Malaga in 3 days

Morning

• Alcazaba1h30

  Begin at the Alcazaba early, before the day crowds, climbing the gardens and horseshoe arches of the Moorish palace-fortress. Buy the combined Alcazaba-Gibralfaro ticket now, and avoid the free-Sunday queues by coming on a weekday.

  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

  Step down to the Roman theatre at the fortress foot, free and quick, with its glass-floored visitor centre. Remember it closes on Mondays, when a look from the street is all you get.

  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

  Take the pre-booked cathedral rooftop tour after lunch, climbing among the vaults of La Manquita for the view over the centre, and see the interior on the same ticket. Wear proper shoes for the stairs.

  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 to the Museo Picasso Malaga nearby, using a timed ticket to skip the queue, and take your time over the 200-plus works in the palace. This slower trip leaves room to enjoy it rather than rush.

  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

  Walk the marble Calle Larios during the evening paseo and drift into the tapas lanes around it. In December the street's Christmas-lights show packs the crowds in, so allow extra time.

  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

  Have a long tapas dinner across a few old-town bars, with a glass of sweet Malaga wine at a traditional bodega. Grazing between bars beats one sit-down meal for a first night.

  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

  Climb to the Gibralfaro viewpoint by the Parador for the best view over the city and the port, on foot in about twenty minutes or by the number 35 bus. Walk the castle ramparts on your combined ticket while you are up there.

  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

  Come down for an early tapas lunch at the covered Atarazanas market, all just-bought seafood at the stand-up bars behind the Moorish gate. It shuts by mid-afternoon and on Sundays, so aim 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

  Stroll the Muelle Uno port promenade to the lighthouse, past the glass cube of the Pompidou, then follow the palm avenue toward the beach. It is free and open all hours, and pleasant at any time of day.

  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

  Spend the afternoon on La Malagueta, swimming and eating espeto sardines grilled at a chiringuito. The relaxed three-day pace leaves time to simply sit on the sand for a while.

  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

• 2h

  Take the evening more slowly tonight, with dinner in Soho among the street-art murals or back in the old town. Keep it light if tomorrow is an early start for the Caminito del Rey.

Morning

• Caminito del Rey Day Trip4h

  For the big day out, take the morning train north to El Chorro for the Caminito del Rey, the boardwalk pinned to the gorge cliffs, on a timed ticket booked weeks ahead. It is a one-way 8km walk with helmets provided, closed on Mondays and in high winds, so check the forecast the day before.

  TipThe Caminito del Rey is a boardwalk pinned to the cliffs of the El Chorro gorge about an hour north of Malaga, once one of the most dangerous walks in the world and now a safe, ticketed one-way route with helmets provided. Tickets are timed and sell out weeks ahead, so book online early; it is a linear 8km walk, closed on Mondays and in high winds, and a train from Malaga to El Chorro plus the shuttle bus back makes the day work without a car.

• 2h30

  For a gentler day instead, ride the bus 20 to 30 minutes east to Pedregalejo and El Palo, the old fishing quarters, for a morning among the small coves and the seafront chiringuitos. This is where locals come to swim and eat fish away from the tourist beach.

Afternoon

• Espetos, Tapas and Sweet Wine1h30

  If you chose the eastern beaches, make lunch the point of it: espeto sardines straight off the fire at a Pedregalejo chiringuito, eaten with your fingers by the water. It is the most authentic espeto stretch of the whole coast.

  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.

• Pompidou and Carmen Thyssen1h30

  Back in town, round off the art with the Carmen Thyssen in the old town or the Pompidou at the port, both closed on Mondays and free in their last Sunday hours. A combined museum pass pays off if you have visited several.

  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.

Evening

• 2h

  Spend the last evening on Calle Larios and its tapas lanes for a final round of small plates and sweet wine. If your trip lands at Easter or in mid-August, expect the Semana Santa processions or the Feria de Malaga to fill the streets, so plan dinner early and book a table.

• 30 min

  For an early flight, remember the airport is only about 8km southwest: the C1 Cercanias train reaches it from Malaga Centro-Alameda in around 12 minutes, the A Express bus takes about 20 minutes, and a taxi is a fixed 20 to 25 EUR.