Welcome to the era of the face mask…. a necessary evil for everyone, including Verdin Property, to bear at the moment. We might be virtually faceless at the moment, but if you think the Costa del Sol is soulless, you clearly haven’t been to Malaga.
Loaded with history and brimming with a youthful vigor that proudly acknowledges its multi-layered past, the city that gave the world Picasso has transformed itself in spectacular fashion, with half a dozen new art galleries, a radically rethought port area and a nascent art district called Soho. Not that Malaga was ever lacking in energy: the Spanish-to-the-core bar scene could put bags under the eyes of an insomniac ‘madrileño’, while the food culture encompasses both Michelin stars and tastefully tatty fish shacks.
Come here for tapas washed down with sweet local wine, and stay in a creative boutique hotel sandwiched between a Roman amphitheater, a Moorish fortress and the polychromatic Pompidou Centre, while you reflect on how eloquently Malaga has reinvented itself for the 21st century.
Once thought of as the poorer sister to Seville and as just a place to fly in and out of when coming to the Costa del Sol, Malaga is now the jewel in the crown of Andalucía. This vibrant city, situated along the Western Mediterranean coastline, has reinvented itself over the past few years to become a thriving and sophisticated hub of culture.
Let’s take a look at some of the areas to visit!
Old Town
Calle Marques de Larios is the gateway to the modern yet still typically Andalusian old town center, one of Malaga’s coolest and most intriguing barrios.
The street itself is wide and magnificent, and feels more like a Parisian boulevard than anything else you are likely to encounter in Andalusia, where even main streets can feel narrow and overshadowed. Lined with designer shops and smart cafes and tapas restaurants, it leads up from the port area to old Malaga’s biggest square, Plaza de la Constitución.
Off this bright and spacious square, which is frequently used for concerts and shows, Calle Granada weaves through the lively plazas of the old town, all of them great places to stop for a drink and a bite to eat. This area of Malaga is also home to the city’s key monuments, most notably the Moorish Alcazaba fortress, Gibralfaro castle, the stunning Roman amphitheater and the cathedral.
La Merced
To the northeast of the old town center is Malaga’s trendiest quarter, La Merced. The barrio takes its name from the lively Plaza de la Merced, where Pablo Picasso was born in 1881.
This square is a great place to hang out, packed as it is with bars and restaurants with sun-drenched terraces. The fact that it’s favored by street performers of all kinds means there’s likely to be live entertainment as you enjoy your tapas, too. Just off the square is the city’s coolest covered market, Mercado de la Merced, where you can enjoy cuisine from all over the world as well as buying some of the freshest meat, fruit and veg available in the city.
Venturing off Plaza Merced itself, the streets surrounding the square are a hedonist’s playground. Calle Alamo is lined with super-trendy bars and clubs and gives way to the equally popular Calle Carreteria. Definitely worth a visit ….
La Malagueta
The apartment buildings that surround Malaga’s historic bullring are the most modern additions to La Malagueta, an upmarket barrio whose residents have the Mediterranean Sea on their doorstep.
Playa La Malagueta, which runs along the southern length of the neighborhood to Malaga’s superb port, is the most popular stretch of sand in the city and is the key attraction in this area. On its western side, leading up to the historic city center, is the relatively new Muelle Uno, a picturesque promenade lined with bars and restaurants from which you can watch the huge cruise liners and (normally) tourists coming and going. This also leads to the vibrant, abstract Center Pompidou.
La Malagueta also boasts the city’s bullring, which is also known as La Malagueta, an important arena which stages several bullfights every August during the city’s annual feria. Love it or hate it, it’s popular with the locals…
Of course there are many other beautiful areas of Malaga, however it’s best to leave some of the intrigue there, or you’ll never visit the place!
Don’t forget, we also sell property in Malaga (and the rest of the Costa), so be sure to contact us if you’re looking for a property in the area. We’ll do our very best to find you your dream home in the sun.
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