On foot

Being close to the coast and in a valley with Mount Gibralfaro and the Montes de Málaga looming, the Centro area of Málaga (about 86 acres, or 1/8th of a square mile in size) is very easy to walk, and is flat in many areas. It is approximately a two-thirds of a mile walk from the Mercado Central de Atarazanas to the Alcazaba, and about a similar walk to the Centre Pompidou at Muelle Uno. It is fairly easy to walk to most sights in Centro, Soho, and La Malagueta, although for areas further out than that, you would do well to combine walking with some sort of alternate transport, such as the city bus, bicycle, or taxi.

By bus

Bus service in Málaga is administered by Empresa Malagueña de Transportes, or EMT (www.emtmalaga.es), which boasts 41 day and 3 night lines which run all seven days of the week. Daytime buses run from approximately 6 a.m. until midnight; buses between midnight and 6 a.m. run on a skeletal schedule and routes have the letter N in front of the route number. Tickets can be bought directly from the driver (change may or may not be given) or from ticket vending machines at select bus stops and at ticket vendors such as tobacconists and cafés. A one-way ticket costs approximately €1.50 and you can buy a 10-journey ticket, allowing you 10 one-way trips on the bus system in a 7-day span, for less than €10. The airport bus, which runs from the airport to the Paseo del Parque bus hub in Centro Málaga every 20-30 minutes during daytime hours (6 a.m. to midnight), is €3 each way. There are similar bus hubs at Avenida de Andalucía as well as Alameda Principal. For a full list of routes, including maps and timetables, in English, visit www.emtmalaga.es.

By commuter rail (Cercanías Málaga)

The local commuter rail, run by RENFE and called Cercanías Málaga, connects Alameda-Centro train station (on the western side of the Guadalmedina, in the Perchel Sur neighborhood) with Málaga-María Zambrano, Victoria Kent, and Málaga Airport (Aeropuerto) stations with Torremolinos and Fuengirola, as well as a separate line which curves to the north and northwest from Victoria Kent station toward Álora. These trains will be more useful for people wishing to explore areas outside the main city, or for people who want to take a train to the airport from three of the main train stations in the area. The C-1 train goes from Alameda-Centro to the airport and later to Fuengirola; a ticket to the airport will cost about €2. The trains run every 20 minutes from approximately 5:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. daily. (Schedules on weekends, during Semana Santa, or the Feria de Agosto, may be different.) For more information, visit www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias/malaga/index.html (in Spanish).

By the Málaga Metro

The Málaga Metro was opened on July 30, 2014, and currently has two short lines, both of which connect the western side of the Guadalmedina with the western suburbs of Málaga. These areas had high levels of traffic congestion at the time, and so the Metro sought to alleviate that. You will most likely not use the Málaga Metro during your stay, but if you do, you will find that both lines start at El Perchel Metro station, which is positioned right in front of Málaga-María Zambrano train station. For more information, visit www.metromalaga.es.

By taxi

Taxis in Málaga are white, typically with a blue stripe on the driver`s door. All taxis may not have electronic meters, but they are indeed metered; taxis without these meters are required to carry a book to determine fares by the kilometer driven. Flagfall in Málaga and environs starts at €3.17 as of 2019, with a €0.58 addition for each kilometer traveled, and waiting time costs €14.56 per hour. Outside of the normal hours, which would correspond to 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., as well as all day on weekends, holidays, and during Semana Santa and Feria, the flagfall is still set at €3.17 but the per-kilometer rate rises to €0.70 and the price of waiting time increases to €17.48 per hour. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of €6 to €10 no matter where you travel from Centro in either direction, west to María Zambrano or east to the beaches. Reputable companies in the area include Málaga Airport Taxi Transfers (+34 693 90 09 00), Cheap Taxi Málaga (+34 685 97 55 75), Large Taxi Málaga (+34 678 84 84 84), and Taxis en Málaga (+34 635 31 46 84). Taxis can be hailed from the street and can also be called by a bar, restaurant, or your hotel should you need the assistance.

By car

A car is only necessary if you want to use your spare time to explore the sights away from Málaga, such as the Costa del Sol past Fuengirola, or to the White Villages such as Antequera, and with as many bus and rail options as there are, probably not even then is a car truly necessary. Weigh your options and decide if having an automobile will be more of a headache than it is worth. There are underground parking garages (24 hours in many cases, and always pay-per-hour) in various spots throughout the city, most notably at Avenida de Andalucía, Muelle Uno, and Plaza de la Merced.

By bicycle

Riding your bicycle along the Mediterranean coast is a beautiful way to experience the beauty of, and respect for, the sea that many Málagueños have. There are a multitude of bike rental options here. First, the municipal government operates a bike-sharing scheme called málagabici (malagabici.malaga.eu). For €20 a year, you can take bikes from a number of stations around the city and pay a flat fee (typically around €0.02-€0.04 per minute) for the privilege. Then there is QQ Bikes, a local business at Muelle Uno which offers Segway tours and private bike rentals (€4 per hour and €15 per day). For more information about QQ Bikes, visit www.qqbikes.com/en. Finally, Bike2Málaga (www.bike2malaga.com/en) offers mountain bike rentals and tours to the White Villages.