A beautiful day in Malaga, Spain

 We visited Malaga twice during our recent summer holiday in the coastal resort of Nerja. After Seville, Malaga is the second largest city in Andalucia and has a thriving port which is a popular destination for cruise ships.

The city has a lot to offer and is much more than a gateway to the Costa del Sol. The Cathedral, above is one of the major attractions. Begun in 1528 by Diego de Soloé, it is a bizarre mix of styles. The half built second tower which was abandoned in 1765 when funds run out gave the cathedral its nickname; La Manquite (the one-armed one).

Malaga's former Museo de Bellas Artes has been adapted to house a new Museo Picasso displaying works by the native artist as well as temporary exhibitions. This was one of our reasons for visiting Malaga and despite neither of us really liking his work, we both enjoyed the experience. There are many tourist information kiosks around the city that will give you directions to the Museo which is on C/ San Augustin. Its well worth a visit and there are some great places to eat in the lovely streets outside.

While we were there, there were two temporary exhibitions, one of which as you can see below was showing the work of Dennis Hopper. Most people know him for his work as an actor in movies such as Apocalypse Now, however as we learnt he was much more  than a talanted screen actor, he was also a passionate photographer and a very talented artist. If you find yourself in Malaga before the end of September 2013, this exhibition is well worth a visit.

On the hill overlooking the city lie the remains of the Castillo de Gibralfaro, a 14th century Moorish castle. For some fabulous views of the city you should take the time to explore the Castillo. You can reach it from a winding path from close to the other main attraction, the Alcazaba. Its quite a climb up,  if the sun is beating down as it was when we visited, bring some water with you. The easy way is to hop on one of the Red tourists buses as the Castillo is one of the stops on the city tour.

Inside the Castillo de Gibralfaro

Having visited the Castillo de Gibralfaro on a very hot morning, then the Museo Picasso and wandered round the streets of Malaga enjoying the sights and sounds of this attractive city as well as some of the delicious foor, our next destination was the Alcazaba. By the time we arrived at the entrance, quite hot, sugar levels low, we looked at each other with the same thought in our minds, "time for a break". So I have to be honest and say we left the Alcazaba for our next trip and hopped on the tourist bus to take in some more of the city at a leisurely pace before getting off at the Castillo to collect our hire car.

As close as we got to the Alcazaba, the entrance...TBC

With lots to see, some great shops, and a plethora of places to eat and drink, Malaga is well worth a visit. So rather than flying in, collecting your hire car and heading off to the beach be sure and take some time to explore this city.

Roasting slowly on the walls of the Castillo de Gibralfaro

To read our blogpost on the holiday resort of Nerja simply click on the following link Nerja town and surroundings