Málaga is the capital of the province of Málaga, and its metropolitan area, Málaga-Marbella, is home to about a million people. As the most attractive city on the Costa del Sol, we definitely wanted to spend some time there, but getting to Málaga with own boat isn’t easy.
The yacht club Real Club Mediterráneo Málaga doesn’t accept visiting boats. In the center of Málaga, there is a quay designed for large boats and superyachts. It’s along the promenade, so there’s a constant stream of tourists and street hawkers passing by, making it restless for overnight stays. It’s also not a guarded area. It might not be a problem for superyachts since they usually have crew onboard. However, we felt like we didn’t want to leave her alone when we go into the hustle and bustle of Málaga. Additionally, the harbour’s fee in city’s prime location is quite steep, and it even dosen’t include any services such as electricity or water.
Later, we got a tip from our boating friends that behind Málaga’s commercial port, there’s an unused harbour basin where you can anchor. However, it’s not easy to get ashore from there. Nevertheless, it’s a good anchorage to stop for the night on the way forward.
However, we wanted to go to Málaga, so we chose another harbour nearby, Fuengirola, as it’s the first city from where you can conveniently take a commuter train to Málaga. Of course, there are other marinas between Málaga and Fuengirola.
From Fuengirola marina, it’s a short 500-meter walk to the train station, and the journey to Málaga takes only an hour – convenient, so we visited Málaga on two days.
On the first day, we focused on tourism and culture. In the afternoon, we took a nice walk to Mount Gibralfaro. It was worth climbing to the height of 130 meters, as it offered breathtaking views over the entire city of Málaga. At the foot of the hill, there is the Alcazaba fortress and amphitheatre dating back to the 8th century, which we had visited on our previous trip to Málaga, so this time outdoor adventure appealed to us. After enjoying cold colas at the top, it was time to descend and continue our exploration of the Málaga’s old town.
Málaga had a pleasant atmosphere and a lively vibe. Despite the large number of tourists, the city lives and breathes at the pace of the local people. It was nice to walk around, sit down at a square for a cup of coffee when your feet get tired, and then continue strolling. The old town is lovely, with its maze of pedestrian streets filled with restaurants and shops. The plan was to spend the evening wandering around Málaga, but things turned out differently.
Calle Larios, the main shopping street, was closed during our visit because Málaga Fashion Week was taking place. We had the opportunity to admire a fashion show from a prime location along the 300-meter-long catwalk. The entire length of the catwalk was crowded with people watching the fashion show.
The models had quite a journey, showcasing stunning fashion creations on Europe’s longest catwalk. They walked it only once from end to end, after which they were transported back to the starting point to change clothes in a tent, and a new 300-meter high-heel walk on the catwalk awaited them again. Their toes must have been quite sore when the showtime was over 🙂
On our second day trip to Málaga, we focused purely on shopping. Near Málaga airport, there is a large open-air shopping center called Plaza Mayor, which is also accessible directly by train. Our friend was right when she said we must go there. We made excellent finds in the outlet stores of high street shops. Occasionally, we stopped for a snack to refuel, ensuring we had enough shopping energy. In the evening, we headed back to Fuengirola and Suwena on the local train with our hands full of shopping bags.