What to do with an extra day in Malaga

March 20, 2016 1:23 PM

Our flight was cancelled and my husband and I have ended up with an extra full day in Malaga. What should we do? Picky caveats inside.

We've seen all the main sights in town plus it's heaving right now with Holy Week parades. We don't have a lot of money since we have two nights extra accommodation to pay for. And we're not up for standing around in crowds or dealing with long travel times after standing in line for over 4 hours at the airport today. Oh and we're stuck at a fairly inaccessible hotel out near the airport. But surely we can still have some kind of fun since we're here right?

posted by shelleycat to Travel & Transportation around Málaga, Spain (7 answers total)

We quite liked the Malaga botanical gardens outside of the main stretch. There's a walk, a cool view, an old schoolhouse surrounded by lemon trees etc.

Did you see the museum that told you about the history of Malaga? That was cool. Anyway, whatever you decided to go - enjoy your final day. I liked Malaga a lot. :)
posted by Ariel432 at 2:00 PM on March 20, 2016

Best answer: Depending of what, exactly, you mean by "don't have a lot of money" and "not up for...dealing with long travel times," I would consider Mijas. It's 30-40 minutes away by car or bus. Lovely little town to wander around. One of the highlights of my trip to Spain!
posted by schroedingersgirl at 2:10 PM on March 20, 2016

I would say go to Granada. I'm a little biased because I studied abroad there and consequently it feels like a second home to me, but it's only a little over an hour's drive, makes an excellent day trip, and can easily be done on a budget as cost of living is very low.

See the Alhambra and Generalife gardens, wander around the Albaycín, get gelato at Tiggiani and get a döner kebab from Nemrut, catch a flamenco concert while eating tapas and drinking wine in the Sacramonte caves.
posted by capricorn at 2:33 PM on March 20, 2016

Came here to say that a trip to and from Granada is totally doable in a day. My wife and I just did it a few months ago. Buses run frequently from Malaga to Granada, and are pretty cheap. About a 90-minute ride each way.

If you go to Granada, you MUST go to the Alhambra, one of the most glorious places on earth. If you go to the Alhambra, you MUST book tickets in advance.

If you stay in Malaga, it's easy and fun to pass the day by going to the old market downtown, buying the fixin's for a lunch, and hanging out on the beach all day. We did that, too.

Our schedule there didn't coincide with that of the bullfight season, but yours might, and there's that ring right downtown. There are also, I recall, a few other nearby cities with bullrings, as well.
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:19 PM on March 20, 2016

Response by poster: We can't hire a car at this short notice and there's no way I'm spending upwards of three hours on a bus so Grenada is not doable at all. I'll look into the rest.
posted by shelleycat at 12:55 AM on March 21, 2016

I would spend so much time on a bus to see the Alhambra again, personally (understand if you don't like buses though!). You might not be able to even get tickets at this point, however.

One more suggestion in case the others don't work out--a 2 hour bus trip would take you to Gibraltar, which is both an interesting novelty and an encounter with British colonial history.
posted by mmmbacon at 4:35 AM on March 21, 2016

Response by poster: We spent the afternoon in Mijas. We had lunch then spent the afternoon wandering around the township plus up to the Hermitage and it was very nice. The sun even came out for most of our visit while it rained down here near the sea. I wouldn't have thought of this myself so thanks a lot for the help.
posted by shelleycat at 9:58 AM on March 21, 2016