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Car rental Malaga

We will be staying in Marbella for 2 weeks and want to get in as much as we can of the area. Should we rent a car or can we rely on public transportation? Planning trips to Granada, Ronda, then head toward Gibraltar, and eventually want to go to Seville for a few days before heading to Lisbon and home. Total of 3 1/2 weeks.
So much to see and do, it’s overwhelming!

Posted by
107 posts

We rented a car at the Malaga airport last year and enjoyed every bit of it. We took in all your cities and also Frigiliana too. You will have to enjoy the driving and all that comes with it. If you do rent-- rent a small car, because roads are very narrow and will be easier to park. We drove a 2-door fiat. We use Hertz because my husband is a gold member and never have to worry. We rent before we leave US and we buy 0 deductible insurance,bit pricy but worth not worrying. CDW super.
Other traveler's will answer you about doing this trip by train too. We did return the car in Seville and then did trains. All is available, a car just gives you ability to drive where there is no train stop.
Safe travels!

Posted by
971 posts

If you do rent a car, be sure to read the online reviews of the company carefully. Coldcar is a company that is frequently mentioned for it's shady business tactics, but there could be others.

Posted by
15 posts

We used Malagacar recently and they are quite affordable.
A car for visiting many white hill towns seemed pretty necessary.
We loved Ronda, Grazalema, Arcos de la Frontera and Frijiliana.

Posted by
5240 posts

We've been to Malaga many times and are there again this Saturday. We always rent a car but book early. I've had a lot of success recently with Ryanair car rental, they're not an actual rental agency but act as a consolidator, most of the time the car has been from Hertz but their prices are amongst the cheapest I've seen. Rentalcars is also another good consolidator, we're renting from them this time with Thrifty being the agency. Be careful with searches however, some agencies are attractively cheap but often sting you with extras.

The roads in Andalucia are excellent in the main and it's very easy to drive around although the old towns and villages can be tight and the drive through the mountains to Ronda isn't for everyone.

If driving to Gibraltar you may want to look at parking on the Spanish side of the border and crossing on foot as quite often the queues to drive into Gibraltar are very long.

I wouldn't want to try and tour the area via public transport, far too time consuming and logistically difficult.

Are you staying in the Marriott resort in Marbella by any chance? If so Sixt will deliver a car to you and they provide a discount to guests although it's still not as cheap as others I've found.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks for all the info. We are staying in an apartment in Marbella, but have 10 days to explore. Any input on best day trips from there?