Full Itinerary Málaga Tour
- Tour 1 dates: Sept 24 – Oct 2, 2022
- Traveling from North America: flights depart on Friday, Sept. 23 to arrive on Saturday, Sept. 24
- Tour 2 dates: April 29 – May 7, 2023
- Traveling from North America: flights depart on Friday, April 28 to arrive on Saturday, April 29
Day 1 – Welcome to Málaga!
- Morning: Arrival to “Malaga-Costa del Sol” Airport. Easy transportation (20 minutes) from the airport to our 4-star Marriott AC Hotel located in the heart of the historic center of Málaga, near the Cathedral and seaport. You can relax at the hotel and nearby cafés, stroll through Málaga Park, or walk along the seaport promenade just outside of the hotel to begin to get to know this picturesque and vibrant city.
- Lunch: On your own
- Afternoon: Pickleball courts will be available for optional afternoon play. Later, we will get together for a warm and friendly “Bienvenido” Welcome Reception at the hotel.
- Dinner: On your own
Day 2 – Tour of Málaga
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: We leave for the pickleball courts at 9:00 and play from 9:30 to 12:30. Showers and lockers available at the courts.
- Lunch: On your own at the hotel or one of many local restaurants.
- Afternoon: We explore Málaga by foot with a guided walking tour of “Old Málaga”. We stroll through the city’s historic center to the Obispo Plaza, the Cathedral, the Merced Plaza with Pablo Picasso’s statue and birthplace, the Roman Theater, and the Atarazanas Food Market. We complete our walking tour in the “Plaza de la Constitucion”, a lively historic plaza where events have been held since the 15th century. The plaza is surrounded by windy streets with a wide range of restaurants and “tapas bars” to choose from – and only a 10-minute walk from our hotel. Along the way back to the hotel you can enjoy some of Málaga’s major sights illuminated at night.
- Dinner: We will get together for a “Bienvenido” Welcome Dinner in a restaurant a few minutes walking from our hotel.
Day 3 – Granada
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: After breakfast we head northeast on a 90-minute luxury coach ride to Granada, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Granada offers spectacular medieval architecture dating to the Moorish occupation. We begin our tour of the city by exploring Granada’s magnificent palace, the Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Alhambra palace/fortress is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world, in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture. Its colorful ornate stucco, scalloped filigree windows, exuberant gardens, bubbling fountains, and peaceful pools highlight the splendor of Moorish civilization in the 13th and 14th centuries. Granada is the famous last home of the (Muslim) Moors, who were driven out of Spain and back to Africa in 1492 during the “Reconquista” (the reconquering) of Spain by Spaniards and Christians. Because of its significance in the “Reconquista”, Isabel and Ferdinand, the greatest king and queen of Spain, decided to use Granada as their capital. It was here that they listened to Christopher Columbus’ final pitch for a sea voyage to the Orient and agreed to finance the trip.
- Lunch: On your own at a local restaurant. We’ll suggest several options so you can savor the local fare.
- Afternoon: Free time to shop and enjoy the winding streets and varied sites on your own. Return to Málaga in the evening.
- Dinner: On your own
Day 4 – Málaga – Flamenco Show
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: We leave for the pickleball courts at 9:00 and play from 9:30 to 12:30.
- Lunch: On your own
- Afternoon: At your leisure to explore Málaga, shop, or just relax in a centuries-old square to absorb the charm of this city and its people.
- Dinner: Tables are reserved for dinner and a fiery evening of Spanish dance and music! Get ready for throbbing guitars, lamenting solos, colorful dancers and the emotional, rhythmic stomp of flamenco.
Day 5 – Ronda
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: After breakfast we head west on a 90-minute luxury coach ride to Ronda, a cliffside city with remains of prehistoric settlements. The Celts (6th century BC), Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs all inhabited these lands, which were eventually reconquered by the Catholic Monarchs in the 15th century. We enjoy a guided tour of this mountaintop city that’s set dramatically above a deep canyon “El Tajo” and river “Guadalevín” that separates the city in two. We’ll walk the spectacular stone bridge “Puente Nuevo which was built in the 18th century and offers amazing views from 400 ft above the canyon floor. We’ll explore the Arab baths built in the 13th century and widely regarded as the best-preserved Arabic hammams in Iberia. Ronda is also the birthplace of modern bullfighting. We’ll tour the bullring “Plaza de Toros”, the oldest in Spain, built in 1785 in neoclassical style, and later we’ll visit the bullfighting museum. Both Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda writing about Ronda’s beauty and famous bullfighting traditions.
- Lunch: On your own at a local restaurant. We’ll suggest several options so you can savor the local fare.
- Afternoon: Free time to shop and enjoy the winding streets and varied sites on your own. Return to Málaga in the evening.
- Dinner: On your own
Day 6 – Málaga – Picasso Museum and Málaga Cathedral
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: We leave for the pickleball courts at 9:00 and play from 9:30 to 12:30.
- Lunch: On your own
- Afternoon: We walk a block from our hotel to take a guided tour of the Pablo Picasso Museum. Pablo Picasso, born in Málaga in 1881, is considered one of the most famous painters of the 20th century. No artist prior to Picasso had such an impact on the art world or had a mass following of fans and critics alike, as he did. We’ll enjoy learning about his incredible life and unique style through a collection of over 230 works of paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, and ceramics. We’ll continue our guided tour in the Cathedral of Málaga. The Cathedral is a late Renaissance masterpiece, which distinguishes it from many of the cathedrals of Spain which were built in the Gothic style. Construction lasted over 250 years, between 1528 and 1782. A series of grand artworks fills the sanctuary, including the Gothic altarpiece of the Chapel of Santa Barbara and the 16th century tombs of the Chapel of San Francisco.
- Dinner: Together at a local restaurant
Day 7 – Córdoba
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: After breakfast we head north on a 90-minute luxury coach ride to Córdoba, a city founded by the Romans in the 2nd century BC, and home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Córdoba has a glorious Roman and Moorish history, once serving as a regional capital for both empires. There we enjoy a guided tour of “La Mezquita”, a 6th-century church that was converted into a mosque in 784 AD after the Moorish conquest. “La Mezquita” was later converted into a cathedral under King Ferdinand III, known as “the Saint”, who reigned in the 13th century. This architectural masterpiece, now known as the Mosque-Cathedral, is remarkably well-preserved with more than 500 columns and overlapping arches creating incredible perspectives and stunning designs. Steps away from “La Mezquita” we’ll stroll through the charming, narrow streets of the old Jewish Quarter.
- Lunch: On your own at a local restaurant. We’ll suggest several options so you can savor the local fare.
- Afternoon: Free time to shop and enjoy the winding streets and varied sites on your own. Return to Málaga in the evening.
- Dinner: On your own
Day 8 – Málaga – “Hasta Luego Fiesta” and Farewell Dinner
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: We leave for the pickleball courts at 9:00 and play from 9:30 to 12:30.
- Lunch: On your own
- Afternoon: On your own to explore, shop, or visit any of the city’s many attractions that may have caught your eye throughout the tour.
- Dinner: We get together for the lively “Hasta Luego Fiesta” celebration and farewell dinner.
Day 9 – Málaga – Departure Flights
- Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant
- Morning: After breakfast, bus transfer to the airport for departure flights. Arrive same day to US or Canada.
- Important information about the itinerary: Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and will make every effort to provide equally appealing alternatives when adjustments need to be made. We appreciate your understanding.
