“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.”” – Sylvia Plath

I went back to Malaga during Semana Santa or Holy Week, which is a very important holiday in Spain. Easter week is celebrated here like nowhere else on the planet. If you’re in Spain for Easter there are a few places you should go, to see it in all its glory. One of them is Malaga; others on the list are Seville and Granada. Although I’ll cover Easter processions in a future post, here’s a sneak peak.

I’ve written about things to do in Malaga previously here. Today, however, I want to tell you about how to see the best views of Malaga! I found myself being very mindful while I was there and I think the views were part of the reason.

1. Wander, wander and wander some more

Malaga has the most beautiful Centro Histórico. Once you’ve gone to see the Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro – you’ll already have seen some epic views but from there, you can see the Roman Theatre directly to your right after leaving the Alcazaba and then you can walk to the Cathedral, walk down Calle Larios and just soak it all up. It’s a stunning city and deserves the attention to detail, to see everything up close.

2. The Mirador

By the port, lives Malaga’s version of the London Eye. Now, it’s not quite as big and fortunately, not as expensive! It costs €8 and lasts about 20 minutes. You get to see the breathtaking views of the beautiful coast line and you can see all of Malaga city – my favourite was trying to spot all of the sites that I had just visited while wandering.

3. Rent a bike and cycle, cycle, cycle

There are numerous bicycle shops spotted throughout Malaga and to rent a bike for 4-5 hours, it only costs €5 – I couldn’t recommend it more. I love cycling and I love the sea. So, my friend JJ and I rented our bikes from SoHo Lab on Calle Alemania beside the CAC museum and we cycled from there to Peñon del Cuervo. It was about 9km there and 9km back – but you don’t feel it because the views the whole way are out of this world. You pass by the port, Playa Malagueta, El Baño del Carmen, and El Palo. The whole way, you are distracted by a sparkling blue sea and skies to match, yellow sand beaches and there are some of the trendiest bars and restaurants along the beaches if you want to stop for a bite to eat. Then, at Peñon del Cuervo you can cycle to the top of the rock and enjoy the scenery.

4. The Botanical Gardens

I wasn’t expecting any views from the Botanical Gardens. I went to see the beautiful nature and to see the section that brings you around the world in 80 trees! But there is also the Ruta de los Miradores  where you can stop at various viewpoints along the way and see Malaga city from a far and soak up all of the gorgeous growth around you.

Turtles live in that murky water, I was thrilled to learn!

5. Rooftop Terraces

Malaga has some great bars with rooftop terraces to enjoy a drink and some tapas with friends. If you go to Batik however, which is a wonderful chill out bar, very unsuspectingly on top of a hostel, you will get the most beautiful views of the Alcazaba by night. I’d highly recommend doing this after a long day of traipsing – their wine is to die for and the vibes are unparalleled.

I hope you enjoyed the IF 5-step guide to viewing Malaga. I had such a blast roaming around and readily trying everything out. If you do any of these and enjoy them I’d love to hear about it – tag me on insta, snap me (imperfectlyfree) or tweet me about it!

Why not follow me on Facebook too? You’ll be first to get updated on all the posts added here on my blog.

Winging it,

R x