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Best town (Malaga or Cadiz) for foodies and strolling around

Our next cruise stops in Malaga and Cadiz and we're torn between which city is best for simply strolling around, seeing city sites and stopping in restaurants and bars. (We don't really care about historical sites, museums, etc., so if that influences your decision, it's not a factor.) After tons of research we still haven't made up our minds.

We would like to do an excursion from whatever city we don't choose:

Cadiz would possibly be Arcos de la Frontera and Jerez.

Malaga would possibly be either Ronda or Marbella (they both go to Mijas)

Learning towards, Malaga for roaming around, (even though the huge market is closed on Sundays when we're there) and then the Cadiz excursion...but it's a coin flip. Or, maybe just walk around both Malaga and Cadiz.

Would like input from Spain afficionados. Thanks...

Posted by
7162 posts

Just my opinion, Cadiz is smaller as easy to wander around. Other than the cathedral it has no must see sights. In addition, it’s on a peninsula so it would be very difficult to get lost. As you said, it’s really a coin toss.

Posted by
1634 posts

We stopped at both on a Transatlantic cruise. In Malaga, we did a food tour with 'We Love Malaga'. It was wonderful; possibly the best food tour we've done. Highly recommended.

From Cadiz we went to Seville. That was a long day, but worth it.

Posted by
7304 posts

If Ronda is an option, it is vastly superior to Marbella, which has a cute, but not outstanding, historical center, and is surrounded by resorts and marinas.

Posted by
1700 posts

Have not been to Cadiz but we did spend 2 nights in Malaga, and we loved it. The walk to the top of the Alcazaba is beautiful with ruins, gardens, patios, fountains, and spectacular views of the Mediterranean. The seaside promenade is lovely, and you can relax by the port to have drinks and meals. The city center is very pretty, too, with tons of restaurants, cafes, shops, etc. And the cathedral is well worth seeing.

Posted by
5542 posts

Malaga definitely for food. Ronda over Marbella every time.

Posted by
9 posts

Looks like we'll spend the stops roaming around Malaga and Cadiz. The cost of the tours could be applied to food and drinks in both cities. Since we've never been to either one, it makes sense to simply take in the sights without a tour. Thanks for the feedback.

Posted by
7304 posts

Staying in Málaga makes sense: it is a lovely place to spend a day, and it does save you about 1.5 hours on a bus each way to Ronda, on some curvy roads.