Train Stations in Malaga – splendid stops and a secret

There are 6 train stations in Malaga, all very useful for the city and some quite useful for tourists as well. We can get to know a lot about the main city of the Costa del Sol, the large, developed, and beautiful Malaga, capital city of our province and 6th largest city in Spain, by train. And given that the trains are still free (with the abono recurrente ticket) until the end of December, that is a great opportunity to enjoy Malaga!

Are you ready for some adventure, with gorgeous views, great finds, delightful places, and also scary moments? Keep on reading!

Related posts:
Train Stations in Torremolinos
Train Stations in Benalmadena
Train Stations in Fuengirola

Malaga Centro Alameda

What a fantastic station Centro Alameda is. So much to see, so much to do around here! It is worth its own blog page (heck, maybe its own blog!), so let me summarize the main things I saw on my walk. First things first, this one required preparation. I planned this route on Google Maps before going to the train station, because I knew there was a lot to explore:

Even though I got to see a lot, the center of Malaga offers even more. For example, look how many museums are there:

Some museums are free on Sunday afternoons. I went for a walk in the area on a Sunday, and I suspect that is why there were so many lines in front of some of them… you’ll see. Back to our route. I started from one of the exits of Málaga Centro Alameda and went towards the Muelle Uno area. On the way, the city was already beautiful:

Getting close to the shore, the city really opens up. Below, a view of the area near the harbor:

A bit of the Pergola, now up close:

Below, the view from under the Pergola!! The lighthouse and the Muelle Uno.

At the end of the Pergola, surprise! The Centre Pompidou!

Along the Muelle Uno there are several restaurants and, on some Sundays, also a market. This area is very lively and beautiful, it is well worth a visit!

Very close to Muelle Uno, just two blocks across, is the most famous beach in the city: La Malagueta!

Leaving the beach, we start moving toward the old Town of Malaga. On the way, a bit of the city:

And look what I found under a tree: the famous Alcazaba of Malaga!

Now we got to the Old Town. Below, the entrance (and the line) to visit the Alcazaba:

The Old Town streets are mostly walking only zones. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants on the way, it is a delightful place to be and spend some time people-watching.

There are lots of trees as well and some gardens, like the one below, which is the garden of Malaga’s Cathedral. It has benches under the shadows, perfect to enjoy a little break.

Below, the majestic Cathedral of Malaga…

… And the line to enter the Cathedral, which also houses a museum.

Walking around we go finding little gems like the one below. The Old Town is full of surprises, all good ones!

The Picasso Museum with not one, but two lines!!

Leaving the Old Town, a brief view of the Calle Larios, possibly the most famous street of Malaga, with high-end retailers and where most of the celebrations take place in the city. The Christmas lights in Calle Larios are particularly famous.

Leaving the Old Town, the city continues to be enchanting. Below, a view of the Alameda Principal:

And the Atarazanas Market, really close to the Málaga Centro Alameda train station (but closed on Sundays)!

Malaga is a beautiful city, and a must visit, in my opinion. If you are spending a few days in the Costa del Sol, I’d strongly recommend this station and route for a pleasing afternoon or evening; your eyes will thank you. Now back to the train! Our next stop is the station of all the stations:

Málaga María Zambrano

This station is a transportation hub for Malaga – and for Spain! Once you get here, you can leave the renfe-cercanías area of the station, and you’ll be in a shopping center.

Walk to your left a few meters and you’ll find a much bigger Renfe station – that is where the medium and large distance trains depart from – all inside the same shopping center / train station. I see how it can get confusing; it’s two train stations for different kinds of trains in the same building, with the same name. But once you see it, hopefully there is no more confusion.

The beauty of this hub is that a person can arrive in Málaga by plane, take a 12-minute cercanias train to Málaga María Zambrano station and go from there directly to El Chorro, Ronda, Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, or Madrid!

Now the station itself is a proper shopping center. If one has just come from the airport and has to wait a few hours to get their next train, there is plenty of entertainment without leaving the station – very practical for people carrying luggage. There are shops, a workspace, a cinema, and a whole food court on the second floor, even with a playground:

On this topic, a curiosity I’ve been meaning to tell since the beginning of the blog… Did you know that the McDonald’s in Spain offers beer?!? Here is the proof:

Outside the station, it is still a hub: you can find taxis outside or rent a scooter to move through the city. Or you can simply walk around. This station is close to the previous one, Malaga Centro Alameda. 😉

Victoria Kent… or can she? Frankly, I’m rooting for Victoria, but I have some doubts. Victoria Kent is a huge station in Malaga that, like the previous two, connects both lines C1 and C2. This station is located in a densely occupied neighborhood, and the surroundings are filled with tall buildings from the 70s packed very closely to each other.

The area itself is home to a large number of people and their cars. I can only imagine how hard it would be to find a parking spot here and, therefore, how important this station is for the city.

Victoria Kent is located between the neighborhoods of Cruz de Humilladero and Carretera de Cadiz, two very populated neighborhoods. The buildings shown here belong mostly to the localities of Nuevo San Andres and Dos Hermanas, on the Carretera de Cadiz side.

It was all fine and dandy walking around Victoria Kent’s surroundings, until I went back to the station and found out Victoria’s secret, which I’ll share below. It’s not pretty:

For a brief moment there I thought I had entered one of those parallel universes we see in post apocalyptic or horror movies; The Walking Dead came to mind. How else could it be that the station had turned into this in the half an hour I walked by? I got back to reality slowly. At first, I thought it was the back of the station, but then I realized there are actually two Victoria Kent train station buildings. I suppose there were two exits to the station in the past, but I don’t quite understand why they are so close, and on the same side of the street; neither why two such large buildings.

Currently, the only one that works is the one pointed by the blue arrow below, whose image is at the start of the Victoria Kent part of this post; Victoria’s secret (or Victoria Can’t) is pointed by the yellow arrow.

I wonder what went wrong that they built a second station. Okupas, maybe? Gosh, can okupas invade a train station? I tried looking for more info online; all I found was the Spanish wikipedia page about the station, which pretty much states what we already know – that the building has been vandalized. Well, I guess every big city needs a little mystery. But I felt scared and ran away from there as fast as I could.

Guadalhorce

What a relief. This station is located in the heart of Malaga’s industrial complex. Walking here, all you see are large warehouses, trucks, and a few mountains in the background.

This is not a touristic stop, as you can see. This is the industrial part of the city, and this station has a clear importance to Malaga’s economy, by connecting workers and production sites.

Aeropuerto

From Aeropuerto to Fuengirola train station, by uber or taxi costs about 40 euros. By train, 2,70 per person. Should I say more? Yes, I should! I want to show how ridiculously easy it is to get to the station after your arrival in Malaga. So, I made a video, and I realized it takes about three minutes (!) from arrivals to the train station. Here it is:

Or in pictures – follow the blue line on the floor:

Now, the train itself should take about 34 minutes to get to Fuengirola’s train station, and from there you can get a taxi straight from outside the station to your hotel or vacation rental if needed; this taxi should cost at maximum around 10 euros (because the city itself is not that big). Total: max 12,70, for 1 person; 15,40 euros for two people.

I think if you are going to Fuengirola or further, the train is a no-brainer. Fuengirola is the last station on the C1 line, but taking a taxi from there to Mijas, Marbella, or Estepona would certainly be easier on your pocket than taking a taxi from the airport.

For Torremolinos and Benalmadena, though, it is not such a good deal, because the taxi rides are shorter and, therefore, cheaper, so it doesn’t save up so much. Expect to pay up to 15 euros for a taxi from the airport to Torremolinos and from 15 to 30 euros to Benalmádena.

If you were to take a train to the nearest station and a taxi after, it would cost you close to the same as in the example to Fuengirola. You can see exact prices for the train tickets and get to know about the possibility of using the trains for free on the post about free trains in the Costa del Sol.

But back to the Airport. Here is another video; this one shows more of the interior of the Aeropuerto train station and goes all the way into the airport, up to the second floor check-in gates.

And a few pictures around:

For those of us lucky enough to have stayed in Malaga (yay!) we have one more train station to see, and it is a very good one:

Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor train station gets you straight to the door of Plaza Mayor, an open air, beautiful shopping center like no other in the Costa del Sol. So much fun! Cinemas, eating court, great playgrounds and – extra! – due to the proximity to the airport, you get to see the airplanes right after take-off, when they are still flying so low you can see the details of the airplane passing above your head. Tons of fun for airplane enthusiasts!

Back to the station: how close is it to the shopping? Ah, if you wonder this, I’ve made a video especially for you, showing how to get from one to the other. But be careful: do not blink or you may miss something, as it takes less than one minute!!!

So now you know it is really close; so much so that we could see the train that took me there departing after I had already achieved Plaza Mayor. Easy peasy. Let’s go around this super cute shopping center:

Shortly after entering, you’ll reach the main square of the open-air shopping centre. There is a playground for younger kids there, surrounded by the food court. Parents can eat while watching their kids play 😉 The cinemas are also in this area.

Leaving the square, walking around the shopping, everything is open and beautiful:

Another playground and a big bull sculpture:

Conclusion

What an adventure! I find it interesting how each station in Malaga has its very distinctive character. Taking the train in Malaga can get you to several interesting parts of the city, and there is certainly a lot to see. I’d strongly recommend Centro Alameda to anyone that wants to see the best of Malaga; María Zambrano for travellers, Aeropuerto for savings and Plaza Mayor for shopping enthusiasts – or even only for parents interested in their playgrounds.

But let’s let the secrets be, for our own safety; and the industrial area for those that do the great work of providing Malaga with all the amenities we enjoy. That said, choose your adventures and hop on the train; it is well worth it, and it is also a very affordable and fast way to go around. Happy travels!