We may be spending a month in Spain from mid February to Mid March. We have traveled to Spain many times but this time we want to stay put in one place. We want to escape the cold of the northeast. We are focusing on Andalucia around Malaga. We know that from Malaga it is easy to get to Madrid, Cordoba and Sevilla by train. Our question is are there any recommendations about where ch city/town tostay between Marbellla and Nerja. There are so many options. We are active, travel frequently, in good health and gay and we only want to rent a car as needed. Thank you.
Posted by
North Italy
374 posts
I would stay in Málaga itself. It's a fantastic city with so much to see and do!
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2020/01/malaga-what-to-see-and-do-free-31-ideas.html?m=1
Posted by
Washington DC
27812 posts
I'll say up-front that the prospect of committing to a month-long stay in any city other than the largest, most sight-rich places (like London, Paris, Rome, Istanbul, etc.) gives me great qualms. I hate the prospect of running out of things to do. With that caveat, I agree that if you want the south coast, Malaga--the transportation hub for much of that area--is probably your best bet.
Staying in one of the smaller coastal towns would probably mean every side-trip to a place not on the same bus or train line as your home base would require starting with a trip to Malaga to make a connection.
You mentioned the ease of traveling to Cordoba, Seville and Madrid from Malaga, and you're right about that, but easy doesn't equal fast or cheap if you want the flexibility to plan side trips just a day in advance. This is what I found on renfe.com for travel tomorrow (Wednesday) on the fast trains:
Malaga- Cordoba: 49 minutes and €18-€59 each way
Malaga-Madrid: 2:44 to 3:10 and €39-€76 each way
Malaga-Seville: 2:02 to 2:19 and €32-€54 each way
If you set up camp somewhere other than Malaga, those times will be significantly longer.
Since you've traveled to Spain often, I imagine you won't need to make a lot of trips to those cities, so perhaps you wouldn't face really high transportation costs for multiple round trips, but there's no avoiding the round-trip travel time.
You can explore the commuter rail lines originating in Malaga here; note that some coastal towns have pnly bus service: https://www.renfe.com/es/en/suburban/suburban-malaga
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you for your responses. Yes, trains in Spain are fantastic, that’s why I like the idea of staying around Malaga. A month there concerns me, but it’s the best hub for going elsewhere from southern Spain. I may change my plans to Barcelona &/or -Madrid- and then Malaga. Madrid has more than enough to keep us busy for a month but I am looking for milder weather.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1700 posts
I agree with staying right in Malaga. Malaga is an under-rated city. It is not just a transportation hub. There is so much to see and do in Malaga. And please don't rely only on Rick's guidebooks. He treats Malaga like it is nothing more than a transportation hub. I highly recommend the following guidebooks for Malaga (and all of Andalucia):
Michelin Green Guide
Rough Guides
Fodors
and Lonely Planet. However, a caveat about LP. Until this year, LP was one of my favorite guidebooks and "go to" travel guide. Sometimes I would rely only on LP. However, I recently bought LP's newest guidebook for Italy for our trip next year, and sadly I am disappointed. They changed their format, and they don't include logistical information such as opening and closing times, what days sites are open/closed, etc. So if you are interested in LP, try to get a guidebook that is 1 or 2 years old.
Posted by
Washington DC
27812 posts
Barcelona is usually quite a bit warmer than Madrid in the winter.