← Maratón de Estepona·1 night

Málaga: One Night Before the Flight Home

The Picasso Museum, the Moorish Alcazaba and a flat promenade around the port, with the airport 12 minutes away by train for the flight home.

Duration1 night
TransitAvanza bus, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Estepona
DepartsEstepona bus station

After the Maratón de Estepona: Málaga

The Route: Estepona → Málaga → Málaga Airport Logistics: Avanza bus along the coast, about an hour and a half. One night in the centre, then Cercanías C1 to the airport. Marathon Month: October Duration: 1 night

Estepona ──(about 1 hr 30 mins Avanza)──> Málaga (1 night) ──(about 12 mins Cercanías C1)──> Málaga Airport (AGP)

Most runners at the Maratón de Estepona fly home from Málaga anyway, and a night in the city on the way back turns the airport transfer into a short trip. Málaga's historic centre is compact and mostly flat, and its port was rebuilt as a promenade in the last two decades, which gives tired legs somewhere level to walk by the sea.

October in Málaga is warm, usually in the mid-twenties in the afternoon, with cooler evenings and the occasional autumn storm. The summer heat has gone and the cruise-ship season is still running, so the centre is lively around midday and quieter at night.

Avanza buses run from Estepona's bus station to Málaga's main bus station, next to María Zambrano railway station, in about an hour and a half. Buy tickets online or at the station. From the bus station, the old centre is a flat 20-minute walk or a short taxi ride.

Night One: Málaga

Start with the port. Muelle Uno and the Palmeral de las Sorpresas run along the harbour below the old town, a wide paved promenade with benches, pergolas and the sea on one side. It is completely flat and connects with the Paseo del Parque, a tree-lined garden avenue, and the Malagueta beach further east. An hour along the water is the right amount on the day after a marathon.

Málaga is Picasso's birthplace. The Museo Picasso Málaga, in the sixteenth-century Palacio de Buenavista in the old town, holds a large collection of his work donated by his family. The galleries are on level floors with lifts. Tickets are cheaper online and the queue is shorter in the late afternoon.

The Alcazaba, the Moorish fortress on the hill above the Roman theatre, is the city's most striking monument, but the way up is a long series of ramps and steps. Take it slowly and use the handrails, or leave it for a later visit. The Roman theatre at its foot can be seen from the street.

Where to stay: Hotel Molina Lario stands across from the cathedral in the old centre, a flat walk from the museum, the port and the Alameda station. Room Mate Valeria, on Plaza de la Marina between the old town and the port, puts the harbour promenade at the door.

Where to eat: El Pimpi, an old bodega beside the Roman theatre, serves Málaga wines from the barrel and Andalusian tapas in a warren of rooms and a terrace under the Alcazaba. Try the fried fish of the coast, pescaíto frito, anywhere near the port.

Getting Home

Cercanías line C1 runs from Málaga Centro-Alameda station, at the western edge of the old town, to Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) in about 12 minutes, every 20 minutes or so through the day. Buy the ticket from the station machines. A taxi from the centre takes 15 to 20 minutes.