The Best (Realistic) Day Trips from Malaga.
You have to just love bloggers when they mention places like Tangier as a viable daytrip from Malaga. Same goes for Seville, same goes for Cadiz. They’re all great places. But they’re not realistic day trips from Malaga.
A “Realistic” day trip for me means no further than 1 ½ hours away (you don’t want to be doing more than 3 hours roundtrip to go somewhere). It also means visiting a place that you can realistically cover in a day. Places like Seville need multiple days (at least) to visit properly.
In this post I cover the best realistic Day Trips from Malaga, all places you can visit in a day.
Antequera
I’ll start with one of the easiest destinations to get to from Malaga. It’s also the most underrated destination on this list. That’s Antequera, a city we lived in for a year.
You can get to Antequera in 25 minutes if taking the high-speed train from Malaga’s Maria Zambrano station to Antequera’s AV station. If you take the Alsa bus it’ll take an hour.
There’s lots to see in Antequera. The Dolmens of Antequera are a Unesco World Heritage site and an easy walk from the bus and train station. Downtown, you have a Moorish fortress (the Alcazaba) looming over the city. There are 34 churches in town, the most impressive being Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, Iglesia del Carmen, Covento de Belén, and Iglesia de San Juan de Dios. You can see beautiful plazas such as Plaza San Sebastián and Plaza Coso Viejo, visit the bullring (and not have to pay for it), and walk up and down the hills looking at some of the incredible views all over the city.
See more: A Do-It-Yourself walking tour of Antequera
On the viewpoints: The best Viewpoints in Antequera
Accommodation: The Best Hotels in Antequera
Córdoba
Distance-wise it’s the furthest away from Malaga than any of the other destinations I have on this list. But the high-speed train gets you there in 1 hour, making it an easy daytrip from Malaga.
There’s lots of great things about Córdoba but none of them beat the Mezquita (as locals call it. The politically correct name is the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba). Whatever you call it, for us it’s still the most incredible site we’ve seen in Spain. More here on the Mezquita of Córdoba.
But there’s more. Córdoba is a beautiful and small-sized historic city who’s highlights can easily be seen in a full (but busy) day of sightseeing. There’s the Alcázar of Córdoba, the fortress and palace which was the home of the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand. Christopher Columbus came here in 1492 to plan his first trip to the Americas. There’s a Roman Bridge that dates back to the 1st century, a beautiful old town (the Juderia, it was the old Jewish quarter), and the Palacio de Viana (a 15th century palace with incredible gardens).
More: Highlights of a day trip to Córdoba (Spain)
Granada
Like Córdoba, Granada has one of Spain’s most impressive sights: the Alhambra. And Granada is now 1 hr, 20 minutes from Malaga on the high-speed train. That makes Granada an essential day trip from Malaga.
Honestly, you can spend all day at the Alhambra. There’s lots to see. Make sure to buy your tickets in advance because tickets go fast (official website).
If you have more time, walk through the center, see the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel (the burial places of the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand), the Basilica of San Juan de Dios. Or, if you don’t feel like queuing or paying for sights, walk through the Albaicin and enjoy the viewpoints, buildings and many tapas restaurants.
Granada needs more than a day but you can at least see the Alhambra and get a taste of Granada on a day trip…
More: 48 Hours in Granada
Ronda
Ronda is a favorite of many visitors to Spain. I’m breaking my own rule on this one because it takes 2 hours to get there from Malaga (either by bus or train). But it’s not a big city and you can quite easily see all the main highlights on a daytrip.
The big draw here is the Puente Nuevo (“New Bridge”): a bridge built in the 1700’s to connect the two parts of Ronda. It was a technological marvel at the time.
Ronda is a town with lots of history. You’ll see medieval walls, old bridges, Arab baths, and Christian churches and palaces. But it’s the views that make Ronda spectacular: it’s a city of cliffs and gorges and there are lots of viewpoints all over the city.
More: A Do-It-Yourself walking tour of Ronda
The 4 cities above have the most impressive highlights of the 10 places I have on this list. The next 2 highlights are for those looking for outdoor adventures.
The Caminito del Rey
Probably the most famous outdoor destination in Spain. It’s a wooden path built on the cliffs of a gorge. 100 meters below runs a river, above you soars another 100 meters of rock. For most of 2 hours you walk in this environment, looking at some spectacular geography.
I have a very detailed post on the Caminito del Rey here. The most important thing: book early. It’s a very popular trail.
Torcal de Antequera
Near Antequera is the “Paraje Natural Torcal de Antequera” (“Torcal de Antequera Natural Park” in English). It is known for its unusual landforms and is regarded as one of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe. “El Torcal” refers to the mountain range (the Sierra del Torcal) which is made up of limestone formed about 150 million years ago. The landscapes you see in the park have been created by millions of years of erosion and dissolution by water (karstification).
You drive up to the top of the mountain (on your own, by taxi, or by tour) to the visitors center. From there, several trails take you through the spectacular geography. Along the way you’ll see viewpoints (you can see as far away as the coast of Malaga) and you’ll most likely spot some Iberian Ibex (which, with its large horns, are quite impressive).
A very detailed post here on El Torcal de Antequera.
The next four destinations are coastal towns/cities and “White villages”
Nerja
We lived 2 ½ years in Nerja. It’s a very pretty (and popular) coastal town. Reasons to go there: a charming old town with the impressive Balcon de Europa, lots of beaches, great restaurants and good nightlife. Just outside of town are the Nerja Caves which are incredibly impressive. There’s also lots of great hiking in the nearby Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park. 3 of my favorite hikes around Nerja.
Many people come to Nerja and stay a week. It’s a fun, relaxing place with nice beaches and good nightlife. But it can also be done on a daytrip: in which case I would recommend a walk around the town center and a visit to the Nerja caves (take the little tourist tram for a scenic ride).
Getting here: the bus takes between 75 to 90 minutes from Malaga.
More: The best things to See and Do in Nerja
Accommodation: The 5 Best Hotels in Nerja
Frigiliana
One of the Andalusia’s pretty “Pueblos Blancos” (“White Towns”). Located about 10 minutes inland from Nerja along the foothills of the mountains (the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park), it is a charming – and touristy – town of about 3000 people.
It’s a pretty town full of whitewashed buildings, colourful flowerpots and great views. But there’s history as well: this town dates back 3000 years and was the location of one of the bloodiest battles in Southern Spain (the Battle of the Peñon de Frigiliana in 1559).
All you need to know about Frigiliana.
Mijas Pueblo
Mijas Pueblo is another popular Pueblo Blanco. It’s one of our favorites.
Like all the Pueblos Blancos, Mijas Pueblo has the whitewashed alleys, colourful flowerpots and views of the Mediterranean…but you also have some unique attractions: the large and pretty squares (Plaza Virgen de la Peña and Plaza de la Constitución), the Ermita Virgen de la Peña, the fortress walls, the botanical gardens, the many great viewpoints…Mijas Pueblo is more interesting and prettier than many of the white villages we’ve seen.
Getting there: take the commuter train to Benalmadena (that takes about 20 minutes). From there, take the 121 bus which takes about 45 minutes.
Marbella
Our favorite of the cities on the Costa del Sol. People have a certain idea of Marbella: the truth is that Marbella is not just a glitzy place for the jet set. That’s outside of town. Marbella itself has a stunning old town with a beautiful church (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación), one of the prettiest main squares anywhere (Plaza de los Naranjos) and the remains of an old Moorish fortress (the Alcazaba of Marbella). It’s full of little streets, all decorated with flower pots, religious murals, and intricately decorated cobblestoned pavements. Then there’s of course the beaches which it has a lot of.
It’s a very impressive town and about 1 hr and 15 minutes from Malaga.
More on why you should visit Marbella.
The above are all great – and realistic – day trips from Malaga.
Related: 10 Places to visit in Spain other than Barcelona
Related: The Best Moorish Sites in Spain (and our favorite!)
Love the title and introduction! Absolutely spot on. I saw one saying Seville was a good day trip from Madrid. But I’m seeing even some major publications with articles recommending unrealistic day trips. I don’t want to give them more publicity so I’ll just say that one of the famous “F” travel guides that has an online forum has a recent article about 14 day trips from Tokyo. They recommend one way 3 hour trips!
Maybe we’re in the minority who needs sleep Claudine. Seville in one day from Madrid in one day? Just looked it up: 530 km, a 5 hr drive. So 10 hours of driving (return) leaves you 14 hours to see the entirety of the city. Totally doable! 😉