Best Beaches in Malaga and around the city

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Last Updated on May 3, 2023

Top 10 Beaches In and Around Malaga, Spain

Malaga hosts some of the most beautiful beaches in Spain and I learned from a local what the top beaches in Malaga are!

I stayed with one of my friends from college who lives only about a 10-minute drive from Malaga’s city center. I have already visited her and lived with her family during some extended trips to Malaga, so we got to visit a bunch of different beautiful beaches in and around her house!

Keep reading to figure out which Malaga beaches catch your eye and start planning your beach vacation in and around Malaga, Spain! Beach vacations are the BEST vacations, and there is no shortage of beach options in Malaga!

Top 10 Malaga Beaches

If you’re planning a trip to Malaga in the South of Spain, here are top 10 beaches where you can pick your favorites and relax on your vacation for a few days in the sun. Most of these beaches are located on the Costa del Sol, which is the coast lined with beaches in southern Spain. 

Click on the best beaches in Malaga for more details

El Balcon de Europa (Balcony of Europe) 

Location of beach in Malaga: Balcón de Europa, 29780 Nerja, Málaga, Spain

The “Balcony of Europe” is a picturesque place located in Nerja. It hosts magnificent oceanfront views famous for the scenery in all directions with the glistening sea, mountains in the distance, and sunsets all viewed from one large observation deck.

Located in the city center near the Balcony of Europe is plenty of restaurants and shops, along with street performances and live music to keep you entertained all day and night!

In order to get to the beaches, you need to walk down multiple steps. Calahonda Beach is located to the left, it is a small public beach with all the facilities you need, including bathrooms, showers, trash cans, and even hammocks! It tends to get very busy and crowded, so we chose to keep walking to a smaller beach.

To the right is the little private beach that we walked to in order to have our own STUNNING spot on the water. You will need to walk through a circle rock (pictured below) and then you will be on your own little beach with crystal clear waters and a rock you can climb for the perfect photoshoot. Since it is basically underneath The Balcony of Europe, you will have a shaded area to keep your stuff cool or to get a break from the sun. This beach has all of the same facilities as Calahonda because it is located only a few minutes walk away.   

Visit all the Malaga beaches on your own with THIS excursion!

Las Dunas de Artola 

Location of beach in Malaga: 29604 Marbella, Málaga, Spain

If you are looking for a beach to relax, read a book in the shade, or have a nice walk, then this is the beach for you! Las Dunas de Artola has a well-maintained wooden boardwalk as an entrance to the beach with plenty of places to sit down and enjoy the surrounding dunes and plants. This is a perfect place to watch the sunrise or sunset, or the kites and surfers on a windy day. To keep your toes in the sand, grab a bite to eat at Andy’s Beach Bar.

This is a nudist beach, so there will be some casual nudists usually on the west side of the beach.

It is located next to Cabopino Beach, which is also a nice beach with the same facilities and activities within walking distance.

Need more ideas for WHAT TO DO IN MALAGA?
Check out my One Day in Malaga trip ideas post!

Fun Things to do for One Day in Malaga Spain

There are many fun options for one day in Malaga Spain. Make the most of Malaga’s wide variety of restaurants & shops, well-known historical architecture, and long stretches of sandy beaches with these Malaga tips! 

Bolonia Beach 

Location of beach near Malaga: 11391, Cádiz, Spain

This magnificent and unique beach is 4km long and almost 70km wide. The sand dune here is the most popular attraction. It is more than 30km high and over 200km wide! While visiting this beach you have to climb to the top – it is the perfect photo opportunity. The sand dune keeps moving inland because of the constant action of the winds. It was declared a national monument in 2001.

The water is crystal clear blue and the rocks in the water give it a stunning vibe. Free parking lots usually run out of space in the mornings, so there are also several paid parking lots for a small fee.

El Castillo Beach 

Location of beach in Malaga: Av. Mare Nostrum, 3, 29640 Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain

El Castillo beach is located below Castillo de Sohail. The castle is about a 10-minute walk from the beach and is up on a hill providing beautiful scenery of the ocean and the surrounding region of Fuengirola.

The beach itself provides many facilities and activities to keep you happy and content all day! Almost all reviews for El Castillo say that this beach is very well kept and maintained. In walking distance are restaurants with a variety of food and drinks options and even a nearby playground (Parque de Poniente) for children.

A good activity offered here at El Castillo Beach is renting a boat for the day because they cook you a BBQ lunch while out on the colorful boat. It is not as touristy or crowded, but no less inviting, making it a definite place to visit.

Playa Canina (Dog Beach) is also located on El Castillo, just a short walk over and they offer dog showers for your furry friends!

Half-Day Malaga Catamaran Cruise with BBQ Lunch and Dinner

Start your day enjoying a 3-hour lunch cruise in Málaga. Aboard a modern sailing catamaran, you’ll take in views of the coastal scenery and stop for a swim in the clear waters before a barbecue is served on board. After, you will have time to clean up, and explore the city before you relish a great…

Nikki Beach, Marbella

Location of beach in Malaga: Carr. de Cádiz, km 192, 29604 Marbella, Málaga, Spain

Nikki Beach is right on some of the finest white sandy beaches in Marbella. It has a private swimming pool (for adults 18+ only) and a family-friendly restaurant. This venue hosts many large events throughout the season.

Typically the sunbeds and daybeds here are more expensive to rent because they are luxurious white cushions. There is no time limit for the daybeds that are rented out, and towels are provided for each guest on the property.

Nikki Beach is known for its DJs playing lively music throughout the day. If you are looking to live lavishly, enjoy the pool and cold drinks, while also on the beach with party vibes then this is the place to go! 

Other tours near Marbella Beach

La Malagueta Beach

Location of beach in Malaga: P.º Marítimo Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Málaga, Spain

La Malagueta is another beach close to Malaga’s city center. It is a fan favorite for both locals and tourists because it is right next to the Port of Malaga, including all of the shops, bars, and restaurants in the port. It is one of the more crowded beaches due to how close it is to the city center. Many tourists take a shore excursion to this Malaga beach since it is so close to port!

It is 1,200m long and about 45m wide, and the sand is dark and gritty. This beach offers a wide variety of facilities, activities, and leisure rentals like loungers and beach umbrellas. You can also rent sailing equipment here. They have multiple beach bars that rent out sunbeds on the beach.

Many peddlers will pester you to buy a drink, towel, or massage while on this beach, but they usually leave with a “No, gracias.” 

PRO TIP: While visiting here, it is a good idea to rent a scooter or bike to ride around the entire Port of Malaga and see all of the historic monuments and shops. 

Need more Malaga Shore Excursion Ideas?

Playamar & Bajondillo Beach

Location of beach near Malaga: Playa del Bajondillo Torremolinos, 29620, Torremolinos, 29620

This beach has everything to offer - restaurants, bars, shops, and PLENTY of activities at the beach. It is very popular among locals and tourists because it is within walking distance of the city of Torremolinos.

From Malaga, it is only about a 20-minute drive.

Bajondillo Beach is about 1km long and around 40m wide. You can rent jet skis, pedal boats, parasailing, kayaks and more as well as beach volleyball, children's play areas, and swings. One can definitely say that you won’t be bored visiting this beach in Torremolinos.

Peñón del Cura Beach

Location of beach in Malaga: 15, Ctra. Cádiz Variante, 13, 29649 Las Lagunas de Mijas, Málaga, Spain

This secluded beach is known for snorkeling and diving, so get your snorkel gear and head to Peñón del Cura. It is a smaller beach with more pebble-like sand and it is located right next to the road, but you don’t notice the nearby road because the beach is about 10m down steep stairs. It was a great find for us because it was not crowded at all! 

There is a small parking lot for free or street parking.

There was a restaurant (Villa Tropicana Beach, Mijas)  about a 10-15 minute walk down the road where we got drinks and were able to use their restrooms.

Playa de la Misericordia

Location of beach in Malaga: 1Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas, 29004, Málaga, Spain

This beach seemed to be more for locals, rather than tourists as it was not crowded, pretty quiet, and mainly for people walking or jogging along the beach. Playa Misericordia stands out amongst others because of its dark sand. It is only about 3.7km from Malaga’s city center. Because of its proximity to the city, parking is free on the beach (over 100 spaces) but once it gets crowded parking is hard to find.

There are many local restaurants along the beach and some of them even offer food and drink service to your rented sunbed. They also have loungers and umbrellas available for rent.

There are plenty of palm trees on this beach for people who prefer the shade, and it is wide enough to host beach volleyball games.

Our favorite spot was the rocky walk out area that is frequented mostly by fishermen but is also a good spot for a photoshoot because of the mountains and sea in the background.

Guadalmar Beach

Location of beach in Malaga: P.º Abel Sánchez, 30, 29004 Málaga, Spain

This beach has a gray sand color making it unique but still very pretty. They have multiple beach huts with cold drinks to offer. We had a great time with their photo opportunities and loved taking pictures above in the beautiful heart chair at one of the beach huts. The shore at this beach gets pretty deep (almost 6 ft), so be careful if you start to wander far.

Guadalmar is about 400m long and around 30m wide. This is one of Malaga’s biggest nude beaches and they have sunbeds and beach umbrellas available for rent. It is less than 15 minutes away from the airport and it has a large parking lot for beach visitors.

Those are the top beaches in Malaga according to the locals! I can't wait to visit again and return to some of these to perhaps figure out what my favorite one is.

Did I miss one? Is there a beach in Malaga that definitely belongs on this list? Let me know in the comments!

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