More than a beach city in the south of Spain…read more Yes, it does have 16 beaches, one in the city center. But does offer way more than lazy sunny days relaxing on the beach. It is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. And full of various cultural sites. I suggest an early morning hike up to Gibralfaro Castle, as the path is not fully shaded and the line for entry can get long. It is one of the largest Arab fortresses in the area. From here you can look out to the Mediterranean, the historic old city and Plaza de Toro de la Malagueta bull ring. On the back side back down in the city is a fabulously preserved Roman theater, the city museum, and the Cathedral de la Encarnation. The entire day can be spent wandering this great old area, with a few stops at small cafes for a snack and occasional coffee or sangria. Food and drink here are affordable and delicious. For unique and incredible fresh grilled seafood, head back down to the beach and enjoy the grilled sardines on skewers.

Last weekend I was in Malaga and, while I was having breakfast on the terrasse of a café, a woman…read moredistributed flyers. I usually don't take flyers. But here I was in Spain so maybe flyers were interesting. And it was ! After wandering through the beautiful city, we found the place. hidden in the patio of an old building. Away from the sun, we felt some fresh air and walk in the craft market. I just love so much how it feels to walk from table to table and admire craft ! It feels so personal. Someone made something and you are about to acquire a unique piece of Art ! We sat for a while, drank a coke. Loved it I highly recommend the place and the market :)

Seriously cool place to have a beer!…read more We walked past this place one day while walking off the beaten path. we made a mental note to come back for for a few beers. So we came back for a few beers. And cheap mind you. You won't break the bank here. Doesn't feel very touristy, felt more like a place where locals hang. And had a arty farty vibe. I saw a bloke sitting at a table on his own reading a book and drinking a beer. I love feel of this place. It's set back off the road into a giant garden patio. I think they hold lots of events here. I saw a list of events, but didn't really pay much attention. I think I may wind up a regular here!

Beautiful square in Marbella's old town. The name comes from 1941, when the town removed the palm…read moretrees that used to populate this square, and planted orange trees (prior to the palms, there had been chestnut trees). This is one of the most well-known spots along the Costa del Sol. Beautiful place to sit and enjoy the breathtaking architecture and horticulture. Public benches surround the inner part of the square, with cafes along the perimeter. Interesting aesthetic details are all over the place, even the pebble mosaics on the paved ground. Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square) is in a walkable zone, so do not try to drive to it. Best to park in a nearby garage and walk through the old town to get there. Worth the walk and the parking fee just to see this lovely square... and the adjacent Plaza De la Iglesia, a very short walk away.

The Old Town historic area in Marbella is amazingly beautiful. I recommend at least an hour of just…read morewalking around, photographing all you see, because there is incredible architecture and landscaping everywhere you turn. Every inch of this place is a postcard-perfect picture. Tropical climbers everywhere, bougainvillea galore. As with many Andalucian towns, geraniums have a big spotlight in the pots mounted to the walls. Palms, citrus trees, Hypericum, Kalanchoe, and impressive succulents, among many more. Marbella, like most of the Costa del Sol towns, is an upscale vacation destination, for visitors from around the world. There is a particularly large English ex-pat community in this town. Tons of posh shopping, and gorgeous restaurants. The beautiful beaches are not a far walk from the old town, but I recommend visiting them separately, in separate time blocks, with different outfits. The old town is kind of dressy, if you want to fit in and not look too obviously touristic. We found out the hard way that the old quarter is pretty much a walking-only district, and you need to dispense of your car in one of the nearby parking garages (which are NOT cheap, capping at 35€ per day, more than twice that of cities in the Cadiz province). Street parking is pretty much unavailable; there are so many cars parked everywhere, you can drive for hours and not find a single spot (and this was our experience in the off-season). There are tourism offices available, but there are plenty of directory-type maps on the street, to guide you through the old town. There are a number of really charming squares in the old quarter, but Plaza de los Naranjos is the most well-known. There are some extremely good restaurants in this city, with great Michelin reviews, but you will pay big bucks for most of them. We had a list of places in the old town that looked great, but sadly, most of these places close for the season, or at least for a month or so in the winter, and we hit them at the wrong time. There are still many winter dining options, but too many had those creepy pictures of the plate of food on a sandwich board out front, and I just couldn't do it. Decided to wait for our next stop. All in all the old town of Marbella is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever seen. The local Spanish population was friendly, but there was high sales pressure in the shops. Tourists attracted to this location are the see-and-be-seen type, which is not my fave. Traffic and parking absolutely suck, and prices are HIGH. Had the restaurants I wanted to visit been open, I think I wouldn't have minded the quirks, but I left old town pretty hungry.

This is a nice fort to visit! If you have visited others across Andalusia, it is not nearly as…read moreintricate as the Alhambra, but is still beautiful and grand. The location also offers gorgeous views of the harbor, Mediterranean sea, and the bull ring. There is an accessible entrance for anyone visiting with kids in strollers or a relative in a wheelchair. Free on Sundays after 2p!

The Alcazaba (which comes from al-Qasba, meaning urban fortress) is located at the foot of the…read morehillside of Mount Gibralfaro, in the small bay that is home to the city of Malaga. Its strategic position led it to be inhabited by ancient civilisations such as the Phoenicians and the Romans where they built a theatre in the 1st century. During the Islamic period, the Alcazaba was initially built as a fortification, and later became a palace-fortress, and the seat of the city government. You can buy a ticket for the Alcazaba itself or a combo ticket for the Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba. Sundays are free from 2p-7pm

Puente Viejo is a bridge as you'd have guessed, the oldest one built in Ronda in 1616. Easy to…read moreremember. It's very easy to find, like everything else in Ronda, just grab a map - a self guided walking tour and follow the main drag. Everything is close by, within walking distance. The bridge is old, beautiful, take a break for a while to take all the details in and the amazing views all around! Roman bridge with some Moorish influences, a great example of Andalusian architecture. Pedestrian only, a wonderful sight!

The Puente Viejo (old bridge) in Ronda, was built on remains of an older bridge. According to…read moreSpanish touring sites, this version of the bridge was built in the 16thC, however, Wikipedia claims it was built in 1616 (the year of Shakespeare's death). I would tend to go with the Spanish info, dating it to the 1500s. The more famous Puente Nuevo (new bridge) is a "young" 200+ years old. While Puente Nuevo allows vehicular traffic, Puente Viejo is a pedestrian-only bridge. It is accessible from lower points in town, down the hill from the Palacio del Rey Moro, on the old side of the city, and near Iglesia de Padre Jesús on the new side. This bridge has great views, but, IMO, not as dramatic as those from Puente Nuevo. Puente Viejo is in Carlos Saura's film version of Carmen (1983). Los Caños bar, nearby, shows photo stills from the movie. * * * TIP * * * Near the old bridge, there is an entrance to walk the INTERIOR of the city walls, to see these old ramparts from the inside. Ask for more info from your hotel, because this is not of widespread tourist knowledge.

I stopped in here for an afternoon drink after doing some sightseeing around Ronda. Beautiful views…read moreof the city and a lovely patio. Definitely tourist-oriented. Service was good very relaxed atmosphere.

*This listing is for the historical landmark / museum, Palacio del Rey Moro. There are other Yelp…read morelistings, with German reviews, for the bar with the same name. Entry fee was 5€ pp, cash. The palace is currently under renovation (visited during the off-season). There is no actual palace to visit, just the gardens and the water mine, which is a very long staircase, inside a stone structure, down the side of the ravine, to a water source on the floor of the Tajo. This historic site is a layering of history. The 14thC water mine is authentic to the days of Moorish rule. However, the palace was built in the 18thC, long after the Moors were banished from Spain. The palace was later remodeled by the Duchess of Parcent in 1920. The gardens were created in 1912, by Jean Claude Forestier (the same French architect who designed the Maria Luisa Park in Seville). So you get a combination of stories about historical figures who were never contemporaries of one another. The main attraction at this museum is definitely La Mina (the water mine). THE MINE In the 14thC, Moorish king, Abomelik, ordered the cutting of steps into the stone walls of el Tajo so he could have Christian slaves chained to the steps, to pass water up all day, from río Guadelevin. The mine was built concealed, to be kept secret, presumably, from potential invaders, but it was a well-known fear among Spanish Christians that "in Ronda you die carrying water skins." Note that historic records state there were 365 steps in the mine, but today there are 231, and no evidence of the missing steps. When I saw this place on the Rick Steves Andalucía episode, I couldn't wait to visit. When I got to the winding, grueling 231 stone steps, of non-uniform size, with dripping water all over, making them slippery, I was not as excited. It is a workout, but a good one. I am very glad we did it in the off-season, and not when there are a million sweaty tourists crowding the passage, making it insufferable! Note that the steps of the mine are not the entire descent. There are various terraces in the garden at the top, each with a flight of stairs, leading you slowly down to the mine itself. You have already descended about 1/3 of the cliff before you even get to the mine. *This place is not at all accessible for disabled persons. The mine, in Moorish times, was the only source of water for the city, and the steps were later the means by which Spanish Christian troops forced entry into Ronda to recapture it 1485. THE PALACE Folklore names this place "Palace of the Moorish King" under the belief that a prior palace stood on this site, as the home of King Almonated (who has no Wiki article nor Googleable info). All info I could find about this king was just part of the folklore of this castle. THE GARDENS The gardens are a series of courtyard-type niches at street level, followed by stepped terraces graduating down to the entry of the mine. There is not a lot of grassy / soil area, mostly paved patio or pea gravel, along with various small ponds and fountains. There are places to sit on tiled benches. The gardens are in need of a lot of cosmetic repairs (cracked pavers, mildewed paint, chipped tiles, etc). But you can still appreciate their beauty, and the views from them are amazing. In summary, I would definitely say it was worth my fiver, and all that physical exertion to make contact with 700-year-old history. Definitely a top stop on my Ronda list. * * * TIP * * * One tourism guide stated that one of the chambers along the mine's staircase is called Sala de Secretos (Room of Secrets) because while 2 people, each standing close to the wall at opposite ends of the room, can hear each other, their words are oddly completely inaudible to anyone standing in the middle of the same room. Tourists like to put it to the test. (This phenomenon is similar to the "Whispering Gallery" in St. Paul's Cathedral, London.)