Sip on Cartojal wine at the feria de Malaga in August
34. See flamenco at the Peña Juan Breva
35. Eat a campero sandwich at Mendivil or Mafalda
36. Go for tapas and drinks in Teatinos
37. Watch the Malaga Football team at the Rosaleda
38. Watch the Malaga basketball team (Unicaja) at the Palacio de Deportes
39. Spend the day at the beach
40. Take a day trip to the white town of Frigiliana
41. Get lost in the winding streets of nearby Mijas
42. Enjoy a day hiking in the mountains
43. Eat a Plato de los Montes de Malaga
44. Buy a biznaga for your best girl (or for yourself!)
45. Eat salted fried almonds from a street vendor

46. Visit the Plaza de la Merced and the Monument to Torrijos
47. Take a walk down the Paseo de Reding
48. Take a ride on a boat
49. Enjoy a drink or a meal at Muelle Uno
50. Get back to nature at the Concepción Botanical Gardens
51. Relax at the Hammam Al-Andalus
52. Watch a movie at the beach
53. See the stars at the Film Festival each Spring
54. Visit the patios of the Casas Corralones in La Trinidad
55. Have a Michelin star meal at Restaurante José Carlos García
56. Go for a jog on Huelín Beach
57. Have a coffee with a view at the Parador de Gibralfaro
58. Take a bike tour of the city
59. Listen to Jazz at Clarence Jazz Club
60. Go dancing in the center of town

61. Try a pitufo for breakfast
62. Learn to order your coffee like a malagueño: “un mitad, un sombra…”
63. Try a "black and white" or the turrón ice cream from Casa Mira
64. Eat churros and hot chocolate at Casa Aranda in the center
65. Enjoy the art at the Museo Carmen Thyssen
66. Try some vegetarian dishes like ajo blanco or gazpacho
67. Take a cooking class
68. Enjoy a play at the Teatro Cervantes
69. Visit the surprising Glass and Crystal Museum in the center of town
70. Have drinks in Plaza Mitjana at night
71. Visit the Sagrada Corazon church
72. Learn about Malaga’s past at the Museum of Art and Customs
73. Have a torta loca (a typical pastry) at La Canasta
74. Welcome summer by jumping over a bonfire on the night of San Juan
75. Participate in a workshop or see an exhibit at La Térmica

76. Visit the smaller art spaces like the Museo Jorge Rando
77. Visit the traditional fishing neighborhood of El Palo
78. Watch the sunset from the beach
79. Have a drink with impromptu flamenco at La Tranca
80. Visit the unique Interactive Music Museum
81. Taste test the local olives at Atarazanas
82. Spend a day at the River Chillár
83. Take a tour of a nearby vineyard
84. Try fried eggplant with local molasses (miel de caña) from Frigiliana
85. Learn why there is a Monkey Plaza
86. See the unique Capilla del Agua (a chapel in the neighborhood of La Victoria)
87. Enjoy the outdoors at the Guadalhorce River Nature Reserve
88. Pose for a photo with the statue of the Cenachero in Plaza de la Marina
89. Read a good book at Café con Libros in Plaza de la Merced
90. See a MicroTeatro show

91. Pose with Hans Christian Andersen (he loved Malaga, too).
92. Learn about Holy Week at the Museum of the Cofradía de la Esperanza
93. Visit Plaza de la Constitución
94. See the holiday lights on Calle Larios
95. Walk through the Picasso Gardens
96. Visit the Wine Museum of Malaga
97. Go to the zoo at BioParc Fuengirola
98. Play golf in Benalmádena
99. Visit the Russian Museum of Malaga (the only one outside St. Petersburg)
100. Take a paddle boarding lesson

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Photo Credit: Paolo Trabattoni