Looking for warmth and sunshine over the week of Christmas, we headed for Málaga, on the Costa del Sol, in southern Spain. A trip like this helps us to get through a dark, cold, and rainy winter in Germany.
Favorite Málaga Sights
Málaga’s Centro Histórico neighborhood is the best place to stay both for visiting the top tourist sights, and access to a huge variety of shops, restaurants, and bars. It covers quite a large area, mostly pedestrian-only, with wandering narrow streets. Everything is within walking distance, from the beach, to museums, the Alcazaba fortress, and the massive Cathedral. The whole neighborhood is lovely, and even more so with many Christmas decorations.
Top tip: visit the Alcazaba right when they open at 09.00 to avoid the crowds. This is a fascinating fortress, with many twists and turns to explore. The Roman Theater is right next-door, and can be viewed from the Plaza it borders. Malaga’s Gibralfaro Castle is also close by, although up a very steep hill, and not near as interesting as the Alcazaba.
El Pimpi is a must-visit restaurant that has been around since 1971, and Antonio Banderas is a part-owner. Walk through the inside to see a museum-like history displayed on the walls, then have a drink or a meal on the outside patio.
The beach is an easy 20-minute stroll from the center, with a good sandy stretch for walking, as well as a boardwalk. On Christmas Day, with temperatures in the mid-60’s F and very sunny, people were sun-bathing and swimming.
Spanish Cooking Class
One of our favorite outings in Málaga was a Spanish Cooking Class with Chef Pepé in his beautiful kitchen. We learned to make traditional Gazpacho, Tortilla, and Paella. The Gazpacho tasted like summertime, it was so fresh and delicious. We made the Tortilla with potatoes, onions and eggs, and it was delicious, this makes an excellent breakfast dish. The paella, a rice dish which we made with vegetables, chicken, seafood, and seasonings, was the highlight. This was the best paella we ate all week.
It was an enjoyable evening, and the hospitality of being invited into Chef Pepé’s home was like cooking and dining with a good friend.
Foods and PuBs of Málaga
Pimientos de padrón are small green peppers, grilled and salted, and they are one of our favorite new foods. Fried anchovies and green olives are other specialties of this area, and we ate plates and plates of both of these as well as the pimientos. Traditional Tapas are a choice at many restaurants, even in the many Irish Pubs. The smallest Irish Pub in the World (since 2017) is here, Neil MacGregor’s, indeed small, but a very lively pub.
We ate Christmas dinner at the beach: fried anchovies, pimientos de padron, and razor clams. Fish and seafood are cooked on skewers at grills along the beach. A very fun non-traditional Christmas dinner!
tours from málaga
We booked our tours through GetYourGuide, they had the best options for what we wanted to see in this area. They have flexible options within their bookings, they give you a good amount of time at the sights, and their tour guides are consistently great.
Alhambra, a huge fortress and palace complex in historic Granada, set on a mountaintop, is one of the most beautiful places we have seen in the world. If you only have time for one tour from Málaga, this is the one to visit. The gardens alone are stunning, full of mazes, hedges, fountains, vegetable plants, fruit trees, and flowers. Then there are the palaces, fortress, and winding stone streets, all with views of snow-topped mountains and the surrounding valleys. Alhambra is one of the wonders of the world.
Ronda is a mountain town with a well-preserved Roman stone bridge over a deep gorge, Roman walls, and a Bull Fighting Ring. This is a very nice and picturesque spot to visit.
Near Ronda is the small town of Setenil de las Bodegas, with homes built right into mountain cliffs.
We were not able to visit Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, from Spain, since they don’t recognize our EU status. We saw the Rock but that’s as close as we got.🙄
A week in Málaga, with sunshine, warmth, and afternoon siestas, left us relaxed and renewed for the New Year. The whole Costa del Sol area has a fun and friendly atmosphere, very welcoming to tourists. We highly recommend visiting this area of Spain!
Salud!
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