Malaga’s beaches are one of the city’s main tourist attractions. They are located in a key position where an immense number of sunny days each year are combined with the magnificent temperature of the water on Malaga’s beaches, bathed by the warm sea of Alborán and the fantastic offer of services available on all of them.
For that reason, the beautiful beaches of Malaga ensure more than 2.5 million tourist come to the city each year. Many of them come by plane and land at Malaga airport, where you can hire a car with CarGest to freely visit all of the beaches of Malaga Capital and the province.
If you are thinking of visiting the city, it is worth asking which is Malaga’s best beach. Below, is shown a map of the beaches of Malaga capital that we mention in the article so you can get to any of them easily.
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Best Beaches in Malaga Capital East
The city’s port, located in the centre, divides the coastline into two, so we will also divide the beach areas of Malaga into two, starting from the city centre, ordering them by distance from the nearest to furthest away from the centre. In this case, the beachline stretches as far as the distant neighbourhood of El Palo, almost where the town of Rincón de la Victoria starts.
La Malagueta Beach
This is the closest beach to Malaga city centre, so it is usually rather crowded in the warmest months. It is also common to come across tourists who are enjoying their holiday in Malaga.
It is easily recognised since it has a large sign made in sand with the name “La Malagueta”, where it is common to immortalise the visit with photos of the beach next to the sign. It is situated on the seafront promenade of the same name and close to the N-340 highway, known as the old Carretera de Cadiz (Cadiz Road), which covers the entire city.
There are plenty of services nearby and it holds the Q quality for Spanish beaches and the blue flag, both awards being indicative of the beach’s maximum quality. The drawback lies in the shortage of parking nearby, so it is ideal for visitors who are staying in the centre or its surroundings and can reach it on foot.
La Caleta Beach
One of the most peaceful beaches of Malaga capital, it is popular among locals from the nearby residential development or a small number of tourists that have decided to walk there to find a space away from the hustle and bustle of the centre.
It is situated under the hidden El Morlaco forest park and there is no tourist accommodation or parking nearby, since it can be found half way between the city of Malaga and the El Palo neighbourhood.
However, it boasts the same services as the others, except for those related to commercial or hospitality establishments, and it ends just where you can see some rocks, which are characteristic of the province.
Pedregalejo Beach
Possibly the most stunning beach of Malaga capital, it is formed by small sand coves sheltered by breakwaters, so the water temperature can be slightly higher.
In recent years, the entire coastal neighbourhood of Pedregalejo has come to life, becoming an area frequented by young people from Malaga, who are looking to enjoy a good day on the beach far away from the centre of Malaga as well as to go out to eat and enjoy a beer.
This has led to a proliferation of bars and restaurants on Pedregalejo beach, so there is a wide range of hospitality on offer in the area and to suit all types of public, where you can find seafood restaurants, chiringuito beach bars, paella or traditional cuisine, such as ‘espeto de Malaga’ (barbecued skewer of sardines).
El Palo Beach
El Palo beach is situated in the ancient fishing village of the same name. The terrain is very similar to that of Pedregalejo, and it also boats a plethora of services and hospitality establishments, although the offer is more limited to seafood restaurants or restaurants with typical Malaga dishes such as paella or fried fish.
The adjacent seafront promenade is quite large for walking or riding a bike, enjoying the fantastic image offered by a sunset on the beach with the bay of Malaga in the background. Parking is slightly easier than on the other beaches to the east of Malaga, but it is equally advisable to get there early.
Best Beaches in Malaga Capital West
In the case of West Malaga, the coastal area with beaches is practically as large as in East Malaga, although less rugged and rocky. This is the case in the entire province: the further West you head, the sandier the beaches will be, such as the beaches of Estepona.
Huelin Beach
Stretching from the port to the start of Misericordia beach, it has all of the services you need to enjoy a beach day in Malaga, although parking in summer is usually difficult in the area.
It is usually quite crowded, since it is situated in the most highly populated area of the city, and Malaga’s Huelin Park is just behind it. Next to the park there are several streets where you can find some of the best tapas bars in Malaga.
Misericordia Beach
Misericordia beach in Malaga is one of the busiest and most popular among locals, and it is also one of the capital’s largest. It has a relatively new seafront promenade and part of it is known as San Andrés beach, like one of the adjacent neighbourhoods.
This is one of the best beaches in Malaga to go to with children since there are lots of children’s play areas along the entire seafront promenade, it is easy to park nearby and approximately every 200 metres there are chiringuito beach bars, in addition to many well-established restaurants on the promenade.
Sacaba Beach
Sacaba beach in Malaga is located at the end of the Antonio Banderas seafront promenade, behind Misericordia beach, and it finishes at the mouth of the Guadalhorce river. It is the smallest of all of those named in this article, and a small promenade has recently been built, equipped with some showers, which it didn’t have before.
It is therefore common on this beach, like the adjacent ones which extend to the west, to see people enjoying activities like surfing, kitesurfing or similar, since it is a quieter beach. Together with La Malagueta beach, they are the only beaches in Malaga that have a webcam installed so you can check the condition of the beaches, in terms of weather and waves.
Guadalhorce Beach
If you are looking for a beach in Malaga with few people, this is bound to be the best option. Situated at the mouth of the Guadalhorce river, its main characteristic is that it is divided by the river itself at several points and this makes it a little hard to access, but it is all flat and without difficulties.
Despite there not being any beaches for dogs in Malaga, it is common to see locals who come to this beach with their dogs since it is the most isolated of all of them and where they are less likely to disturb other beach-goers, especially outside of the swimming season. The dog beaches of Malaga are located in different towns such as Fuengirola, Marbella and Torrox.
Guadalmar Beach
This is the last beach of Malaga capital towards the East and the longest, it stretches from the mouth of the Guadalhorce river to the start of the neighbourhood of Los Álamos, known for having the most clubs of Torremolinos. Also known as San Julian beach, it is the only nudist beach of Malaga capital. There are no houses nearby, it is reached by a long dirt track and there are almost no services nearby, making it perfect for people who are looking for a naturist beach in Malaga which is peaceful and isolated.
