Most visitors bypass Malaga in favour of the Costa del Sol resorts, but this surprising city boasts several notable tourist attractions including the recently opened Picasso Museum and Gibralfaro Castle. Malaga is also renowned for its traditional Spanish tapas bars, many of which are located around calle Nueva in the old town. Specialties include fritura malagueno (fried fish) and boquerones (anchovies).

Malaga's most famous son, Pablo Picasso, was born here in 1881 and he spent his early years in the city. Picasso's birthplace in the corner of the Plaza de la Merced is open to the public and displays some of his personal items. The new Picasso Museum, which opened in 2003, is housed in a converted 16th century palace, the Palacio de los Condes de Buenavista. It contains a collection of over 200 artworks assembled by several of Picasso's heirs, most notably his daughter-in-law Christine Ruiz-Picasso. Items include paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics. Another art museum in Malaga, which also opened in 2003, is the CAC which houses an impressive collection of contemporary works.

In the centre of the city is the cathedral which was built over the course of several centuries, resulting in a mixture of architectural styles. Only one of the bell towers was completed, earning the cathedral the nickname 'La Manquita', which can loosely be interpreted as 'one-armed lady'. Malaga has several other notable churches, including the 15th century Iglesia de Santiago (Picasso's baptismal certificate is kept here), and the Iglesia San Juan Bautista, with its 18th century Baroque-style tower.

Overlooking Malaga is the hilltop Castillo de Gibralfaro, built during the 14th century on the site of a former Phoenician lighthouse (hence its name which derives from 'gebel-faro' meaning 'lighthouse on the rock'). All that remains of the castle today are the ramparts from which there are great views over the city. Near the base of the hill is the Moorish Alcazaba fortress, which dates from the 7th century AD, although most of the present structure was built around 1050 AD. Within the Alcazaba are a series of gardens, fountains and patios. There's also a small palace which is home to the city's archaeological museum containing various Phoenician, Roman and Moorish artifacts. Next to the Alcazaba are the remains of the Roman amphitheatre, which has only recently been uncovered.

A short distance to the east of the city's large bullring is the English Cemetery. Founded in 1829 by the British Consul, William Mark, this was the first Protestant graveyard in Spain. Up until then non-Catholics were buried on the beaches in the 'dead' of the night. To the north of the city centre is another quiet spot, the Jardin Botanico La Concepcion. This impressive botanic garden was inaugurated in the mid-nineteenth century by the Englishwoman Amalia Livermore and her husband.

Malaga has excellent transport connections. There is a regular and efficient train service from the city to the airport, around 4 miles (6 km) from the city centre, and also to the Costa del Sol resorts of Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola. The newly-opened AVE railway line means the capital Madrid is now only about 2 hours and 30 minutes away. There are also regular buses from Malaga to Granada, Seville, Almeria and the resort of Nerja.