|
Arrival and information
|
|
|
From the
airport
, the
electric train
provides the easiest approach to Malaga (every 30min, 7am-11.45pm; €1). From the Arrivals hall,
go up one floor
to the
Salidas
or Departures hall, take any exit and then turn right to reach a pedestrian overpass at the end of the airport building. Follow the
Ferrocarril
signs and cross the overpass (trolleys allowed) to the unmanned station; you can buy tickets from the sweet kiosk, if open, from a ticket machine just next to it or on the train. Make sure that you're on the Malaga platform (the furthest away from you) and stay on the train right to the end of the line, the
Centro-Alameda
stop (about a 12min ride). The stop before this is RENFE, the main
train station
, a slightly longer walk into the heart of town (bus #3 runs from here to the centre every 10min or so). Alternatively, city
bus
#19 leaves from a stop outside the Arrivals hall (every 30min until midnight; €0.85) stopping at the train and bus stations en route to the centre and the Paseo del Parque near the port, from where you can also take it in the opposite direction to the airport.
The bus station is just behind the RENFE station, a bit to the right as you face the RENFE logo from the esplanade. All buses (run by a number of different companies) operate from this terminal. In midsummer it's best to arrive an hour or so early for the bus to Granada, since tickets can sell out. Arriving in Malaga by car you'll face the serious problem of parking; one good-value guarded car park (about €1.20 per day) is located along the east bank of the Rio Guadalmedina (Avda. Comandante Benitez), below the Alameda. As theft from cars is rampant in Malaga you should strip your vehicle of all valuables before leaving it on the street overnight, or else use a hotel with a garage or one of the pay car parks. You should also remove any visible stickers bearing a car rental company's name or logo as these are a magnet for thieves. Malaga also has the remnants of a passenger ferry port , though these days there's a service only to the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Morocco. If you're heading for Fes and eastern Morocco, this is a useful connection - particularly so for taking a car over - though most people go for the quicker services at Algeciras and Tarifa to the west. Sailings are daily except Sunday, generally leaving around 1pm; the crossing takes seven hours. Tickets are available from Transmediterranea (tel 952 061 218 or 952 224 391) at the Estacion Maritima south of Plaza de la Marina.
The
turismo
, Pasaje de Chinitas 4 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-2pm; tel 952 213 445), can provide full accommodation lists and a detailed map of the city. There's also a useful turismo municipal, Avda. de Cervantes 1 (Mon-Fri 8.15am-2pm & 4.30-7pm, Sat 8.15am-2pm; tel 952 604 410), at the western end of the Paseo del Parque, and another helpful branch at the bus station. There are a couple of
Internet cafes
on the south side of Avenida de Andalucia, near the El Corte Ingles department store:
Cyber@lameda
(tel & fax 952 344 558) at no. 13 charges €5 per hour, whilst
Ciber Malaga
(tel 952 040 303) at no. 11 will let you check your email at €1.50 for 15 minutes.
Pasatiempos
on Plaza Merced, near Picasso's birthplace, charges similar rates. Reliable and inexpensive
car rental
is available from Turarche, c/Roger de Flor 1 (tel 952 318 069, fax 952 316 342,
www.turarche.es
) next to the bus station. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Spain,
|