Malaga is the capital city of the Costa del Sol, founded by the Phoenicians as a colony some 3000 years ago it has come under the rule of the Romans, the Carthaginians and the Moors. A city of some 600,000 inhabitants,it is a busy port & industrial centre for the South of Spain, but more importantly is the gateway to one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world.

Often competing with its neighbour, Seville, as to which claims to be the capital of of Andalucia - in reality neither is officially recognised, though this doesn’t lessen the rivalry between the two cities.

Malaga was conquered by the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Kings) in 1487. Famous for its still uncompleted Cathedral, Alcazaba (Moorish Castle), Gibralfaro (fortress) and wonderful gardens, Malaga boasts many beautiful sights. The famous painter Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga and today his house is a popular tourist attraction (Plaza de la Merced). One of the most interesting areas for the visitor is the old historic quarter, which still carries the mark of nearly eight hundred years of Moorish rule.

Malaga has many beautiful attractions to offer and one of the best is the 15th Century Moorish fort Alcazaba .Located five minutes walk from the the Cathedral. The fort rambles across a hill which used to form part of the shore line, before the land that now forms the port was recaptured from the sea. Next to the fort is a 1st Century Roman theatre which is currently under restoration, the job being made all the more difficult because much of the theatre’s masonry was used by the Moors in the construction of Alcazaba

Overlooking Malaga is the imposing Gibralfaro Fortress- Its name comes from the Moorish Jebel meaning hill and Faro meaning lighthouse. If you want to keep fit then you can walk up the road however this is rather long and winding,and can be uncomftable in the summer heat.For those who dont fancy the walk there are buses that run from the town centre or you can take one of Malaga’s abundance of taxis. Once at the summit you will have a superb vista of the City including the bullring (Malagueta), the Port and the beaches surrounding Malaga The Moorish castle at the summit is more impressive than the rambling Alcazaba and in better condition. The gardens at the top are a perfect place to sit and take in the fantastic panoramic views.

A trip to Malaga would not be complete if you did not take time to see the works of one of Malaga´s favorate sons Picasso, the City has built a museum dedicated to his work which was made possible when Picasso´s daughter - in -law donated his work to The City of his birth .The Museum is located
Palacio de Buenavista
c/ San Agustín, 8
29015 Málaga, España

Tel: (34) 952 127600
Fax: (34) 952 127607

Opening hours:
Tuesdays to Thursdays, 10 am to 8 pm
Fridays and Saturdays, 10 am to 9 pm
Sundays and public holidays, 10 am to 8 pm

December 24th and 31st, 10 am to 3 pm

Closed Mondays, December 25th, and January 1stTicket sales cease 30 minutes before closing time.

You can visit Malaga Museo Picasso website for further details

The city like many others enjoy a good party and at Easter the city comes alive for Semana Santa (Holy Week)

The streets are packed until the early hours of the morning as the night air is filled with music from the processions carrying large flotillas called tronos (throwns). The celebrations for Semana Santa are some of the largest in Spain and draw visitors from all over Spain and abroad, often to the extent that the city’s population swells to nearly double in size.

Another good time to visit the city is The summer fair (Malaga Feria) which is held every August it is claimed to be the second largest fair in Europe. Held over one week this celebration is passionately partaken by locals and visitorsalike and they celebrate in traditional Andalusian style with processions, music and dancing.

The celebrations start around midday in the main street of Calle Larios, which becomes pedestrianised, and carry on until 6.00 or 7.00 in the evening. With plenty to eat and drink the streets are full of people enjoying the celebrations. Once the partying subsides its time for a quick rest until 11.00 or midnight and then on to the fair ground outside the city center. The fair has special temporary bars called Casetas, most putting on shows of Flamenco music or dancing, as well as a large fair ground, live music and nightclubs.

There are many amasing sites in the city of Malaga and transportation very good a reasonably priced

The city is served by Málaga Airport and by the Port of Málaga the cities seaport.

The main rail station is Málaga-Renfe which is connected with Madrid Atocha by Talgo 200. Later in 2007, the high-speed train AVE will come into service, reducing travel time to Madrid to just two and a half hours. The city has two Cercanías (commuter train) lines and a metro system is under construction.

Buses are the main form of transport around the city. Málaga’s bus station is connected with the city by the bus line number 4, although it is only 10 minutes walk to the Alameda from there.

Car rental is available at the airport Arrivals. Many tourists prefer to hire a car; it gives maximum freedom and flexibility to explore and experience the city and surrounding areas. Car rental is cheap and the services are excellent owing to the intense competition.

The Roman Theatre
If you are on holiday in the Malaga one place that should be on your list of things to do is visit the Roman theatre that had remained hidden underground for many centuries.

The theatre can be found at the foot of the beautiful Alcazaba fortress in the western part of the city.

Discovered in 1951, after having remained buried underground for many centuries,this stunning piece of Roman Architecture dates back to the first century built during the Empire of Augustus and was used up until the third century.

During their reign of the area the Arabs used parts of the theatre for their own building purposes.

They took capitals and column shafts for their own Alcazaba fortress as support for the horseshoe arches over the doorways.

The theatre has a radius of 31 metres is 16 metres tall and has an orchestra of 15 metres. The area has three main stands and gateways that lead into the stands (vomitorium).

Timetables: 1 April to 30 September, Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-2.30pm and 5-8pm. Sundays and public holidays, 10am-2pm. 1 October to 31 March, 10am-2pm and 4-7pm. Sundays and public holidays, 10am-2pm.
Entry fee: Free admission.
Services: Guided tour

The city has a very good website for tourists