Picasso’s birthplace, on the Mediterranean: the Museo Picasso and the
Centre Pompidou, the Alcazaba above the port, tapas in the old town and the
city beaches. Avelia is based here, and plans private, tailor-made time in
Málaga, as a stay of its own or as the start of a journey through Andalusia.
Each of these is arranged privately for your dates, subject to availability.
Picasso, the Alcazaba and the old town
Picasso’s birthplace and the Museo Picasso, the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro above the port, the Roman theatre at their foot, the Cathedral, and the Centre Pompidou, each with a guide.
More of the art and the old town
Picasso’s Málaga — the house where he was born in 1881 and spent his first ten years, now the Museo Casa Natal, and the Museo Picasso, open since 2003 in a 16th-century palace, on a private guided visit.
The Alcazaba and Gibralfaro — the Moorish palace-fortress, its palace built from the 11th century, and the castle raised above it in the 14th to house its troops, with a private guide.
The Roman Theatre — built in the early 1st century AD at the foot of the Alcazaba, hidden under houses for centuries and found again in 1951.
The Cathedral — raised where the great mosque stood after the city fell in 1487, its north tower 87 m high, the tallest cathedral in Andalusia, and its south tower never finished.
The Centre Pompidou Málaga — the Pompidou’s first home outside France, open since 2015 in El Cubo on the port, the cube the French artist Daniel Buren reworked.
The Carmen Thyssen — old masters, romantic landscapes and scenes of Spanish life in an early 16th-century palace, with a guide; outside opening hours on request, subject to what the museum allows.
Soho with a photographer — the street art on the façades and shopfronts of the Soho district, camera in hand.
Calle Larios — shopping along the city’s busy pedestrian street, with a personal shopper on request.
A ceramics workshop — with a local artisan in the Axarquía, on request.
Tapas, the market and Málaga's wines
Tapas through the old town, the Atarazanas market, sardines grilled on the beach at Pedregalejo, a tasting menu at a Michelin-starred table, and the wines of Málaga’s hills.
More of the table
A tapas route — through the old town’s bars with a local expert; a professional chef can lead it where available.
The Atarazanas market with a chef — the morning’s fish and produce in the market opened in 1879 on the site of the 14th-century Nasrid shipyards, whose marble gateway it keeps; then lunch from what you chose.
Espetos at Pedregalejo — sardines grilled on skewers over charcoal, by the sea.
Michelin-starred tables — a tasting menu at one of the city’s starred restaurants, reserved ahead.
A private cooking class — Andalusian recipes with a chef, in a private home on request.
Wine and olive oil — a tasting at a country estate in the Axarquía, one of the five wine zones of the D.O. Málaga, whose wines are made mainly from Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel.
Dinner at a wine estate — a dinner paired with the estate’s own wines, near Antequera, on request.
Flamenco — an evening in an intimate setting, with seats booked ahead; UNESCO has listed flamenco as intangible heritage since 2010.
The coast and the hills
The Caminito del Rey through the Gaitanes gorge, less than 60 km away; the Caves of Nerja and Frigiliana; a day on the water; and the pine-covered Montes de Málaga behind the city.
More of the coast and the hills
The Caminito del Rey — 8 km of path and walkways through the Gaitanes gorge, walked one way in three to four hours; built in 1901–1905 and crossed by Alfonso XIII in 1921. We reserve the official guided visit. See the Caminito among our 12 treasures of Spain.
Nerja and Frigiliana — the Caves of Nerja on the coast to the east, found in 1959, then Frigiliana on the slopes of the Sierra de la Almijara, its narrow, stepped streets laid out in Moorish times, with a picnic above the sea on request.
Out on the water — a private sail along the coast, at sunset with cava if you wish, or paddleboards and kayaks along the city beaches, on request, subject to availability.
The Montes de Málaga — the natural park in the pine-covered hills just north of the city, declared in 1989, on foot with a guide or by car with a driver, on request.
La Concepción — a garden created in 1855 and protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural, with more than 50,000 plants of some 3,000 species and varieties, with a guide.
Slower days — a day bed at a beach club in Marbella, a private yoga session by the sea, or the coast by e-bike, on request.
From the air — a helicopter flight over the city and the coast at sunset, on request, subject to availability.
02Seasons
When to go
JanJ
FebF
MarM
AprA
MayM
JunJ
JulJ
AugA
SepS
OctO
NovN
DecD
Best months
The beach season
Mild, with more rain
Spring March to May
Mild and bright: highs rise from about 20°C (68°F) in March to 24°C (75°F) in May, with rain on three to five days a month. The best weather for walking the city.
EventsThe Festival de Málaga of film in Spanish, 26 February to 7 March 2027; then Semana Santa, 21 to 28 March, with its great processional thrones.
Summer June to August
The beach season: highs of about 28°C (82°F) in June and 31°C (88°F) in July and August, warm nights near 21°C (70°F), and almost no rain.
EventsThe Feria de Málaga in mid-August, with fireworks on its first night and verdiales in the historic centre.
Autumn September and October
Warm and settled: highs of about 28°C (82°F) in September and 24°C (75°F) in October, with rain on two days in September and four in October. Good for the city and the sea.
Winter November to February
Mild, and the wettest months: highs of about 17–20°C (63–68°F), nights of 7–11°C (45–52°F), and rain on five to seven days a month, most of it in November and December.
Inland, a town on a cliff split by a gorge 100 m deep: the Puente Nuevo across it, finished in 1793, and wine estates in the hills around. Best for a day out with lunch at a winery, or a night of its own.
57 km along the coast: 24 beaches along nearly 28 km of shore, the old town around the Plaza de los Naranjos, and Puerto Banús. Best for a day by the sea, or the end of a trip.
By high-speed train: the Mezquita, founded in 786–788, in an old town on the World Heritage List since 1984, and the caliphs' city of Medina Azahara 8 km out. Best for a day out, or a night on the way to Seville.
By train: the Alhambra and the Generalife above the Albaicín, the old Moorish quarter, with the Sierra Nevada behind. Best for two or three nights; we reserve the Alhambra as soon as your dates are fixed.
By train: the Cathedral, the Giralda and the Real Alcázar, on the World Heritage List together since 1987, and flamenco in Triana. Best for three nights at the heart of a route.
04Planning with Avelia
How we plan your time in Málaga
We help you choose the right hotel, balance guided visits with time to explore, and fit Málaga into your wider journey — or shape a stay in the city itself.
1
Share your plans
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and the pace you like, and whether Málaga is a stay of its own or part of a route with Ronda, Granada or Seville.
2
Shape your trip with us
Before any payment, we send a written proposal with a quoted trip price and what it includes — such as a hotel in the old town or by the sea, an art historian for the Museo Picasso, and a tapas route with a chef — and refine it with you.
3
Travel with our support
Once you approve the proposal and complete the agreed booking requirements, we confirm your arrangements. We coordinate the details and support you while you travel.
Peace of mind
Financially protected. Your payments for a package trip are covered against our insolvency by a guarantee with AXA. Plan with peace of mind
What we can arrange
Your proposal sets out the arrangements included in your trip.
Hotels matched to you — in the old town or by the sea, a resort on the Costa del Sol west of the city such as Finca Cortesín at Casares, or a private villa in the hills, on request; see our luxury hotels in Spain.
Private transport — chauffeur-driven premium cars for the airport, 8 km from the centre, and the station, days out to the Caminito del Rey, Nerja, Ronda or Marbella, and the drive to your next stop in Andalusia; high-speed trains where they suit better.
Private guides — art historians and specialist guides for the Museo Picasso, the Alcazaba and the old town.
Experiences — tapas routes and cooking classes with a chef, wine and olive oil tastings in the hills, flamenco, a sail along the coast.
Tables and tickets — reservations from Michelin-starred dining rooms to the beach, and tickets for the museums and the Caminito del Rey booked ahead.
Special occasions — honeymoons, anniversaries and family trips, planned around who is travelling.
Where to taste Spain, its wine regions, and sample culinary itineraries.
05Questions
Questions we are asked
What does it cost to have a tailor-made trip designed by Avelia Travel?
Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.
How many nights should we spend in Málaga?
We recommend at least three days for the city itself, and five if you would like days out to Ronda, Nerja or the Caminito del Rey.
When is the best time to visit Málaga?
March to May, and September and October, for the city and the coast together. Summer is the beach season, with highs of about 31°C (88°F) in July and August, the busiest months on the beaches, and the Feria in mid-August; winter is mild, with highs of 17–20°C, and the wettest time of year.
Can I include Málaga in a larger Spain itinerary?
Yes, and it is often where a route through Andalusia begins or ends: Málaga has the region’s busiest airport, and high-speed trains run to Córdoba, Seville, Granada, Madrid and Barcelona. Ronda and Marbella are close enough for a day out.
Do you only plan full itineraries, or can you help with just a hotel?
Both. We plan complete trips, and we also arrange a stay on its own: a hotel matched to you, with transfers, a guide or a few reservations added if you wish.
Is Avelia right for me?
Avelia suits travellers who want a private, well-paced trip planned around them: the right places in the right order, hotels chosen for them, guides who know the ground, tables and tickets taken care of, and one point of contact from the first conversation until they are home.
Start planning your time in Málaga
At least three days in Málaga, or five with days out to Ronda or Nerja: tell us your dates and who is travelling.
