Málaga · ES
Málaga: Old Town & Picasso Highlights
From a Moorish market hall through the marble heart of the old town to Picasso's birthplace, a Roman theatre and the great hilltop Alcazaba.
What's the walk about?
Welcome to Málaga, the sun-splashed capital of the Costa del Sol and a city far richer in history and culture than its beach-resort reputation suggests. Phoenicians, Romans and Moors all left their mark here, and it was in these streets that Pablo Picasso, the most influential artist of the twentieth century, first opened his eyes. On this gentle loop through the old town we graze through a market behind a Moorish gate, stroll the city's elegant marble high street, gaze up at a cathedral missing a tower, trace the footsteps of the young Picasso, and climb toward a Roman theatre and a magnificent hilltop fortress overlooking the sea. Bring sunscreen and an appetite, and let Málaga surprise you.
What you'll see
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1
Mercado de Atarazanas
Market
A lively nineteenth-century iron market hall built behind a monumental horseshoe arch, the last remnant of the Moorish shipyards that once stood on the shore here before the sea retreated.
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2
Calle Larios
Street
Málaga's grand pedestrian high street, a wide, marble-paved avenue of elegant 19th-century facades, famous for its upmarket shops and its spectacular festive and Christmas light displays.
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3
Plaza de la Constitución
Square
The historic central square of Málaga, the hub of city life for five centuries, adorned with a handsome marble fountain and ringed by cafes at the top of Calle Larios.
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4
Plaza del Obispo
Square
An intimate, elegant square directly facing the cathedral, dominated by the richly coloured Baroque facade of the old Bishop's Palace and centred on a graceful fountain.
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5
Catedral de Málaga
Cathedral
A majestic Renaissance and Baroque cathedral affectionately nicknamed La Manquita, the one-armed lady, because its grand second tower was never finished.
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6
Iglesia de Santiago
Church
The oldest church in Málaga, founded soon after the Christian conquest, with a striking Mudéjar brick tower, and the place where the infant Pablo Picasso was baptised in 1881.
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7
Museo Picasso Málaga
Museum
The museum celebrating Málaga's most famous son, housed in a beautiful sixteenth-century palace, with a rich collection of Picasso's works spanning his entire extraordinary career.
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8
Plaza de la Merced
Square
A lively, tree-lined square that was the childhood home of Pablo Picasso, born in a house on its corner, now a museum, with a bronze Picasso sitting on a bench among the cafes.
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9
Teatro Romano
Roman Theatre
A well-preserved Roman theatre from the first century, nestled at the foot of the Moorish Alcazaba, rediscovered in 1951 after centuries hidden beneath later buildings.
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10
Alcazaba de Málaga
Fortress
One of the best-preserved Moorish palace-fortresses in Spain, a double-walled citadel of gardens, courtyards and horseshoe arches climbing the hillside above the city, with glorious views over the sea.
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