What to see in Malaga in 1, 2 or 3 days

What to book before you go

• Museo Picasso Málaga. Tickets are sold on its website. For weekends, bank holidays and Easter Week, buy a dated ticket as soon as your trip is fixed.
• Caminito del Rey. Entry is by ticket only, sold on the official platform and at the north entrance ticket office, subject to availability. A standard ticket costs €10 and the official guided tour €18. Children under 8 are not allowed.
• Alcazaba and Gibralfaro. Booking is not usually needed. The Alcazaba costs €7 and the joint ticket with Gibralfaro Castle €10 (City Council).
• Cathedral. Buy at the door or on its website for the same price: €10 standard, audio guide included.

Flying in? All the options are in our airport to city centre guide. To see which concerts, exhibitions or matches are on during your stay, check the Malaga events calendar.

Day 1: Alcazaba, Gibralfaro, Cathedral and Picasso Museum

Morning (about 3 hours). Start at the Alcazaba at 9:00, when it opens. Until 31 October it closes at 20:00, and from 1 November to 31 March at 18:00, with last entry an hour before closing. Allow a good hour to walk round it. Right by the entrance, on Calle Alcazabilla, you can see the Roman Theatre from the street.

With the joint ticket, carry on up to Gibralfaro Castle. On foot it is a steep climb of about 30 minutes, so take it slowly and bring water. From the top you look over the port, the bullring and the bay.

Afternoon (about 3 hours). Walk back down into the centre for the Picasso Museum, five minutes from the Alcazaba. Allow an hour and a half to two hours. The Cathedral is close by: the audio-guided visit takes about an hour. Note that on Sundays it only opens in the afternoon, from 14:00 to 18:00. The roof tour is suspended while the roof is being repaired.

Evening. Stroll along Calle Larios and Plaza de la Constitución, then down to the port via the Alameda or Paseo del Parque.

Day 2: the port, Soho and museums

Morning. From Paseo del Parque, walk onto Muelle Uno and along to the Centre Pompidou Málaga, the coloured cube on the waterfront. Then it is about 15 minutes on foot to La Farola lighthouse and La Malagueta beach.

Midday. Head back towards the centre through Soho, the district between the Alameda and the river, with street-art murals and MUCAC, a contemporary art centre with free entry.

Afternoon. Pick one or two museums to suit you:

• Museo Carmen Thyssen: 19th-century Spanish painting, in the centre. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 20:00 (official website).
• Picasso's Birthplace (Casa Natal), on Plaza de la Merced: the house where the painter was born. A good follow-up to the Picasso Museum.
• Museo de Málaga, in the Palacio de la Aduana next to the Alcazaba: fine art and archaeology. Check its hours on the Andalusian museums website.
• Russian Museum Collection, in the old Tabacalera building to the west. It is far from the centre, so take a bus.

Evening. The old fishing districts of Pedregalejo and El Palo, to the east, have a seafront promenade along the beach. A city bus from EMT gets you there in about 20 minutes.

Day 3: a day trip or another day in town

Caminito del Rey (a long half day, plus travel). The walkways through the Gaitanes Gorge start 57.7 km from Malaga, according to the official website. The same platform sells seats on the shuttle bus (€2.50) and parking spaces (€2). Visitors over 8 must carry an original ID card, passport or family book. If the path closes because of the weather, the website has a section for exchanging tickets.

Staying in Malaga. The La Concepción Historical Botanical Garden, north of the city, opens Tuesday to Sunday: 9:30 to 17:30 from October to March and 9:30 to 20:30 from April to September (official website). Allow about two hours. Or spend the morning on the museum you missed and the afternoon on the beach.

Nerja, Ronda and Antequera are other popular trips from Malaga. Check opening times and transport on their official websites before you go.

Where to watch the sunset

• Gibralfaro hill. The viewpoints on the hill look over the port and the city. The castle closes before sunset for much of the year, so do not count on being inside.
• Muelle Uno and La Farola. Facing west, the sun goes down over the harbour. Easy to combine with dinner in the centre.
• La Malagueta or Pedregalejo beach, to watch it by the sea.

The exact sunset time for each day is on our Malaga events calendar.

What to do if it rains

Malaga has plenty of museums for a wet day, and most are within 10 minutes' walk of each other: Picasso, Carmen Thyssen, Picasso's Birthplace, Museo de Málaga and the Centre Pompidou. If it rains on a Sunday afternoon, you can link several free visits (see below). The Cathedral is another good indoor option. Save the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro for when it clears: both are outdoor walks with slopes.

Two ways to save money

1. Keep Sunday afternoon free. According to the official websites:

MUCAC is always free. All the free hours, day by day, are on our free museums in Malaga page.

2. Check who gets in free. The Picasso Museum is free for under-17s and unemployed visitors. Thyssen, Pompidou, the Russian Museum and Picasso's Birthplace are free for under-18s. At the Cathedral, under-13s and Malaga residents go free, without audio guide, and its website lists free access first thing, 8:30 to 9:00, Monday to Saturday. We have not verified any Malaga tourist card, so we do not recommend one.