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Nine great ways to discover the real Málaga

For too long Málaga was known as an airport city; the gateway to the beautiful Costa del Sol. But the world is waking up to Málaga's charm and beauty and realised that it is a thriving city begging to be explored.

Published: 6 June 2017 13:59 CEST
Updated: 13 April 2022 09:26 CEST
Nine great ways to discover the real Málaga
Here's how to experience Málaga like a local and find the best hidden gems. Photo: Martijn Vonk/Unsplash
From modern art to ancient history to cutting edge cuisine, here’s the lowdown of ten essential experiences to have in Málaga.
 
1. Drink sweet wine in an iconic tavern

Málaga has two official wine making regions – DOC Sierras de Málaga and DOC Málaga – with the latter being one of the oldest winemaking regions in the world. This region is where sweet wines from the moscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes are produced, and there are some iconic taverns in Málaga where trying this wine is the ultimate experience. To truly be whisked back in time, stop by Antigua Casa de La Guardia (Alameda Principal, 18) and select your tipple from the 12 different wines found in the barrels lining the back walls – for the perfect dry versus sweet balance you can’t miss a Pajarete 1908!

 
2. Stumble upon SoHo’s street art
 

Photo: AFP
 
The SoHo neighbourhood lies just south of the historic center and is nowadays known as the barrio de las artes (art neighbourhood), and for good reason! As you explore the streets of this area you will stumble upon modern street art lining the outside walls and shutter doors of the buildings. This is the work of the MAUS (Málaga Arte Urban Soho), a recent initiative that grew out of a desire to reform this part of the city, located just behind the CAC (Center for Contemporary Art). Once upon a time the neighborhood was an important bourgeois area with beautiful architecture, yet over the last fifty years or so it became run down and and infrequently visited. However, thanks to the art revival that’s happening here now, it is home to both cultural events and street art that you can’t help but admire as you explore this corner of the city.
 
 
3. Discover Málaga’s Moorish past at the Alcázar
 

Málaga’s Alcazar. Photo: Alf Igel/Flickr 
 
Málaga’s history dates back almost 3,000 years, but some of its most famous monuments today hail from the reign of the Muslims who ruled the city between the 8th and 15th centuries. Don’t miss visiting the Alcázar, the old Moorish fortress perched on a hill on the edge of the city centre. This building was constructed by the Muslims between the years 1057 and 1063, which means that it is actually older than Granada’s famous Alhambra palace. Expect to find beautiful patios with flowers, lines of Andalusia’s iconic orange trees, stunning Arabic architecture and, of course, a spectacular view.
 
4. Sample some of Málaga’s most traditional tapas
 
The modern tapas scene is thriving in Málaga but it’s in the traditional tapas and the places that serve them where the real stories lie. Despite the food renaissance that Málaga is experiencing there are still some wonderful traditional, family run places where you can gorge on Málaga’s old favorites. Pay a visit to Mesón Mariano (Calle Granados, 2), run by the namesake himself with the help of his extended family, and be whisked away from the street into the warmth of a true traditional establishment. Specialities here include artichokes and bacalao (salt cod), both of which come prepared in a variety of ways. Enjoy them washed down with some of Málaga’s new style dry wines from the DOC Sierras de Málaga winemaking region.
 
5. Learn about the art of Pablo Picasso at the Picasso Museum
 

Photo: AFP
 
It’s said that Málaga has two “famous brothers”. One of them is the actor Antonio Banderas, but the other is none other than Pablo Picasso, a household name in the world of modern art. The famous artist was born in Málaga and lived in the city until he was ten years old. Today the house of his birth is open as a monument, as well as a museum which houses many of his works. You won’t find all his famous pieces here (as they are in galleries all around the world) but what you will find is the story and evolution of his life as an artist – an absolute must for any art lover!
 
6. Ramble around the Mercado de Atarazanas
 
 
Whether you claim to be a “foodie” or just like to experience the best of a city, no trip to Málaga is complete without visiting the city’s most iconic food market, the Mercado de Atarazanas. Even the building is historic – it was built in the 14th century by the Moors as a shipbuilding yard – and today is the absolute heart of Málaga’s action. Rows upon rows of stalls are selling every type of local produce you can imagine. Fresh seafood and meat are found alongside stalls and stalls of more varieties of fruit and vegetables than one could imagine – this is thanks to the province’s varied climates which means all manner of fruits and vegetables are available at almost any given time of year. Locals and visitors alike flock here to do their shopping or simply browse the colourful displays. Make sure to try a sample of the almonds and olives, as both are products you might not realize come from Málaga!
 
7. Gorge on seafood at a true malagueño institution
 
Málaga’s most prized culinary treasure is all the fish that is hauled from the sea daily – especially once it’s been battered and fried – and what better place to try it than the Malagueño institution known as El Tintero (Av. Salvador Allende, 340), which is found seven kilometers outside of the city center at the end of Chanquete Beach. The many tables sit alongside the sand as waiters rush from the kitchen and grill, weaving their way among the tables carrying plates of different dishes. As the dishes come towards you the waiters publicize their plates with a loud shout, and when you see something you like you simply flag them down and a plate lands on your table. At the end you pay based on how many plates are left on your table. El Tintero embodies the kind of organized chaos that you can only expect to find in Andalusia. If you are feeling adventurous you can even hire a bicycle and cycle east along the seafront boulevard to get there!
 
Don’t be fooled by El Tintero’s humble exterior. Photo: Tamorlan/Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
 
8. Take in the views from above at Gibralfaro Castle
 
With such beautiful views of Málaga, these walls of the Gibralfaro Castle conjure up all kinds of tales of years gone by when the castle was used as a lookout and military barracks. It was originally built in the 8th century by the Moors for defense reasons – hence its prime hilltop location, but today you can enjoy the scenery from the high defensive walls as you walk around them.
 
Photo: Jwh/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
 
To further bring the stories of the castle to life, there is also a small military museum in the middle of the fortress displaying weapons and armors used by the soldiers on the battlefield.
 
 
9. Soak up the sun on Malagueta beach
 

Photo: Jorbasa Fotografie/Flickr 
 
Málaga is so much more than the Costa del Sol, but given that we have more than 330 days of sunshine per year, no trip to Málaga is complete without paying a visit to the beach. Take a short walk down to Málaga’s most popular beach, Malagueta Beach, where you will find the famous stone sculpture proclaiming its name. Sit in the sun, swim in the sea, or stop by one of the chiringuitos (beach front restaurants) for a cold cerveza and something to eat.
 

This article was written by James Blick of Devour Tours which offers award-winning fun and delicious food tours and tapas tours in San Sebastián, Seville, Barcelona and Madrid. Follow them onInstagram,Pinterest,Facebook andTwitter for Spanish food news, tips and recipes.

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RENTING

Who really owns all the Airbnb-style lets in Spain?

Holiday lets have been pinpointed as one of the primary reasons property prices and rents have skyrocketed in recent years in Spain. But who owns these properties, and are rich foreign buyers the straw that broke the camel’s back?

Published: 18 April 2024 11:29 CEST
Who really owns all the Airbnb-style lets in Spain?

By the end of 2023, there were 340,000 short-term holiday lets in Spain, according to the country’s national stats body INE. 

Although they barely represented 1.3 percent of the total number of homes in Spain last year, the number of holiday lets increased by 9 percent after increases in all 17 regions except the Balearic Islands.

According to data from Spain’s Tax Agency, there are about 2 million rented homes in the country. 

The number of holiday lets fell as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but it’s been picking up at record speeds, especially in 2022, where an increase of more than 16 percent saw 41 holiday lets set up every day. 

The autonomous regions with the most short-term lets were Andalusia (79,065), followed by the Valencia region (58,337), Catalonia (52,026), the Canary Islands (44,376), the Balearic Islands (26,507), Madrid (16,970) and Galicia (18,080).

If the figure for Madrid strikes you as low that’s because the Spanish capital has a big problem with holiday lets without a licence, which in turn calls into question the real figure of Airbnb-style rentals across the country as a whole. 

READ ALSO: Why Madrid is struggling with its explosion of illegal holiday lets

According to Spanish tourism association Exceltur, which admittedly has the interests of hoteliers at heart, 60,000 new holiday lets have been added to Spain’s 25 main tourist destinations so far in 2024, describing the rise as “out of control”. 

What’s clear is the number of apartamentos turísticos or viviendas turísticas is on the up and that its negative impact for long-term residents who rent, particularly in city centre locations, is widespread. 

There are now 28 percent fewer long-term rental properties available in Spain than in 2019 and rents have never been so expensive.

So it’s no surprise that there’s growing discontent among locals particularly in popular tourist spots where rents have spiked, and sometimes a somewhat mistaken sense that wealthy foreigners buying homes in Spain are one of the chief reasons for the current housing crisis (cue the government’s decision to axe golden visas). 

READ MORE: Is Spain’s decision to axe golden visa about housing or politics?

Who owns all the holiday lets in Spain?

So what do we know about the people and companies behind the mountain of Airbnb-style lets that according to Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez are causing “price speculation” in the market? 

Are they foreign individuals, Spanish landlords or vulture funds capitalising on Spain’s popularity among tourists?

The Spanish government has not released any data illustrating which group owns the most flats, and whether they’re using it for short-term, temporary or long-term renting.

What it did do in 2023 was divide them into two groups: pequeños propietarios (landlords with up to 10 properties) and grandes tenedores (a major or multi-property landlord with more than 10 properties, five in saturated areas).

The best approximation of the structure of property ownership in Spain is that of the Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory (OHMB), which in a study on the subject published in 2022 concluded that 36 percent of rental apartments in Barcelona belonged to landlords who owned more than 10 properties.

The OHMB also found that 79 percent of landlords only have one property they rent out, but crucially, the remaining 21 percent own 61 percent of Barcelona’s stock of rental properties.

Therefore, in the Catalan capital at least, multi-property landlords, investment companies and vulture funds own a sizable proportion of Barcelona’s rental market.

According to property giants Idealista, legislation introduced to limit prices and rents has actually spurred more landlords and companies to ditch long-term leases for temporary lets of a maximum of 11 months (up by 40 percent) and holiday lets of a maximum of 32 days (up by 9 percent). 

From a business perspective, Airbnb-style lets are more profitable than long-term leases as they have no price caps and no nationwide legislation limiting it, so it’s a no-brainer for vulture funds, which bought Spanish real estate at distressed prices and are now capitalising on it.

Caixabank and Blackstone alone own 41,000 rental properties in Spain; how many of them are probably being used now as more lucrative holiday lets?

Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz recently said that property purchases by “vulture funds” and non-resident population represent 40 percent of transactions in Alicante, 38 percent in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 32 percent in Málaga, 30.85 percent in Girona and 31 percent in the Balearic Islands.

So does that mean that wealthy foreign second home owners own a sizable portion of Spain’s holiday rental market? Not necessarily.

According to Spain’s Real Estate Credit Union (UCI) around 68 percent of international buyers bought properties in the country in 2023 to use as their main home, 21 percent as a second home and just 11 percent as an investment for rental, without specifying if this is long or short-term rental. 

This would suggest that individual foreign investors do not make up a large proportion of ‘the Airbnb market’, even though property purchases by foreigners did hit a record 15 percent last year.

Overall, it can be concluded that the number of tourism rentals in Spain is probably higher than the 350,000 suggested by the Spanish government, and that the role real estate investment firms and vulture funds are playing in warping the country’s rental market is most likely underestimated.

READ ALSO: Spain urges regions to limit Airbnb-style lets in ‘stressed rental areas’

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