Getting around Málaga

Public transport

Malaga’s compact centre makes walking easy, but public transport is good for getting to María Zambrano railway station (around 20 minutes' walk from the centre), the beaches of Pedregalejo and El Palo, Sunday’s ‘Rastro’ Market and the botanic gardens.

Autobuses Urbanos EMT (tel: +34 952 350 061; www.estabus.emtsam.es) operates an extensive bus network with over 30 routes including several services that run all night.

Local ‘Cercanias’ trains (tel: +34 902 320 320; www.renfe.com), operated by Spain’s national railway service, RENFE, connect the airport to the city in around 12 minutes, stopping at María Zambrano and Malaga Centro, which is within walking distance to the centre.

Lines 1 and 2 of the Málaga Metro service (tel: +34 902 112 233; www.metromalaga.es), operated by Agencia de Obra Pública de la Junta de Andalucía, opened in 2014. They connect Malagueta with the railway station via the centre of town, before forking to different parts of the city's outlying areas. The network will eventually extend to include another four lines.

Taxis

There are several taxi ranks dotted around central Malaga, but you can also hail taxis in the street.

Reliable taxi companies to pre-book include Taxi Unión (tel: +34 952 040 404) and Unitaxi (tel: +34 952 320 000). On the whole, taxis are relatively inexpensive. Tipping around 5-10% is optional but not compulsory.

Driving

Unless you plan on doing day trips from Málaga by car, it’s best to use public transport. Some hotels offer (chargeable) parking facilities, but the compact city centre and combination of buses, taxis and local trains make private transport unnecessary. If you are driving, always park in a secure place if possible, and beware of theft of belongings from vehicles.

Car hire

You won't need a car to get around the centre of Malaga, but if you want to explore further afield, several international and local car hire companies have offices at the airport, the railway station and in the city centre.

They include Avis (tel: +34 902 109 384; www.avis.com), Europcar (tel: +34 902 105 055; www.europcar.com) and Hertz (tel: +34 952 355 040; www.hertz.com). Online car rental companies and brokers also offer competitive deals for car hire in Malaga.

Bicycle hire

Malaga is gradually expanding its network of cycle paths and several places offer bike hire such as Malaga Bike by Kay Farrell (tel: +34 951 138 349; www.malagabiketours.eu) at Calle Trinidad Grund 5a, and bike2malaga (tel: +34 951 252 264; www.bike2malaga.com/en) at Calle Vendeja 6.