Malaga Spain Granada

1303 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Azamara Club Cruises (88 Cruises)

Cruise Aza Azamara Club Cruises Journey ship

Azamara Journey

1114 Passengers
30277 tons
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Azamara Onward

30277 tons
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Cruise Aza Azamara Club Cruises Quest ship

Azamara Quest

1112 Passengers
30277 tons
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Celebrity Cruises (34 Cruises)

Celestyal Cruises (26 Cruises)

Celestyal Discovery

1828 Passengers
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Costa Cruises (162 Cruises)

Cruise COS Costa Cruises Diadema ship

Costa Diadema

4962 Passengers
132500 tons
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Costa Fascinosa.

Costa Fascinosa

4108 Passengers
114 tons
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Cruise COS Costa Cruises Pacifica ship

Costa Pacifica

4118 Passengers
114500 tons
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Cunard (13 Cruises)

Emerald Waterways (18 Cruises)

Explora Journeys (36 Cruises)

Explora II

Explora II

63900 tons
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Holland America Line (23 Cruises)

MSC Cruises (350 Cruises)

msc magnifica cruise ship

MSC Magnifica

3223 Passengers
95128 tons
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msc sinfonia cruise ship

MSC Sinfonia

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MSC World Europa

7375 Passengers
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Oceania Cruises (63 Cruises)

Oceania Allura.

Oceania Allura

1200 Passengers
68000 tons
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Ponant (25 Cruises)

Princess Cruises (20 Cruises)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (69 Cruises)

Cruise REG Regent Seven Seas Cruises Voyager ship

Seven Seas Voyager

1161 Passengers
42363 tons
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Royal Caribbean Cruises (22 Cruises)

Silversea Cruises (50 Cruises)

Star Clippers (23 Cruises)

Viking Ocean Cruises (176 Cruises)

Viking Jupiter1

Viking Jupiter

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Viking Neptune1

Viking Neptune

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Viking Saturn.

Viking Saturn

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Viking Vela.

Viking Vela

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Windstar Cruises (49 Cruises)

Star Legend.

Star Legend

502 Passengers
12995 tons
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Malaga Spain | Costa del Sol Cruise Port & Travel Guide

Picasso opened his eyes here in 1881, and you would swear Málaga's light had something to do with it. It strikes the ramparts of the Alcazaba from early morning, whitens the façades of the centre and makes the Mediterranean sparkle right up to the terminals. Good news for passengers in a hurry: everything that matters is within walking distance of the ship.

From the Terminal to the Centre in Twenty Minutes

The cruise docks lie about two kilometres from the historic heart. A shuttle drops you off at Plaza de la Marina in five minutes, but the walk is worth it: it follows the Palmeral de las Sorpresas, a palm-lined promenade, then Muelle Uno, a waterfront bustling with shops and terraces where the multicoloured cube of the Centre Pompidou Málaga stands. You reach the city already won over, without having taken out your wallet.

The Alcazaba and Its Roman Theatre

At the foot of Mount Gibralfaro, the Alcazaba layers the centuries as few Andalusian monuments do: a 1st-century Roman theatre backs onto the walls of the fortress-palace built in the 11th century by the Moorish rulers. You climb from patio to patio among orange trees, pools and horseshoe arches, with ever-wider glimpses of the harbour. The most energetic will continue along the path to Gibralfaro Castle: the climb takes half an hour, and the panorama over the bullring, the rooftops and the sea horizon more than repays it. Arriving at opening time, around 9 a.m., spares you lineups and the worst of the heat.

Picasso, the Native Son

On the way back down, the Buenavista Palace houses the Museo Picasso Málaga and its some two hundred works, from ceramics to Cubist canvases, donated mainly by the artist's family. The visit takes an hour to an hour and a half, and booking is strongly recommended. Five minutes away, Plaza de la Merced surrounds the painter's birthplace; you can sit on the bench next to his bronze statue, sketchbook optional. The nearby cathedral, nicknamed "La Manquita," the one-armed lady, because of its never-finished south tower, naturally completes the circuit.

The Market, the Beach and the Sardines

To capture the city's everyday life, step inside the Atarazanas Market, a 19th-century hall built behind a Moorish gate and lit by a large contemporary stained-glass window: hams, almonds, glistening fish and freshly squeezed fruit juices. The afternoon can then drift toward La Malagueta, the city beach a fifteen-minute walk from the centre, where the chiringuitos grill espetos, sardines skewered on canes over the embers. It is the very taste of Andalusian summer, to be enjoyed with your feet in the sand while keeping one eye on your ship's funnel.

The Pedestrian Heart

Between the cathedral and Plaza de la Constitución, Calle Marqués de Larios unrolls its elegant late-19th-century façades; it is the favourite promenade of the people of Málaga, lined with shops and paved in pale marble. The lanes branching off it hold the best of strolling: flowery patios, tapas bars where the region's sweet wine is served from the barrel, bookshops and ceramics stalls. Plan a break in the shade of a terrace, a glass of vermouth or a gazpacho in hand: the Andalusian heat sets its own tempo, and so much the better, as the day only becomes more delightful. Everything is done on foot, with no set plan; getting lost here never costs a thing.

What You Take Home

Málaga can be crossed in a day, but it is not forgotten in an evening. What remains are scents of jasmine and grilled fish, the ochre of the walls against the blue of the open sea, and that Andalusian energy that turns every late afternoon into a small celebration. Walking back up the gangway, many passengers are already checking the calendar of upcoming departures to the Costa del Sol; the light here has that effect.

Frequently Asked Questions

At the cruise berths, about two kilometres from the historic centre. A shuttle drops you at the Plaza de la Marina in five minutes, but the walk is pleasant and worth doing.
Yes, and it makes a fine introduction. The route follows the Palmeral de las Sorpresas, a palm-lined promenade, then Muelle Uno with its terraces and the multicoloured cube of the Centre Pompidou Málaga. Allow about twenty minutes.
The Alcazaba and its Roman theatre in the morning, then the Picasso Museum, then the Atarazanas market and Calle Larios. All on foot, no excursion needed. Adding Granada to the same day is a different proposition, and it would cost you Málaga.
A palace-fortress raised in the eleventh century by Moorish rulers at the foot of Mount Gibralfaro, backing onto a first-century Roman theatre. You climb from patio to patio among orange trees, pools and horseshoe arches, with wider and wider views over the harbour. Arriving at opening, around 9 a.m., spares you the queues and the heat.
Yes, if you have the legs and half an hour to spare. The path starts at the Alcazaba and the summit view takes in the bullring, the rooftops and the sea horizon. In hot weather, carry water: there is almost no shade.
Around two hundred works, from ceramics to cubist canvases, mostly donated by the artist's family, housed in the Buenavista palace. Allow one to one and a half hours and book ahead: Picasso was born here in 1881 and the museum is busy. Plaza de la Merced, five minutes away, surrounds his birthplace.
Yes. La Malagueta city beach is fifteen minutes' walk from the centre. The chiringuitos grill espetos there — sardines skewered on canes over embers. It is the taste of an Andalusian summer.
A nineteenth-century hall built behind a Moorish gateway and lit by a large contemporary stained-glass window: hams, almonds, glistening fish and juices pressed to order. It is the best place to see Málaga as it actually lives rather than as a postcard.
Very well. Flat ground between port and centre, a beach within walking distance, a lively market and a fortress to explore. Only the Gibralfaro climb and midday July heat call for caution with young children.
The euro and Spanish, with workable English in the centre. Cards are accepted everywhere. Spring and autumn give you the light without the furnace; in July and August, do your sightseeing early and keep the afternoon for the beach.