Malaga in 2 days

Morning

• Alcazaba1h30

  Start early at the Alcazaba, climbing the gardens and courtyards of the 11th-century Moorish fortress before the cruise crowds arrive. Buy the combined Alcazaba-Gibralfaro ticket at the entrance to save for tomorrow, and go on a weekday to avoid the free-Sunday queues.

  TipThis exceptionally well-kept 11th-century Moorish palace-fortress climbs the hillside in a series of gardens, courtyards and horseshoe arches above the Roman theatre. Entry is a few euros, and it is free every Sunday from mid-afternoon, which draws queues, so go early on a weekday instead. A combined ticket with the Gibralfaro castle up the hill costs less than paying for both separately, so buy that if you plan to do both.

• Roman Theatre30 min

  Drop down to the Roman theatre at the foot of the Alcazaba, free and quick, and read the glass-floored visitor centre beside it. It closes on Mondays, so if today is Monday just view it from the street and move on.

  TipThe 1st-century BC Roman theatre sits at the foot of the Alcazaba, rediscovered in 1951 and still used for occasional summer performances. Entry is free, and it closes on Mondays, so plan around that; the small visitor centre beside it explains the site through a glass floor over the ruins, and you can see most of it from the street in a few minutes if you are short on time.

Afternoon

• Malaga Cathedral (La Manquita)1h15

  After lunch take your pre-booked cathedral rooftop tour, climbing among the vaults of La Manquita for the close-up view over the old town. Wear proper shoes for the stairs, and see the interior on the same visit.

  TipThe huge Renaissance cathedral is nicknamed La Manquita, the one-armed lady, because its second tower was never finished. The real draw is the guided rooftop tour, which climbs among the vaults for a close-up view over the old town, and it sells out in high season, so book the cubiertas rooftop slot online ahead of time and wear proper shoes for the stairs. The interior and rooftop are ticketed separately.

• Museo Picasso Malaga1h30

  Walk five minutes to the Museo Picasso Malaga for its 200-plus works in the Buenavista palace, using your timed online ticket to skip the queue. Allow about ninety minutes, and keep the ticket for the Roman and Phoenician remains in the basement.

  TipThe city's flagship museum holds more than 200 works by Picasso, born a few streets away, inside the Renaissance Buenavista palace. It gets busy, so book a timed online ticket to skip the queue, and note it is free for the last two hours before closing on Sundays, which fills fast. Allow about ninety minutes, and keep your ticket for the small Roman and Phoenician remains in the basement.

Evening

• Calle Larios and the Old Town1h

  Join the early-evening paseo along the marble Calle Larios, then wander the tapas lanes fanning off it. This is the best time to feel the city come out onto the street before dinner.

  TipCalle Larios is the marble-paved pedestrian spine of the centre, lined with shops and best walked in the early evening when the whole city comes out for the paseo. It is free and always open, and around it fan the tapas lanes worth getting lost in; come in December for the famous Christmas lights and their nightly sound-and-light show, which packs the street shoulder to shoulder.

• Espetos, Tapas and Sweet Wine2h

  Settle in for a long tapas dinner in the old town, with a glass of sweet Malaga wine at an old bodega where they chalk your tab on the bar. Order small plates across a couple of bars rather than sitting down for one big meal.

  TipMalaga's signature plate is the espeto, sardines skewered on a cane and grilled over a driftwood fire in a beached boat at the chiringuitos, best from May to October when the fish are fattest. Pair it with a glass of the local sweet Malaga wine at an old bodega like Antigua Casa de Guardia, where they still chalk your tab on the wooden bar; order sardines by the skewer and expect to eat with your fingers.

Morning

• Gibralfaro Viewpoint and Parador1h30

  Head up to the Gibralfaro viewpoint by the Parador for the postcard view over the bullring, the port and the cathedral, walking the shaded path in about twenty minutes or taking the number 35 bus. Use your combined ticket to walk the castle ramparts while you are up here.

  TipThe mirador beside the Parador hotel at the top of Gibralfaro gives the postcard view straight down over the bullring, the port and the cathedral, and it is free to reach without a castle ticket. Come for sunset, when the light turns the city gold, and either walk up the shaded path in about twenty minutes or take the number 35 bus; the Parador terrace serves a drink if you want to linger with the view.

• Mercado de Atarazanas1h

  Back down in town, dive into the covered Atarazanas market behind its Moorish gate for an early tapas lunch of just-bought seafood at the stand-up bars. It shuts by mid-afternoon and all day Sunday, so time it for late morning.

  TipThe city's covered market hides behind a horseshoe-arched Moorish gate that once opened onto the shipyards, with a huge stained-glass window over the fish, meat and produce stalls. Come mid-morning, as it trades Monday to Saturday and shuts by mid-afternoon and all day Sunday; the stand-up tapas bars along the edges serve just-bought seafood with a cold beer, and it is best done as an early lunch.

Afternoon

• Muelle Uno and the Port1h

  Walk the redeveloped Muelle Uno port promenade out to the lighthouse, passing the glowing glass cube of the Pompidou. It is free and open all hours, and the palm avenue leads straight on toward the beach.

  TipThe redeveloped Muelle Uno quay turned the old working port into a palm-lined promenade of shops and restaurants, marked by the glowing glass cube of the Pompidou. It is free to walk and open all hours, best at sunset when the light hits the water and the Gibralfaro above; walk the palm avenue of the Palmeral de las Sorpresas to the lighthouse and you can carry straight on to La Malagueta beach.

• La Malagueta Beach2h

  Carry on to La Malagueta, the city beach a few minutes further, for a swim and a plate of espeto sardines grilled over a driftwood fire at a chiringuito. It is grey sand and busy in summer, so come for the food and the water rather than the postcard.

  TipLa Malagueta is the wide city beach a flat ten-minute walk from the cathedral, backed by chiringuito beach bars grilling espeto sardines on skewers over open fires. It is free, and it is dark grey sand rather than golden, packed and with sunloungers to hire in summer; come for a swim and a plate of espetos rather than a picture-postcard beach, and head east to Pedregalejo for quieter coves.

Evening

• Pompidou and Carmen Thyssen1h

  If you want one more museum, the Pompidou at the port and the Carmen Thyssen in the old town both open late enough for a pre-dinner visit and are free in their final Sunday hours. Otherwise skip straight to the evening.

  TipTwo museums anchor the city's art turn: the Centre Pompidou in the glass cube at the port, a branch of the Paris institution with rotating modern art, and the Carmen Thyssen in a restored palace in the old town, strong on 19th-century Spanish and Andalusian painting. Both close on Mondays, both offer free entry in their last opening hours on Sundays, and a combined city museum pass works out cheaper if you plan to see several.

• 2h

  Spend the last night in La Merced around Picasso's birthplace or in the street-art bars of Soho, both livelier and more local than the tourist centre. Prices are lower here and the crowd is younger, though La Merced gets loud after dark.