Olvera Tour Andalusia's pueblo blancos for an easy day trip from Málaga.
Serene mosques and soaring cathedrals, royal palaces and whitewashed villages clinging to rugged slopes, rocky canyons and snow-capped sierras… there are so many things you can discover on a day trip from Málaga.
A rented car is the easiest way to explore Málaga’s rural surrounds, but for longer journeys to Andalusia's other historic cities, a train or bus will save you the hassle of navigating twisty medieval streets where finding a place to park can be tricky – and pricey.
Whether you’re after an easy day out with little explorers or want to hop between traditional pueblos blancos in the countryside, we’ve picked ten of the best day trips from Málaga by train, bus and car.
1. Aqualand Torremolinos
Families seeking a kid-approved day out from Málaga will find it at Aqualand Torremolinos. It’s the daddy of a string of waterparks dotted along the coast west of Málaga and has something to appeal to all ages.
Thrills and spills for the older kids include the dizzying Hurakan, a 110m-long (360ft) water slide, and the multi-person Speed Racer slide. There’s plenty of fun for younger family members too, with gentle pools and a water playground.
You can even buy a combo ticket for Aqualand and the nearby Crocodile Park – a two-in-one day out everyone will enjoy.
How to get to Aqualand Torremolinos: It’s less than 30 minutes from Málaga by car to Torremolinos along the MA-20.
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2. Vélez-Málaga
This market town less than an hour’s drive from Málaga hasn't abandoned its farming roots to tourism, making it a brilliantly easy day trip for a taste of local life.
Go on Thursday morning (get there early) to enjoy the weekly market, where you'll find stalls heaped with colourful fresh produce and vendors peddling leather goods, arts and crafts.
After a stroll through its old quarter, with its ring of medieval walls and hilltop castle, wander down to the laidback beach at Torre del Mar, where you swim and tuck into fresh sardines. It's just a hop and a skip away.
How to get to Vélez-Málaga: The inland A-7 road will get you to Vélez-Málaga in around 40 minutes by car. Hourly Alsa buses from Málaga take longer – around an hour and twenty minutes – but are also a cheap and convenient option.
3. Cueva de Nerja
Just outside pretty Nerja (where you can pause for a selfie with the Med on the pretty, palm-lined Balcón de Europa) lies an eerie subterranean world.
Stretching for more than 5km (3 miles) beneath the hills, the silent caverns of the Cueva de Nerja are filled with dripping stalagmites, creepy rock formations and one of the largest collections of prehistoric rock art in the world.
While not all of the caves are open to the public, there are more than enough jaw-dropping spaces on the multi-room tour to wow. If you visit in July, look out for tickets to live ballet and musical performances in this unique natural underground theatre.
How to get to Cueva de Nerja: If you’re driving from Málaga, take the A-7 east towards Almería to arrive at the caves in around 50 minutes. There are also Alsa buses that will get you there within an hour and a half.
4. Antequera
Antequera is one of the best day trips from Málaga for time-travellers – it was ancient even when the Romans arrived around 200 BC.
The bronze relics in the local museum may not impress kids for long, but the megalithic Dolmen de Menga certainly will. Built around 3600 BC, it's 1,200 years older than Stonehenge and looks as if it was built by a race of giants. You can feel the weight of millennia oozing from its enormous, awesome stone slabs that look like something put together by ancient giants, not by humans.
More historical highlights come by way of the Moorish Alcazaba, a hilltop fortress that dates back to Roman times and enjoys far-reaching countryside views.
How to get to Antequera: With train and bus options taking between 25 minutes and an hour, Antequera is an easy day trip from Málaga by public transport. By car, the route along the A-45 takes about 50 minutes.
5. Garganta del Chorro
Unless you have a good head for heights you're unlikely to be tempted to join the climbers who cling to the cliffs of the 5km-long (3 miles) Garganta del Chorro canyon.
Instead, consider tackling the (still hair-raising) Caminito del Rey walkway. Hanging 100m (328ft) above the River Guadalhorce, which was dammed around a century ago to create a chain of fjord-like lakes, it’s certainly dizzying in places – but the highlight is the steel suspension bridge that connects the two sides of the gorge.
Limits on visitor numbers mean tickets can sell out fast, so book ahead.
How to get to Garganta del Chorro: The A-357 road north of Málaga that takes around an hour to drive is your best bet.
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6. Ronda
Medieval palaces, Moorish minarets and baths, and a world-famous, canyon-spanning bridge make Ronda one of the best day trips from Málaga – which is why it gets up to 80,000 visitors a day.
That figure is likely to rise from the added publicity it will get as the setting for the upcoming Netflix series, The Seven Dials Mystery, based on an Agatha Christie yarn.
It's also infamous as the birthplace of bullfighting, but these days only a few bloody spectacles take place in its historic bullring, the Plaza de Toros.
How to get to Ronda: It’s a 90-minute looping drive from Málaga to Ronda, or you can take two trains to get there within two hours.
7. Pueblos blancos
The postcard-pretty pueblos blancos ('white villages') scattered around the rugged Serrania de Ronda make for a great day out by car from Málaga.
Built in turbulent times when local farming folk sought refuge in these hills from bandits who roamed the lowlands, there are around a dozen of these dazzling villages that look like sugar cubes piled on rocky slopes from a distance.
If you’re already in Ronda, you can easily make the short 20-minute drive to Benaoján on the same day. Alternatively, a full day trip can take in other nearby villages like Olvera and Arcos de la Frontera.
How to get to the pueblos blancos: The closest village is around an hour and thirty minutes by car from Málaga.
8. Granada
Granada is a stunning, history-steeped blend of centuries-old Arabic and medieval Hispanic splendour.
The jewel in its Moorish crown is the vast Alhambra, a byword for magnificence that has lent its name to dozens of theatres and playhouses worldwide, all hoping to evoke a little of its opulence.
You could spend all day wandering around this hilltop complex of serene gardens and palaces built for the delights of the emirs who ruled Granada until 1492, but try to make time to walk through the steep streets of the old Albaicin quarter, too.
How to get to Granada: The inland A-92 road from Málaga will get you to Granada in around an hour and thirty minutes. You could also take the train (an hour and twenty minutes) or the bus (an hour and forty-five).
9. Cordoba
Even older than rival Seville or Granada, Moorish Cordoba is another Andalusian gem within easy reach of Málaga.
Its landmarks include the breathtaking Mezquita, a great 8th-century mosque that became a cathedral after the Christian reconquest. Its cool, cavernous interior is all glowing tiles, carved stonework and hundreds of columns of green, red, black and white marble.
There’s also the age-old Puente Romano that crosses the wide River Guadalquivir – a reminder that Cordoba's story began long before the Moors.
How to get to Cordoba: You’re better off taking the hour-long train to Cordoba from Málaga if you’re short on time, as the drive along the A-45 takes almost two hours.
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10. Seville
The day trip from Málaga to Seville is fabulous for culture-loving couples who fancy a wander around one of Spain’s best cities.
Your first stop here has to be the vast 16th-century cathedral, an echoing edifice that was once the world's largest Christian place of worship.
Climb its grand tower, La Giralda, for an epic view of the age-old city, then stroll through the tranquil halls and gardens of the dazzling Royal Alcázar palace to reach the banks of the Guadalquivir, where you can join the 60-minute river cruise aboard one of Guadaluxe’s eco-friendly electric boats.
How to get to Seville: The fastest direct Renfe trains from Málaga to Seville take two hours, but the one-change routes via Cordoba won’t take much longer. For a day trip from Málaga by car, the journey via the A-92 takes a little over two hours.
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