Malaga on the Costa del Sol in Spain

The capital of the Costa del Sol, Málaga is largely overlooked by the more than 7 million visitors who land at the airport each year. Yet this large and bustling seaport is one of the most atmospheric and historic cities in Spain. It is also intrinsically Spanish with a touch of both the Moorish grandeur of Granada and castanet-clicking spirit of Seville. First impressions may be discouraging however as, like most Spanish cities, the outskirts are drab and industrial, but the core – the historic city centre – is fascinating, with its majestic, if peculiar, unfinished Gothic Cathedral, surrounded by sun-baked ochre buildings, narrow pedestrian streets and more bars per square metre than any other city in Europe!

Málaga has had its share of glory in the past. The city flourished in the Muslim era and in the 19th century had a dynamic middle class who founded textile factories, sugar mills and shipyards. Málaga dessert wine was very popular in Victorian England and decades before the emergence of package tourism on the Costa del Sol, Málaga was a favourite winter resort of wealthy madrileños.

Due east of the centre, beyond the bullring is the affluent residential area of Limonar with its leafy boulevards lined with low-rise apartments and luxurious town-houses. The districts of Pedregalejo and El Palo are similarly desirable with their easy access to the centre, as well as the N340 circular road, and a series of attractive small beaches. These are lined with restaurants and chiringuitos arguably serving some of the best seafood in the province.

There is a choice of state and private Spanish schools in the city. The nearest English language school is Sunnyview in Torremolinos, 12 km west of the city. Málaga has a thriving university which also offers an intensive ‘Spanish for Foreigners’ programme.