Andalusia Trip 2: Málaga and Costa del Sol

We spend the first few days near Málaga, by the sea.

We like the city of Málaga itself. We visit the Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro Castle. Both places have been beautifully restored, and because they are located high up, it's bearable even in the peak of summer thanks to the wind. We enjoy the views of Málaga, the sea, the surrounding hills, and the numerous pretty shaded spots.

In Málaga, we stroll through the streets. It's currently the Feria, a kind of local festival, and you can see it everywhere. Many women wear traditional dresses or at least flowers in their hair. People gather on every corner, singing and clapping. Some do it as an official group in matching attire on a stage, others do it casually wherever they like. Since we had to take the bus from our accommodation to Málaga, we also saw the festival grounds for the evening and many happy people.

We also didn't miss the port and beach of Málaga. All of this is just a stone's throw away from the old town, through a beautiful park. The beach is popular but not overcrowded, and if you don't want to set up your "camp" directly on the really hot sand, you can do so on the green areas under the palm trees, where you might have to share your space with some canaries.

You can also eat very well in Málaga. Among other things, we enjoyed Paella, Tapas, and seafood dishes.

We also took a rental car to explore the Costa del Sol. The beach we found was really nice, and we enjoyed a lazy beach day in the not really warm water, with plenty of reading, ice cream, and lots of sun. On the way back to the hotel, we drove through the countryside, through the dry, expansive hills that only few were being used for agriculture and looked beautiful.