Andalusia is one of the Spanish regions with the greatest tourism potential. Thanks to its variety of tourism: rural, urban, nature, sun and beach, etc… Although many think that all tourists decide to stay in Seville, there is another city that attracts many tourists: Malaga.

During the year 2019, Malaga broke all previous records: 1.2 million tourists visited the interior of Malaga, more than seven million tourists visited the Costa del Sol during the summer, with more than 2.7 million overnight stays and being the Andalusian province with more visitors and longer stays in 2019.

There are several reasons for this. From the variety of tourism to be done (rural, cultural, active, gastronomic, etc…) to the price level. Malaga has a long list of activities at zero cost. In this article we will talk about things to do in Malaga for free.

Free things you can do in Málaga

There are several things to do in Malaga for free. All related to tourist activities: from cultural tourism (free museums) to the classic sun and beach tourism.

Free Museums in Malaga

Malaga has a long list of museums with free entrance (within a few hours). Below is a list of the most outstanding ones:

1. Picasso Museum; Renaissance style building, recently renovated in a modern style, houses more than 200 paintings, several of them by Picasso.
2. Carmen Thyssen Museum: located in a spectacular palace in the centre. Created by the Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza, with several of her paintings. The collection offers paintings that date from the 13th to the 20th century.
3. Centre Pompidou: first representation of the Pompidou Museum of France outside the country, offering 90 masterpieces of the 20th and 21st century.
4. Russian Museum Collection: the first official site of the Russian Museum in Western Europe. It houses a large collection of works of art, all belonging to Russian culture.
5. Malaga’s Automobile and Fashion Museum: Located in the same building as the Russian Museum, this museum houses more than a hundred vehicles and 7 Haute Couture fashion exhibitions.
6. Municipal Heritage Museum: built to help local artists become known to the people of Malaga. It has a collection of 4000 pieces and a permanent exhibition of a hundred works.
7. Centro Contemporaneo de Arte de Málaga: an international reference point in the field of art. Artists such as Paul McCarthy, Louise Bourgeois, Raymond Pettibon, and Yoshitmo Nara have their works on display here.
8. Revello de Toro Museum: houses a collection of masterpieces by the Spanish painter Felix Revello de Toro.

The Free Tours are also free in Malaga

Another of the many things you can do in Malaga for free, are the free tours. A free tour is a guided tourist route, without requiring a fixed fee from visitors. At the end of the tour they will give a tip according to their economic possibilities and evaluation of the tour.

In Málaga there are up to three different free tours. This will consist of a tour of the city’s main points of interest: Malaga’s cathedral, the Roman theatre, the Arabic fortresses, etc. The next free tour will be to the Alcazaba of Malaga, a palatial fortress built by the Islamic Empire 13 centuries ago.

The last free tour would be of an unusual theme, the Climate Route. In this, the impacts of climate change in the city would be known, understanding the causes and possible solutions.

All the places of interest in Malaga are free

An alternative to a free tour would be to explore the city on your own. This is one of the main activities you can do in Málaga for free. The city has a multitude of places of interest that are free to visit. Like the churches. All of them have free entrance, and all of them hide treasures worth visiting, such as the Church of the Sacred Heart or the Church of San Felipe Neri.

Malaga also has excellent surroundings, with great panoramic views, such as those that can be seen from the Mirador de Gibralfaro, the Botanical Garden and the Montes de Malaga Natural Park. As well as excellent places for urban arts, such as in Soho, or wonderful walks along Malaga’s Muelle Uno, where the Farola de Malaga is located.

Going to the beach in Malaga is also free

The beaches of Malaga are another of the activities that can be done for free in the city of the Costa del Sol. The main beach, La Malagueta, has an excellent health rating since 2016. It has several restaurants on its promenade, with great seafood restaurants and beach bars where visitors can satisfy their needs.

Malaga also has two other less visited beaches, and therefore less exploited for tourism. The beaches of Pedregalejo and El Palo, where you can watch the restaurant workers making the typical Malaga sardine skewers on the boats on the sand.

Malaga, the best “free” city

Without a doubt, Malaga is one of the great national destinations. Despite not having the reputation of other big cities (such as Madrid, Barcelona or Seville) it is able to compete with them. Thanks to its variety of tourist activities and its low prices, as we have seen in this article.

From Hosticasa, we recommend tourists to visit the city of the Costa del Sol. If you have any doubts about how to travel, where to stay or what to do there during your stay, do not hesitate to contact us!