Port of Málaga with its suburbs is one of Spain’s largest city and also one of the longest inhabited places of the country. It was founded by Phoenicians about three thousand years ago. At that time, they called it Malaka, which is probably derived from the Phoenician word “salt”.
This is because the port and the area around was used for curing fish. Later, the city passed under the domination of other empires, like the whole southern part of Spain. It was under the Romans, Visigoths, Moors… The city was also heavily bombed in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.
The prosperity returned in the 60’s of the 20th century along with the development of tourism on the Costa del Sol, where Málaga is located. Until then, the coast was a quiet place with small fishing villages, but over the years, everything has changed. Right here is in fact the warmest sea in Spain. However the beaches here are still relatively sparsely populated in comparison to those lying on the north of the country, in spite of the construction of hotels and other infrastructure. Most tourists are coming here from the UK, the Netherlands and from other western European countries.
In addition to the sea you can also enjoy large local golf courses or many other interesting attractions in Andalusia.
The town boasts several monuments of its colorful past. One of the oldest are Roman amphitheatre, old Arab fortress Alcazaba and castle Gibralfaro, where is now a luxury hotel. It is located on the hill above the town, which is a popular place for walking around. Here you can enjoy beautiful view of the city and its surroundings. From the Alcazaba fortress you can take a pleasant walk along the promenade Paseo del Parque, leading (as expected from its name) along the park with palm trees and statues, to one of the largest and most important ports in Spain.
Every proper Spanish town needs to have the Cathedral and Malaga is no exception. The local one was built between 1528 and 1719. Only about 12 kilometers from the city, in Benalmádena, there is another religious object that we would not expect around here. It is Buddhist stupa (shrine), the largest in Europe, built in 2003.
For the lovers of art will certainly be important a fact that Málaga, is the hometown of the famous painter Pablo Picasso. As a result there are now two museums with Picasso’s art works – one is the house where the artist was born, the second one is Museo Picasso Málaga with the collection of his paintings. In addition, there are several other museums and various attractions and because Málaga is located in Andalusia, there is also an arena for bullfights. For ladies could be interesting that an actor Antonio Banderas was born here as well.
Getting around Malaga and the Costa Del Sol
Once you have landed at Malaga airport you have a choice of 23 car hire companies, although only 9 car rental companies are actually located in the two terminals. With such a choice it means they are all competing for your business which has kept prices low. However the last thing you want to do once you have landed is to the trawl the car rental booths for the cheapest deals, especially as the queues are quite lengthy with many collecting their pre booked vehicles. So the easiest and most hassle free option is to book in advance and to use a comparison website that will compare most of the car rental suppliers.
Malaga is connected to the rest of the Costa del Sol by motorways with tolls, so make sure you have Euro’s with you. Parking can be a nightmare so look out for the many Municipal car parks, many of which are underground.