5 Things to do to Travel in Malaga on the Cheap

We stopped in Malaga for two days during our Malaga- Gibraltar journey in 2011. It’s been a great summer destination with amazing beaches and delicious food. The flights from United Kingdom were very cheap to Malaga, so we packed our bags and flew there. We were blown away by the hospitality of Spanish people, the scenery and lovely beach we spent a whole day at. Nevertheless, with prices in euros Malaga seemed a little expensive for us- budget travelers.

Malaga Beach
Photo taken by Nicole from Passtheham
Malaga City
Malaga city, photo taken by Nicole from Passtheham
Malaga city
Malaga,  photo taken by Nicole from Passtheham

Quick facts about Malaga

  • Malaga is one of Spain’s most important fishing ports.
  • It has more than 531 thousand of  residents.
  • It’s a hometown of Antonio Banderas and Pablo Picasso.
  • It is picturesquely situated on the Southern coast of Spain.

What did we do to make our stay in Malaga nice and cheap? Here are 5 things we did to make it affordable for us:

1) Rent a car

Rent car
We were so flexible with the car and we could travel anywhere on the cheap

In order not to spend too much  money on local transport, we (me, Cez and our friend Barbara) decided to rent a car for the whole stay in Spain. Thanks to that, we were able to explore the city on the cheap any time we wanted. We also gave a lift to some hitchhikers and made some friends with locals. Our rented car also served as hotel for two nights.

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2) Eat local food / go shopping in the supermarket

Malaga’s restaurants can be very expensive, especially these situated in the city centre or around the beach area. We looked for very small local restaurants with typical traditional Spanish food outside the city centre  The food was much cheaper and so delicious!

Food in Malaga
We did some shopping in local supermarkets and had meals on the beach

3) Sleep in hostels/ go couchsurfing or use the car

If you want to save some money on accommodation, you can easily go Coursurfing. We met many couchsurfers  in Malaga from all over the world who had a great couchsurfing experience there. There are many young people and students who would be more than happy to be your host. They can show you around the city and tell you where to eat on a budget. Hostels, although not as cheap as in Asia, may still prove affordable. Also, if you rent a car, you can sleep in it, or a bit further away from people on the beach.

4) Avoid touristy spots

Touristy places – that’s the area where you will probably spend the most of your money. The bottle of water at the Persian castle costs the Earth. Best idea is to do some shopping in local places or cheap retailers like Lidl.

5) Do research in advance

Reading the map

Sit down a few days before you head to Malaga and make a budget. Afterwards, try to look for cheap accommodation, car rental services and check out the cheapest local restaurants around. It can save you not only a lot of money, but your precious time as well.

 Have you ever been to Malaga? Share your thoughts and experience on budget travel with us!

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Agness Walewinder
Agness Walewinder
Travel freak, vagabond, photography passionate, blogger, life enthusiast, backpacker, adventure hunter and endless energy couchsurfer living by the rule "Pack lite, travel far and live long!"
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13 thoughts on “5 Things to do to Travel in Malaga on the Cheap”

  1. Avatar of Clare (@holidayaddict23)

    People always seem to fly to Malaga from the UK just to get somewhere else in Spain, without exploring Malaga itself.

    Do you think it’s worth a city break in it’s own right? It would seem so! And I’m always eyeing up cheap deals from Manchester!

    I’m not a fan of hiring a car though – I always feel like I do enough driving for work, so I try to avoid it when I’m away.

    1. Avatar of Agness

      Yes, we also took a plane from UK to Malaga as it was pretty cheap. We explored Malaga properly though and it was a great city break with a nice beach we spent a lot of time on. It is absolutely worth it!

  2. Avatar of The Guy

    Shopping in supermarkets can certainly help cost wise and at least you can have more choice on the meals you have rather than being tied to a restaurant menu.

    Car hire is good if you are travelling a lot and there are a few of you. I wouldn’t quite fancy sleeping in it though.

    1. Avatar of Agness

      I do some shopping in the supermarket if I stay in one place for a longer period of time like a week or more. Otherwise, I eat at local restaurants which are cheap as well. Love sleeping in the car :):) so much fun :)

  3. Avatar of Jessie Wray (Jessica's Mom)
    Jessie Wray (Jessica's Mom)

    I was in Malaga with my Mom and Dad – September 2011. All was well, local food, beaches, condo, weather, Gilbralter – not on a budget. Everything well until 9/11 and we couldn’t get home!!!
    Good Luck on your travels,
    Jessie

    1. Avatar of Agness

      Hey Larry! Thanks for stopping by. It’s a very simple sandwich with fried eggs on the top :) so yummy! The beach was awesome indeed. Love.

  4. Avatar of Escape Hunter

    Would love to take a trip down there to Andalucia :) And Malaga would be an ideal entry point. It’s also great for approaching Gibraltar…
    Been dreaming of the Andalucian trip for years and still didn’t make it – so many other trips have come up…
    I’m glad you did and thanks for sharing your experiences!

  5. Avatar of Pirooz

    Hi Agness
    Do you think 1000€ is enough for 2 adult for 6 days in Malaga ? I already paid for flight and hotel ( breackfast incl ), so 10000€ is just for eating and other expenses.and more thing,is it possible to hire a car with driver ? if so do you know how much is it roughly.

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