I wouldn’t say we regretted extending our stay in Nerja, because we definitely did not. But we were sad that we only got to spend two nights in Málaga, because Málaga was great.

Coming into the city, it feels very big, though maybe that was due to us being in smaller towns for the last few weeks. It’s also beautiful, and the main avenue coming into the city–following the coastline and the beaches–is absolutely gorgeous.

Our AirBnb host was incredibly nice and helpful, and even picked us up at the bus station. The apartment was right in the heart of town, off the Plaza de la Constitución, making it easy for us to walk everywhere. You know we love that.

So let’s get walking then!

A Walk Around Town

After dropping our things off at our apartment, we headed out the front door and started winding our way through the narrow streets of central Málaga. Making our way around the requisite cathedral, we ended up on the pedestrian-only Calle Alcazabilla and… ran right into Roman ruins.

An old Roman theater, El Teatro Romano de Málaga, was found and excavated just in the 1950s. There are Roman ruins everywhere–check your basement, there’re probably some there–and these are some of the best preserved ruins that remain in Andalucía.

Looming over these ruins is the beautiful Moorish citadel, Alcazaba. Alcazaba was built in the 11th century by the Moors of Iberia, who controlled most of Spain and Portugal–an area they called ‘Al-Andalus’, which is where the name Andalucía comes from. We probably should have tried visiting here instead of the more famous Moorish citadel that we visited–Alhambra, in Granada.

Standing in front of these two structures–El Teatro Romano and Alcazaba–awes you, as you consider how many centuries of history they represent, all on this one tiny spot of ground. All of Europe can be that way, really, and every now and then it strikes you. Standing here did it for me.

Mirador de Gibralfaro

We continued our walk through town, curling around Alcazaba, until we arrived at the foot of mount Gibralfaro. At the top of the mount (really just a big hill), is the Castillo de Gibralfaro, another Moorish citadel built in the 10th century. This one was built on the site of an old Phoenician fortification, dating from around the 700s BC. Like, just, so many centuries of history.

Close to the top is the Mirador de Gibralfaro, offering panoramic views of Málaga, its port, and the Mediterranean. It’s a steep climb, but it was a beautiful afternoon.

One Last Costa del Sol Beach Day

We missed Nerja dearly, and we wanted to get one more beach day in while the weather was warm. So the next day, we walked all the way down to the Playa de la Malagueta. It was a beautiful walk, but the weather was very, very warm. The Mediterranean was welcome and refreshing when we got there.

It was also our last chance to take advantage of the topless beaches of Andalucía.

We had a great afternoon, and there was practically nobody out there. That was a welcome difference from Nerja.

El Pimpi

It was our last night for Spanish food and wine (don’t cry for us, we were just fine where we went next). Before dinner, we went down to the famous bar El Pimpi, to check out the scene and grab a drink. We ended up in their affiliated bar, El Rincon de los Pintores. Quirky and small, it was a lovely place to grab a couple copas de vino.

I vaguely remember where we ate dinner, but not much about it. I don’t think it was great. Cool story, I know. Overall, I don’t feel like we had much luck with food in Málaga. I don’t know if we just chose poorly, or if it just doesn’t measure up to Granada and Sevilla. That’s a tall order, after all.

Next Time

Andalucía was fantastic and, as I’d said way back in the Sevilla post, one of my favorite parts of the sabbatical. We were sad to only get a hint of Málaga, but I look forward to using it as a base for future trips to Andalucía.

But it was time to leave Andalucía–and Spain–behind. In the warm weather of the Costa del Sol, it was easy to forget that it was getting to be late in September–and cold weather was coming.

That cold weather reminder would hit us in the face as soon as we got to Milano, our next stop, and the temperature would drop nearly thirty degrees. We gotta get going!

Join us next time as we dive into a month of adventures in Italy!