Hello everyone,

I have a couple of questions about Malaga - what are transportation options from Malaga airport into the city center?

I have a wedding that I am going to in June, and need to stay in the city. Are there any nice beaches really close to the city or are the nicer beaches all in smaller towns near Malaga?

Also, do you think day trips via the train to Seville, Cordoba and Granada are feasable from Malaga city centre?

Thanks!

Hi apatinage,

because we'd arrived at about 9pm, we got a cab for about €20 I seem to remember.

there is also a bus which is a lot cheaper.

if you google malaga airprot, I'm sure you'll find the info, or look on the easyjet site under destinations as they fly into malalga.

cant' help about the beaches as we were only there for one night - have you looked it up on "destinations" on fodors?

but we really liked it while we were there.

regards, ann

Malaga itself does have a nice beach and i think the coastal commuter train also serves the airport as buses do.

Malaga i found rather seedy - just a few miles away along the coastal commuter train are a string of modern resorts - though lacking the old-world atmosphere of Malaga perhaps you may want to stay there.

Though you can take the train to all those places buses are often faster and cheaper in this area - buses go direct, trains can take round about routes - Granada would be best by bus i think (I drove there -up and over the mountains - trains take a round about route with a change i believe)

The train line thru a dramatic gorge right near Malaga is awesome

That said a new rail line has opened that may take a different route

www.renfe.es Spanish rail site for train schedules.

You can also take a bus along the coast to Gibraltar in case you want to see one weird and interesting and unique place... as well as the only apes on the european continent in the wild - famous tail-less Barbary apes clinging to the big Rock of Gibraltar.

I think a taxi is the easiest way to get from the Malaga airport to Malaga itself . It is not that great a distance. There is also a commuter train but depending upon where you are staying in Malaga you still may have to take a taxi from the train station.
I like Malaga. The city has a lovely Cathedral, a Picasso Museum, a fabulous view from the Gibralfaro Parador and some nice shopping areas to name but a few attractions. And yes, there is a beach. However, Malaga is close to Torremolinos and Fuengirola and these and towns in between have beaches. They can easily be reached by the the intercity commuter train. Granada is accessible by bus from Malaga and both Cordoba and Seville can be visited by train in one day..

I too like Malaga! The old section is all closed off to traffic.Larios street is a shopper's dream-lots of places to sit,people watch-shade with pretty awnings in the summer.great streets to wander around by the cathedral and the Alcazaba.The view from the hill where the parador and the castillo de Gibralfaro are located is beautiful.
I had a fabulous stay at the Roomate
Larios hotel overlooking the plaza de la constitucion.From the old part of town You can easily cross the boulevard and walk to the beach.
I took the bus from the airport but on the way back I took a cab.The bus is very cheap but takes forever-over an hour to get to the center of town.Malaga has grown so much since my last visit! I couldn't believe that all the construction is the new subway system!
The cab bypasses the construction by taking the highway and gets there in about 15-20 minutes!

wow! Alot of great information! Thanks! I will actually be arriving to Malaga by ferry from Morocco - ( well, Melilla, Spain) - I haven't quite figured out how I am getting from Fes to Melilla, but that is a different story.

I am leaving Malaga by the airport.

Out of all the towns along Malaga's commuter rail, in your opinion which is the closest one with the best atmosphere? (beach , quaint town , shopping )

I am thinking that after Morocco, I might want a more laid back atmosphere by the beach, but somewhere really close so that Malaga, and the wedding that I am attending will be easily accesible.

There is a shuttle bus from the airport to the city. I have never caught it so don´t know where it stops but they go very frequently and are well used.

Nerja is a pretty town not too far from Malaga.

Nerja is pretty but not as close to the Malaga airport as Torremolinos. I know that everyone will say that T-town is very touristy and so it is. Still there are beaches and good fish restaurants located right by the beach. I would look at the area known as Bajondillo. It is close to the beach and has a bit of small town flavour left. It all depends upon what you like. Torremolinos is on the commuter train line so you can easily reach Malaga from the station in the center of town.
By the way, you have a few replies to your query on how to get from Fes to Melilla.

There is a bus from the airport to the city center, for 1 eur. Taxi is another option, 20 eur I believe is overpriced, but depends on location of your hotel. Post it if you know.
The train I do not recomend as the city center station is closed for renovations.
There are nice beaches and a great ambience in Malaga. Daytrips to Granada, Seville and Cordoba are really easy and fast by train. The railway station is very near the city center, even a short walk if you have no luggage.

Josele, thanks for the update about the train station. We are heading to Torremolinos in Jnauary for our annusal 2 months stay and we always go into Malaga. Can you tell me which train station is under construction? I am sure you must mean the one near Corte Ingles and not the new one with the Renfe station and all the new shops??

Thanks for your help.

Just wanted to say that we did not find Malaga seedy. But we did not visit the beach.

gruezi

So,the commuter rail train station in Malaga is temporarily closed? Do you know how long the renovations are supposed to last? How do people along the coast travel into Malaga now that this station is closed? In case the station opens up by next June when I am travelling, how far is this commuter rail station from the Renfe train station and bus station to travel to other towns?

The station closed is Malaga Guadalmedina, the one by the river and Post Office building, in front of hotel NH. Trains to/from Airport, Torremolinos and Fuengirola you must take at Renfe Central Station, a ten min. walk. Do not know when will open.

If you envision renting a car, please read by recent post about robbery. Sorry.

No, I don't think I would rent a car while I am there.

It seems as though that with the station closing of Malaga Guadalmedina , the commute from a town along the rail line like Torremolinos to say, Seville would be easier if both trains are arriving and departing at the same Renfe station.

I would like to make clear that we are talking of a railway along the west coast, Malaga Guadalmedina to Fuengirola, with a stop at Malaga Renfe Maria Zambrano Station (that's the name it's been given, many of us do not like it). The closing of Guadalmedina station shall bother you if you are coming into Malaga from the coast. If you are travelling from Malaga to Seville, Granada, etc. as they depart from Renfe, you can walk to the station or take a taxi.

Is the Guadalmedina station that closed the same station that is named Centro Alameda on a map that I found on www.renfe.es/cercanias/malaga/ ?

So I take it , since I am arriving to Malaga by ferry, the only way for me to reach the renfe station from the coast is by bus?