マラガ

Malaga is the cultural capital of Andalusia, offering museums, art, tapas bars, beaches, excellent seafood and more. Malaga is the largest city on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

It’s smaller, quieter and more relaxing than Barcelona or Madrid but this city, and the Costa del Sol that surrounds it, is a very popular travel destination due to the beaches, culture, food and scenery. It has a Mediterranean climate all-year-round with plenty of sunshine – a total of 320 sunny days per year. With 160km of coastline, the Costa del Sol has many sandy beaches and hidden coves to explore.

You’re also only two hours away from the ski resorts of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and within reach of other historic cities that make great day trips at the weekend. So Malaga is an ideal place to base yourself for a Spanish language course in Spain. What to do in Malaga There are lots of great things to do in this seaside Spanish city. Make sure you visit the Picasso Museum during your time in Malaga.

The locals are proud of the fact that Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga and the museum, which is within the Palacio de Buenavista, features important works by the great artist. You can also visit the Casa Natal, his birthplace.  There are museums for wine, cars and different forms of art - Malaga actually has the most museums of any city in Andalusia! 

There are fantastic festivals throughout the year in Andalucía – nearly one every month! One of the biggest is Carnival, which is a raucous celebration filled with music and colour that takes place before Lent. There are also dramatic religious processions during Holy Week, bonfires on the beach in June for San Juan and the Spanish Film Festival.

The Malaga Fair in the month of August is a non-stop nine-day celebration of traditional Andalusian culture including music, traditional dress, food and live performances. Malaga is one of the best places in Spain to try some of the local tapas dishes – the cuisine of this region is superb! In many of the restaurants you will be given a free tasty dish of food with every drink you order –a wonderful way to enjoy a sunny afternoon dining on a patio overlooking the sea.

There are so many delicious foods on offer, including garlic prawns, fresh shellfish, traditional jamon, gazpacho cold soup, meatballs and more. Outside of Malaga, explore the white villages in the hills and take the train along the coast to some of the many tourist resorts, or to the pretty town of Nerja. Some of the other great attractions in this region include Tivolo World in nearby Benalmadena, featuring some thrilling rides and entertaining shows. Torremolinos is home to the first waterpark in Spain – Aqualandia. Malaga comes alive at night, with lots of bars, restaurants and clubs to explore. And be sure to feel the passion of a live flamenco performance while you’re studying Spanish in Malaga.