Málaga is the sixth largest Spanish city and the capital of the province of the same name in Andalucia. It is located on the western extreme of the Mediterranean in the south of the Iberian peninsula, around 100km east of the Gibraltar Strait. It is a commercial city, owing a lot of its success to tourist, which is increased further by the size of the airport, some of the city’s new infrastructures, like the high velocity train links and the cultural sights. The city is also famous as the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, to who the Birthhouse of Picasso and the Picasso Museum of Malaga are dedicated.

Málaga has a total of 16 beaches, varying in size and location. Near the Torremolinos limits, there is the San Julián, Guadalmar and Guadalhorce beaches. To the west of the port, lie the La Misericordia, San Andrés and Huelin beaches, which are all used by a very high number of people, and on the other side of the port there are the two most popular beaches, La Malagueta and La Caleta. In the eastern part of the city, there is a vast network of caves, where many remains from the neanderthal and neolithic periods have been discovered. From the muslim Málaga, one of the things that remains is the castle on top of Mount Gibralfaro, built in the 14th century. After the city was conquered by the Christians, work began on the Renaissance Cathedral of Málaga, which is famous four being incomplete. The lack of one of its towers gave it the nickname "La Manquita".

Accommodation in Málaga’s student residences

The student residences and colegios mayores in Málaga are assigned to the univeristy of Málaga and many of them welcome visitors to the city during the university vacations. It should be understood that these residences are designed primarily for students and not children or adults expecting a high level of luxury. However, with this in mind, the halls do meet a level of comfort that we expect most visitors to be happy with, and we will welcome any feedback where this is not the case.

Getting around Málaga

The airport is connected to the city via the line 19 bus route and several intercity buses heading for the Costa del Sol. By means of the high velocity train network (AVE), Málaga is connected to Cordoba, Seville, Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid. In terms of buses, a single ticket will cost €1.20. 

On the site of the current city existed a Turduli settlement, which eventually became a Phoenician colony of Malaka. After being under the Carthaginean rule, Malaka became part of the Roman Empire. This period is when the city saw a tremendous development. The decline of the Roman Empire made the city fall into the hands of Germanic tribes, who in around 411 devastated the Málaga coastline. Then the city was conquered by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, however, the Byzantines were driven out by the Visigoths in 615.

When the city was conquered by the arabs, it began to flourish, but with the conquest of the Catholic Monarchs in 1487 came a very bloody episode in Malaga’s history in the final war against the Emirate of Granada. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the city entered a period of dramatic decline, not only as a consequences brought by removal of the Moorish, but also due to epidemics and floods brought about by the river Guadalmedina. With the arrival of the 18th century, despite many catastrophes, the city began to recuperate.

During most of the 19th century, Málaga was one of the most rebellious cities in the country, which contributed greatly to the triumph of Liberalism in Spain. It was also the peninsula’s pioneering city in terms of the industrial revolution, becoming at one stage the most industrial city in Spain, and ceding to Barcelona, remained in second place for many years. The city began to decline again around 1880, with most of the 20th century being a time of major economic adjustments leading to a progressive deindustrialisation and a gradual withdrawal from commerce. During Franco’s military dictatorship, the city saw a great expansion due to tourism from other countries all around the Costa del Sol, which lead to another economic boom for the city in the 1960s.