Malaga walking tour – western seafront

The latest in our series of Malaga walking tours takes a stroll along the long western seafront. Join us for the 3-4km walk along side one of the best beaches in Malaga. A map with the route and main highlights can be found below.

Getting there

This Malaga walking tour starts at the western entrance to the Port. Get here by walking 500m south from the mainline train station or 1km west from Plaza de la Marina via Muelle de Heredia.

The route begins on the pavement walkway next to the port. After about 500m, the pavement branches into the much wider seafront promenade. Stop at the bend by the rocks and look back towards Malaga for a good view of the city and port. Most of the rest of the walk is along the seafront – choose to stroll on the beachside section or slightly higher up on the section that has trees and gardens.

Top tip – a bike lane (marked in red) runs the entire length of the seafront promenade. Take extra care when crossing it and don’t walk along it

Things to see on this Malaga walking tour

This walking tour brings together a mixture of things to see in Malaga – from industrial chimneys to surrealistic sculptures via some of the best children’s playparks in Malaga – this walk really does have something for everyone.

Huelin

This walk starts in Huelin, once home to most of Malaga’s heavy industry – lead smelting, brick making and blast furnaces. The old tabacco factory, now housing the Russian Museum and Car Museum, is also here. The seafront of this district is probably one of the areas in Malaga that has seen the biggest change over the last 30 years, a transformation that has taken it from industrial wasteland (including the beach) to a pleasant promenade with a blue-flag beach.

If you’re doing this walking tour in the morning, take a quick detour into Huelin fresh food market, the best place to buy fish in Malaga and an authentic Malaga experience!

Industrial chimneys

You’ll see 3 signs of Malaga’s industrial past as you do this walking tour. The first chimney (next to Burger King) is relatively short and very similar to the two near the mainline train station. The second with a privileged beach position is one of the finest industrial monuments in Malaga. When it was built in 1923, this chimney was the tallest building in Spain and nowadays it’s the only thing that remains of the lead foundaries, once an essential part of the city’s industry. The third chimney towards the end of seafront promenade is just as tall, but less attractive.

Sculptures

Keep your eyes open for several interesting sculptures as you walk along. These include the statue of the espetero, the man who grills sardines.

For sculptures galore, walk into Parque del Oeste where you’ll find dozens of surreal sculptures throughout the park. Back on the seafront, notice the mosaics with fishing motifs and an image of the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of fishermen – there’s one at the start of the seafront promenade and several beach bars have them.

Beach

This long stretch of sand is known as La Misericordia and it ranks as one of the best beaches in Malaga. It has excellent facilities and disabled access at the west end. The palm tree oases are great for a bit of shade in the summer.

Most of the beach shelves steeply into the sea. For the safest and shallowest bathing, head for the west end of the beach.

Children’s playparks

This must be one of the best places in Malaga for children’s playparks. There are several on the promenade – we like the pirate’s ship near the start of the promenade – plus a great zipline on the beach itself. Both parks en route (Parque Huelin and Parque de Oeste) also have fun playparks. These are all marked on the map.

At the far west end, you’ll find a mini water park, open early June to late September from 11am to 7pm.

Extras to see on this Malaga walking tour

You can take in several more interesting things to do while you’re on this Malaga walking tour:

• Russian Museum – a great collection of Russian paintings with both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
• Car Museum – some stunning vintage classics. A must for car fans. Read our guide to this museum here.
• La Térmica – good exhibitions in this early 20th century building (worth visiting just to see the tiled floors and stained glass windows inside). Free entry and open Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 2pm and 5 to 9pm.
• Guadalhorce Nature Reserve – carry on at the end of the walk along the beach. Wade through the river (not usually too deep) and when you see a marked entrance through the fence on your right-hand side go in and follow the path. Or follow the first river tributary right, cross a white bridge and turn right. Continue walking along the river dyke until you see a wooden bridge crossing the next river tributary. Cross and turn left at the end. There are several bird watching hides here and you can expect to see a number of interesting species including herons, ospreys and flamingos. You can read about birdwatching in Malaga here.

Bites to eat

There are lots of beach bars along the way and most of them offer good food. We like Chiringuito María and Litoral Pacífico, but you’ll get quality food and value for money at the majority. For coffees and snacks try 1640 and Bare Nostrum along the top of the promenade. And if you’re looking for live music, chill-out loungers and cocktails, try Amitahba at the west end. (There are all marked on the map for this Malaga walking tour.)

Getting back

The healthy option is to walk back, but if you’re feeling tired and can’t face it you have 3 options:

• Get the No 40 bus – the service runs every hour only so you may have a wait.
• Get the No 7 bus – walk north from the promenade to the next main road and find the nearest stop. This service runs every 10 to 15 minutes.
• Get a taxi back. There’s a taxi rank outside the Vincci Hotel next to Parque del Oeste or call for one (tel: 952 320 000).

If you’ve walked as far as the Nature Reserve, cross the river into the Guadalmar development and catch the No 5 bus back into the city centre. Services run frequently and it takes about 40 minutes (bus stop marked on map).

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And here’s the map for this Malaga walking tour:

Read our other Malaga walking tours:

El Limonar

Calle Victoria