We are going to take you on a slightly different tour of Malaga and tell you interesting curiosities about Malaga that you might not have known before.
So you already have a little more special knowledge about this beautiful city bathed by the Mediterranean. And you’ll know where to look when you plan your next visit, hopefully soon!
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Table of Contents
Malaga curiosities that perhaps you did not know about
We start with the “Costa del Sol”!
Today we all know the Mediterranean coastline of about 160 km in the province of Malaga as the Costa del Sol.
The term was originally coined by the Almeria-based businessman Rodolfo Lussnigg, who used the term to cover the entire coastline from Almeria, Granada and Malaga.
Fearsome Terral Wind
Our Malaga based Friends very probably have already experienced it at least once, as it happens about 5 to 6 times every summer. But… what is it???
Terral wind is a local weather phenomenon in Malaga area, Estepona, Guadalhorce Valley and Velez-Málaga.
It´s a strong north-western inland wind which heats up significantly on its journey and arrives at the coast descending through the river basins, which is why it is more likely in those coastal municipalities with larger rivers.
Terral wind in summer is very “fearsome”, as temperatures can rise enormously in just a few minutes when the wind hits the coast.
It literally dries up your nostrils, eye fluid and throat in less than one minute. Depict yourself in front of an open oven and blowing the air into your face with a hairdryer. That approximately describes the feeling.
Find out everything you need to know about Malaga’s local weather phenomenon Terral & refreshing ideas in this entertaining guide.
The father of Mediterranean surfing was from Malaga
José Julián Almoguera (1953-2014) is considered the father of surfing in the Spanish Mediterranean. In the year 70, while still a teenager, he saw a film in the Albeniz cinema in Malaga where people were surfing.
Then he started looking for surfboards without success. Finally, he had two huge surfboards made at the Nereo Shipyard where his father worked, which measured 2.70 metres, weighed 30 kilos and were named “aircraft carriers”.
He practised for almost two years alone as a self-taught person without a wetsuit, until little by little other young people joined him. Four years later in 1978 he founded the first active surfing club in the Spanish Mediterranean: the Málaga Surfing Club. Discover more about surfing in Malaga.
Genalguacil, the open-air museum village
This small white village stands out for its Art Meetings that take place every two years. During 2 weeks international painters, sculptors, photographers or ceramists live together with the inhabitants of the village.
The pieces of art created during this time are permanently exhibited throughout the village, thus turning it into an open-air art museum. Discover it in our article.
140 km of coastal path to walk along the Costa del Sol
In the province of Malaga we are not only blessed with 140 km of beautiful coastline. Now we can also enjoy a coastal path to walk through the 14 municipalities that share the Mediterranean’s shore.
Join us on this walk along the coast of Malaga in some of the most beautiful locations along coastal paths and promenades.
Malaga, a land of wines
The fertile lands of Malaga have a long history of vine cultivation, dating back hundreds of years. There are currently 45 wineries and two denominations of origin in the province of Malaga.
Discover the interior of our beautiful province along the Wine Routes. And when you come to visit us, enjoy the pleasure of a good Tapa accompanied by a good wine.
The pleasure of having a coffee in Malaga
If you are a coffee lover, you can find your own special heaven in Malaga: In no city are there so many different ways to order a coffee!
Did you think you could only order a coffee with milk or black coffee? Well, in Malaga there are 9 alternatives of coffee, depending on the amount of milk you want to add. Some of them have very picturesque names like “sombra” (shade) or “nube”(cloud).
Stranger Things in Malaga
We love to compile extraordinary events and moments in Malaga, delight yourself with our small selection of strange things in Malaga.
Easter processions in November
What is this Semana Santa procession doing below the Christmas decoration in Larios Street???
This is definitely an impossible sight: A full Easter procession in NOVEMBER.
How did this happen?
Well, in 2021 Malaga celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Association of the Brotherhoods which lead to processions normally held during Semana Santa.
As this was not possible due to Corona restrictions, it was postponed. A total of 16 thrones were carried the streets of Málaga all day in November, with the Christmas decoration already in place in Larios Street.
Malaga is invaded by the dark side of the Force
Although on this occasion it is not necessary to take out the laser sword to defend ourselves.
Periodically we can enjoy the parade of the Spanish section of the 501st Legion of the Galactic Empire in the streets of Malaga for a good cause.
In Malaga it is possible to walk on water
Although the photo seems to indicate that this statement is correct, we are sorry, it is not true. The sea water does not have that salinity, nor is it a famous character with superpowers.
It is a person fishing at dawn at the mouth of the Guadalhorce river. The river and the sea meet at this point giving the optical sensation that the person is standing far from the shore.
Flying is also possible in Malaga
Depending on the season, things are quite lively, as you can see in the photo. If you look closely, you can see that one of the guys is wearing a kite surfing belt.
Although it is true that the wind capital is Tarifa on the coast of Cadiz, here we also have very good conditions to enjoy Kite surf to the fullest.
The day it snowed in Malaga
The days it has snowed in Malaga in the last 100 years can be counted on the fingers of one hand. It is an extremely rare phenomenon. Nevertheless, it does sometimes happen.
While every year it usually snows in the highest parts of the mountains of the province, it is rare to see snow at sea level, as here in Mijas village in 2017.
In this image of Calle Larios that went viral a couple of years ago, what looks like snow was actually a heavy hailstorm.
Zombie Apocaplisis in Malaga
During the afternoon of the 24th and the night of the 25th of March 2022 a climatological phenomenon took place that will undoubtedly go down in the history of Malaga. The sky began to turn a spectacular end of the world style nuclear orange.
This was due to the enormous load of sand particles from the Sahara suspended in the air. It is known in summer under the name of Calima. But such a thing has not been seen even by Malaga’s octogenarians.
This dust discharged during the night with torrential rains and in the form of tons of very fine and impossible to clean mud: The day when Malaga turned into the Sahara.
Stephen King’s The Fog annihilating Malaga
Another typical phenomenon in Malaga that usually occurs in summer: Taró. It occurs according to the wind changes. It can occur after several days of Terral (very hot wind from the northwest), when the wind changes to Levante (wind from the southeast).
The mist is generated by the surface of the water cooled by the Terral, which condenses the warm air coming from the south.
Sometimes it is mist, but sometimes it engulfs everything, as in Stephen King’s film. A spectacular visual phenomenon, but don’t worry, for the moment no monster has emerged from it.
Father Christmas lives in Torremolinos
This gentleman from Torremolinos, Jorge Juan Díaz Cabrera, is an authorised representative of Father Christmas in the world.
Years ago, he travelled to Greenland to attend the Father Christmas School and now he spreads happiness among children in Malaga.
Oil drilling off the coast of Málaga
Although it is true that there is some interest in oil drilling off the coast of Malaga, this is not currently the case and we hope it never will be.
In the photo we can see this impressive platform of almost 30 metres height. It was stranded in April 2017 on the naturist beach of Benalmadena, after being lost by a tugboat due to a strong storm.
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