Málaga Province Málaga

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MálagaPOP 1.64 MILLION Province

Includes  Why Go? Málaga...... 157 Málaga is the hip revitalised Andalucian city everyone is Marbella...... 173 talking about after decades of being pointedly ignored, par- Estepona...... 175 ticularly by tourists to the coastal resorts. The city’s 30-odd museums and edgy urban art scene are well matched by the Mijas...... 177 contemporary chic dining choices, spanking new metro line Ronda...... 178 and a shopping street voted as one of the most stylish (and Ardales expensive) in Spain. And besides Málaga, each region of the & El Chorro...... 185 province has equally fascinating diversity, ranging from the Antequera...... 185 breathtaking mountains of La Axarquía to the tourist-driven Paraje Natural Torcal razzle dazzle of the Costa del Sol. de Antequera ...... 188 Inland are the pueblos blancos (white towns) crowned by spectacularly situated Ronda. Or the underappreciated, La Axarquía...... 189 elegant old town of Antequera with its nearby archaeolog- Nerja...... 191 ical site and fabulous porra antequera (garlic-laden soup). Málaga is at its most vibrant during the annual feria, when the party atmosphere is infused with flamenco, fino (dry straw-coloured sherry) and carafe-loads of fiesta spirit. Best Places to Eat ¨ ¨La Consula (p172) Driving Distances ¨¨Óleo (p165) ¨¨El Mesón de Cervantes Antequera 40 (p165) Ronda 64 87 ¨¨Casanis (p174) Mijas 25 70 70 ¨¨Arte de Cozina (p188) Nerja 53 89 117 88

Best Places to Stay ¨¨El Molino de los Abuelos Málag a Rond a Mijas (p190) Antequera ¨¨El Molino del Santo (p181) ¨¨Hotel Linda Marbella (p174) ¨¨La Fructuosa (p185) 157 Málaga Province Málaga

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; survives, a small courtyard of fra ; ; Málaga’s No time to visit Granada’s Alham time to visit Granada’s No 166 org; 166 166 HistoricCentre Alcazaba Málaga Picasso Museo de Málaga Catedral Building the cathedral was an epic pro was Building the cathedral Inside, the fabulous domed ceiling soars the fabulous domed Inside, Don’t miss the Phoenician, Roman, Islam There tem are also excellent year-round one-armed lady). The cathedral’s museum one-armed lady). The cathedral’s a collectionreligious items cov displays of ering a period of 500 years. o (Map p Tue-Sun) Alcazaba Then Málaga’s bra? The is next entrance to the taster. amphitheatre climbs amid lush greenery:path crimson jasminefragrant lofty palms, bougainvillea, trees. Extensivelybushes and rows of orange Christine Ruiz-Picasso (wife of Paul, Picas of Paul, Christine (wife Ruiz-Picasso eldest and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso son) so’s some wonder and includes (his grandson), including the ful paintings of the family, heartfelt eld with a white cap), a portrait of Picasso’s est son painted in the 1920s. ic and Renaissance archaeological remains dur discovered basement, museum’s the in ing construction works. porary exhibitions. o (Map p €3 de Gibralfaro Castillo incl ramic views of the city skyline and coast. skyline viewsramic city of the Such was theject took some 200 years. that that it was decided by 1782 cost that project’s towers bell stop. One of the two would work leftwas incomplete, cathedral’s the hence nickname, well-worn . malaga €10; exhibition temporary & Sat) 9pm Fri to Sun, collection 155an enviable of 204 works, the museum by and 49 loaned to donated 1 o (Map p €6; tower €5, & museum cathedral Mon-Sat) the 16th century site of the former on the this, only the mosque. Of Naranjos trees. orange grant colonnaded vast the while air, the into 40m choir. houses an enormous cedar-wood nave access to 15 chapels with gorgeousAisles give 18th-century retables religious art. and Climb (200 steps)stunning to enjoy the tower pano ------meaning ‘to (fish paste), as (fish malaka, garum salting fish. The grew salting fish. city historicand culturally rich Sights Theportrundown former beenalso has The tastefully restored historic centre is POP 568,479 de Gibralfaro. A good place to start A good de Gibralfaro. your whichexploringlandmark cathedral, is the the surrounding streets above towers and is Thethus reassuringly easy to find. port area is home to a further three museums. 1 major sights are clustered in or Málaga’s near the charming old town, which is situ the Alcazaba and the Castillo beneath ated Civil War. More recently the city has happily recently the city More Civil War. the mass development off to stave managed Costa the adjacent del Sol. typifies that chief The port of Granada. city of the Emirate Christianheld out against ar the invading equal tenacity and displayed mies until 1487 fascists during the Spanish against Franco’s porting oil and olive lead and iron from the mines as copper, well in the mountains around Ronda. Málaga rulecontinued to flourish under Moorish from the 8th as the century especially AD, salt’, the name given to the city by the Phoe to the city given the name salt’, nicians in the 8th century BC after their cu linary custom of to become a major port in Roman times, ex to the city. History comes from Málaga grandly rebuilt and cruise-line passengersgrandly con and coffers boostingnow are city’s the increase in tourismtributing to the overall lectic character; church spires jostle for space with russet-red roofs and lofty apart tiled old dame, a grand ment buildings while, like 11th-centurythe castle grandlysits Gibralfaro aloft and provides the best view of all. traditional and modern bars, and shops thattraditional owned, to and family from idiosyncratic range eyes Cast your contemporary. and urban-chic ec reflects that the city’s up to enjoy a skyline fine dining to Barcelona. fine is surround a delight: its Gothiccathedral ed by narrow pedestrian streets by flanked of Granada, Córdoba and Seville. Yet, it has and Seville. Córdoba of Granada, Yet, of city as the province’s emerged rapidly culture ‘mile of art’ with its so-called being and its dynamism and Madrid, compared to Málaga is a world apart world a is adjoiningthe from Málaga Costa Sol; a del inlived which has long provincial capital citiesof the iconic Andalucian the shadow MÁLAGA