Malaga Travel Guide

The Picasso Museum stands in the artist's birthplace, Málaga, housed in a 16th-century Renaissance palace with over 200 of his works — from the Blue Period to late experiments. Courtyards, cloisters and white walls keep Andalusian calm, letting visitors grasp the source and evolution of the modern master in his native setting.

Málaga's Alcazaba is among Spain's best-preserved Moorish fortresses, built in the 11th century with terraced towers, gardens and cisterns on the hillside. Linked by a 'secret passage' to the Gibralfaro castle crowning the headland, it overlooks the port and the Mediterranean — the most eloquent site for reading Muslim Málaga.

Playa de la Malagueta is Málaga's popular city beach — a stretch of dark pebble and fine sand beside a palm promenade and seafood bars. Between the Alcazaba and the port and reachable on foot, it is the easiest spot to bathe after sightseeing, stroll at dusk and taste the local fried fish. The seafront walk links the old town to the west and the harbour to the east — the liveliest start of Málaga's coastline.

The Fundacion Picasso Museo Casa Natal stands on Plaza de la Merced in Malaga's old town, the birthplace of the painter Pablo Picasso in 1881. The multi-storey house is now run by the Picasso Foundation and open as a birthplace museum, presenting Picasso's early life, family background and some works and documents. It preserves the layout of the original living spaces and displays objects and manuscripts linked to the painter, helping visitors understand his upbringing in Malaga and its link to his later career. Small in scale but in the heart of the old town, not far from the Picasso Museum and the cathedral, it suits visitors interested in the artist's life and takes about half an hour to an hour.

Centre Pompidou Malaga is the first branch of the Paris Pompidou Centre outside France, housed in the colourful glass cube (El Cubo) in Malaga's port area. The striking coloured-glass cube is a new cultural landmark, close to both the port and the old town. The gallery focuses on modern and contemporary art, presenting the Pompidou collection through rotating displays that cover painting, sculpture, photography and installation. Exhibitions change regularly, so each visit can differ. Moderate in scale, it suits a stop during a port walk or old-town sightseeing, and links easily with the nearby Picasso Museum and cathedral for a Malaga art route mixing modern and classic.