We were asked recently what makes Malaga unique so we started thinking about things you can only find in Malaga. Our Guide to Malaga lists plenty of unusual things to do and see in Malaga, but what about things you can find nowhere else? Here’s our list of 5 – let us know if you can think of anything else we should add!
1 tower only
Malaga Cathedral is one of the city’s best-known landmarks but this fine Baroque building also has one of those things you can only find in Malaga – just the one tower. We don’t know if there are any other cathedrals in the world with a missing tower but there can’t be many.
It makes for a lopsided façade that looks odd especially when you’re up on Malaga Cathedral rooftops or looking at the cathedral from a distance (there are especially good views from AC Palacio Hotel terrace and the gourmet food store terrace on the top floor of El Corte Inglés department store). But you get used to it and it adds a bit of charm to one of the best monuments in Malaga.
BTW: Check out our guide to Malaga Cathedral here.
Pompidou Centre
There’s a Pompidou Centre in Paris but the only centre outside France is in Malaga. It’s now been open for nearly a year and its striking multi-coloured cube has become one of the most famous sights in Malaga. Inside, there’s a feast of avant-garde art and installations waiting to be discovered as well as temporary exhibitions showcasing the best in art forms such as video and photography. Check out our guide to this art museum in Malaga here.
BTW: The Russian Museum in Malaga is also pretty unique. Find out what other art museums make the best 5 in our Guide to Malaga.
Jabegas
They arrived nearly 3,000 years ago and they’re still on the beaches in Malaga. No longer used for fishing but in rowing races. Check out these unique craft – another one of those things you can only find in Malaga – in Pedregalejo and El Palo. For more information about jabegas boat, read our blog post here.
BTW: visiting the shipyards building a jabega replica is one of the 5 most unusual things to do in Malaga. For the other 4, see our Guide to Malaga.
Seafront Promenade
OK, lots of places have seafront promenades and lovely ones too, but how many cities have promenades that run the entire length of the coastline with space for pedestrians and bikes too?
The seafront walkway in Malaga is one of the city’s biggest open spaces and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. It’s dotted with cafés and beach bars (chiringuitos) where you can taste typical fried fish, one of the typical dishes in Malaga. And there are also lots of children’s playparks, keep-fit machines, benches…
BTW: Malaga seafront promenade is great for all ages, cyclists, walkers, runners and skaters plus it’s accessible too.
Coffee
One of the most challenging things you can only find in Malaga is coffee. Not where to drink it – there are dozens of great bars and cafés in Malaga – or how it’s made (usually well). No, the difficult thing is asking for it.
Malaga is famed throughout Spain as having one of the longest lists of types of coffee. The sort depends on how much coffee and milk is in each one and each one has its own name. Check out the tiled wall at the entrance to Calle Santa Maria off Plaza de la Constitución to see what yours is called and ask for it by name whenever you have a coffee in Malaga.
BTW, our Guide to Malaga lists the 5 best places in Malaga for morning coffee.
PS There are of course lots of other things that make Malaga a unique holiday destination. Here’s a quick list of some of the rest:
Malaga metro – possibly the only one in the world where the driver says good morning to the passengers when he walks from one end of the train to the other?
Cheap food in Malaga – there can’t be many other places where you can eat a delicious plate of grilled sardines for €2.
Malaga weather – at least 320 days of sunshine a year and that’s guaranteed.
Christmas lights like no other – those in Calle Larios are among the best in Spain and a major tourist attraction in Malaga in December.
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