Malaga, a medium-sized city in the southern region of Andalusia, Spain, offers a perfect combination of culture and beach, and is the perfect starting point for exploring southern Spain. The city’s most important airport and convenient bus and train stations make traveling around Andalusia as simple as checking schedules, booking tickets, and starting your Spanish adventure. Renting a car is also a good option and in many cases the best way to take a quick trip to these cities.
You can take organized tours to Morocco, Seville, and Granada, and there’s a direct train to Osuna, where seasons five and six of HBO’s Game of Thrones were filmed.
Morocco
There are ferries to Morocco from Malaga, but the trip takes about eight hours. It is faster to take a bus to Tarifa, about a two hour drive from Malaga, and take a ferry from there; These ferry routes take only about 35 minutes. The only city you can reach in a day trip from Malaga is Tangier, so consider a long Morocco tour from Spain.
A day trip from Malaga to Morocco is practically impossible if you travel without a group and guide. But Morocco guarantees a stay longer than a day, and you could certainly plan it yourself (the country is much more tourist-friendly than it used to be). Getting a direct flight to Morocco from Malaga is not an option.
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Granada’s proximity to Malaga makes for a perfect day trip from the city. It’s about an hour and a half by car, and it’s easy to get to Granada from Malaga by bus (there are no trains), or you can take a guided tour or rent a car and drive yourself. Granada welcomes tourists, so you can visit Granada easily, without a tour.
But a great advantage of a guided tour is the visit to the Alhambra. It is always included in a guided tour and is the highlight of the trip. If you are not on a tour, you will most likely have to wait in a long line to get in, and the tour allows you to skip the line.
Nerja
Nerja, just under an hour’s drive from Malaga, is a popular beach town on the Costa del Sol, but its caves set it apart from the other coastal towns in Andalusia. The caves stretch for about three miles and contain the largest stalagmite in the world, which is nearly 105 feet tall. The Nerja caves are one of the most visited sites in Spain. Its promenade sits high on a promontory and offers spectacular views of the Mediterranean and the surrounding mountains of Sierra Almijara, Tejeda and Almira.
Round
Ronda is an hour and a half drive from Malaga, it’s a bit off the beaten path, so a guided tour is an especially good option. Ronda is the birthplace of bullfighting and has a great winemaking tradition, but is most famous for its centuries-old bridges over the Tagus Gorge. It also has those iconic whitewashed Andalusian houses, a hallmark of southern Spain.
Ronda is small and easy to get around alone. If you have a car, the trip to Ronda is interesting, especially if you drive through Marbella.
The bus and train take less than two hours each way. That’s a lot of travel time in a day and it requires making sure your logistics are correct. With four hours in a day occupied by travel, you need to make sure you get the first bus or train you can. A guided tour is probably a bit quicker too, like driving yourself.
Seville
Seville is the most popular city in southern Spain, but it takes about two hours to get there from Malaga, and that makes for a very long day trip. It is really better to do at least one night trip from Malaga due to the distance. If you are trying to do it in one day, a guided tour is your best option. You can get there by train in about two hours or by bus in about three. Driving would also take about two hours.
One of the most beautiful cities in Europe, let alone Spain, Seville is a vibrant magnet for flamenco, bullfighting, tapas, and renowned architecture. If you are not taking a tour, find a walking tour to really get a good overview of the city along with some commentary on what you are seeing.
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is famous for being the birthplace of sherry. It is also well known for its horse shows. If you can stay the night, Jerez is also good for flamenco and, yes, tapas. As is true throughout Spain, this is a nighttime activity. Stroll through old Jerez through its cobbled streets and admire its Baroque churches and typical Spanish squares.
Getting to Jerez by train takes around four hours, and that makes it impossible to visit it for just one day unless you drive yourself, which still takes around 2.5 hours. Unless you’re really pushing it on your itinerary, it’s best to stay overnight.
Osuna
The world has been talking about Osuna since “Game of Thrones” was filmed there. Keep an eye out for the old university and the bullring, which played the role of Dorne and Mereen. The “Thrones” connection is its main draw, so if you’re not a fan, this is a candidate to jump into.
You can get to Osuna from Malaga on the train in about two hours or you can drive, which is a bit faster; You can get there in your car in about 1.5 hours.
Cordova
Córdoba is the third most popular city to visit in Andalusia, after Seville and Granada, and definitely a distant third, but its beachy old town and one of the most important historical mosques in the world make it an important stop for visitors. It is full of whitewashed houses and buildings amid flower-filled courtyard gardens, a quintessential postcard of Andalusia. Islamic, Jewish and Christian cultures merged here to form a true Spanish experience.
You can drive to Cordoba from Malaga in about two hours, and that pushes you for a day trip, as there is so much to see here. Taking the train, which zooms into the distance, takes less than an hour and is the best option.
Gibraltar
Visit Gibraltar, the last colony in Europe (belongs to the UK) and home to some famous monkeys. You can also go on dolphin or whale watching tours, and don’t miss a trip to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar, where you’ll get a spectacular view of Africa.
The best way to get to Gibraltar from Malaga is by bus. It takes about three hours and drops you right at the border of Spain and Gibraltar, and then you cross the border. Very cool.
Antequera
If you want to experience what medieval Spain was like, Antequera is just what you are looking for. It is less than 30 miles from Malaga and is a perfect day trip. Its architecture reflects its Spanish Roman, Arabic and Baroque heritage. You can get there from Malaga by bus, which makes several trips every day, as does the high-speed train. Both take less than an hour. If you drive, you are half an hour from Malaga.
Frigiliana
Andalusia is famous for its whitewashed villages, with these iconic bright white houses with red tile roofs marching up and down the twisted, narrow streets of many of the cities. They form a perfect canvas for cascading flowers along the street and in courtyards. Frigiliana is one of the best examples of a typical whitewashed town, and is an hour’s drive from Malaga. You can also get to Frigiliana by bus, but you must go through Nerja to do so. The whole trip takes about an hour and 15 minutes.
Marbella
If you want glamor, Marbella is the place where you want to be. It has nightlife, spectacular golf, dazzling beaches and luxury shops. And if you want some history with its luxury, walk through the Moorish old town of Marbella, where you will find interesting boutiques and charming restaurants around the Plaza de los Naranjos.
If you drive, it takes about 50 minutes from Malaga. If you take public transport, you can catch a bus to Marbella from Malaga airport every half hour, and it takes about 40 minutes to get there.
