Centro (Historic Center of Málaga)

The vast majority of the sights you will be seeing as a tourist will be clustered in the Centro area of Málaga, which is roughly bounded to the north by Calle Carretería, the Plaza de San Francisco, Calle Alamos, and Plaza Jesús el Rico, to the south by the Alameda Principal and the Parque de Málaga, and to the west by the Guadalmedina River.

In the southwest portion of Centro, north of the Alameda, you will find the Mercado Central de Atarazanas, the principal marketplace for the city, built on the site of an old naval shipyard. As you head east, you will notice a number of delicious food options, ranging from fast food to cafés to restaurants with formal dress codes. Eventually you will reach Calle Larios, which runs for approximately 1100 feet from the statue of the Marquis de Larios at the Alameda up to the Plaza de la Constitución. It is the street in Málaga with the highest rent per square meter and has the highest average income per resident of any street in Andalusia. You will find many high-end shops here as well as food and accommodation options. At the end of the street, the Plaza de la Constitución, much like Calle Larios, is pedestrianized; you will see the beautiful sixteenth-century Genoa Fountain in the middle of this Plaza.

If you walk up Calle Molina Lario, the street which is the east-west boundary for the Alameda Principal and the Parque de Málaga, respectively, you will reach the major basilica in Málaga, the Renaissance-era Catedral de la Encarnación de Málaga, or Málaga Cathedral. If you walk down either Calle Postigo de los Abades to the south of the church or Calle Cister to the north, you will end up reaching the Museo de Málaga, inside the former customs house; the Universidad de Málaga; the best-preserved Alcazaba in Spain, dating from the tenth century; and the ruins of the Roman Theatre of Malaca, which date from the first century before the Common Era.

Soho

The neighborhood south of the Alameda Principal, north of the N-340 motorway, and east of the Guadalmedina River is officially called Ensanche Centro, but as of late it has been given the name Soho by locals, due to the number of museums, art galleries, and trendy artsy people who live and work here. The centerpiece museum in Soho is the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo (CAC), with smaller galleries fanning out in all easterly directions away from the museum. Another noteworthy exhibition space is MAUS (Málaga Arte Urbano Soho). The hippest food and drink options can be found in this neighborhood, as it caters to a discerning clientele!

La Merced / Lagunillas

The combined neighborhoods of La Merced and Lagunillas are bounded to the north by Calle Refino and Calle Cruz Verde, to the east by Calle Victoria, to the south by Calle Alamos, and to the west by Calle dos Aceras. On the southern edge of the La Merced neighborhood you will find Plaza de la Merced, one of the hubs of social life in Málaga. Close by are memorials to General Torrijos and Pablo Picasso, the latter of whom was born in a building just off the Plaza; it is open as a museum, featuring the story of his life and select masterpieces of his. The Mercado de la Merced and the Teatro Cervantes are also located in the La Merced neighborhood. North and east of Calle Frailes, and south of Plaza de la Victoria, you will find the Lagunillas neighborhood, where many food and accommodation options are located.

Gibralfaro

Mount Gibralfaro`s summit sits 430 feet above the city of Málaga, immediately north of La Malagueta and Paseo Reding, and to the east of Plaza de la Merced. At the summit, there has been a castle protecting the area below for over 2,500 years. The very first defensive structure was built from limestone rock by the Phoenicians in the eighth century before the Common Era. By the tenth century, the Taifa of Málaga fortified the structure that was already built there. By the 14th century, King Yusuf I of Granada commissioned the construction of dual defensive walls which linked the Castillo with the Alcazaba.

The name `Gibralfaro` comes from `Jbel`-`faro`, the amalgam of the Arabic word for `rock` and the Greek word for `light`; therefore, `Gibralfaro` is `the rock of light`. The castle was reserved for military use until 1925. At the southeastern slope of the mountain, there is a beautiful vantage point which affords great views of the city, beaches, and port below. There is also an `English Cemetery` that is the oldest non-Catholic (Anglican) Christian cemetery in Spain (opened in 1831). There are many accommodation options on or around Mount Gibralfaro, typically above Paseo Reding and below Calle Ferrándiz.

La Malagueta

Perhaps the most popular beach in the city is Playa de La Malagueta, as it is the closest one to the center of town, the port, Gibralfaro, and the Muelle Uno shopping and recreational center. Calle Keromnes is the eastern boundary of La Malagueta and the western boundary of La Caleta. The northern boundary of La Malagueta is the southern slope of Mount Gibralfaro, where Paseo Reding is the main thoroughfare.

Points of interest in the La Malagueta neighborhood include the Plaza de Toros de la Malagueta, the Port of Málaga Chapel (inside Muelle Uno, a lively shopping and nightlife center that rivals Calle Larios), the Centre Pompidou Málaga (also inside Muelle Uno), the Parroquia San Gabriel, and of course the aforementioned Playa de La Malagueta. The beach at La Malagueta is the best-equipped for families and travelers with mobility issues.

Perhaps the largest food and drink selection in the city can be found either along Playa de La Malagueta or at Muelle Uno, making it one of the most happening places to be for the traveler who loves good food and nightlife. The Restaurante José Carlos García, located inside Muelle Uno, is the only restaurant in Málaga to have earned a Michelin star. The Café de Paris, also inside Muelle Uno, was mentioned in the 2018 and 2019 Michelin Guides on Spain, but has yet to earn its first star. (Maybe soon!)

La Caleta

The La Caleta neighborhood revolves around the action at Playa de la Caleta, one of the more popular beaches in Málaga, due to its close proximity with Málaga`s port and the historic center of town. The N-340 motorway separates the beach from the hotels, bars and restaurants, which are clustered in a one-block grouping between the N-340 and Paseo de Sancha. You will find the most food or drink options along Paseo de Sancha and in a cluster of a one-block radius around Plaza Jardin de San Antonio and Plaza Jardin de San Nicolas.

El Perchel (Norte and Sur)

The Perchel neighborhoods are located east of the Avenida de las Américas and the Puente de las Américas, and west of the Guadalmedina River. The northern boundary of Perchel Norte is Calle Mármoles, while the boundary that separates Perchel Norte and Perchel Sur is Avenida de Andalucía, which is the continuation of the Alameda Principal over the Guadalmedina via the Puente de Tetuán.

Perchel Norte

Much of Perchel Norte is a commercially-zoned area, with the most noteworthy sight for tourists being the Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán (pictured). A large shopping center, Málaga Plaza, is located just north of Avenida de Andalucía; the city`s main El Corte Inglés department store and hypermarket are main tenants here.

Perchel Sur

More shopping opportunities can be found in Perchel Sur, which is known for its large shopping mall called Centro Comercial Larios Centro, featuring such stores as Zara, PANDORA, Dunnes, Primark, and Benetton. Sights of interest in this area include the Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen (bell tower pictured) and the Convento de San Andrés. Perchel Sur is served by El Perchel Metro station and Alameda Centro train station.

Málaga-María Zambrano train station

The area in and around Málaga-María Zambrano train station is popular with travelers who will be arriving or leaving the city via AVE train. Málaga-María Zambrano train station connects with Madrid Puerta de Atocha and Barcelona Sants train stations via high-speed AVE train lines. Not only is this train station a national rail hub, it is also a local transport hub, with the city bus station located right next door between Calle Eguiluz and Calle Mendivil, and El Perchel Metro station located directly in front of the train station. The area east of the train station and west of the N-340/MA-22 motorway is called El Bulto and, along the Guadalmedina River, Plaza de Toros Vieja (as it was the neighborhood that was home to the very first bullring in Málaga, which was built in the late 18th century and no longer exists).

Carretera de Cádiz

The area known as Carretera de Cádiz is one of the ten suburban areas of Málaga City. It sits south of Málaga-María Zambrano train station, north of the mouth of the Guadalhorce River, and east of the Carretera Ronda Oeste (MA-20 motorway). It is known for being the neighborhood where Playa de la Misericordia, one of the most popular beaches with young Málagueños, is located. The Parque del Oeste, Museo Automovilístico de Málaga, and the beginning of the Great Málaga Path are all located in Carretera de Cádiz. Carretera de Cádiz is served by Victoria Kent train station and La Isla, Princesa - Huelin, El Torcal, La Luz - La Paz, and Puerta Blanca Metro stations.