10 things to do in Malaga in September

Updated July 2026

September is the month Malaga gets its city back.

Schools go back mid-month, the August crowds thin out, and the beaches are easily hot enough to spend the whole day and the sea’s at its warmest. The heat is still there and humidity levels can soar, so don’t expect a cool autumn break. But it’s easier to get a table, easier to get around, and easier to actually see the city rather than just queue in it.

It’s also grape harvest season. The muscatel grapes from the Axarquía hills come into the markets in late August/ early September, as sweet as be. And on the last weekend of the month, Calle Larios turns into a 300-metre fashion catwalk for two evenings of local and Spanish designers.

Read on to discover what’s worth doing in Malaga in September and then book your stay in Malaga!

Check out local and national fashion – Pasarela Larios

Larios Fashion Week/Pasarela Larios takes place on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September. Get there early to grab your place next to the catwalk.

What to expect

Calle Larios is transformed into a 300-metre blue catwalk running its full length. It’s a proper fashion show, featuring established Malaga and Spanish labels alongside emerging local talent, with seated rows (mostly reserved) and standing crowds on either side. Entry is free but the best standing spots go quickly — arrive at least an hour before the show starts and work your way as close to the catwalk as you can get.

Read more about Malaga Fashion Week.

See a different side to Malaga – north of the old quarter walking tour

This self-guided Malaga walking tour explores medieval walls, industrial towers, vertical gardens and a simply stunning concert hall. You also get to see one of the more unusual art museums in Malaga and Salamanca Market, smaller and than Atarazanas, but just as interesting.

What to expect

This self-guided walk takes around 90 minutes at a relaxed pace and covers a part of the old quarter most visitors never reach. The route is flat and well-signposted. Download the guide before you go and do it in the morning before the heat builds.

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Feast on muscatel grapes

One of the best things to do in Malaga in September is to try the local grapes, freshly harvested from the Axarquía region to the east of Malaga. Most grapes are used for wine, but some are picked as fresh fruit or stacked on traditional drying racks to turn into raisins.

What to expect

They’re sweet, large and unlike anything you’ll find in a supermarket at home. Head to Atarazanas Market in the first two weeks of the month and look for bunches where some of the grapes have already started to shrivel into raisins on the vine — those are the ripest and the best. Expect to pay around €3-5 per kilo.

Take a stroll in the back streets

For cool spots in the city centre, head for the back streets around Calle Andrés Pérez. They’re perfect for strolling and exploring – lose yourself in the labyrinth of alleyways. Look out for the vertical garden, medieval walls and fine architecture.

What to expect

Cool, quiet streets, a refreshing contrast to Calle Larios and Calle Compañía, just steps away. No entrance fees, no queues, just a pleasant walk. Allow 30–45 minutes.

Read our guide to exploring this part of Malaga.

Take in a sunset

There’s something about the September humidity that makes good sunsets and those at this time of the year are some of the best. The sun sets at 8.45pm at the beginning of the month and at 8pm by the end.

What to expect

Simply stunning golden hours, that are best seen from the following spots:

Admire some aviation – Malaga Aircraft Museum

The Aeromuseo sits inside the original Malaga airport terminal building, a whitewashed structure that you’d hardly believe once handled commercial flights. The museum traces the history of Spanish aviation with real aircraft, engines, cockpits you can sit in, and archive photos of Malaga airport from its early years.

What to expect

Allow around an hour. It’s free to enter, easy to reach by bus from the city centre (see below), and a must for anyone with an interest in aviation or local history. Children will enjoy the ‘do touch’ exhibits.

Opening times

Tuesday 10am to 8pm, Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 3pm. Closed Mondays

How to get there

Take the 110 bus (direction Torrenueva) from the bus station in Muelle Heredia (Google map link here), get off at the Cruce Aeropuerto stop and walk 15 minutes to the museum. Allow 25 minutes in total.

Buy some Malaga wine

Seeing as September is grape harvest time it makes sense to stock up on some Malaga wine this month. You can try before you buy at several shops in the city centre and traditional grocery stores, such as La Mallorquina in Plaza Felix Saenz, also stock local wine.

Discover more places to buy Malaga wine

What to expect

A surprising range of labels and colours, plus sparkling. Expect full bodied reds from Ronda, and light whites from the Axarquía and Ronda, plus a good choice of sweet wines. Bottles cost from €5, with the most vintage priced at over €25.

See the vineyards

And continuing our vino theme, our recommendation for a day trip from Malaga in September goes to Antequera to the Bodegas Gross. The harvest will in full swing with the first pressings of this year’s grapes underway.

Find out more about this Malaga wine tour

What to expect

The drive to Antequera takes around 45 minutes and the route through the hills is worth it in its own right. The tour includes a tasting of current releases. Book in advance, particularly for weekend visits in September when demand is highest. It’s a half-day commitment rather than a quick stop.

And for more about a holiday discovering Malaga wine, get your copy of the Malaga Wine Costa del Sol Road Trip. 

Get on two wheels

The less intense heat this month means you can out and about on a bike in Malaga without sweating quite as much. Flat, compact and with plenty of cycle lanes, the city makes a great place to explore from your saddle.

What to expect

A variety of cycle rides, such as the seafront bike lane running from the port along the western seafront or the route east to Pedregalejo and El Palo. Both are entirely flat and well-surfaced. For more information, check out our suggestions for the 5 best bike rides in Malaga.

An electric bike tour is the easiest way to cover more ground without arriving anywhere sweaty or go conventional on a regular bike tour. Most tours run two to three hours and take in the port, the historic centre and the eastern beaches. Book the day before to guarantee availability in early September.

Our last suggestion for things to do in Malaga in September visits one of the more unusual spots in the city. The Astilleros Nereo (shipyards), at the west end of Pedregalejo, are some of the oldest and most traditional in Spain.

See the shipyards – Astilleros Nereo shipyards

They’re well worth a visit, which includes a tour of the workshop with an exact replica of a traditional jabega boat used by the first inhabitants of Malaga, the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC.

What to expect

A working shipyard, with boats and tools everywhere, and the smell of fresh sawdust. You might even see craftsmen working on the boats. There are also nautical exhibits, archival photos of Pedregalejo as it looked decades ago, and staff who are genuinely enthusiastic about the history. Free entry. Allow 45-60 minutes.

Opening hours

Astilleros Nereo is open Monday to Wednesday and Friday 10am to 2pm and 4pm to 7pm, Thursday 10am to 2pm and 9pm to midnight, Saturday from 10am to 2pm, and the last Sunday of the month, 10am to 2pm.

Enjoy Malaga in September and if you want to keep up with events in the city during the month, sign up to our free fortnightly Newsletter.