Malaga Cruise Holidays

Malaga is one of the most visited holiday destinations in Spain but if you ask the majority of those that visit what was their favourite part of the city, many would not be able to give you an answer.
That is because many of those who visit the city only see the airport before heading along the coast to popular seaside resort such as Torremolinos, Nerja, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Marbella.
It is unfortunate that the city has a reputation as simply been the gateway to the Costa Del Sol, but it is so much more than that and thankfully it is now becoming a great resort in its own right and that includes those on a cruise of the Western Med, where more and more ships call into the port.
If you are wanting to see just what Malaga has to offer whilst enjoying a cruise holiday, the great news is that there are plenty of options to do just that including on cruise itineraries out of the UK.
Cruises To Malaga
Malaga Cruise Guide
Here at CruiseHols we love to cruise and we love to explore cities such as Malaga and we use that experience to bring you all of the information you really need to make the most of your next holiday.
If you are at the planning stage of your next holiday and are trying to decide on whether to pick an itinerary that visits Malaga is right for you or not, our guide gives you all of the information that you need to make that decision.
If you on the other hand you have already booked a cruise of Med with a stop in Malaga and are researching what there is to do in the city, our guide gives you all of the information that you need to make the most of your time onshore.
Type of Cruises Available
Choosing a cruise with a stop in the city can actually be a confusing experience as there is simply so much choice when it comes to all aspects including the line you cruise with, the ship you cruise on and the type of cruise you choose.
The first option and perhaps the most popular for Brits is to choose a No Fly cruise directly from UK with a number of lines offering that opportunity.
The majority of these types of cruises are for 12-16 night cruises of the Western Med that head onto the French Riviera or Italy although some simply head to port sin the Iberian Peninsula and call into Malaga before or after heading for Barcelona.
Another option for those that don’t mind to fly on holiday is to start your cruise in the Med with popular starting ports including Civitavecchia, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona, with one of the befits of these types of cruises been that you can spend time on land before or after your holiday and you make the most of your time sailing around the area as avoid the sea days getting there.
The final option is to visit to port on a re-positioning cruise where you start your holiday in the UK and end in one of the ports in the region (or vice versa).
This allows you to keep the cost of flying down whilst still been able to spend more time exploring one of the great cities in the region.
Malaga Cruise Port Location
Malaga offers 2 cruise terminals which makes disembarking your ship quick and straightforward but perhaps best of all is the fact that you dock relatively close to the city centre so no matter if you are heading on a shore excursion or if you are simply heading into the city to explore on your own, it is easy to do so.
Malaga Attractions
As mentioned above, for many the biggest attraction of Malaga is the sunny weather that awaits you and the best place to make the most of that is a day at the beach.
Although the city does offer its own beaches, it is possible to head along the coast to the big resorts on your own via the cities small metro system.
The city itself is perhaps most famous for been the fromer home of the world famous painter Pablo Picasso with visitors able to visit his birthplace and a museum dedicated to him.
If you are feeling energetic, a walk up to the Gibralfaro Castle offers great views over the city whilst you can also visit the Alcazaba, fromer Muslin palace, which is next door.
As you would expect from a Spanish city, there are numerous religious sites of interest including the cities Cathedral, Church of Santiago, the Moorish Mercado Central de Atarazanas, and the old Jewish quarter.
There are numerous museums found throughout the city with the Centre Pompidou art gallery amongst the most popular since opening in 2015.
The thriving city centre offers a good range of local and international shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.
Malaga Shorex
If you are wanting to head away from the city, there are a number of options available alongside jumping on the metro down the coat to spend a day at the beach.
A popular excursion is to head along the coast and up into the hills to the beautiful village of Mijas where you head back in time to a traditional Andalusian community.
If you are a history fan, especially of Roman history, there are a number of destination that you can head for an excursion including Granada, Ronda (home of a famous viaduct) and Alhambra.
Best Time To Visit
The sun of the Costa Del Sol is to be expected but it can be too hot for many in July and August and has a popular holiday destination not just for cruises but for people arriving from across the globe, it can also get very busy in the school holidays.
With that in mind we would recommend visiting in June / early July or September where you can still enjoy warm weather without the crowds.
Transport
If you want to explore the city using local transport it is probably best to use one of the open top tour buses that can be found at many stops around the city as the majority of the tourist attractions are off of key transportation routes that are designed to transport locals in and out of the city.
The cities metro system does offer clean and convenient transportation down the coast for those wanting to explore the surrounding seaside resorts on their own whilst it is possible to get local bus services to places such as Nerja where you can visit an impressive cave system.
Malaga Cruises From UK
The great news for those wanting to visit Malaga on a direct cruise from the United Kingdom is that there are lots of options and you can visit all year around.
Most of the cruises offered are itineraries taking in the Western Mediterranean but as one of the world’s leading cruise regions, that still means that there is lots of choice when it comes to lines and ships as well as the other destinations on your itinerary.
Malaga Cruises From Southampton
If you are wanting to cruise to Malaga without needing to fly, then the port of Southampton is the port with the most options when it comes to ships, lines, and itineraries.