Phoenicians from Tyre were familiar with Malaga. They had founded the port in the year 1,000 BC or thereabouts, and they had named it for the Semetic word for Salt, "Malaka." Fish were salted on the first dock, a single quay running along the shoreline. During the Roman era the port was famous for minerals, almonds, wine and oil.

As Malaga was named the capital of Islamic Granada, trade and business expanded. When Ferdinand and Isabella entered the city in 1487 the port also became strategically important to the new regime. It served to embark troops for the Spanish conquest of the Rif area of North Africa and Oran.

The port experienced rapid expansion in the 16th and 17th centuries. It became Spain's the major place of export. King Philip V commissioned French engineer Bartolome Thurns to expand the port to meet military and business needs. The result was the construction of the East Dock and the New Quay. The first lighthouse appeared in 1814.

The port today is less important for marine trade but thriving in tourism. It is full of bars and restaurants with lively nightlife entertainments. During the day it is a great place to have a walk and enjoy the sea view.

The Málaga Fortress, commonly known as the Alcazaba, is a defining reminder of the city’s Islamic past. Built in the 11th century during Muslim rule in al-Andalus, it functioned both as a military stronghold and as a residence for governors. Its commanding position above the old city and port allowed control over maritime traffic and inland routes. The complex was expanded and reinforced over time, particularly under the Nasrid dynasty, before being taken by the Catholic Monarchs in 1487 after one of the longest sieges of the Reconquest. King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I entered the fortress and raised their royal standard on the Tower of Tribute, a moment often cited as a turning point in the formation of unified Spain.

The fortress is organised as a carefully layered defensive system. Access to the outer enclosure is gained through the Vault Gate, designed with a sharp double-back turn intended to slow and expose intruders-though today visitors can bypass this ascent using an elevator located on Guillén Sotelo Street, behind the City Hall. From the Vault Gate, a rising path leads past gardens and ornate fountains to the Gate of Columns. After passing through the Gate of Columns, the path opens to the left toward the Christ Gate. Once through this gate, you enter the Parade Ground. Here, on the opposite side of the Christ Gate, the Gate of the Granada Quarters leads toward the palatial heart of the Alcazaba.

Beyond the Gate of the Granada Quarters lies the Courtyard of the Jets. On the western side of the courtyard, the 11th-century Taifa Palace comes into view. Its defining feature is the Southern Pavilion, which displays Caliphal-style horseshoe arches of particular elegance.

Moving to the northwestern side of the Courtyard of the Jets brings you into the Orange Tree Courtyard-a quiet space that once served as the entrance hall to the palaces. Continuing north, you encounter the more delicate architecture of the 13th-century Nasrid period. This section is centred around the Pool Palace, where a long reflecting pool and finely carved plaster arches define the space. The rooms surrounding this courtyard now house a small Archaeological Museum, displaying Moorish ceramics and artefacts uncovered during excavations.

The Picasso Museum is rooted directly in the city where Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 and occupies the Buenavista Palace, a 16th-century aristocratic residence in Málaga’s historic centre.
Picasso’s father, José Ruiz, served as curator of Málaga’s city museum, which operated under tight budgets and was rarely open to the public. As part of his compensation, Ruiz was granted exclusive use of a room as an art studio, where the young Pablo made his earliest sketches under his father’s guidance. Although Picasso would later be represented by major museums in Paris and Barcelona, the Málaga museum holds particular significance: it stands only a short walk from Merced Square, where he was born.

The idea of establishing a Picasso museum in Málaga circulated for decades before becoming a reality in the early 21st century, driven by the artist’s family. The museum opened in 2003, following a substantial donation of works from Christine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, with the official inauguration attended by the King and Queen of Spain.

Rather than concentrating on a single period, the collection traces Picasso’s artistic evolution across his entire career. Typically organised chronologically across 11 galleries, it begins with Picasso’s early academic works, led by the 1895 painting Portrait of a Bearded Man. The rooms dedicated to his Neoclassical period contain one of the museum’s crown jewels-the 1923 painting The Three Graces. Toward the end of the circuit, visitors encounter Picasso’s works from the 1970s, which are noticeably more colourful and expressive. Temporary exhibitions regularly place the artist’s work in dialogue with other creators and themes.

Beneath the palace lie archaeological remains, including partially preserved structures from a Nasrid palace alongside earlier Roman traces. Visitors can walk on glass walkways over 2,500-year-old city walls and the remains of a Roman fish-salting factory. One of the main highlights of the basement level is the Phoenician wall dating from the 7th and 8th centuries BC. The archaeological site is accessible via staircases or an elevator.

The institution also houses an archive of documents and photographs, as well as a specialised library containing more than 14,000 titles devoted to Picasso.

Málaga Cathedral stands at the heart of the historic centre and reflects the city’s transition from Islamic rule to Christian Spain. Construction began in 1528 on the site of the former Great Mosque, following the Christian conquest of the city in 1487. Built over more than two centuries, the cathedral brings together several architectural phases, with a predominantly Renaissance structure later enriched by Baroque elements. The project was never fully completed, a circumstance that earned it the nickname “the One-Armed Lady,” referring to the unfinished south tower. A plaque near the truncated tower explains why: funds originally intended for its completion were diverted in the late 18th century to support the American revolutionaries, a transfer facilitated by Luis de Unzaga, then governor of what is now Louisiana, through his connections to King Carlos III of Spain. As a result, the cathedral has remained “short-armed” since at least 1782.

The main façade differs from the rest of the building because of its pronounced Baroque character. Arranged on two levels, it features three large arches on the lower tier, with portals flanked by marble columns. Above them, medallions depict Málaga’s patron saints, Cyriacus and Paula, alongside a representation of the Annunciation.

Once you step inside the main nave, head toward the centre of the church to find the choir stalls. They are located in the central aisle, between the main entrance and the high altar. The sculptural works feature 42 intricately carved wooden figures of saints and religious subjects. Most of the seats were carved in the 17th century, and their craftsmanship is unique. Take a moment to notice the small ledges beneath the seats, used as misericords for leaning during long services.

Another cathedral highlight is the twin organs. As you face the choir stalls, look to your left and right-the two organs flank the choir. These massive, 18th-century Epistle and Gospel organs contain over 10,000 pipes combined. They are rare for their perfect symmetry and are still used for concerts today.

The experience extends beyond the nave. Access to the roof offers broad views across the old town, the port, and the Alcazaba. Roof access is available only via guided tour, and the staircase leading to the roof can be reached from the Orange Tree Courtyard, located north of the cathedral.

Editor’s note: The cathedral’s rooftop visits are suspended until 2027, due to repair works being carried out on the roof.

Larios Street is Málaga’s most prominent urban axis, created in the late 19th century as part of a major modernisation effort that reshaped the historic centre. Before its construction, this area was a dense network of narrow medieval streets prone to flooding and poor sanitation. The project was driven by the Larios family, influential industrialists and financiers. Opened in 1891, the street introduced a new sense of order and scale to the city, cutting a straight line between the port area and the heart of Málaga. Its uniform façades were inspired by Chicago-style commercial architecture.

From the outset, the street’s ground floors were reserved for shops and businesses, while the upper levels housed offices and select apartments. Over time, it became the city’s main commercial and social corridor, closely associated with public celebrations, processions, and everyday life. Today, it remains pedestrian-only and continues to serve as Málaga’s primary stage for major events, including Holy Week processions, the August Fair, and seasonal light installations that transform the street after dark.

Larios Street offers more than shopping, even if retail remains its primary function. Its gentle slope provides a clear visual link between the old town and the sea, while the consistent architectural rhythm makes it easy to appreciate the scale of the late 19th-century expansion. Stepping off the main avenue leads quickly into smaller streets, historic plazas, and nearby landmarks such as the cathedral and the central markets. As a result, Larios Street works both as a destination in itself and as a practical starting point for exploring Málaga’s historic centre.

When is a shipyard not a shipyard? When there are no ships, no yard, no water-and what you find instead is a market. The market’s name comes from Arabic, meaning “house of manufacture” or shipyard, referring to the Nasrid-era shipyards that once occupied this area during the Islamic period. When Málaga was under Muslim rule, this zone lay close to the shoreline and functioned as a centre for naval construction and repair. After the Christian conquest in the late 15th century, the shipyards gradually lost their original function, yet the name endured.

The present market building dates largely to the 19th century, when Málaga experienced an industrial boom. It incorporates iron architecture typical of the period, while preserving a key historical element: the monumental Nasrid marble gate that once formed part of the original shipyards. This gate, now integrated into the market’s façade, features carved vegetal motifs and stands as one of the few surviving architectural reminders of Málaga’s Islamic past within today’s urban fabric.

Inside the market, the spacious hall is organised into aisles of stalls selling fresh produce, seafood, meat, spices, and local specialities, offering a clear sense of Andalusian food culture. The stained-glass window above the main entrance depicts scenes from the city’s port and historic skyline. More than a place to shop, the market also functions as a lively social space where locals gather daily. And with its reputation for tapas, it’s easy to see why this is a popular meeting point.