Whether you are coming for the first time or you already know the city, there can be many reasons why you may opt for guided tours in Malaga.
Whether you want to make the most of your visit or to deepen your knowledge of this ancient city on the shores of the Mediterranean: Guided tours in Malaga can be a very enjoyable and interesting experience that you might want to try. We’ll tell you more about it below!
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Why opt for Guided Tours in Malaga?
There can be many reasons why you might opt for guided tours in Malaga, for example
- You are only in the city for a few days
- You want to make the most of your stay in Malaga and save yourself headaches when it comes to organising your trip.
- You want to know from experts the landmarks of a city with more than 2,800 years of history.
- You are interested in knowing the history of the main monuments in the centre of Malaga.
- Discover the city from the point of view of an authentic Malagueño.
- Discover many anecdotes, Malaga’s gastronomy, bars, the typical ‘tapas’, etc.
What can you discover with Guided tours in Malaga
We have taken a look at the best rated local guided tour companies in Malaga on Google.
While some offer a rather standard programme of the most important landmarks and monuments, others add some fun and different ideas. This way you can discover Malaga not only as a tourist, but also ‘as Insider’.
Here are a few ideas of what you can enjoy
- Malaga Historical Centre Tour
- Alcazaba and Roman Theatre
- Malaga Cathedral
- Dramatised visits: To the English Cemetery, The Plague in Málaga
- Mysterious Malaga Tour: Discover the real stories about mysterious and unusual events and dark legends hidden in the historic centre of Malaga after dark.
- Tapas Tour of the Atarazanas Market in Malaga, tasting of products, tapas and drinks.
- Guided cultural and gastronomic tour through the historic centre, tasting wines in the oldest tavern in Malaga.
- Wine and tapas tasting, tasting local products with the ‘Sabor a Málaga’ quality label.
- Tapas Tour and Flamenco in taverns and an authentic show in a traditional flamenco tablao.
Depending on the Malaga tour company you hire, there is also a lot of additional free and exclusive material. The company Malaga Turismo for example offers historical photos of Malaga, recreations of past times, videos of events and elaboration processes, recipes and gastronomic tips, artistic curiosities and exclusive documents. It is one of the best rated on Google and we leave you the link below.
What are Free Tours?
Some of the local companies that offer guided tours of Malaga have in their programme the option of the so-called ‘free tours’, free guided tours.
Basically, you decide the price you want to pay according to the quality of the visit. In other words, it is a guided tour with a free price. It is totally free to book and at the end you decide the price of the tour depending on how you like it.
The recommended price is between €10 and €15 per person. However, if you don’t like it, you can leave the tour and there is no obligation to pay.
The best local companies for Guided Tours in Malaga
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, there are many more on offer.
The Tourist Bus
Here we also tell you all about the tourist bus. It’s another comfortable, quick and cheap way to get to know the most important sights in Malaga.
This option can be interesting for people who are not so keen on walking.
Moreover, the bus doesn’t only stop at the tourist sites in the centre. It also passes by other tourist sites further afield, such as the Gibralfaro Castle, the Automobile Museum or the Botanical Garden La Concepción (which we highly recommend by the way!).
Routes & Timetables
Malaga’s tourist bus is available with three different routes (Red Line, Blue Line and Green Line) and you can hop on and off at any of its stops to explore the city at your leisure. There is an audio guide in 8 languages on the red and blue line bus.
Different purchase options are available: The 24-hour ticket includes unlimited access to all three lines of the tourist bus and admission to the Interactive Museum of Music (MIMMA) and the Automobile and Fashion Museum.
The 48-hour ticket includes also entrance to the Pompidou Centre and an hour-long sightseeing-boat trip.
Speaking of sightseeing boats, this is an excellent way to see Malaga’s skyline from a unique angle.
We can totally recommend you to take a stroll along Malaga’s Muelle Uno (Pier One). There you will find several companies specialised in boat trips, with a very interesting offer that goes far beyond ‘sightseeing’.
We did a sunset trip with DJ on a Catamaran, and we loved it! In our article about boat trips in Malaga you can find much more information.
Red Line
The journey lasts 80 minutes and makes 14 stops. The bus takes you to the main tourist sites in Malaga.
Departure from María Zambrano train station. Timetable every day, from 10 am to 7:30 pm.
Stops
Contemporary Art Centre – Port of Malaga – Plaza de la Marina – Paseo del Parque – Centre Pompidou Malaga – Paseo de la Farola – Malagueta Beach – Bullring of Malaga – Gibralfaro Castle – Basilica of Santa María la Victoria – Plaza de la Merced – Picasso’s Birthplace Museum – Carmen Thyssen Museum – Malaga Cathedral – Avenida de Andalucía (next to El Corte Inglés).
Blue Line
The journey takes 60 minutes and has 5 stops. It covers the western area of Malaga: the Russian Museum and the Automobile and Fashion Museum, the Port of Malaga, the Pompidou Museum and Calle Larios.
Departure from María Zambrano train station. Timetable every day from 11 am to 2 pm.
Stops
Automobile and Fashion Museum – Russian Museum – Port of Malaga – Centre Pompidou Malaga – Calle Larios
Green Line
The journey takes 60 minutes and has 13 stops. It runs through the north of Malaga and connects the centre with the La Concepción Botanical Gardens and La Rosaleda football stadium.
Departure from the bus station. Timetable from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 am to 6 pm.
Stops
Train Station – Callejones del Perchel – Pasillo Santa Isabel (Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares) – Cruz Roja – San José – Parque de La Alegría – Camino de Casa Bermeja – Jardín Botánico de La Concepción – Estadio de La Rosaleda – Martiricos – Hotel Ibis Málaga Centro – Suburban train Station
Guided tours in Malaga Museums
Did you know that Malaga is the city with the most museums in its old town?
Some of the museums offer free guided tours on a regular basis, such as the Museum of Malaga, every Saturday at 12 noon. Every week it offers a different theme within its art and archaeology collections.
In our exhaustive article about the best Museums in Malaga you will find all the information you need as well as days and times when access to the museums is free.
And on September 27th every year is World Tourism Day in Malaga, where museums and major monuments open their doors and where you can also enjoy various free guided tours.