Malaga in November Trip report

We stayed for 10 nights in Málaga mid-November 2019 after a short stay in Nerja for Nerja, the caves and Frigiliana and a relaxing few days in Almunecar from where we visited Salobreña too. It was our second visit to Málaga after a wet week in March 2018.  This time we were lucky with the weather, just a half day of real rain and a couple of showers, there was a cool wind sometimes and, yes, it wasn't summer anymore but the weather was good enough to be out and about all day most days. 

Temperatures were often about 12 or 14 first thing and up to 17 or 18 during the day. Local people were huddled up against the 'cold' in winter jackets while tourists seemed mostly to be fine in a mid-season waterproof type jacket. Our apartment had a couple of electric wall heaters and  air-conditioning with an inverter for hot air. Most mornings and evenings we used one or the other and were warm enough.

We had planned a lot of day trips but only did just a couple. One day we took the Avanza bus to Cala del Moral to see Cueva del Tesoro, well worth a visit, then walked on to Rincón de la Victoria to see the fort and have a very good and inexpensive lunch. We took the bus back because it was a grey day but another option is to walk it like we did in March the previous year. A full day trip was by Alsa bus to Antequera which we had visited before without seeing everything and enjoyed revising. 

However,  we never got around to doing the others because there was just so much to see and do in Málaga itself. Málaga is a splendid city, the historical centre is clean, tidy, full of interesting shops and eateries, the Muelle Uno and Palmeral de las Sorpresas area and the nearby gardens 

are a relaxing place for a stroll, a little longer walk takes you to Malagueta beach and beyond to Pederalejo in one direction and past the port towards Playa de la Misericordia in the other for a stroll along the promenade. 

We liked like just walking around the city, seeing some of the lesser known churches such as Iglesia de los Mártires or Santuario de la Victoria, strolling and along Palmeral/Muelle Uno,

 shopping for local products, visiting the markets such as Salamanca, Atarazanas or Huelin and supermarkets, cooking, stopping for a coffee somewhere interesting and a tasting of Vermouth or Pajarete at Antigua Casa de Guardia towards evening, so that all took time. Sunday is a good day to be in Málaga because a lot of attractions are free for at least part of the day. Our visit to the Botanical Garden de la Concepción was a highlight of our stay in Málaga this year but we also enjoyed visiting again the Alcazaba 

and the Thyssen Museum. Pompidou was disappointing unless you are really keen on contemporary art. We spent a few hours over three afternoons in Museo de Malaga and the Museo Municipal was also worth a visit but the best was Museo de las Artes y Costumbres. 

As on our previous trip in March 2018 we loved Málaga! The clean and light historical centre, the Palmeral and Muelle Uno area, the Alcazaba and castle, the fact that so many ordinary people on the bus, in shops and restaurants, are friendly, helpful and smiling.

Our only worry was that perhaps there were more tourists about than we remembered, but who can blame them, Málaga is a great destination!